Sledgeback

Sledgeback's latest release plays a little like the one before and the one before that, but that's okay, considering Bite the Bullet is a solid pop punk piece that fares well against their past albums. It's nothing too fancy ― traditional '90s West coast-style punk (most apparent on tracks like "A Mile Away") is fused with a thrash feel (heard prominently in "Insane"), weaving throughout the album. Hungarian born vocalist, guitarist and producer Gabor Szakacsi's prominent raspy vocals stand out too harshly against a backdrop of melodic pop punk. Considering Szakacsi's heavy broken English, the album is surprisingly lyric-heavy. Final track "Don't Look Down on Me" is an acoustic ballad that drones on indiscernibly, clashing with an otherwise heavier punk rock album. The three-piece Seattle, WA band manage to vary their style from song to song, albeit not enough to veer away from their set sound. While a throwback to melodic three-chord punk rock is refreshing, there isn't enough substance for Bite the Bullet to deliver.