Modern drummer (August 2000)

By Will Romano

Bender's recipe for sludge-pop, though slightly familiar, displays a spark of fierce originality. The band's main power lines are supplied by vocalist Kent Boyce and drummer Steve Adams, who underscores the singer's ascending and surging vocals with aggressive, straight-ahead beats. Adams acts much like a clever marksman: He has moments of nail-it-on-a-dime precision even under hairy circumstances. One gets the sense that he is holding back - and perhaps for good reason. Given the over-the-top nature of “Superfly” and the hip-hop/metal raunch of “Sharon Stone”, Adams could have easily slipped into trashy garage band abandon. To his credit, he plays clearly, at times tastefully funky, and always with great feel. (TVT)