On their latest opus for Ironclad Recordings, If Hope Dies have bulked up their craft and the muscular display of riffs, barks and breakdowns they display prove that brawn doesn't necessarily mean a lack of speed.

While still combining North American thrash and elements of Euro metal grandeur in a very metalcore fashion, the pounding nature of this albums material is what steps it up. The songs, while generally rather typical from a top-down overview, still benefit greatly from the the highly-involved guitar playing, nimble drumming and rapid pacing. Of course, that also means that there's a lot of breakdowns, slow chugging parts and the general lack of identity that goes along with it too.

But every now and then the band hit a breakneck stride of riffing power and Euro flourishes that just utterly dominates the listener with a commanding nature and overwhelming sense of velocity. Instrumentally sound, the meaty production and technical ability are both up to par while the howling vocals rarely fail to instill aggression.

But for all the destruction "Life In Ruin" is capable of causing, much of it seems to lack a cause behind it. There are multiple instances where it can be hard to tell if a song has ended or another breakdown has just been brought forth. This usually boils down to the bands driving nature being the only real unique dynamic they regularly employ, rather than toying with different songwriting ideas and tempos.

Therein lies the problem of "Life In Ruin", for as thrilling as speed can be, it can quickly become a boring blur without some tricky cornering and changes of scenery. Ultimately, not much here is entirely original or groundbreaking, but it will surely still leave a few bloody teeth on the floor of the mosh pit all the same.