In Brief

The SoCal indie faves make their major-label debut on Papa Roach’s new label with anthems that are more passionate than aggro. Roach found success spewing anguish, but its AAF pals exude something more hopeful, especially on melodic metal cuts such as “Movies” and “Summer.” A version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” is as dynamic as it is daring, and embodies the band’s ability to maintain an edge while expressing its soft side.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.