Pennywise
pulled together impressively after the suicide of
Jason Thirsk
, as
Full Circle
proved.
Straight Ahead
finds them carrying on, turning out an album that rivals its predecessor. In many ways, it's the same album as its predecessor, and that's a problem with traditionalist punk bands in the late '90s: By adhering to their ideals, they leave themselves little room for artistic growth, which means all their albums pretty much sound the same. In the case of
, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, since they're a very good, very tight band. Even if their albums are similar, they're all enjoyable, which means
is a solid record that will please fans, even if it does raise the question of where the band should go from here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine