Another label that's difficult to define is "nu-metal," which came to the fore in the late '90s as a result of the post-grunge movement. Most people think of nu-metal as angry music with little substance, and using that definition I can't classify InMe as nu-metal.

Nor can InMe be post-grunge, which combines the anthemic sound of arena rock with the seriousness of the grunge movement (think bands like Live, Candlebox and Creed).  The band produces a combination of melodic drama and hard rock, and White Butterfly is a good example of what they do. Not a great one, but a good one.

The disc is a tribute to James Austin, a friend of bass player Joe Morgan's who passed away after an accident in 2002. Labels aside, said music is fairly impressive, especially for a band whose popularity hasn't heavily extended outside Europe yet. The first single, "7 Weeks," sounds vaguely like the bastard child of Korn and My Chemical Romance, combining a memorable underlying riff with angst-ridden lyrics.

Highlights of the album include the other singles: "Faster The Chase" is a mellow rock track that's vaguely reminiscient of Alien Ant Farm, while "Otherside" is a slower tune featuring frontman Dave McPherson's vocals over a searing guitar riff. The title track also gained some popularity, though I didn't find myself enjoying it all that much; it's extremely soft and calm when compared to the rest of the album, causing it to sound out of place.

The most noteworthy track is "Just a Glimpse," which managed a fair amount of American airplay after the album's release. The lyrics to this one are about as melodramatic (read: lame) as any I've heard, but they're easy to ignore thanks to the awesome guitar and bass action.

White Butterfly isn't the greatest album ever released; that honor is reserved for Yanni's 1994 epic Bananaphone. However, it's not bad at all, and definitely worth a try. While the lyrics are rarely rise above awful (sample: "Sweet, sour, flavor (still crying)/ Your taste makes me cringe and smile"), the technical ability of the band as a whole is impressive, and that's enough to make the album worth a reccomendation. Hopefully they'll get some better writers for their upcoming third album Daydream Anonymous.

Rating: B-

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