The highly anticipated new album from hard-core punkers Mest hit stores about a month ago, and recieved no fanfare or hoopla from anyone on this site. After sufficiently listening to this, their thrid Maverick release, it is safe to say that I can now make an accurate value judgement of these 13 pulse pounding and genre-shaping tracks.

Right away, "Until I Met You" blazes out of the gates with NOFX-type speed, Thrice-like riffs, and Pennywise-esque anger. "Rooftops" is a classic how-it-used-to-be tune, much in the same vein of Less Than Jake. With the passion of Thursday, lead singer Tony Lovato croons "It's times like these that I miss you most, remembering when we were so close." The dynamic vocal range of Jeremiah Rangel is strikingly comparable to The Mars Volta on "Night Alone", while I could've sworn "Burning Bridges" was an old Op Ivy song. Mest doesn't let the second half of the album drag the listener down, with the very original "200 Miles", the Postal Service keyboard intros of "Your Promise", and the Dashboard Confessional-like sob story of "Lost, Broken, and Confused".

Mest's self-titled release has been rumoured to be a concept album, much in the vein of Coheed and Cambria. The story is one of a boy and a girl, who apparantly shared some sort of relationship, and then broke it off. Emotions such as sadness, angst, and confusion run rampant. "Return To Self-Loathing" is the obvious lyrical standout, containing introspective lyrics of Bright Eyes-caliber.

Production wise, John Feldmann is back at the helm, and he may have churned out what may be this decade's "Clarity", with super-crisp guitar sound, and subtle yet booming drums. It is no doubt that this album will be on many Top 10 lists at the end of the year, and is far more diverse than anything Bad Religion has ever done.

Okay, so I apologize for the sarcasm. The point is......it's Mest. If you really like them, this release is a step up from "Destination Unknown", contains the same catchy harmonies, bouncy rhythms, and even features an appearance from punk icon Benji Madden from Good Charlotte. If you don't like them, it's the same 3 chords, predictable song structures, unoriginal lyrics, and even features an appearance from that ass-clown from Good Charlotte.

Bottom line: It's Mest. Do with that as you will.