Ra is another one of those "guilty-pleasure" nu-metal bands that you can't help but like because of their certain tight, catchy songs. In fact, sometimes their songs are so catchy you might even label them as "adult-oriented" metal. Songs like the opener, "Do you Call my Name," with its singalong wah-wah pedal riff, and "Rectifier," which has a pulsating drum beat that will get anyone banging their head are great examples. Some of the real rockers include, "Violator," which has a memorable riff and an awesome breakdown, and "Only," which has a soaring chorus that will have you singing along by the time you get the words down. These guys also know how to work a ballad. "On My Side," is an infecious nu-metal flavored power ballad, and "Walking and Thinking," is a great acoustic ballad that's up to par with "More Than Words." The best song by far is "I believe," with it's quiet creeping verses that explode unexpectedly into a crunching, angry chorus. The rest of the songs are somewhat uneventful, bland or just downright moronic. For example, "Fallen Rock Zone," included lyrics like, "You're just a traitor, eleventh grader, cyber-sex addicted masturbator!" and "Skorn," has a spoken word intro that's just embarrassing. I could barely make it through one spin and after that I skipped it like the plague. These guys definitely are not another unoriginal nu-metal act just trying to cash in, but with the ever-downward decline of nu-metal popularity these days, I have a feeling they'll become another "where are they now" band alongside several other nu-metal counterparts. Kind of a Ra deal.