Product of You are a band from New Jersey that play alternative metal that is close in delivery to that of their mentors, 40 Below Summer (lead singer Max Illidge produced the record). They make sure their music is melodic enough to have a catchy chorus, but hard-hitting enough that it doesn't have the appeal for a wide audience - and such sets the blueprint for their full-length debut "Foundation."

While it's hard for them to shake the comparisons to other New Jersey bands, especially 40 Below and Ill Niño, Product of You do try their best. Their delivery is admirable, mostly because the songwriting isn't muddled garbage like nearly every other band that calls this genre home.

The album "Foundation" is essentially only comprised of eight new tracks (8-12 come untouched from their debut EP, while the closer is a new track), but that was really a good idea. Had the album been stretched out anymore, it would have lost a lot of what makes it a winner. The songs are straight-forward, to the point, and fun to listen to - even if the subject matter of the songs don't cause the listener to smile.

"Formal Casualty" and "Redefine" are the album's two strongest tracks, which the band was well aware of before the album's release (both were featured on the two-song promo sampler that was sent around prior to the album's release). But that doesn't mean the other songs aren't up to par, by all means. "Breathe" is ferocious, while "Surface to Air" follows the blueprint to a successful melodic ballad down to the final bolt.

Of course the record wouldn't be the same without the tracks that mark it's closing. "Siren" was the first song the band ever recorded, and it's the closest the band ever gets to sounding like their mentors. It's a very good track, but after hearing it, it makes the listener appreciate the newer material a lot more. The new songs really show how much the band has grown musically and gained their own identity, which is really quite surprising. "Come Clean" starts off on a band note, but finishes flawlessly.

But, still, as a whole "Foundation" is an unbalanced effort. Like I said, their newer material shines over the songs that were just thrown on from their last CD. The group has moved a lot more toward melodic pieces and abandoned a lot of the ferociousness that allowed them to be compared so easily to a lot of other bands, which cannot be stated enough. So, while it was a good idea to put the older tracks on the record (it gives the listener a better idea of the band), most listeners would be better off just sticking with the first seven.

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