Now, the fact that Otherwise is a pop radio friendly jock-rock type of band isn't what makes it bad. Hell, take a look at Danko Jones; his stuff generally has a mass market appeal to it, and the music is still pretty ballin'. These guys actually do have some pretty solid riffs from time to time as well, a simple, driving rock sound. Top things off with some of those clean vocals from Rise Against, and things don't sound that bad. Granted, having Rise Against-esque vocals isn't exactly the bees-knees, either, but it can sound decent if used correctly.
Where everything goes wrong is this bands penchant for power ballads. Even when the riffs are at their finest, they still can't manage to save this sinking ship from going down in a mire of pandering, "epic" modern day power ballads. Not speaking in hyperbole here folks; basically every song follows that same template.
Let's pretend for a quick second, with a huge stretch of the imagination, that an entire album of this wallowing, glossed-over, factory-line hard rock was actually enjoyable. Is it really necessary? Even when this album is sitting in a place that doesn't suck, Otherwise still sounds like a band that could be replaced by dozens upon dozens of other generic acts out there without the world of music missing a beat.
All this adds up to a band that is undoubtedly going to see great success with their career. Sadly, I'm not joking.
