Combining galloping guitar riffs, tight harmonies and a liberal dose of positivity, Hermosa Beach’s Pennywise returns to form on the meat-and-potatoes rocker “From the Ashes.”

Not since the group’s 1997 breakthrough, the emotionally-charged tribute “Full Circle,” has Pennywise sounded this powerful or determined. Where previous records like “Land of the Free” and Straight Ahead” saw the band’s sound thinning out, “From the Ashes” is dominated by the thick-as-split-pea-soup guitar of Fletcher Dragge and the soaring vocals of Jimmy Lindberg.

Although the band never quite manages to hedge any new territory – the band prefers to rehash issues like spirituality, destiny and overcoming strife – “From the Ashes” is still a melodic blast of archetypal Southern California punk.

Although sometimes accused of being a poor man’s Bad Religion, Pennywise has always been faster and harder than their SoCal brethren. Tracks like “God Save the U.S.A,” “Salvation” and “Change My Mind” all offer updated takes on previous Pennywise material in the form of pummeling drums and over-amplified guitar.

The only reverie from the stifling riffs comes from the track “This is Only a Test,” on which acoustic strumming offers a calm before the storm and center stage to Lindberg’s voice.

As a whole, “From the Ashes” is nothing new from Pennywise, but it’s much better that way. For more than a decade, the quartet has offered sonic blasts perfect for sun-drenched skateboarding or driving down a boulevard. At times derivative and repetitive, Pennywise has carved out a niche for itself with the Warped Tour-living, Tony Hawk playing set of pre-punks.

Reviled by some and revered by its loyal fan base, Pennywise, if nothing else, offers a nice antecedent to standard pop-punk fare.