Fear Factory's new record is better than expected, as the group returns to their industrial roots.

Drummer Joe Plummer does not feel present on his own solo debut, Built In Sun.

Royal Headache's sophomore LP was three years in the making, but the final result is characterized by a looseness and ear for melody that elevates these blistering punk riffs into absorbingly energizing anthems. More assaulting, but also more fun, than their debut, High is garage-rock record for the punk kids.

Weirdo Shrine mixes the fun and excitement of the beach party with the existential purgatory of the bleary-eyed 3AM cleanup.

Pain seems to offer a sampling of punk’s past, united not concretely by sound but by theme: an anxiousness, a nervous energy, pushed through the distortion and reverb of a simple, sweated guitar riff.