Personnel: George Edmondson (vocals, synthesizer, drums); Samuel Conyers, Adam Cody (vocals); Chris Penuel, Justin Sansom (guitar).
Audio Mixer: Jamie King.
Recording information: The Basement Studio, Rural Hall, NC; Wildfire Recording Studio, Tuscaloosa, AL.
One assumes that the band name is a sly reference to the first verse of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," but a Southern upbringing is the only other thing this Alabama-based post-hardcore act has in common with the Man In Black. Primarily by-the-book metalcore, complete with hoarsely shouted vocals, stutter-step drums and heavy unison riffing, this album only occasionally surprises, as with guitarists Stuart Ogran and Chris Penuel's unexpected dash of '70s metal harmonics at the climax of "From Here I Can See the Shore." Part of the problem is singer Justin Sansom's anonymous screamo vocals, which do little to entice listeners to explore the album's lyrical themes, but an odd sense of listlessness permeates much of the record, which largely lacks the musical aggression that's a hallmark of the style. More underwhelming than actively bad, Dead Man in Reno so far lack much to recommend them, but die-hard metalcore fans might like them well enough. ~ Stewart Mason minimize