Tribal Ink
Surrounded By Freaks

From chilly Sweden, Tribal Ink brings us a bit of that good old... worn-out air.
But first, a little flashback; April 2007, the much-anticipated return of Linkin Park culminates in a healthy, but illegal peer-to-peer download on various sharing programs and, while searching for the latest endeavor of the Californian band "Minutes To Midnight," one encounters a fake, a well-packaged set of second-rate Nu Metal tracks. The CD is released, and the bluff circulating on the web becomes apparent. Months later, I feel like investigating, I discover who the fake L. Park of "What I've Done" were, and here they are, caught—Tribal Ink; the track is actually called "Refugee."

This mistake (I don't know how accidental) only served to launch Tribal Ink, especially in their native country, and the band immediately thanks on MySpace the person who favored them so much by creating the misunderstanding.
Moving on to listening to the album "Surrounded By Freaks", one immediately notices the pronounced Nu Metal influences made in the USA; in fact, songs like "To My Face" and "Don't You Push Me" heavily reference Limp Bizkit and early Linkin Park. We arrive at "Refugee", the fake "What I've Done," with a strong rapcore presence here as well. Leader Funky Dan seems to manage decently both in the 'rapping' and the chorus, which, like every respectable modern Nu Metal/Rapcore band, is immediately very catchy. After the good "I'm Free" and "Pick Me Up", it must be admitted that not everything goes well; it's not all roses for the Nordic quartet, notably as the electronic presence often proves intrusive and confusing, as in "California Love" and "I'm A Liar (Believe Me)", and from a good start, it fades into a Papa Roach/Beastie Boys hybrid in the end.

 In conclusion, I’d say that without the covert advertising provided by the magical and fake world of the Internet, they would have 50% fewer fans. However, "Surrounded By Freaks" emerges with confidence in my judgment, but if you try listening to it, after 6-7 listens it might feel old and fake; frigid Sweden can undoubtedly offer something cleaner and more genuine.