This band of upstarts from New York City have become one of the leading lights in a burgeoning hometown scene that is starting to make waves, both within the City That Never Sleeps and beyond. Tiger Flowers‘ brand of fiery metallic hardcore burns with passion and smarts, and never fails to deliver one massive gut punch, whether in the studio or during one of their rapidly-becoming-legendary live shows, where their lead singer, Jesse James Madre, draws the audience in with his rough-hewn charisma and powerful vocal delivery.

This is music that draws influence more from the murkier, noisier, and “math-ier” side of the hardcore swimming pool, rather than the thugged-out, tough guy clones currently hanging out in the shallow end. It is still very visceral and raw, but mixes in a few, dare I say, more esoteric touches to this venerable sound. They are continuing in the fine tradition of bands like Converge, Coalesce, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, mixing brutality with a fierce independent streak.

This full-length lives up to and goes way beyond the promise laid out by the band’s debut EP a few years back. “Batesian Mimicry” starts the album off with on an urgent note, where twisted and slamming guitar riffs from Dean Landry combine with the impassioned yowls of Madre to form one brutally artsy opening track. “Suicide Giants” allows for a few more quieter moments of reflection among the carnage, with some clean sung vocal harmonies hovering over the music at times. “Century Blues” starts off with a hectic pace, but then builds to a more mid-paced stomp, while the “Tectonics Of Teeth” throws in some noisy breakdowns to go along with some of the heavy jazz-influenced riffs.

“Cruisin’ Til The Wheels Fall Off” is one minute of fast, twisted hardcore. “Patient Patient” gets its rock on a bit, and “Midnightmares” builds from a whisper to a roar. Closing song “Riders” provides a hefty coda for the album.

I’ve said that it’s been very good year for hardcore, and once again we get another album that reinforces this statement. “Dead Hymns” is a powerful reintroduction to a band that deserves your attention. Their heady mixture of smarts and raw power is enticing and exciting.

(Melotov Records, 21720 Redwood Canyon Pl., Santa Clarita, CA 91390)