 
On the 22nd September The Bronx are due to release their fifth album and the album also happens to be their fifth self-titled album which is simply known as ‘V’ it also happens to be the band’s first album in 4 years and an album eagerly anticipated by their legion of fans and after listening to the album a few times over I can safely confirm that ‘V’ has been well worth the wait and features an epic mix of ferocious punk rock anthems and more toned down pop-tastic anthems inspired more by their Mariachi El Bronx days.
The album opens with ‘Night Drop At The Glue Factory’ a song which kicks off In style like a raging bull in a china shop as The Bronx give it their all as they knock out yet another epic hardcore anthem which is bound to get the pit flowing at their future live shows, the song is full of groove and aggression and is the perfect start to the album, frontman Matt Caughtran is well known for his unique punchy vocals and here they stand out perfectly.
‘Stranger Danger’ follows on nicely and the keeps the fast paced aggression flowing but in a more dirty distorted sounding way. ‘Side Effects’ is the first of a few toned down poppy-punk anthems a side of The Bronx we have been hearing more of over the past few albums and it is a side which the band manage to conquer pretty well as Matt Caughtran take us on a melodic ride.
‘Fill The Tanks’ opens with some top notch instrumental work especially the drum beats from David Hidalgo, Jr and as the song progresses the instrumental work maintains its epic-ness, vocally Matt Caughtran is once again on top form as he mixes hard-core shouts with more melodic singing as he shouts out “Are you going to live, are you going to die”.
‘Channel Islands’ is the second toned down offering on the album and it is a bloody amazing song, lyrically the song is about times changing and running out of time, musically it is a melodic masterpiece with a slight punk rock edge and is also a song which is going to get massive crowd anticipation on the live circuit because it is so catchy and has one of the most catchy choruses The Bronx has ever written.
Both ‘Two Birds’ and ‘Sore Throat’ are songs that The Bronx have recently released as singles to give their fans a taster of what to expect from album number 5 and both songs are outstanding listens, ‘Two Birds’ is very catchy with a rock ‘n roll feeling with punk rock attitude, whilst ‘Sore Throat’ lives up to its name as Matt Caughtran is on fire with his fast paced shouty vocals which are full of aggression whilst the rest of the band are equally on top form with big edgy instrumental work so close to that of earlier Bronx material.
A lot has changed for The Bronx since they came on the scene back in 2003 and if you are a fan of both The Bronx and Mariachi El Bronx then you are going to instantly love what ‘V’ has to offer, if you are a massive fan of the heavier music of The Bronx then you might be slightly disappointed with ‘V’ as it is an near equally mixed album with 6 hard-core punk anthems and 5 more melodic pop-punk offerings, either way I love what The Bronx have created with ‘V’ and highly recommend the album.
4.5/5
Review by Trigger
|
