by Rick Anderson

A Thorn for Every Heart follows up its 2003 EP with this tight and smart follow-up, a 30-minute-long exclamation point of screamo/punk fusion that offers multiple layers of bludgeoning power chords, chiming arpeggios, angelic harmonies, and hoarse roars of rage. There are even occasional incursions of piano and violin, just to keep you guessing. Lyrically, there's nothing here that will really grab your attention, but in sonic terms, A Thorn for Every Heart is surprisingly advanced for such a young band. The vocal arrangements on "February" and "Night to Remember" will catch you by surprise, and guitarists Phil Nguyen and Jeff Harber are gratifyingly unwilling to just build a lazy wall of sound for the singer to yell at; instead, they toss unexpected rhythmic changeups ("Prediction") and elaborate contrapuntal chime-and-grind arrangements ("99 With an Anchor") into the mix at every opportunity, keeping things both interesting and, frequently, jaw-droppingly pretty. Great stuff -- it will be fun to see how they follow this one up.