The Pacific Northwest's oh-so-controversially-titled Insurgence plays a style of fast, aggressive punk rock that's equal parts hardcore, street punk and occasionally speed metal.

Their self-titled release on Digital Warfare Records captures those sounds with ease from what appears to be a fairly musically proficient act. Thematically, the Seattle-based quintet sticks to almost exclusively war-themed songs or metaphors, evident throughout in titles like "Destroyed Republic," "Honor Killing," "Don't Give Up the Fight," "Wings of Death," "Faces Wrapped in Black," "Left to Die," "This Bullet Has No Name," etc.

The Insurgence makes use of multiple vocalists depending on the song styles, with melody on the punkier tunes and raw-throated screams on the hardcore tracks. The hardcore vocalist sounds almost identical to the lead singer of Straight Faced, especially on tracks like "Left to Die" where he cuts loose on the high-pitched yells.

The band busts some mean chops on songs like the thrashy headbanger "Murder Pays" and catchy street-punk-meets-metal "Images of the Apocalypse." Generally, the weaker tracks are the straight-up punk songs like "This Bullet Has No Name" and "Hold Your Ground" while the shorter, crossover hardcore songs like "Honor Killing" command attention easier and make for a bit more interesting of a composition.

Instead of breaking a ton of new ground on their self-titled album, the Insurgence plays a competent blend of several aggressive genres, occasionally blending them with success and always packing the energy and passion needed to make this record enjoyable.