The Bronx - The Bronx (III) reviewed

The Bronx (III) The Bronx White Drugs Records Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

With cleaner production and some hijacked classic-rock riffs, The Bronx (III) has the band on the wrong side of Los Angeles in the '80s, sounding more like Mötley Crüe than anything Black Flag ever released. Perhaps the portrayal of hardcore stalwarts in the upcoming film "What We Do Is Secret" might have rubbed off a little, but after all, it was just a movie.

The Bronx's third eponymous full-length CD trades out much of the band's punk leanings for slower grooves and bigger hooks. While singer Matt Cauthran still sounds unhappy in his world view, the band's anger doesn't sound so convincing. The lyrics to "Pleasure Seekers" sound nihilistic, but more in the '80s hair-metal sense of the word - like a moment on VH1's "Behind the Music" right before someone overdoses on heroin and things start to get heavy.

This isn't to say the album doesn't have its moments. "Ship High in Transit" and "Enemy Mind" come close to capturing the speed and aggression of the band's first CD, but the rest of the album may be too radio-friendly for its own good.

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