Saints Gone Wrong is a ticking time bomb of an album set to explode with the same fiery intensity that has shot bands like the Street Dogs and Dropkick into the public spotlight.

Amazingly catchy hooks and driving bass lines serve as the meat and potatoes on Saints and it's no wonder that the band wrapped up a two-month long tour of Europe before writing this record. The whole thing pays homage to the `77 punk spirit and manages to capture their live element really well. Off the stage and into the studio is a notion that speaks very loudly here.

Many people would admit this feat as one that's particularly hard for most artists to achieve, but Born to Lose effortlessly nail it. The live vigor is there with just enough polish to make you pause and gape like a deer caught in the high beams of a `68 Dodge Charger.

Songs like "Long Hard Road," "The Great Beyond," and "Give Us Hate" set the tone for a band that seems to shoot out like a rocket with fists raised and frothy pints in hand.

Described as "working class pop-punk" and "pub punk" by those in their camp, Born to Lose manage to represent the pop-punk element by way of catchy rhythms and streamlined hooks, but do so with just enough angst and venom to allow them to come into their own as a solid and unified outfit.

Born to Lose expand on a genre best known for songs riddled with bubblegum-popping lyrics and prom night love sentiments and do so with an unbridled intensity that makes them more than just a garden-variety pop-punk band. The whoa-oh-ohs are there, sure, but this reviewer would be damned to write off this group as one that'll fall through the cracks and lay on the industry's cutting room floor.

Give it a listen; these guys aren't going away anytime soon, and Saints is a strong testament to that notion.

The title track seems to scream it rather loudly: "We are the saints gone wrong!" No shit. Now, can I get an amen to go with that cold Budweiser?