On their third album and Nitro debut,
Crime in Stereo retain the purist scorch that ranks them among the finest progressive, melodic hardcore bands still thriving. Kickstarted by the blink-and-you'll-miss-it blast of "Everything Changes/Nothing Is Ever Truly Lost," replete with a livid scream courtesy of Kristian Hallbert, the group downshifts into more palatable, yet still-fuming exercises like "Bicycles for Afghanistan" and "The Impending Glory of American Adulthood." If the latter feels like an outtake from
Lifetime's
Jersey's Best Dancers that's not exactly a bad thing, but the group is at its snarling and disdainful best on "I'm on the Guest List Motherfucker," taking aim at the several corporate-minded punk labels out there. Tempered by the unexpected, somber delicacy of "Gravity/Grace,"
The Troubled Stateside is as ambitious as modern hardcore is likely to get. ~ John D. Luerssen