Six years is a long time for a band like Course of Nature, on a label like Silent Majority--"focusing on radio-driven mainstream rock acts." Fortunately, the neverending stream of singles from Nickelback, coupled with releases from acts like Seether and Daughtry--who sang a song penned by Course of Nature's singer--has helped make sure Course of Nature's post-grunge sound still falls under "radio-driven mainstream rock." Incidentally, when I first heard Course of Nature was releasing a new CD in 2008 and had posted new tracks to MySpace, I checked one of them out and thought "meh, sounds too much like Nickelback now."

And while I might withdraw that complaint, that they sound too much like Nickelback, Course of Nature has somewhat lost their identity compared to when they first hit the national scene. That's not to say they've changed that much stylistically, just that the songs sound a little more watered-down now. Damaged even follows pretty much the same pattern as Superkala did, in terms of more or less alternating heavier songs with ballads. The first single, "Anger Cage" wastes no time kicking off the CD with energy and a relatively hooky chorus, although I could do without the backing "ooh ooh woo ooh." "Right Before My Eyes" is another mid-tempo song, alternating a mellow verse with a near-requisite buildup and distorted guitars for the chorus. "Time Is Slipping Away" probably would've been my choice for the lead single; despite the fact it has no less generic of a construction, the chorus hook had me singing along by the second chorus, the first time I heard it. Then there's the full-on relationship ballad "Memory of You," before they kick things back up a bit with "The Window." "Live Again" is another slightly more uptempo rocker, followed by "Gone," the second of the full-on ballads. "How Great You Are" actually changes the sound up a bit, and is probably the track most reminiscent of their debut. "World At War" takes a more political stance, and then the album ends with the Faktion-esque, oddly major-sounding "Forget Her."