I was a little wary going into The Auditions third album. I had initially fallen in love with them after seeing their music video for You've Made us Self Conscious shortly after their album Controversy Loves Company was released on Victory Records. I bought their album and proceeded to listen to it over and over again. Now after at least a good year of no Audition being played in my presence I'm writing a review of their newest album Champion.

Overall it's a generally well-done album. The production resembles a Panic! At the Disco type balance but with more emphasize on Seth Johnson's lead guitar. They start the album out on a decent note busting out what I think is not the best opening track on the album. Basbhat, the first song, starts out with high guitar riff that catches the ear but gets lost after the first fifteen seconds. Starting out you feel slightly misled. Where did the crazy guitar riffs go? Also, be aware the piano heard in What Gets You Through he Night is not a real piano. They busted out what sounds like a weighted Yamaha keyboard for that, or at the very least it was incorrectly mic'd.

The core of the album is reminiscent of Fall Out Boy angst that some of us wish would finally get old. Yes, sometimes I pop in a Good Charlotte CD but not for musical intrigue. Personally I don't think that the new album really comes close to their last album. That album was saturated with punk undertones and the hardcore background that Victory looked for in its bands. Although after buying the June album shortly after hearing Controversy Loves Company I've been disappointed in Victory's choice of bands. Champion is another example of mainstream pop rock. I'm big into the hardcore movement and have an Escape The Fate CD on permanent rotation. This album is just following the trend of Victory Records as it releases mainstream after mainstream albums.

With all of this said I think this album is probably right for you if you're big into the music on the radio. That is, the music they play on pop stations. If you want hardcore, acoustic, or just alternative then this is not the album for you. But for the rest of you out there this is the album you want. Lyrically they still have a long way to go. But with the help of a great singer, they have the potential to really start standing out over the next few years. They have the talent, and with some better lyrics and a few more years in the business they have potential.