Well, I know what you’re thinking. First of, yes the band name is cliché, secondly yes, the album name is trite, thirdly, no, mustard and ketchup in the same bottle is not a good idea. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I can tell you that this band is actually quite solid, and that this album does indeed make for a good listen.

A while back members of Blood Has Been Shed and At War With Shadows decided they wanted to start a band that was closer to their hardcore roots, and thus we have Burning Bridges. Although the style of their original bands would lead you to think otherwise, Burning Bridges won’t pummel you with slow-motion head bang mosh parts or technical riffing; rather, they play straight up hardcore with a slightly heavier twist, ala Most Precious Blood. The music is mostly simplistic, but it fits with the what the band is trying to do, make fast, energetic, fun hardcore.

This has all been done before, and that makes it hard to give this album extremely high marks, but for fans of this style, it’s still worth a listen. This is still one of the better records Thorp has put out in the last few months, along with The New Breed disc, and trust me, I’d know. It all really boils down to what you’re looking for in a band, although these guys aren’t treading on new ground, they do a good job keeping pace with their predecessors. It’s a fun record, but some people will be inevitably turned away by the band’s lack of progression. I’ve heard that this band does quite well for itself in a live setting, so if they’re in your area, you might want to check them out.