BY JASON PETTIGREW

THRICE Beggars

(VAGRANT; vagrant.com)

WHEN: Digital release Aug. 11 (Physical TBA)

Due to Beggars leaking three months before its planned release, Vagrant Records was forced to get the record out into the marketplace faster. Which is good, because Thrice have created a real contender for the top of fans and critics’ best-of-the-year lists. The atmospheric vistas of The Alchemy Index have been vanquished so the quartet could focus on being four guys in a room playing music, exemplified by the pulsing opener "All The World Is Mad," the strident "The Weight" and the driving "Doublespeak." "I’m starting to feel like we’re in this niche of being one of those bands who want to do something different with every record," says guitarist Teppei Teranishi, who produced the album in his home studio. "It’s interesting because it’s never really been a focus of ours; we’ve never gone in to record and consciously said, ‘How are we going to change it up this time?’ As our personal tastes evolve, so do the band. We hope people will enjoy what we do; but if you worry about that, you’ll end up making compromises."

 

BRAND NEW Daisy


(INTERSCOPE)

WHEN: Sept. 22

If you saw Brand New on their small club tour last month, you’ve already heard some of the songs ("Bed," "Gasoline," "Bought A Bride") slated to appear on their much-anticipated fourth album. Produced by longtime associate Mike Sapone and mixed by Dave Sardy (Helmet, Slayer, Marilyn Manson), Daisy is a much more aggressive-sounding collection than what listeners are used to hearing from the band, which might be a result of guitarist Vincent Accardi’s substantial contributions to the songwriting. Whatever the case, Brand New’s quest for reinvention remains on track–even if a certain editor in chief is still puzzled by all the recent comparisons of them to the Jesus Lizard…

 

AFI Crash Love

(DGC/INTERSCOPE)

WHEN: Sept. 29

According to the official press announcement, AFI’s anxiously awaited seventh album is a launch pad for singer Davey Havok’s ruminations and commentary on celebrity culture (personally, we’re totally stoked by "Darling, I Want To Destroy You"). But for Crash Love, the band dialed down their atmospheric tendencies to concentrate on bringing the rock. From the anthemic "Medicate" to the best song Adam Ant never wrote ("Too Shy To Scream") to destined-to-be classics ("Beautiful Thieves," a distant cousin to Sing The Sorrow‘s "The Leaving Song Pt. II"), Crash Love is poised to sate their fans and make converts out of the rest.

 

THE FALL OF TROY In The Unlikely Event (EQUAL VISION; equalvision.com)

WHEN: Oct. 6

The Seattle-based power trio enlisted noted producer Terry Date (Deftones, Soundgarden) to oversee the creation of In The Unlikely Event, and drummer Andrew Forsman couldn’t be happier with the results. "Terry has a wealth of experience, but the interesting thing is that he doesn’t play an instrument, so he’s able to [hear] things through a non-musician’s ear," says Forsman. "It helped us to focus and refine what we do." The drummer’s favorite tracks include the epic "Walk Of Fame" as well as "Dirty Pillow Talk," where the band are joined by Protest The Hero frontman Rody Walker, who channeled his inner David Lee Roth in the studio. "He belted out some serious Roth, Axl Rose shit, for sure," says Forsman. "It also has one of the weirder guitar parts we’ve ever put on a record." The men of Troy will tour America in September before the disc’s release.

 

CONVERGE Axe To Fall

(EPITAPH; epitaph.com)

WHEN: Oct. 20

Arguably America’s most forward-thinking hardcore band, Converge continue to make inroads while decimating psychic roadblocks. "Our goal is to create music that is emotionally fulfilling and creatively challenging for us," reminds vocalist Jake Bannon. "We were all very specific and opinionated during the process." This record marks the first time Converge enlisted people from other bands (Blacklisted, Genghis Tron, the Red Chord and Cave In among many others) to help realize their vision. And with tracks ranging from the drone-and-pummel of "Worms Will Feed" to the atmospheric "Wretched World," Bannon & Co.’s visions are still pretty bleak. "Converge the antithesis of popular music and culture," says Bannon. "I can’t dictate what people take away from our art/music, but I’d hope it would be a sense of individuality and positive aggression. After all, it’s not about being as loud and vicious as possible."