3 out of 5

Label: Victory

Produced by: Steve Evetts

The first hints of ‘End Transmission’ appear here: Snapcase transforming from hardcore punk into something more akin to a rock group who yells.  It makes the album a mixed bag in terms of effect; all of the songs are quality in composition and feature at the very least one notable head-banging breakdown or hook, but it’s prevented from being the punch in the gut of ‘Progression’ because of the half-in half-out approach, nor does it come across as the complete album that ‘Transmission’ did, disregarding my feelings toward that album in terms of Snapcase The Band.  Evetts once again gives the band a crisp, bass-less sound, but again, this is hampered by the vibe: the one-dimensional high-end harshness of all guitars, shouts and drums worked when this was a punk band, but as their sound stretches out here to some slower moments, a richer production approach might’ve improved those tracks’ impact, and speaks to how Brian McTernan was a wise choice on the following album.

Taberski sticks to his ‘fight for your right’ stuff; nothing offensive or new topically but nothing lazy, either.

I’m giving the disc a rough ride, but again, it’s overall a good listen.  Almost literally every other track sticks to the hardcore pulse of ‘Progression,’ with the middle of the disc (Are You Tuned In? through Energy Dome) hitting on a nice run that’s a reminder of the kind of rush that’s possible when the group keeps the momentum high.

The less said about the bonus-disc version of this the better, so I’m not including it in the rating.  There’s one good non-album track (Less Than Convenient), but otherwise it’s poorly recorded live stuff and one of the worst fucking abominations of a remix I’ve ever heard via ‘Disconnector (Disconnected Mix).’