IWABO prove there's some actual technique beneath their gimmickry. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Their new EP, Middle States, is occasionally tedious, thanks to those meandering tendencies. [Jul 2011, p.106]

They're playing a style of politicized pop-punk with snotty vocals that's too similar to a vastly superior band. [Aug 2011, p.114]

This 13-track disc can be heard as a welcome return to basics. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Future self displays enthusiasm without overstaying its welcome, and its daring moments are its most satisfying. [May 2011, p.93]

When it comes to ferocious riffs and monstrous melodies, few in the punk world can touch Heartsounds right now. [Aug 2011, p.114]

By sticking to a strict formula of short, frenzied blasts of razor-wire guitars and mosh-inciting rhythms, Cerebral Ballzy have gobbed out an absolutely fluff-free album. [Aug 2011, p.112]

Cruel World's glitchy electronic sound, reminiscent of his solo work on Anticon, sometimes makes it hard to tell there's a band involved. [Aug 2011, p.122]

The group still employ the boy-loves-girl lyrical motif--but the way they've expanded their sonic palette to include more than typical Warped Tour fluff is both admirable and a bit risky. [Aug 2011, p.122]

There's always been a heavier influence in the band's music, but on Arrows & Anchors, their ambitious desires to step outside the genre box often get bogged down in a sea of down-tuned guitar and maudlin lyrics.

Suicide Silence's third full-length maintains the visceral brutality that has characterized their output, even as it builds upon their unsettling strengths. [Aug 2011, p.120]

His heavily metal solo debut delivers bigger stylistic departures (and wilder guitar solos) than his other side projects. [Aug 2011, p.114]

Though Sublime With Rome's debut LP is a promising collection of summer songs, under the carefully fabricated surface, it's hollow.

Vannucci, stepping out from behind the drum kit, may not exactly be Dave Grohl, but his rock 'n' roll yelp is fitting with the music and a solid reminder that we don't need glitzy synths to craft solid, raucous songs. [Aug 2011, p.112]

It may not pack as firm as a punch as previous Viva Voce albums, but when they get their shots in you'll feel the sting. [Jul 011, p.112]

Mohager ultimately forgets there's a fine line between homage and aping, but if your dream gift is a time capsule from the Reagan Years get ready to discover your new favorite record. [Jul 2011, p.107]

For those who like their sweetness a little sour. [Jul 2011, p.110]

Harmonious hymns such as "Bury Your Burdens In the Ground" and "Let's Do Something Impossible" prove that you don't need more than a banjo, an expressive voice and a heartfelt story in order to craft something truly extraordinary. [Aug 2011, p.122]

John Gourley gives the envelope a token push but lays back a little too much into his comfort zone; the rest of the band abet him with lucid and calm performances. [Aug 2011, p.118]

It's a clear sequel that continues the character profiles and storylines frontman Rhett Miller created last time around. [Aug 2011, p.118]

Other than the booming, Devo-ish vocal effects on "Spacetime," these songs aren't pushing the envelope--but you should still tear it open and look inside. [Aug 2011, p.114]

One-man synth-pop act Ernest Greene's singing lacks firm consonants and dribbles out unintelligibly most of the time over the most compelling of his stripped-down electronic compositions. [Aug 2011, p.122]

Frustrated longtime followers will love that the XX-chromosome half of the brother-sister duo plays it mostly straightforward on her totally charming, engagingly breezy solo debut. [Aug 2011, p.114]

The album's best moment is "You've Got So Far To Go," which is straightforward without sacrificing nuance or energy. If only the rest of Damnesia could have been on that same wavelength. [Aug 2011, p.112]

This is an album aimed at minivan-driving moms who saw Incubus live a decade ago, but the boneheaded lyrical cliches and nap-inducing arrangements are likely to bore even them. [Aug 2011, p.114]

Ritual reminds fans that these Michigan death-metal merchants are capable of greatness. [Jul 2011, p.107]

Fans of extreme metal will find Unearth's latest release a tad too light, but anyone who likes metal in their 'core should go completely bat-shit over this album.

Shed's a wonderfully rough and ambitious re-introduction from Title Fight that occasionally belies the band's youth. [Jun 2011, p.111]