Begin Again, the debut from ex-
Atreyu drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller's
Hell or Highwater, offers up blistering yet amiable punk-pop peppered with huge, power metal leads that should please fans of both genres. Saller, ditching the kit and stepping up to the mike for the first time (his vocal work with
Atreyu was primarily of the backing variety) has a commanding voice that suits the band's fluid and melodic style, which falls somewhere between his former band,
Three Days Grace,
Avenged Sevenfold, and even
the Darkness, whom the outfit supported on the road prior to
Begin Again's release. ~ James Christophe Monger