Glass and Ashes

It's been four years since these Ventura, CA punks heaved Aesthetic Arrest, their full-length debut, at the world. While that record, oozing awesomeness in its own right, was a heavy, fast and intricate blast of old Cave In-style punk rock, this self-titled follow up is a far leaner, far heavier collection that draws more on bands like Tragedy for its riffs and Botch for its structures. The whole thing still comes out sounding insanely punk rock, much the same way the last two Planes Mistaken For Stars albums managed to while playing with riff-based stoner rock. There’s enough intricate instrumental work here to necessitate a few intense headphone spins, while the sheer bombast of the rhythm section demands equal time killing your stereo. With a bass player pulling double-duty in Gainesville punks Young Livers, the future of the band is currently in doubt, which is a real bummer given the sheer power of this record. Glass and Ashes really just sounds like four guys in a room playing their hearts out while trying to do justice to their influences, all of whom would probably be stoked to be referenced by a record this consistently strong.