Back in 1996, when ska-punk bands were snatching up record deals and stealing radio airplay, Orange County's Goldfinger became the most successful of the bunch with its self-titled debut album, which fused fast punk with reggae and even a touch of metal. That album and its follow-up Hang-ups placed Goldfinger on just about every current pop-punk band's list of influences. After those two albums, however, it seemed as if Goldfinger forgot what it wanted to sound like. The band's last two records, although good, were all over the place musically. On the band's fifth album, Disconnection Notice, Goldfinger successfully pulls off a consistent sounding pop-rock record.

The album begins with "My Everything," which is classic Goldfinger, a great, punk rock-out with an extremely catchy chorus and a metal-inspired bridge. The rest of the tracks can be pretty much stripped of the punk label, which isn't necessarily bad, just kind of weird, especially for Goldfinger. "Wasted" and "Stalker" sound like typical, bouncy pop-punk radio tunes, while "Faith" and "Uncomfortable" show the bands softer, quieter side.

The highlights of this album, strangely enough, are the odd, experimental songs, such as "Damaged," a heart-full, beautiful ballad and "Behind the Mask," a song about betrayal with a sample of an animal rights activist speaking over the instrumental parts. Lyrics in songs such as "Ocean Size" and "Iron Fist" seem, at times, forced, which is unfortunate, especially in the case of "Ocean Size," which has great instrumentation, choruses and some guest vocals by Bert McCracken from The Used.

Goldfinger has always written great, catchy songs, and most of the tracks on this album keep that reputation alive. However it's hard to say that the band will ever make anything as great as its first two albums.

-- Reviewed by Brandon Linton