Cancer Bats — Hail Destroyer

Unless you've lived under a rock for the past couple of years, you should be familiar with the Cancer Bats and their signature brand of riff-based hardcore. The Toronto quartet have dominated the Canadian punk scene since the release of their 2006 debut, Birthing The Giant, and their sophomore effort is here just in time to stoke the fire. Surprisingly, instead of a carbon copy of the first album, Hail Destroyer is a far more pissed-off, punk-oriented album that simultaneously streamlines and broadens the group's palette. "Lucifer's Rocking Chair" stands out as a stoner rock stomper, but more songs follow the straightforward aggression of "Harem Of Scorpions." Unfortunately, this means that the feel-good shout-alongs from the first LP are eschewed in favour of somewhat predictable catch-phrasing and chugging guitars. Regardless, the Bats should be commended for amping up the fury with an album that should cement their place as Canada's premiere inciters of mosh pits.