WALKEN--published July 2005, Zero Magazine

It is undeniable fact that the three greatest bands to come out of Half Moon Bay in the past five years have been Under A Dying Sun, Insignia, and of course Walken. Anyone familiar with the former is most likely in love with their brand of hyper-gasm, melodic weirdo metal. Walken has always had a vast range of sound that managed to make them genre-less yet still distinct which is true of some of the best bands out there.

So why they went in whatever direction they did to produce their latest self titled is beyond me. This new work is only at times a shadow of the Walken we know and love. Robust breakdowns carry this album yet they are cruelly sparse. There are even points while listening where you can easily convince yourself that 311 got together to cover a few Walken songs and this is some sort of a joke. And if only that were true.

Instead, the reality faced is that Walken have taken some steps into an abyss most likely the result of changes in line-up. It’s forgivable for loyalists and even enjoyable to those who aren’t familiar with the glory days of this band. Only time will tell whether this is in fact a solid version of Walken or a transitional funk.