After creating a buzz in the underground scene last year with their independently released EP Moths, young San Diego-based act Lower Definition found themselves aboard the ever-expanding Ferret Music roster. Having only heard a couple of songs prior to the release of their debut full-length effort The Greatest Of All Lost Arts, I was a little unsure of what to expect. And when you take into account that their bio states that the band “mesh power and catchiness that recall Faith No More and Glassjaw in their prime,” I was eagerly waiting for Lower Definition to dazzle me with their latest release.

Well for starters, you can cast aside the bio’s claims. Let me state right here and now that Lower Definition sound nothing or resemble anything close to either Faith No More or Glassjaw. But that’s not to say that Lower Definition don’t impress in their own way, because they do. Well, sometimes they do.

Lower Definition (who comprise of vocalist Matt Geise, guitarist Eddy Marshburn, bassist Stefan Toler and drummer Valentino Arteaga) are essentially a post-hardcore act, but with some screaming/emo-rock influences dotted throughout their sound. Starting out with acoustic guitars, “To Satellite” eventually morphs into something quite heavy, with Geise drifting between harmonised clean vocals and savage screams. While it’s hardly the most innovative or genre-shattering track, it does have more than enough catchy moments to suck you in, and features moments of metal to give people something to rock out to.

From here on in, the band adhere to the formula laid down with the opener, with “His Silent Film,” “Pueblo Cicada” (which features a guest vocal appearance from Dance Gavin Dance’s Jonny Craig), the heavy “The Ocean, The Beast!” and the dramatic “Namaskar” the definite stand outs.

For a debut effort, Lower Definition has certainly produced a solid album. And while there’s not a real lot of difference between what they do and what a hundred other bands on the scene are doing, The Greatest Of All Lost Arts is at least a consistently enjoyable listen from start to finish.

www.myspace.com/lowerdefinition