Personnel: Shimon Moore (vocals, guitars); Emma Anzai (vocals, bass instrument); Tim Pierce (guitars); Cameron Stone (cello); Mark Goodwin (drums); Nigel Lundemo, Devrm Karaoglu (programming).
After four years of living in Los Angeles, it's no surprise that Sick Puppies sound more American than ever on TRI-POLAR. The Australian band always drew on U.S. angst rock for its influences, though, and that's even more obvious here than before, with plenty of Alice in Chains and Stabbing Westward influences apparent. "So What I Lied" has a guitar riff in the midsection typical of Tool, and in "White Balloons" singer Shimon Moore briefly adopts the stop-start cadence of Maynard Keenan. "Don't Walk Away" is a very typical example of the "I know I was wrong" genre that even includes a heartfelt moan of..."I know I was wrong." The downtrodden revenge fantasy "Master of the Universe" has a quirky slap bass intro and a sitar layered into the guitar solo; it's the album's highlight.