For the past three years, I have listened to AM's masterpiece "New Wave" at least two times per week, no easy feat considering how many CDs I buy. I never thought they'd ever be able to top it; and much like my adoration of Blur, Liz Phair and Prince, I imagined spending years of addiction trying to get back to that original high (for those bands: Parklife, Guyville and everything post The Gold Experience respectively).When AM dropped the preview EP for this album, I was knocked on my keester. I Was A Teenage Anarchist struck a nerve quite deep - I was swept back into my teenage shoes to look forward at the life that followed. The EP's B-sides were equally stellar, raw, crisp punk that had me wondering if AM would be stepping forward or backward with White Crosses?Needeless to say, nothing prepared me for "Because Of The Shame." The big, sweeping chorus and dew drop piano lines careened right past the recent Springsteen homages by The Gaslight Anthem and The Killers. This song lands in flat out Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf territory. But the lyrics, wow, never before has a male rock star brought arena-rock machismo to a line as brazen as this, "Because of the shame, associated with intimacy, I am drowning myself completely." The tale appears to be a sequel to the tragic heroine we first met in New Wave's "Thrash Unreal." It's a heartbreaking masterpiece.As Tom already proved in New Wave's "The Ocean" and "Stop!" - he is completely fearless to pursue lyrical intimacy and stadium band ambitions, and the balance of White Crosses certainly propels Against Me! forward in that direction. There's a mix of full-throttle songs that should make the gritty early AM fans happy: High Pressure Low has the daunting task of following the perfect "White People For Peace" in the political/war territory - never before would I imagine the name of former Secretary of Defense Robert Strange McNamara would make for a great rock and roll chorus. Bands that get political can often sound like buzz-killing d bags; thankfully Against Me! deftly mixes smart commentary with rock music that never forgets to rock.The production, once again by Butch Vig, is spectacular. And yes - there are two ballads on here that take some getting used to. It's like drinking a wine cooler right after three shots of Jack Daniels. If you need to hear the band's sound stripped and raw, they currently have two new intense concert recordings available on their Web site.This album cements Against Me! alongside the Dropkick Murphys, Rancid and White Stripes among the most urgent, visceral bands in loud, fearless modern rock. While I can't wait for the next album, this one gives me plenty to listen to intensely for years to come.P.S. The bonus tracks found on the Limited edition are absolutely essential to the cohesion of the album. Bitter Divisions came from the advance EP and is a tight punk song to satiate the old-school AM fans. The Dylan Dream song, oddly enough, sounds more like a long-lost classic from fellow Traveling Wilbury Tom Petty. One By One is a total classic - a high-energy romp that brings the proper album to a fitting close (the remaining three bonus tracks are the righteous encore).