‘The Bronx (IV)’ – Album Review

Los Angeles hardcore quintet the Bronx have been the masters behind modern hard rock gems such as 'False Alarm,' 'Heart Attack American' and 'They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy).' After a five-year break to create punk rock mariachi songs, the Bronx are back with a vengeance with their new self-titled full-length album, otherwise known as 'The Bronx (IV).'

The Bronx's new album continues to harness the gritty nature of the band, especially with the vocals of Matt Caughthran, but offers more of a pop flow when jumping from song to song. The Bronx's 'IV' delivers punch after punch of catchy singular pieces, which don't need to be listened to from front to back for the listener to appreciate the Bronx's newest 12-track offering. 'IV' allows both casual and faithful listeners to absorb the band's messages immediately.

Highlights of 'IV' include 'Along for the Ride,' which harnesses one of the album's most powerful choruses comprised of the standout line, "We're all flawed by design / We used to be alive / Now we're just along for the ride / There was a time when the world was under our control / But that time has died / But now we're just along for the ride," which may act as a microscope into the collective mind of the band while looking back to the success of their first record. Luckily, the Bronx certainly didn't make an album which would allow fans to agree with that sentiment.

'IV' is filled to the brim with home runs such as 'Youth Wasted,' 'Too Many Devils,' 'Ribcage' and the slower, but beautifully crafted 'Torches,' which features additional inner and outer reflection with lines such as, "War is just an itch under your skin / And your palace just a trophy of your sin / Your body's just [as] important as the soul / But power's not complete without control / This empire's a'burning you'll see / There's no polishing this poverty."

If you've either kept the Bronx's past tunes as some of your personal favorites or taken a step back from the band in recent years or are simply new to the band, 'IV' will succeed in proving that there is plenty of exceptional material still up the sleeve of the Bronx. Listen for yourself in the full album stream below: