It’s been a big year for Kill the Rabbit. The band has been booked solid for most of 2010, playing shows nearly every weekend as local tavern owners discover KTR’s rabid fan base and how that fan base likes to party. They won this year’s whatzup Battle of the Bands, and now, to top it off, they have released their debut album, Pieces.

Recorded and mixed at Digitracks Recording Studio in Fort Wayne, Pieces is a solid collection of songs that combine good old-fashioned rock with crunchy metal riffs and a pop sensibility. It starts off with the burning title track and “Nervous Breakdown,” serving notice that KTR are serious about their music. Akin to a fresh take on Hollywood Vampires-era L.A.Guns, these songs are just what the doctor ordered. I can’t think of any band in the area playing this type of user-friendly rock. “Mr. Condesending,” the standout track on the disc, is good enough to get the band signed to a label if the tune gets into the right people’s hands, and “Flee” shows the band rocking a little harder. It’s not unlike something you’d hear on a Seether or Shinedown release.

While most of the songs on Pieces prove that KTR can rock out with the best, the band also manages to throw in a few emotional ballads. “Your Song” and “Voices” give the album some equilibrium, while the instrumental “Invincible” finishes the disc with a staggering display of musical dexterity.

Pieces might be Kill the Rabbit’s debut CD, but it doesn’t sound like your usual run-of-the-mill, recorded-in-a-basement release. The production is superior, and this band has been seasoned through years of playing together and with other local bands. KTR produce music like a polished, talented machine, reaching a maturity in their music that is missing from a lot of today’s bands. Of the album’s 10 songs, there’s honestly not a clunker in the bunch. They should all be inserted into your iPod playlist and remain there for years to come.