As A Rival's debut LP By Design is either irreverent by accident or… well, by design. Some serious Coheed & Cambria vibes run through Pete Cerni's gravelly (moderately off-key) harmonies, but opener A Phantom Must Be Chased fills a standard solo slot with missed notes that jar like finger slips on Guitar Hero, level one. Save for a few awesome riffs (Time Flies A Fear), repetition of the breakneck, non-conforming rock formula becomes monotonous and strained; there isn't enough light and shade in the energy, or in the vocal melodies for that matter — Cerni seems to find his comfort in sections of single notes.
As pure rock 'n' roll, By Design is a miss. As influenced by punk, it could be right on the mark in a 'fuck you' kinda way.
