You see, I always get confused when I try to review these types of albums. First off, the lead singer's preferred mode is to scream, but the guitars really try to tell another story, in that they walk a thin line between hardcore and indie rock. Hiretsukan is a product of the mid-90's NYC hardcore scene and the concurrent indie rock scene, and as a result, tends to make an eclectic sound. Much like Arch-Enemy, Hiretsukan has a lead singer that transcends gender with her voice. The screaming that Michelle does is something that no one could pick out as belonging to a gender, and the screaming guitars play a wonderful counterpoint to her voice. Putting the CD over the edge for me is the inclusion of Metallica's "Creeping Death", which really confirms my suspicions about the heavy metal influences of the members of this band. Unfortunately, Hiretsukan really doesn?t do justice to the original, and as a result, makes this cover sound pretty much like all the other songs on the disc, without the amazing guitar and bass lines that made this CD anything better than mediocre. The band has since broken up since the review (Nov. 5th, 2002 was their last show), but one can, if they are so inclined, buy this CD from any reputable record store or from G7 Welcoming Committee.