A band named after sand paper. Not just any sand paper, though. 40 Grit is the variety one would use to peel paint from metal. And removing paint from metal reminds me of a story.

I used to work at a guitar shop that purchased used musical equipment. A fellow brought in a distortion pedal that he had stolen hoping to make some quick cash. I asked, “What have you got there?” He replied, “This here’s a refurbishing box. Hit this button here and whoo wee, it’ll sand blast everything in the room!” That well-spoken thief may not have known what a distortion pedal was meant for, but he did provide me an excellent summary for the 40 Grit band. Press play and they’ll blast everything in the room.

The disc begins with a creepy door slamming open. A repetitive guitar hook starts to hum in the listener’s ears with a juxtaposition of multiple newscasts bleeding into one another. There is a definite Queensr˙che Operation Mind Crime vibe seeping into the track. Just as I was pondering whatever became of Queensr˙che, “No Giving In” slams me back into my seat. The simple little guitar melody that began creeping into my skull with the intro returns, surrounded by a sonic wall of sound. “No Giving In” provides a powerhouse look at 40 Grit’s sound.

“Bomb Bottom” features a more bouncy attack. A catchy thick groove propels the song with a nice bombastic bass sound. Rap metal most likely influenced this tune, but thankfully 40 Grit retains their core sound with a little swagger added. “Pieces” features a driving hypnotic guitar line with a hefty sonic swell into the chorus (otherwise known as a crescendo to non-morons. I just wanted Metallica’s fans to know what I was referring to). “Because of You” is a nice treat. Musical variations abound throughout the track. A classic punk rock breakdown leads to a sing-along chorus. This is sure to be a hit live.

The title track, “Nothing to Remember,” is a power ballad, although it is not the “Every Rose has It’s Thorn” three-chord crap that every band from Skid Row to Firehouse had a variation of. “Nothing to Remember” is heavy, melodic and well written.

The video for “Only Human” is included on the CD. If MTV’s Head Banger’s Ball still existed, it would have found heavy rotation. Unfortunately, these days groups need stylists to paint them up pretty, so light metal bands flourish while true metal is overlooked. And the kings of diet metal, Linkin Park, will never vanish.

For aficionados, real metal is still alive and kicking. It can be found at www.40grit.com or www.metalblade.com.

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