01. Count Back From Ten
02. White Light Response
03. Inanimate Objects
04. Lose Lose Situation
05. Irrelevant Thoughts [Prong cover]
06. Patient Zero
07. The Potential To...
08. Percussion Fracture
09. Cadence
10. The Void Between Skin And Bone

Ever since their inception in 2001, Project: Failing Flesh have been one of metal's best kept secrets. Here is a band that does nearly everything right (at least in my book) and yet, nobody ever heard anything about them. A Beautiful Sickness and Conjoined were both excellent albums that showcased how well this band is able to fuse forward-thinking experimentation with a real sense of respect for the classics that influenced them. Unfortunately, besides Metal Storm and a select few other magazines, I have not really noticed anyone putting these albums in their best-of-decade lists and such. Why is that? And will Count Back From Ten change anything?

I think it will. With this album, Project: Failing Flesh go a long way in making their music more accessible. There is no need to worry though, since in this case, accessible does not mean dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. Instead, Count Back From Ten is more accessible because it is more focused. Previous albums displayed a tendency to go all over the place, this one is still eclectic but nothing here is completely jarring or off-putting. Although the band still revels in serving up various esoteric sounds (traditional industrial elements are omnipresent and weird rhythms and symphonic parts also pop up from time to time), they do a great job of keeping everything flowing in a way that is not distracting. Since there are no distractions, it is possible to truly enjoy those various psychedelic Voivod-isms and Blut Aus Nord-esque vicious black metal passages that are often featured here. Perhaps the best example of all this can be found in the fantastic album closer "The Void Between Skin And Bone," which starts with a monolithic industrial riff and anti-melodic crooning only to explode into full-on blasting black metal further in the song. Elsewhere on Count Back From Ten the band channels Godflesh ("Inanimate Objects") and offers some compelling drum craziness in the aptly titled "Percussion Fracture."

I can't really say that this album is better than Conjoined since it is more of the same, but slightly more focused and accessible. Conjoined did impress me more back when I heard it first; however, Count Back From Ten is still my favorite album of the year 2010. I highly recommend it and urge you all to also check out the entire Project: Failing Flesh discography.