Not so on _Death to Tyrants_. Indeed a change of record label and the introduction of Tue Madsen -- known for his work with The Haunted, Himsa and more -- behind the mixing desk appear to have done the band the world of good. Certainly the flagrant incompetence of the Bush administration has drawn an exponentially amplified sense of rancor from the boys, and they lay into Dubya and his cronies with gusto on songs like "Uprising Nation", "Evil Schemer" and the particularly incendiary "Faithless".

The spirit of classics like _Scratch the Surface_ and _Built to Last_ is ever present -- the band have certainly not made a concerted effort to modernize their sound in any way -- but this time around it's heavier, nastier and acerbic enough to peel the paint off the walls. Put slightly differently, it's one of the most flawlessly executed examples of New York hardcore you'll have the pleasure of listening to this year. It's about as no-nonsense as you can imagine, constantly exciting, and the greatest achievement perhaps is that _Death to Tyrants_ is undoubtedly one of the crown jewels in a career that's been going for twenty years and counting.