Righteous Jams' debut, Rage of Discipline was a helluva party. While not taking it too seriously, it was a forceful testament to demonstrating how hardcore can be both equally fun and hard. Their in-the-know twist on traditional straight-edge hardcore simply came off just as sincere.

Business as Usual is the Boston band's twice-as-long followup. It could have been a highlight of 2006, but instead falls far short of the mark they set themselves with earlier efforts. Perhaps Righteous Jams are the kind of band that are better enjoyed in shorter bursts, or perhaps they just need some time to work into how they want to present themselves in longer, more fleshed out songs as they do here.

Musically, the band is still solid, as far as simple straight-ahead hardcore goes, but it's Joey C's vocals that seem to be the source of most of my disappointment. Despite having a much angrier tone, his vocals took on a new sound, which might best be described as lizard-like (and yes, there is a song here coincidentally titled "Lizards").

Either way, I found Rage of Discipline to be a really fun record, and I don't hear that this time around. There are plenty of hardcore bands that simply sound angry, and while that's just fine, I was hoping for something different with Righteous Jams again.