Ignite

On their third record, Orange County hardcore heroes Ignite attempt what others have valiantly tried to do but have always failed at - to bring hardcore to the masses, utilising uncharacteristically slick production, vocal melodies and anthemic chant-along choruses. Although recorded for a "independent" label, TVT's major label affiliation has obviously had an effect on the way A Place Called Home was written and recorded. It's not a bad record - far from it. It's just that you get the distinct impression that had the band been left to their own devices and without label pressures, it would have sounded a whole lot different - in other words, more pissed off and sincere, like their earlier releases. As it is, it comes across too much like an attempt to make a Pennywise sound alike band.