If there's one thing I enjoy, it's finding music by accident. I stumbled upon Fear Factory and Machine Head that way, and became a faithful listener after taking a shot in the dark.

The accident that got me to buy Flaw's "Through The Eyes" was an interesting one. I had been watching MTV (I know, I know) recently, and lamenting the continued demise of Headbanger's Ball what with all the good metal bands that are out nowadays. Lo and behold, I'm watching the late-night show called "Extreme Rock", and this band just nails my feet to the floor, freezes my channel-surfing finger, and makes my brain leak out my ears.

Flaw's "Whole" was the first song I heard, and it made my hair stand on end. Chris Volz's voice is surely trained for opera or other classic singing styles, as he is melodic and can hit notes from low to high with impunity. The voice is only part of the attack, however, as Volz's lyrics mirror those of Staind's Aaron Lewis in their honesty, simplicity, and emotion. The band's polished talent rounds out the sound, creating music that grooves at times, trudges at times, but is always exciting.

There are no bad songs on this album, but my favorites are "Whole," "Only the Strong," "Amendment," "My Letter," and "What I have to do." Every song features Volz's vocals as the centerpiece, and his astonishing range is punctuated by guttural screams and the occasional rapped section. While I would not classify Flaw as rap-rock, I think they dabble successfully in that area.

Overall this is a talented musical combo whose sound is led and carried by an amazing singer. I think fans of Tool, Staind, and Sevendust would like this record, and I urge the rest of you to at least listen to the sample of "Whole" on this website. I guarantee you'll be hooked in.

first off, i have to say this is one of the most amazing debut cds in recent memory. i think all the songs are soild, driving songs with strong emotions and guitars.

unlike most bands, FLAW is very versitale in their sound. they can punish you with blistering guitars and booming drums one minute, then soothe you with beautiful harmonies and melodies. the drums are killer. the bass is crazy. the guitars are brutal. the vocals are so deeply ranged. its a great group.

Check Out: "amendmant" "my letter" "scheme" "out of whack" and "payback"

sounds like: Mudvayne x Tool + Staind.

God I love this CD. I first saw Flaw play with Sevendust in a small club in Cincinnati and was [mad] that I didn't get to see their full set. If the 2nd opening act (Gravity Kills) didn't [STUNK], Sevendust would have had a hard time following Flaw. This band has a unique style that's not readily apparent on first listen. Think about this, how do you make yourself distinct in a world with a thousand new (nu?) metal bands popping up everywhere. There's no scratching or DJ work here (thank god), just amazing melodies, fantastic, crushing riffs, great song structure and two complimentary voices. I don't think Flaw has even hit their peak yet, Through the Eyes will be seen as a classic in a few years once the Hoobastanks and Linkin Parks dissapear. Chris' lyrics are incredibly deep and complex and you can feel the genuine pain and anguish in his work. BUY THIS CD

It's a shame that bands like Flaw tend to go unrecognised, overshadowed by the more popular mainstream artists who seem to mill out new CDs every few months. In fact, I never would've run across this band if not for one small strong hidden in the massive soundtrack of an XBox game called "Payback."

Two years later, I finally purchased my first heavy metal album, and was not disappointed. Flaw delivers in every aspect of the genre, and goes beyond it.

The lead singer, Chris, offers the most effective lyrics I've ever heard from any band, and delivers them with a haunting, melodic voice. While most bands in this style tend to focus on screaming, Chris provides a perfect emotional setting to the album, and is backed by bass player Ryan, who does most of the backdrop screaming. This combination works very well, and throughout the album "Through the Eyes," they alternate through a mix of mourmful melody and angered screaming, all of which suits the songs they're playing very well.

Only The Strong - 9.5: The opening song gives a good feel for what the rest of the album is like, mixing Chris's melodic voice with heavy guitar chords and metal-style screaming. Only The Strong has very powerful lyrics and an awesome chorus. Overall it's a consistently enjoyable track.

This song does take some getting used to before you can appreciate just what it's about. Once you learn the lyrics it becomes a whole lot better.

Payback - 9.0: One of the heavier tracks on the album, Payback was the album's first single and was also the song that first got me hooked. While it's awesome to listen and sing along to, "Payback" isn't as deep as most of the songs on the album and goes a little clumsy on the lyrics. Nonetheless, it makes for an awesome debut track with its heavier chords and screaming in the chorus.

As a point of interest, Payback is one of the three songs on the album in which Ryan swears - in this case, he says the F word six times. Not for little children.

My Letter - 9.75: Owing to the purely melodic vocals and lighter chords of the song, you'd be right to guess that "My Letter" is one of the more emotive songs on the album. You can get into this one right away. Chris wrote the song for his daughter, and it was enough to convince me that he's a very brave and intelligent person. This song is near-perfect.

Get Up Again - 9.25: A short but powerful song, "Get Up Again" can also be found on the xXx album. It's fast-paced and features a very unique structure, with two verses followed up by the chorus repeated twice before the song ends. It's a fresh approach and works quite well. The lyrics are also great to learn.

Whole - Perfect: This song ranks as my tenth favourite song of all time, thus earning the rare perfect 10/10 rating. "Whole" is a song about Chris's stepmother and how her suicide affected him while he was only twelve years old. Whole is a song etched with pain, and promotes Chris as a very admirable person to have pulled through it. Not only are the lyrics incredible, but the guitar chords portray the confusion and pain he must have felt perfectly. It's rare to hear something on this scale.

Flaw had a film clip made for this song. If you can find it, watch the whole thing. It's very artistic and, like the song itself, delivers how Chirs would've felt about the event and causes you to feel it yourself.

Amendment - 9.25: This song has both a great introduction and ending. While the intro builds into the rest of the song, the ending provides a feeling of anger and justification. Ryan screams, "That's right yeah with your five second morales and your three second smile!"

Scheme - 9.5: Scheme leads in from Amendment, and it's also one of the heaviesst songs in the album. Considering its fast pace and its chorus, there's no wonder that I'm already addicted to it. Ryan screams in a rap-rock style, then joins in with Chris as he shouts, "You START TO RECOGNISE, you're in the game..." It portrays life as a rat race, one that we don't enjoy.

What I Have To Do - 9.25: One of the lighter songs in the album, "What I Have To Do" takes some getting used to. It's got an excellent chorus and overall is a very good song. After the heavier songs of "Amendment" and "Scheme," it returns to the melodic nature of the album and works quite well at it.

Inner Strength - 9.0: This song is similar to "What I Have To Do," though it has a faster pace and a different theme. Surprisingly, it's one of the very few optomostic songs Flaw performs, and it bases itself around hope - turning the cruel system we live in around and, in the words of Chris, putting it in jail.

Best I Am - 9.0: This is another light song, though I don't feel it quite compares to the rest of the album in that it comes across as a little ordinary, repetitive and same old. This doesn't stop it from being an awesome song once you get down to it, but the point is that once you've heard the rest of the album, you've already heard "Best I Am."

Out of Whack - Perfect: Ranked as my fifth favourite song of all time, "Out of Whack" is therefore my favourite Flaw song ever, and for a good reason. I first heard the longer demonstration version, and they've only imporved on it. The first two verses are far superior to what they used to be, including an extra layer of guitar chords and better vocals. Perhaps the best part of this song is the bridge, which combines some of the best lyrics ever with a perfectly mystical combination of electric guitars and harmonic instruments. Chris cries out, "Are we all born wrong?"

Flaw actually strimmed down the bridge sequence of this song, which at first I didn't like all that much, but in the end I realised it actually imrpoves the pacing of the song and only improves on what was already a masterpiece.

Reliance - 8.75: This is the heaviest track on the album, and while it's quite enjoyable to listen to for its enraged vocals and lyrics, it does also suffer for it a little. Reliance seems to be a song about a marriage he doesn't want to go through with. Ryan takes over the vocals for this song, which gives a very heavy-metal approach to the song. While I appreciate this and think it's quite a good song, at the same time, "Reliance" doesn't strike me as Flaw's best simply because it's a little too generic.

Before they released their albums, Flaw had a series of unreleased songs. Reliance sounds quite a bit like those songs, and if you can dig them up anywhere you'll know what I'm talking about.

One More Time - 9.5: A slow song which improved vastly on the original demo version, giving it more of an emotive feeling, especially towards the end. This is one of those songs that needs to be heard to be appreciated.

Only The Strong (Hidden Track) - 9.5: This song is bascially Only The Strong played on the piano, so of course it's the lightest track on the album. It gives a great new outlook on an already excellent song, and it's a welcome break from the heavy guitar chords throughout the rest of the album. The piano here is peaceful yet haunting, perfect for the lyrics of Only the Strong.

Flaw's first album is perhaps one of their best, but since 2001 they've also released Endangered Species, broken up and reformed under the name Five.Bolt.Main, which just released the album Venting. If you like what you've heard so far, be sure to check the rest of their music out. It can only get better.

Flaw-Through The Eyes is a very beautifully crafted album. Combining great guitar riffs and catchy drum beats with an unmistakable lead vocalist, Chris Volz, this album aims to please head-bangers ears. Even better, this album is not straight up play it loud until your ears bleed internally, it also has more melodramatic and melodical slower songs. In another review, the reviewee compares Flaw to Slipknot. Althought Slipknot is a forerunner in the death metal/speed metal what have you genre, Flaw does not compare to that particular category. Both melodic and raw and virtually error free this is for those who appreciate metal with a purpose. Chris Volz, lead vocalist, underwent psychotherapy treatments after his mother had died...giving him a look into the world of the neglected, unloved, lonely, and all the things that "nu" metal focuses on. This, in turn, gives Flaw something to sing about in their songs, real pain, real loneliness, real hate and so on so forth. Lyrically, this album is superb..though the drawn out vocals at times can get repetitive, this album delivers on all fronts. I simply cannot express my liking for this album. Sample these songs if you are wondering what you are getting into when purchasing this album: Only The Strong, Payback (if you have never heard it), My Letter, Whole, Best I Am...just to name a few. Happy Listening!