Personnel: Anton Patzner (violin, viola); Lewis Patzner (cello); Judgement Day (strings); Elena Mascherino (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Eric Valentine .

Recording information: Barefoot Recording, Los Angeles, CA.

Editor: Matt Radosevich.

Photographer: Brad Filip.

Everybody's favorite emo band is LOUDER NOW. Well, not really, but they're as loud as they ever were, with guitars that triangulate the influences of math rock, 1990s alt rock, and '80s metal, and the kind of heart-on-sleeve vocals that melt emo teens' hearts. Still, there's divergence from the emo template here; witness the poppy falsetto vocal hook in "MakeDamnSure" or the acoustic introspection of "Divine Intervention," or even the twist-and-grind guitars of "My Blue Heaven," which evoke King Crimson-via-Tool. In short, you don't have to be an emo maven to get LOUDER NOW.

Taking Back Sunday's first DVD/CD release has plenty of extras for fans. There are music videos for two of their biggest hits--"Liar (It Takes One To Know One)" and "MakeDamnSure"--as well as blistering live performance footage, band interviews, and some amusing behind-the-scenes tour footage.

On the audio portion of Taking Back Sunday's 2007 DVD/CD set, LOUDER NOW: PART TWO, the Long Island, New York-based emo band presents a live set of angsty alt-rock-inspired tunes. Renowned for its fierce concert performances, the band offers up songs from LOUDER NOW, as well as a few rarities, with the surging "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost" standing out as a shining moment.

On July 7, 2007, Taking Back Sunday took the stage at Giants Stadium as part of the Live Earth concert series. Frontman Adam Lazzara strutted around in a whirlwind of sweat and tangled hair, looking great but sounding somewhat horrid, howling with intention but producing little more than an off-key yelp. For a band whose appeal relies so heavily on cathartic, high-pitched melodies, Taking Back Sunday took a serious hit that afternoon. Accordingly, it's a relief that the entire lineup sounds much better on Louder Now: Part Two, a two-disc collection that features live tracks, studio B-sides, and an accompanying live DVD. Taking Back Sunday may gravitate toward overwrought territory, but they're nevertheless one of the most successful bands in the emo genre, with three gold-selling records and two back-to-back debuts in the Billboard Top Ten. It's important, therefore, that they're able re-create such hitmaking music in a live setting, as it validates a genre that is often criticized as being little more than a studio creation. And for the most part, Louder Now: Part Two succeeds in erasing all recollections of that tone-deaf Live Earth performance, even if the two B-sides (including the memorable "Sleep") prove that Taking Back Sunday fare better in a studio setting. Returning fans will treasure these discs as the last remnants of Taking Back Sunday's most successful lineup, which includes Fred Mascherino (who left the group in October 2007 to pursue a solo career) on lead guitar and backing vocals. While Mascherino's tenure in TBS was short, his additions make for some of Louder Now: Part Two's best moments, from finger-tapped guitar solos during the louder songs to his drunken collaboration with Lazzara on the album's secret track (an irreverent rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). Lazzara is also in fine form here; he hits the notes, often nailing them with screeching accuracy, and the crowd easily forgives him when he snaps a guitar string and throws the instrument out of tune during "Divine Intervention." Louder Now: Part Two doesn't have to be this good, as the band's dedicated fan base would have purchased it regardless, but it's nice to know the band is looking out for everyone else as well. ~ Andrew Leahey

One has to hand it to Taking Back Sunday. Three albums in, they are now pretty much experts at re-creating their own sound, so much so that they can essentially make the same album repeatedly -- but you know, different -- yet still manage to rock hard enough underneath verbose lyrics that even those who notice the unabashed similarities to past releases just won't care. And yeah, obviously similar-sounding albums would be expected and somewhat desired from the same band. But really, it's quite obvious they take the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" motto straight to their emotive hearts. Since their debut Tell All Your Friends -- the album that broke TBS out as front-runners in the independent emo-rock scene of the early 2000s -- the band has managed to regurgitate their time-tested approach of layering multiple vocals spewing embittered lyrics over guitar-driven up-and-down dynamics on each subsequent release. Only by 2006, they've managed to influence so many upstarts along the way, their once-unique formula seems almost commonplace. With that being said, the band's songwriting has admittedly matured within that mold, honing their sound into one fit for arenas. Louder Now is an apt title for a super-tight, aggressive album that falls somewhere between their last two, tapping the heartfelt vigor of Tell All Your Friends in order to give Where You Want to Be a swift, square kick in the pants. "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" opens with terse riffing that soon surges with a composed feeling of frenzy over a thick, dirty bassline as Adam Lazzara declares "Are you up for, are you up for this?" Following suit, "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" doesn't miss a beat, rocking out amid trademark, animated wordplay between Lazzara and guitarist Fred Mascherino. "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" simply soars with the richest vocals on the album, and "My Blue Heaven" (whose beginning vaguely resembles Third Eye Blind's "Wounded") brings in the strings for added effect. Louder Now benefits from Eric Valentine's clean production touch that isn't overly slick, giving the band plenty of breathing room to ponder, crunch, and explode at will with seamless elasticity. Taking Back Sunday is a prime example of a band not needing a drastic makeover every few years to remain relevant to their audience. However, even if Louder Now brings the mosh-pit fun ready to be embraced by new and old fans alike, an attempt to push themselves further would be more than welcomed. Regardless, the album seems like it could finally boost TBS to the My Chemical Romance-level of airwave domination -- so watch out. ~ Corey Apar