Conclusion, The

On their fourth and, one wonders, final (?) album, The Conclusion, Sweden's Bombshell Rocks stand at the crossroads of hardcore, hard rock and punk; fusing and confusing each genre's characteristics as it pleases them without ever losing sight of a strong melodic thread to tie them all together. Ultimately, this makes it impossible to ignore the band's inescapable debt to Social Distortion, but very rarely detracts from the immediate, infectious and memorable qualities of their mostly impressive and consistent songwriting -- The O.C. done Swedish-style, if you will. As such, the album's contents include everything from the engaging choruses of "Me & You" and "Golden," the hooky guitar lines of "Truth," and lyrical themes ranging from the enraged ("Guns and Democracy," "Listen," "Rome 2005") to the emotionally fragile ("Blind," "Teenagers," the nostalgic and biographical "Ten Years"). Yes, the only truly unexpected sonic surprise may be the bits of Latin-flavored percussion inserted into "Bloodbrothers" and "My Conclusion," but that hardly detracts from The Conclusion's unassuming but undeniably strong compositions -- nor its inherent entertainment value for all fans of timeless, melody-driven punk rock. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia|