The Bronx: Matt Caughthran (vocals); Joby J. Ford (guitar); James Tweedy (bass guitar); Jorma Vik (drums).

Actually, they're from Los Angeles. But other than the geographical confusion, there are few missteps on the self-titled major-label debut from neo-hardcore band the Bronx. While their first album (also entitled THE BRONX, and produced by Guns N' Roses' Gilby Clarke) was punk in the vein of the MC5 and Stooges, this disc is more varied. The band was joined by uber-producer Michael Beinhorn, and recorded live in the studio to preserve a rougher, more authentic sound.

What holds THE BRONX together is singer Matt Caughthran's gravelly shouted vocals and a stellar rhythm section. The songs go from the pounding "Small Stone" to the more melodic "Oceans of Class" and "Dirty Leaves." "White Guilt," on which Gilby Clarke guests, is laid-back guitar rock that has a slight country tinge to it. But that track, while excellent, is an anomaly on an album of powerful, original rock.

Spin (p.76) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Combining the ferocious energy of early West Coast hardcore punk with hair-metal swagger..."

Spin (p.56) - Ranked #36 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "[With] jolting riffs, switchblade-sharp melodies, Josh Homme-inspired barroom blues, and choruses that linger..."

Spin (10/03, p.110) - "...A fine young maximum-punk outfit who, like Hot Snakes, get their ecstatic tempos from garage rock and their noisy edge from hardcore..." - Grade: B+

Q (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Their second eponymous album is a sneering, sarcastic broadside aimed squarely at mainstream America....Revolutions have been started by less."

Q (4/04, p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[T]he most articulate and exciting 30-odd minutes of punk rock so far this decade. Inspirational stuff."

Uncut (p.76) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]here are fist-punching moments galore..."

Alternative Press (p.202) - 4 out of 5 -- "[L]ike a cut that doesn't heal, a stunning 33-minute blast of reality..."

CMJ (p.5) - "[T]heir growth is capture effectively through one-take-only recordings on an overall solid major label debut."

CMJ (8/11/03, p.7) - "...Such an intense post-punk hardcore experience, it may very well rip holes through your stereo speakers..."

Kerrang (Magazine) (p.49) - "The unhinged fury and fire that made them so exciting remains."

Kerrang (Magazine) (p.69) - Ranked #3 in Kerrang's "20 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "[A]n urgent, irresistible statement about what constitutes real punk rock in the 21st century."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/04, p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 - "It's a dizzyingly potent distillation of punk that's punching easily above its weight."