If I were to play a word association game with you and I started with “hardcore,” you probably wouldn’t answer back with “rock opera.” Well, that’s precisely what David Comes to Life is: a hardcore rock opera from Toronto’s Fucked Up.

The concept itself isn’t at all grandiose, focusing on the life of a protagonist with twists of love and life’s complications until he looks back on his life in the beautiful “Lights Go Up.” Even though the concept has been done before, what sets David Comes to Life apart is simply the skill and style to it. There is not a single throwaway song on the album. Every track from start to finish can stand on its own as a fantastic track, and each comes together fantastically. The styles range from pure hardcore in “Ship of Fools,” to melodic hardcore in “Queen of Hearts” (which also features guest vocals from Cults’ Madeline Follin), to ’80s punk in “The Recursive Girl.”

The album is astounding at all levels — everything flows perfectly from track-to-track, as if acts in a Wagnerian opera, with every instrument stretched to its limits and played perfectly. This is an epic album that immerses listeners into the depth of its very musical core. One of the best pieces of hardcore you will ever hear.

(Matador Records, 304 Hudson St., 7^th Floor, New York, NY 10013)