Beginning right where they left off with anger-filled lyrics and furious vocal delivery, “Vengeance is Mine” brings back the glory days of the old school hardcore scene before the kids filled it with breakdowns and de-tuned their guitars to drop D. The drumming brings you in and after a punk bass line, they go into the angst-filled, heavy and fast-paced songs that they are best known for. With heavy breakdowns on the chorus and a couple guitar solos, they bring the rawness that has been missing from the scene. It’s time to put the children in their place.

The first single off the album, “Reborn” was the fans’ initial assurance that Biohazard have returned to the days when they were in their prime and to establish one of the best comebacks of the year. Thankfully they (almost) got rid of the nu-metal influences entirely for at least a few songs and opted for the old school, in-your-face style that put them on the map in the first place. A standout song in their entire catalog, everything about “Reborn” is good: the lyrics (From suffering reborn/ No compassion, no control/ Only black inside my soul), the music, which retains the old school approach yet has enough elements within the structure to make it unique, and the slowed down and heavy verse line that ends with an impressive metal guitar solo seals the deal.

Going for a heavier and more metal approach, “Killing Me” begins with a nu-metal kind of intro into spoken vocals with the instruments doing nothing but backing them up. It’s more minimalistic compared to the rest of the album, but not really all that bad. It has a strong early 2000′s nostalgic metal feeling that was common among bands like Staind and Crossfade, but of course more angry than those bands’ heartfelt or depressive vocal style.

Still continuing along the metal path, “Countdown Doom” doesn’t deviate too much from the same songwriting style as “Killing Me.” There is a little bit of rapping and I frown upon that as I am more of a fan of the hardcore, but for fans of that style of Biohazard, you will not be disappointed. The lyrics make it worth your while even if you don’t like nu-metal. I can say it’s some of the best nu-metal I’ve heard in the past five years though, so at least that’s good.

This album has a variety of songs that can appeal to just about anyone. The lyrical connections are very prevalent and that is what really sets a band’s work apart from the rest. This is almost like the album that showcases Biohazard in every section of their illustrious career, with each song like a snapshot into the past. Think of this album as a career spanning best-of album, with every song being brand new.

The Hell is their new side project where the genre claims to be “kick ass” and their biography is “bad ass.” Alright.

Well, Sauve Les Requins (French for “save the sharks”) is a four-song EP recently released by the giants whose duties formerly and currently include: Alkaline Trio, Rocket From the Crypt, The Offspring, Social Distortion, Angels and Airwaves, and of course scattered solo work.

Although the opener “Gasoline” has guitars and whispers that clutter the bridges, it will certainly “leave you lost in the abyss.” The whole record clocks in at just over nine minutes, with no song exceeding the three minute mark. So it’s just rowdy simple punk that is neither political nor whiny about girls. That’s not to say there isn’t the typical “f— you” kind of track, that’s “Vas Te Faire Foutre”- literally. Sauve Les Requins at its core sounds close to Alkaline Trio, just without all the macabre images (which is odd considering Skiba’s the most likely source who creates it in that band). The Hell has its own image: random animal masks, melting red candles, old rotary phones, and disgusting doilies. Charming stuff.

As “No Where Left” sounds like the This Addiction era with “woahs,” “R R R” has that signature Skiba guitar rhythm and chords to a polished finished drum beat. Just because Willard provides a different drum style, it doesn’t mean this is your new Alkaline Trio record. Drummer Derek Grant in Alkaline Trio has a different and very skilled background to the point where he and Willard shouldn’t be compared. Furthermore, Dan Andriano isn’t present in these recordings. Willard stands completely on his own and that’s just the way it should be.

While “R R R”’s chorus asks the listener to, “Regret/ Repent/ Repeat and burn,” it’s obvious there is a lot about The Hell that is all the ideals people do like about the duo- just with a twist. By no means are these songs groundbreaking, because they aren’t, but you get the feeling they are fun and that’s all there is to it. Maybe that’s alright.

If that’s you described above, please move on because you’re missing out. If you’re still with me, I’ll present Anthony Raneri’s new song “Sandra Partial.” This is the second song released from the Bayside frontman’s new five-song solo EP, New Cathedrals, which is available next week.

Above all, “Sandra Partial” is a straight-up country song complete with harmony hooks and singing style. This isn’t to say it’s a full-blown “go buy a cowboy hat country.” But it’s certainly more like alternative-country Lucero and this song almost mimics that punk-country sound of Social Distortion (totally a Mike Ness thing).

Classically, “Sandra Partial” is a bittersweet love song written in that unbreakable Bayside formula that makes all their songs successes: it’s simple but a lot of attention is paid to details. The simple drum beat and an acoustic guitar are the song’s backbone even throughout breaks and repeated choruses. That’s a good generic song that anyone can do, and many frontmen have done this for solo records. However Raneri goes the extra steps and that’s what makes this song absolutely polished. It’s ending with a just a few piano notes.

Sure, I’m of the thought that Raneri could sing a Rebecca Black song and it would be the most stupendous thing I ever heard. But there’s just something about his voice that is utterly unique and flows smoothly over multiple genres. Take the first release from New Cathedrals: “The Ballad of Bill the Saint.”  It’s an acoustic version of a punk song that is akin to Frank Turner’s early work. The fact that there are no boundaries in Raneri’s style isn’t just bold, but it proves he’s a damn good musician.

On his Web site he states the reasoning for doing New Cathedrals and that these just can’t be Bayside songs. He adds, “I have a very eclectic taste in music and I love exploring and writing in the various different styles that I enjoy listening to.” Well it surely is “free of genre classification.”

This song is collectively timeless and you’ll still be listening to it in ten years. With that being the case, in his Long Island accent he delicately sings, “Distance, distance/ Tell me that ya miss this/ I would wait here all the time/…and that’s alright.”

When we think of an event being 25 years, it’s usually a huge life event like a wedding or a birthday. It’s a quarter of a century, you know?

But with Sick Of It All’s Nonstop, it’s kind of like a reunion with their oldest material, some of which dates back to 1987.  It’s basically a re-recording of the legendary NYHC veterans’ work from Blood, Sweat and No Tears onward.

The obvious question is, “Why re-record such masterpieces!?” Let us kill this one effectively quickly: it sounds better. Of course, there is a certain charm to raw recording and it’s part of the hardcore know-it-all culture. Besides nostalgia, there is no reason to listen to the old recordings unless you enjoy having one hell of a time deciphering words. Listeners are barging in with their prejudices anyway; nothing will change how you do or do not feel about re-recording.

The biggest part of what changed is a few tempos but it’s always for the better, as if the songs were always supposed to be this way. Upon looking back at the old versions, either the live versions have warped you into thinking they did always sound that way, or your brain invented it.

So, if you never listened to Sick Of It All, first: shame on you, but now is still a good time to start. If you say, “Duh, I have. So now what?,” this is an exquisite collection of their finest songs that makes you remember why the band is so great and influential. For a lineup that has remained extremely consistent, the songs got faster and tighter live. Guitarist Pete Koller, bassist Craig Setari, and drummer Armand Majidi make us realize why the re-recording was necessary, and Lou Koller has never sounded better vocally.

Remember when you could sing “Sanctuary” for your buddy, how much power you felt with “My Life,” or when “Us Vs. Them” was the response to those cooler than thou? Plus, Sick Of It All wasn’t just a meaningless hardcore band either. They took on the reality of race and ethnicity relations in “Just Look Around” and “Injustice System!” Surely, they created a hardcore formulaic song structure that many bands, both good and god-awful, have tried to emulate.

On the whole, rating a greatest hits meets re-recording album is arduous. What we have is a bunch of the best songs from a band’s catalog recorded in a live fashion that people pay money to see. At the risk of too much deliberation it’s simply this: Nonstop is gratifying but slightly dispensable.

Really though, no other NYHC band required so much thrashing. By the end of “Built to Last,” we know 25 years and nine albums later this isn’t the last time we’ll hear from Sick Of It All. It’s not a funeral, but a celebration worthy of a huge cake. Instead of dancing, there will be moshing.

San Francisco’s Dead to Me has released Moscow Penny Ante like all select-honored rebels and it’s primo. Quite simply, this record is something you want to listen to while standing in the sun for hours or in a dirty nightclub. Either way, you’re still going to be sweating it up.

Lyrically not much has changed for the band. As mentioned, some of the lyrical topics are incredibly dark but it’s presented in a really eccentric way. Tyson “Chicken” Annicharico and Sam Johnson are still sharing vocal duties on songs that all round out to around maybe three minutes (give or take). Melodic solos after those three barre chords are just what Dead to Me does. The pace of opener “Undertow” is incredibly fast and the rest of the songs, though still speedy, have time to slow down and build amazing breaks.

You cannot deny funny song titles like “The Hand with Inherited Rings,” “I Love My Problems,” and “Dead Pigeon Tricks.” The previously mentioned song literally ends on the last line of, “You would think I’d be supportive, but now I don’t think so.”

Sure punk has that basic need to be different, and different Dead to Me is. Though the band is comprised of the leftovers of Western Addiction, One Man Army, and New Mexican Disaster Squad, they certainly aren’t like anyone else. For proof, sample the band’s biography on interests besides music which include, “Fixed gear bikes, the Russian mob, old school hip-hop, crazy aesthetics, and silly fucking haircuts.” Those are their words, not mine. Wipe the floor with that, pop punk.

A straight-up 10 is “No Lullabies” because who could imagine that a punk band would write a fast lullaby about living on the street, always being tired, and cigarettes? Well, you have met your maker. This song is so striking on its own, but once the handclaps come in, give up like you would on rubik’s cubes. You will spend the rest of the day with a mind utterly lambasted.

Runners-up on “it’s so good that it’s puzzling” include “The Trials of Oscar Wilde” and “The Monarch Hotel” for building slow progressions to gang vocals. These songs take this record from average to above average with every spin.

Ending with “The World Has Gone Mad,” it features all the best parts of Dead to Me in one song. And to which I reply to the title of the song: indeed. So forget about the dress code and evaluation of anarchy- Moscow Penny Ante is addictive.

The Star Fucking Hipsters’ third release From the Dumpster to the Grave is so schizophrenic that it’s hard to understand how to “get” this record- so take it how you will.

Scott “Stza Crack” Sturgeon leads his crew through a massively different approach from past records: it’s way more ska. Gone is the song or two with a few upstrokes. No no, you see, this entire record sounds more like Stza’s Choking Victim, especially the No Gods, No Managers era. Where our reality is being outside the door “without a key,” a song like “Death is Never Out of Fashion” is the most upbeat, unhappy Rancid-esque possibility. Leading into “Broken Branches,” Stza shouts, “Streets are paved with epitaphs” and rips into a guitar solo worthy of dusting off those Choking Victim records. The title track “Dumpster to the Grave,” with ska breakdowns and a nasty metal sound, is probably a Leftover Crack b-side.

The real shiner of this record (and it does leave you black and blue) is “9/11 ‘til Infinity.” The beat is neither punk nor hip-hop but it features The Coup’s Boots Riley, who raps about an elephant size police state.

So in a way, the lyrical content never changed. It’s the typical “you would” sing about police, corporate greed, and squatting. Yeah punx, we get what you’re trying to say. It’s been the same message for years: there’s no future.

There’s also been a huge lineup change. Co-vocalist Nico de Gaillo has decided to depart the band and she is replaced by another female, Kill-C, whose voice is more rigid like Stza’s.

However, they picked up Mikey Erg on drums. Erg’s drumming style in The Ergs and the other fifty bands he’s been in is quite pop-punky, so it’s absolutely not expected as the basis of a Star Fucking Hipsters song when the lyrics are doom, gloom, and beatdowns.

There’s also a fair amount of “what the hell happened” on this album. There’s a useless intro and outro which are stuck in a vortex of wasting time and space. The middle and end of the record are boring and there are a few disasters. “The Spoils of War” needs to be noted as a song to avoid because it’s just loud punk trash, i.e. more waste of time and space.

“War Widows Vietnam” is probably a good song, but you honestly can’t tell. It’s like this record was recorded at different levels in different studios with different production. The “Ana Ng” They Might Be Giants cover is not tight. It still has Nico’s vocals in it and you know they had the time to re-record those parts and chose not to. Why?

Even with all the gratifying changes (the ska and the rap), how can such a fresh sound be so old? Quite frankly, it’s a little bland because it lacks passion, making you feel like dumpsters and graves.

Forget everything you’ve ever known about the Misfits and you will begin to understand the atrocity that is The Devil’s Rain. I thought that Dez Cadena would be the savior of the band, but I was wrong. Every single song sounds almost exactly the same, with very minor differences between them. On the title track, they sound more like generic metal than punk. It’s a slower paced song that quickly gets repetitive. Then they throw in the signature whoa’s… except it’s missing something. Oh wait, it’s the gang vocals that are missing. Only puts himself in front so much you can’t really hear the background vocals at all.

Going into the song “Vivid Red,” he sounds like he’s trying to impersonate Jello Biafra, but to the pain of my earholes, it sounds nothing like him. The drums are so stale it gives me nausea. The guitars are an honest try at saving the track, but they don’t work. Thank gawd it’s so short. The first single off the album is “Land Of The Dead,” and I was really hoping for some sort of redemption to their Project 1950 days. The only thing they have similar is that they have gang whoa’s (finally) in this song. The guitars and drums sound the same as always, with no venturing past what the egotistical frontman tells you to play.

The only throwback to their past is one of the only good songs on the album, “The Black Hole.” It has that classic sense of nostalgia like the first time you heard the Misfits (and if you haven’t checked them out yet, then you need to pull your HEAD out of your ASS and do so, at least for the educational value.) Familiar instrument songwriting, background whoa’s spread throughout the song, and the disregard to the metal influence that seemed to take over this lackluster album. Luckily, this continues into the next song “Twilight Of The Dead.” This song has more of a Michale Graves-era feel to it, with the vocal placement among the instruments, guitar solo, and the overall fun factor of the song.

If you want to hear Jerry Only actually sing (I sure as hell didn’t) then look no further than the song “Curse Of The Mummy’s Hand.” The singing is absolutely atrocious, the drums sound robotic, and the guitars are hardly noticeable in the song. It centers all around Only and his pathetic excuse for singing. Overall, the horrible, garbage songs destroy all hopes of this band ever getting truly together and doing something great with their music.

Lead track “Anthem, Pt. 2” set the tone for the album, as Travis Barker’s crisp drumming and Tom DeLonge’s simplistic yet memorable riffs were made even more palatable for the mainstream crowd by the crisp and clear production. Tracks like “First Date” and “The Rock Show” further highlighted the shift towards a more radio friendly sound, which were (and still are) catchy, though sorely lacking in substance.

If any of the good old Blink-182 punk-ethos remained, it sought refuge in the band’s cussing and goofball humor. The scoff-inducing ”Happy Holidays, You Bastard” embodies both factors in its 43 second run-time, with lyrics like “It’s Labor Day and my grandpa just ate seven fuckin’ hot dogs” being perversely amusing. “Online Songs” and “Roller Coaster” form up the remaining aloof songs. Though considered enjoyable songs, the passage of time has diminished their significance, though the relentless pace of the tracks still makes for a joyous listening experience.

The album wasn’t all fun and games though, as glimpses of the maturity that the band would fully come to realize shone through in “Stay Together for the Kids.” Arguably the best song on the album, the band utilizes soft-loud transitions to great effect, with a foot stomping, arena-filling chorus sung by DeLonge. Hoppus’ instantly recognizable, deep voice is morose and apathetic, as he leads listeners through the gloomy verses.

If I had to sum up this album, I’d call it the forgotten middle child in the catalogue of Blink-182’s releases. It isn’t the sure-fire classic that Enema of the State became, neither was it what I consider the band’s magnum opus, the full realization of their potential in their self-titled album.

TOYPAJ has its moments, but they don’t hit quite as hard as their siblings. That isn’t to say that it wasn’t enjoyable – it was, and still is an album I constantly revisit when I find myself in need of some additional cheer. For anything else, you best look elsewhere.

First off, let’s get one thing straight. Everyone has heard at least one song from this album. By everyone, I mean everyone. Lead single “All the Small Things” has become the biggest pop-punk song ever to hit mainstream success. Most hardcore Blink fans consider this song to be one of their worst, but without the nonchalant verses and infectious “na na na’s,” that make up “All the Small Things,” Blink-182 would not be as big as they are now. Other singles “What’s My Age Again?” and “Adam’s Song” received a lot of attention worldwide, but no Blink song will ever compare to the hugeness that was “All the Small Things.”

Now, singles aside, let’s get to what makes Enema of the State a classic pop-punk record. Nearly every non-single that lies in this album is a pop-punk gem and they deserve the respect that they receive.

Opener “Dumpweed” has one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in the pop-punk genre, and songs like “Going Away To College” and “Wendy Clear” show vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus at his best.

Enema is also a monumental album in this band’s career as it is the first to feature the living legend Travis Barker on drums. Using his super slick rolls (“Don’t Leave Me” and “The Party Song”) and eclectic drum compositions (“Adam’s Song,” “Mutt,”  and “Dumpweed”), Barker shocked the masses with a unique style of drumming unheard of by most of the world.

All of Blink’s work preceding Enema was loosely constructed as nothing but a fun project, but Enema is the first to showcase a song that Blink can deem as a quality song that shows the serious side of the band. “Adam’s Song” is a track that has darker instrumentation as well as controversial lyrics about suicide (and serves as a touchy track for the band due to their close friend Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein tragically overdosing in 2009). Barker’s assorted drum style works impressively during the verses and Hoppus’ vocals shine brighter than on any other track.

Though Enema is the first to feature signs of Blink’s maturation, that’s not to say that it doesn’t feature its share of classic Blink joke tracks. “Aliens Exist” is a song dedicated to vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge’s fascination with UFOs while “The Party Song” is Hoppus’ own tale of his ventures to lame parties. Likewise, “Dysentery Gary” has its fair share of humorous lyrics (Fuck this place/I lost the war/I hate you all/Your mom’s a whore/Where’s my dog?/Cause girls are such a drag).

All in all, Enema of the State is a classic pop-punk album for a reason. Everyone loves to have fun, and that is exactly what this album is. Nearly all of the twenty-somethings of this generation have a memory attached to one or all of the songs on this album, and that is why it is universally loved.

Cheshire Cat is a bit of an oddity in the canon of Blink albums and finds itself near the bottom in terms of quality.  It lacks the polish that the band would later find on subsequent records, though this comes as no surprise as it was a fairly independent release.  It also is them at perhaps their most punk, featuring the some of their fastest and heaviest instrumentation along with some of Tom DeLonge’s best guitar riffs.  While the songwriting (which Blink was never known for) isn’t the best on the album, and the boys have no inkling of the sincerity they would later find, it does contain some memorable songs that give it some saving grace.

The album kicks off with one of the band’s best, and instantly recognizable songs, the bass-driven “Carousel.”  While Mark Hoppus would later joke that he only played bass because he sucked at guitar, the instrumental opening of the track proves that he is an extremely capable bassist.  The vocals from DeLonge never show hints of the whininess he would later adopt.  There is a reason the band has consistently played this song live since its release.

For the most part, Hoppus is the one who lags in the vocal department, though he would later find his voice.  Many of his deliveries fall flat, as shown on songs like “Sometimes,” “M+M’s” and “Wasting Time.”  DeLonge’s vocal style truly shines on songs like the aforementioned “Carousel,” Toast and Bananas” and “Romeo and Rebecca.”

Perhaps most notable is the careless nature of the album.  While the band would be known as casual jokesters for most of their career, they never were as comical as they are here.  There are joke skits performed on the album, mostly at the beginning or end of tracks.  While this takes away from the overall enjoyment of the album, it shows that the boys were just beginning and yet to take themselves completely seriously.

The fact that Cheshire Cat has such a carefree nature to it almost makes the idea of reviewing it nonsensical.  How do you remain critical about something that bashes you over the head with the notion of a happy-go-lucky attitude?  While Cheshire Cat is one of the band’s worst albums, it does contain some memorable tracks and certainly provided the framework that the band would expand on with releases to come.