Victory Is Rated, the third studio album from Dark Blue, is out now via 12XU. The magnitude and discontent of the current state of affairs rings remarkably clear. With a jarring, marching heaviness and John Sharkey III’s booming controlled baritone cutting through in melancholy catharsis, these songs bring you to your feet, but it also makes you take step back and reevaluate. The record appears to address larger societal problems, while integrating them within a powerful, personal perspective. (Photo by Manny Dominguez Jr.)