Thousand Foot Krutch is a four-piece band of similar Spiritual beliefs but no similar genre to other acts. Best described by the Aerosmith, Run DMC mega re-mix, "Walk This Way," TFK fuses heavy metal riffs, DJ turntables, and a dash of punk, to come up with something very interesting. With their first major debut, Set It Off, they're looking to do just that.

A song with no title begins with a hip-hop hyping-up intro and heavy guitar riffs leading into "Puppet," which keeps the hardcore guitar alive but brings a Korn appeal with just a little more of that hip-hop "flavor." "Supafly" is extremely rap-seasoned where tobyMac comes to mind but then takes a strange but appealing turn into an Our Lady Peace sound. "When In Doubt" is very punk-flavored, as Blink 182 is very apparent whereas the DJ comes back again for "Rhime Animal" bringing the sounds of Pillar. A cover of the radio pop hit "Unbelievable" is next, but TFK adds their own hip-hop style to it (and turning it into a worship song) while "Up Comes Down" almost sounds like P.O.D.'s "Southtown" but with the hip-hop cranked way up. "Small Town" brings some Matchbox 20 into the picture with a catchy pop song while "All The Way Live" strips down the production and zeros in on lyrical ability and base line. "Lift It" lets the Worship the band has shown throughout the record stand out to end on a devotion-soaked note.

Everyone's worst musical nightmare is to put a rap fan and a punk fan in a room together. I can't tell you who would come out alive in the end, but it's safe to say, it wouldn't be pretty. Thousand Foot Krutch does each style well, whether it be punk, alternative, rap, hardcore, hip-hop, or pop. If they find one genre, out of all these (excluding hip-hop) and stick with it, this band will be literally amazing. For a fan of compilations of different styles, this is a great album. I just hope they've tested the waters and now have found the right boat to sit on.

- Review date: 1/22/02, written by Blake Garris