Right off the get-go, this California band sounds drenched in both despair and aggression, which makes sense considering this is the first album since former screamer Makh Daniels passed away in a van crash two years back. For their third album, the crusty metallic hardcore group pick up John Strachan from FUNERAL PYRE to get behind the mic, and he serves as a completely capable mouthpiece for the kind of sheer rage these guys unleash. Definitely with one foot firmly planted in a near d-beat hardcore/crust/punk kinda place, this one unleashes some TRAGEDY-worthy licks (see the raging 'Days Grow Cold') but has enough metal content to keep the longhairs moshing, too. It's a shame that this band is just covered in tragedy now, because this is actually the sound of living life to its fullest, pure energy delivered via music, with a suitably chaotic production sound and just enough melody hidden underneath the sonic mayhem to provide a hint of emotion to the madness, which is perhaps the amped-up element making this third disc even more engaging than their excellent older material. Somewhere, Daniels approves of this, no doubt.
