Compare New Junk Aesthetic

became one of America's more popular metalcore bands by injecting its unrelentingly brutal, snap-tight brand of heavy music with heavy doses of humor and Southern/stoner rock-style chugging guitar. , the group's debut on (after a long tenure on indie ), found the group further refining its signature approach with a new sonic clarity and an occasional focus on melodic hooks. That said, the Buffalo, NY-based combo remains bone-crushingly intense, with songs such as and characterized by math rock-like stop-on-a-dime rhythmic shifts and vocalist 's surprisingly comprehensible throat-shedding. Other tracks, however, such as and first single draw a bit more from a traditional rock bag, with radio-ready, old-school, grunge-esque choruses, and catchy, relatively straightforward six-string riffs. Throughout, sounds energized and passionate, delivering its blend of old and new sounds with a directness that gives the ferocious music an unusually broad appeal. ~ Pemberton Roach