Agitator are definitely not the sweethearts of the current hardcore scene, but with an in your face heavy-hitting sound like this, you can't really ignore these guys. The long awaited LP Bleak is finally out and I'm still doing silly dances over it despite it arriving on my doorstep almost two weeks ago.

Initially the best way to describe the impact of this record would be a string of expletives, but as that's not really constructive so I'll spare you that. But on a serious note, I'm considering myself musically winded. Wading in like an angry bouncer wielding a lead pipe you're not getting away from this one unscathed. They've never been a band for lowering you gently into their releases, but it's almost as if they're fighting you off from the outset- which is what has always set these guys apart from the crowd for me. And to quote their Twitter directly "3 things we will never be associated with: fast parts, standard tuning, and positivity" So, if you're not a one for all the PMA meecrob, then these guys are definitely up your street.

The spot on re-recordings of 'Contempt' and 'RJW' from the 2009 demo bring a touch of familiarity to what is essentially a new, much more evolved sound and also provides a little mix up in the general striding pace of the record. Continuing to crush with 'Broken Bonds', Bleak is beginning to render me lost for words. I like hardcore, and I will admit a lot of it sounds the same these days, but this is just fresh. It's taking a different stance on an accustomed sound that just rings true with me. 'Concrete Opinions' (featuring Justice Tripp of Trapped Under Ice notoriety) sets forth a sentiment anyone in this internet age can relate to "I'd rather stand alone, Than stand to listen to you talk about what you don't know… The truth is not always black and white".

If this doesn't make you want too punch everyone in existence in the neck, then, well, you're not listening to it loud enough. Brash negi-hardcore is sometimes exactly what you need at the end of a long day- and this record really is it.

FFO: Bracewar, Cruel Hand, Trapped Under Ice

The 1980s. Rolled-up jacket sleeves, mullets, New Romantics, early hiphop. Rudimentary synths soundtracked our everyday lives, from TV advertising, radio jingles, pop hits by the likes of Depeche Mode and movie soundtracks by Jan Hammer and, in the case of 'Manhunter', Klaus Schultz, Shriekback and countless others. Despite the sonic possibilities of the synth, these snippets of music were often fairly mundane sound-wise; no more than a voltage-controlled emulation of traditional instruments. 

That was a majority of the 80s though, wasn't it? All surface and very little substance. Though, one could argue that this was a phase that electronic music had to go through in order to 'find itself'. 

Then there's the often hypnotic and haunting soundtracks to the films of Italian psychological splattermeister Dario Argento and John Carpenter's self-penned music to his own films. These used synthesis to create otherworldly and sinister atmospheres which often didn't punctuate the action, they just became part of the narrative of the film.

And so, here I am, listening to the latest collection of tunes from Umberto. Authentic-sounding dark horror scores using, I suspect, much Fairlight voicing and Moogery. Confrontations is the latest in a line of Umberto releases which include From The Grave and Prophesy Of The Black Widow.

Now, before you go rushing to Amazon to purchase any of these films, I ought to tell you that they don't exist. Or, rather, they do, but only in the head of Italo-horror archivist, Matt Hill. What Hill has expertly done by recording as Umberto is evoke the mood, atmosphere, the essence, if you will, of classic European and indie-American horror films. Dark and foreboding, unobtrusive but unsettling. 

With tracks like 'The Summoning' and 'The Invasion', Hill has taken the staples of 80s soundtrack electronica; shimmering bells, rich pads, minor arpeggios, early drum machine sounds; and recreated the sounds of low-budget indie horror to an almost obsessively accurate degree.

Now, this all begs the question: what's the point, when you've got the original soundtracks in the public domain?

Well, the answer is: "love". A love of the genre, a desire to share the sheer enthusiasm for the genre and for the visuals which accompany the sounds. A love of the tingle of suspense. A love of colour and of design and pictoral composition….and, of course, a love of a good disembowelling.

Yes, this is pastiche; yes, it's not exactly ground-breaking, sonically. But yes, it also brings to mind a time and a place and a mood. If you are an aficionado of Argento, Carpenter or even Polanski, I think you're gonna like this.

Don't have nightmares.

I don't know why Montreal's Suuns have such a somber tone. Perhaps it's years of cold Canadian Winters or the disappointment of being a 'Habs' fan. Regardless, they harness it well on their sophomore release ‘Images Du Futur’ creating a slick blend of pulsating dark-synth and infectious guitar. Suuns attracted some attention with their debut release ironically entitled ‘Zeroes QC’. (Suuns were previously named Zeroes, but that's another story...) Images Du Futur shows the continued metamorphosis of the Suuns sound.

The album kicks off with the bombastic guitar heavy song ‘Powers of Ten’. Suuns vocalist Ben Shemie is at his agitated, mumbling, growly best and it sounds like brain shutdown is imminent. His repetitive "Nononono" cranks the intensity higher on top of the driving cacophony of cowbell and Joe Yarmush's churning guitar noise. What a start.

The foursome keep rocking with the next track ‘2020’ and its creepy guitar lick that sounds like an attacking U.F.O. from a 60s Sci-Fi flick. Again Shemie's unsettling whispery vocal cadence creates a dark atmosphere as his voice crawls across "touchy touchy touchy touchy". Even with strange guitar or keyboard sounds Suuns always maintain a catchy vibe. The balance between noise and melody seems near perfect on most of Images Du Futur.

After the raucous start, the song ‘Minor Work’ seems like a hard turn. The song plods along with a pulsing melody, weepy keyboard and Liam O'Neill's steady beat. The jarring guitar now sounds complimentary and working with the song.

Images Du Futur softens even further with the delicate meandering surf vibe of ‘Edie's Dream’. Suuns are in no hurry as they explore the beautiful melody as Shemie sibilates "I have a fear/ Do you know what I mean?/ These same visions". Next ‘Sunspot’ brings another intoxicating Suuns wander. It is one moment of noise followed by a long melodic soothing shoegaze-ish musical journey. It was reminiscent of some of the awesome jams by the Stone Roses.

Throughout ‘Images Du Futur’ Max Henry's modulating, transmogrifying and harmonizing sounds set the tone song to song. The track ‘Bambi’ starts with one of Max's hypnotic melodies which creates an uncomfortable tension. This tension is joined by guitar and drums then the three are blended into a strong melody as they dance across each other.

The album titled track is a curious instrumental that wouldn't be out of place in 2001: A Space Odyssey or Star Trek. It evolves into a whirling dervish of space on the verge of a supernova. The final 'image of the future' is ‘Music Won't Save You’. Shemie susurrates in sad robotic speak "I saw you there with the light in your eyes/ You were singing about something/ I hear you man see you look that way/ But music won’t save you". The words "music won't save you" fall off sharply sounding disconnected and hallow. The track builds to a lovely guitar melody which swoops in bringing a magical breath of fresh air to the song. Perhaps 'Music won't save you' but Images Du Futur’sure could.

The images of the future would appear to be very bright for Suuns. The album maintains a magnetic groove throughout whether focused on guitar or keyboard or adeptly blending them together. Shemie's dry vocal delivery gives the songs a cool brooding emotion. Images Du Futur’sounds dirty yet refined, jarring but melodic, confident and haphazard. An impressive addition to the Suuns catalog and a highly recommended listen.

The thing about grind bands is that they don't always have "hooks". Some are content to just pummel you with 30 second songs of absolute destruction, and some want to give you something to remember, albeit a small memory. These Australia grinders The Kill fall into the second category, but that doesn't impede the violence one bit.

Composed of members from Fuck...I'm Dead, Open Wound, Holy Boner and Shallow Grave, these guys are no rookies. And it shows. While the entire album is full of 90-second-or-less songs, there are plenty of guitar riffs and drum beats that you'll be humming for weeks on end. This writer's favorites 'Mowed' and 'Second To None' have been stuck in my head all week.

They almost give you a sign of slowing up on the beginning 30 seconds of 'Blastasfuk'. Alas, they're only playing with you, chaos ensues. And have you ever wondered what Slayer's 'Necrophobic' would sound like if it was done with even more violence? Me either, but that shit is awesome.

There will be some gripes that this album sounds too much like Nasum or Rotten Sound or whatever other grind band you want to spout off. But the last time I checked, those two bands are good company to be aligned with. GRIND.

For the first several listens Sole Creation by Kongh reminded me strongly of the early nineties. It was during that short, strange period of time that many crusty punk rockers and Sabbath worshiping metal heads all started forming bands together and underground heavy music went through a period of rapid growth and experimentation. The collision of classic rock and metal went on to spawn some truly odious acts under the banner of “grunge” but there was a moment of promise that slipped away under the weight of commercial nonsense. Twenty years later the music industry is changed and the underground metal world is larger and more productive than ever in terms of pushing boundaries and mutating genres. That is where Kongh comes in. They manage to present a 90’s sense of melody within a modern doom/sludge context that has probably been attempted before but rarely this deftly. While the song lengths and overall heaviness pretty much guarantee these guys aren’t the destined for mainstream success the bold melodies on this record offer a refreshing change of pace from the normal unwelcoming hostility of the genre.

The opening song ‘Sole Creation’ starts of with some thundering toms and some fairly straightforward riffing and eventually drops into the first “verse” of the record. At this point I was a little discouraged. The opening lines are delivered in a fairly standard guttural grunt and I was expecting something a little different based on what the press release said. This feeling lasted about 45 seconds. When the first melodic section (we’ll call it a chorus because it happens several times) arrives and Kongh’s true strengths as songwriters begin to shine through. Vocal harmonies swirl around mountainous guitars only to drop back into chuggy grooves and artful guitar leads. It is through this diversity of delivery, vocally and other wise, that keeps the longer songs from seeming unnecessarily long or drawn out. By the time they reprise the verse and chorus at the end of the song even the previously off-putting raspy growls seemed vital to the song.

Most of the songs on the record follow a similar structure to ‘Sole Creation’. This is not to say that they all sound the same or that they are bland in anyway, just that they need to be experienced as a whole. All four of the ten minute songs are full of tempo shifts, mood swings, slabs of overdriven guitars and powerful drumming. The similarities between the songs are crucial to the cohesion of the album. Disparate influences can make even the most talented band sound somewhat schizophrenic and what Kongh does so masterfully on this album is make it all fit together cohesively. A standout example of this would be the black metal meets hardcore meets stoner metal epic ‘The Portals’. That description makes it sound like a mess of a song but it is arranged deliberately and thunders along seamlessly, never feeling forced. The dynamics throughout are subtle but effective and lead perfectly into the beautifully elephantine closing epic ‘Skyming.’

Sole Creation is a well crafted and well recorded album. Not only is the album performed and written well but the production really shows a band committed to creating an album they want to be proud of. Without the benefit of live volume (which I’m sure is considerable) the record still sounds huge and little touches within the guitar overdubs and vocal harmonies really make the record feel alive. The guitars and drums crackle with an energy and tone that shows determined craftsmanship went into making the record sound as natural as it feels. While the production may seem simple, it is completely effective in creating a solid, cohesive album.

I have to admit my first impression of Kongh completely missed the mark. After a somewhat half-assed first listen I didn’t think I would really get into the record. After a few listens though it really grew on me and I realized there is something really direct and unpretentious about their new album. This is just simply well played, well written, well recorded, well sung, doomy, epic metal and sometimes it doesn’t get any better than that.

Not so long ago we were delighted to host an exclusive track from London based singer songwriter Alan Bonner and if you  missed it, you can see what the man himself had to say about his single, ‘Autumn’ here.  Although currently on a mission to find the right management, publishing and label distribution,  Alan Bonner is a rare breed of 21st century troubadour that  has already built a steady fan base not only from shows in London, but Australia, Germany and Italy.  The 9-track album Balladeer soon to be released is actually a second, more focused album to come from the creative mind of this very much underrated artist.

Balladeer begins with the aforementioned ‘Autumn’, a beautifully nostalgic piano laden track about a love that has long since passed. I can’t really sum up what it means better than Bonner when he told us, “Most of us in life, at some point have loved someone dearly and royally fucked it up, and lived to regret it. That’s what 'Autumn' is about.” 

'Better Man’ is an acquired taste that blurs between pop and traditional folk sounds. There’s definitely an old fashioned feel to the use of accordion that feature on this track. Unfortunately, in my opinion, the accordion is one sprightly nightmare of an instrument I would ban from the universe should I ever become Queen. Please avoid the track ‘Ocean’ too should you have similar feelings on this matter.

‘Lighthouse Song’ has the stench of summer written all over it with sickly sweet folk guitar riffs and harmonies (think Jason Mraz – ‘I’m Yours’), bubbly, poppy, rhythmic clapping which is just a cloak to try and distract away from sadder lyrics of doubt and lack of trust, “Do you ever look at me and wonder what I’ve seen. Do you ever look at me and wonder just what might have been. Now I guess we’ll never know.”

‘Rainbow Man’ is the most gripping song on the album, “a vitriolic protest song inspired by the infamous hate-killing of Matthew Shepherd.” There’s an urgency, an anger and an overwhelming sense of compassion and sorrow in Bonner’s vocals, which; supported by only a piano medley, you can’t help but be touched by. ‘Redemption’ is a funky, jazz infused track, a lot less stripped back than the majority of the album. Bonner sings for redemption alongside an electric guitar, cello, and drums.

The album ends with a stripped back power ballad song track ‘Talia’. It’s a personal, fun, ode of a song dedicated to a best friend. The beauty of this song in particular is Bonner’s honesty. What is rare in music at all is if an artist mentions their sexuality let alone make light of it. With lyrics such as “Talia you’re the girl that I’d marry if girls were my thing, but they’re not, so there won’t be a wedding or ring!”; if you didn’t smile there’s probably something wrong with you.

Balladeer is a special, refreshing, album filled with ingenuity that’s simplicity connects on very unexpected levels. I have niggling fears it may fall a little under the radar, purely based on my lack of faith in humanity. Possibly born in the wrong era, everything about Alan Bonner is vintage personified. The downfall of not following the crowd, or a particular style, is that you can fall through the cracks. Despite my irrational accordion issue, I for one will definitely be there with a rope ladder, should this ever turn out to be the case!

We all know Bad Religion, right? Founders of Epitaph records, godfathers of West coast punk as we know it, and all around good chaps. Well, here they are with their 3763rd album, True North.

Like the previous 425,637 albums that Bad Religion have released, it sounds the same. If you like them, then you’ll love this. If you don’t, then you won’t. The buzzy guitars are present, Greg Graffin’s smoky vocal is there, the bouncing drums are as bouncy as ever, and the subject matter is the ills of the world at large. Again.

All sarcasm aside, all but the most ardent BR fan would be able to pick a song from True North and know if it’s a new one, or from Suffer, No Control, Stranger Than Fiction, or any other album they’ve released. They are to SoCal punk what Status Quo are to three chord pub-rock, albeit better.

As I said, if you like them, then this will fit just nicely. As it happens, I like them, so this sits well with me. In a way, they stand for so much that I could never judge them harshly, but even I sometimes yearn for variety.

Edinburgh stoner metal band Atragon come at you with two fuzzy monoliths of sound in the form of their first release Volume 1. Immediately reminiscent of Neurosis and Sleep's profound Dopesmoker this record is ideal for a "quick" kick back on your bed/floor and chilling the fuck out for a bit.

This is undeniably one that needs the volume cranking way up and just let it vibrate your brain into something reminiscent of scrambled egg. There is a definite feeling of moving in slow motion here too, almost like a musical interpretation of an out-of-body experience.

With thick, atmospheric drone vibes all round you'd be hard pushed not to feel relaxed to this, most certainly not a record to put on if you've got a busy day ahead or it just won't settle right with you. Just a pure wall of rhythmic sound to drown your mind in for a good 25 minutes. I'm genuinely getting whole-body tingles as 'Jesus Wept' kicks in, charging forward like some gargantuan horse made of pure riff.

Particularly short for a sludge/doom/psychedelic record, but a beyond solid first step out into the world, Volume 1 should not be missed out on.

FFO: Neurosis, Sleep, Sunn O)))

I first heard of Long Distance Calling when I noticed they’d be supporting Maybeshewill on a tour a couple of years ago and as a result I saw them perform at London’s Barfly. What struck me immediately was the simple fact that I couldn’t remember a band that would have so much genuine fun on stage. Aside from the great progressive rock sound, the energy between them was simply contagious, looking at their happy and grateful faces reminded me why I love going to gigs and seeing artists perform live. I put their March 2013 London date in my calendar as soon as I saw it.

Their fourth album The Flood Inside, which the tour is promoting, is definitely a stepping stone in Long Distance Calling’s career. First of all - the line up has changed. Reimut von Bonn, their founding member responsible for electronics, left the band in April 2012, but the band decided to take that to their advantage and use it as an opportunity - for themselves and to invite some great guests to collaborate with (that list includes Vincent Cavanagh from Anathema, bluesman Henrik Freischlader, singer/songwriter Petter Carlsen and Mario Cullmann of Fünf Sterne Deluxe). But vocals seemed to have been on their minds for quite some time now and that’s how Martin “Marsen” Fischer joined the band on sounds and vocal.

Long Distance Calling’s previous albums were predominantly instrumental and I know a lot of fans of progressive or post rock who look at a decision like that with a slightly dubious eye. But only one listen to The Flood Inside proves that it simply works and I personally tested it slotting ‘The Man Within’ in a DJ set during a gig; 3 different people immediately came up to ask who’s playing.

The album opens with instrumental ‘Nucleus’ which sets the tempo for the rest of the record, but it also proves that despite the changes Long Distance Calling are still absolute masters of creating a “combination of cool and heavy riffs with melodies that come without any kitsch”. The drumming is tense and restless, the melodies simply make you sway your head in appreciation as they come on and bring to mind the classic prog rock legacy.

‘Inside The Flood’ is the first song with vocals and if vocals could fit anything like a glove - they simply do. The idea that brought Marsen on board was to have a timeless rocking voice in a Faith No More type of fashion, which he undoubtedly has, and it just flows beautifully, complimenting melodies.

Opening of ‘Tell The End’ somehow reminds me of A Place To Bury Strangers, it has this certain distant, ominous feel to it. And again the classic, pure rock voice carries the song, mighty chorus adding to its power. ‘Welcome Change’ features guest vocals from aforementioned Cavanagh and Carlssen, bringing indeed a bit of an interesting change. And then there’s ‘The Man Within’, mysteriously opening with Buddhist “Our bodies are given life in the midst of nothingness. Existing without nothing is the meaning of the phrase ‘form is emptiness’” and progressing to a feast of mighty riffs overtaking Marsen’s voice, indeed as if he was sinking under flood waves.

Two songs that really stand out for me are ‘Ductus’ and ‘Waves’. They both have a meta text within them and they truly prove that Long Distance Calling are open to experiments, innovations and influences. Ductus in linguistics refers to “qualities and characteristics of writing or speaking instantiated in the act of speaking or the flow of writing the text. (…) Unlike rhythm, ductus is the performative quality that emerges by actuating the metrically arranged language in voice. It is then the specific style and character of the language as it exists within time”. The opening spoken monologue gives the example of the metrically arranged act of speech including some profound questions about life (“Why are some things kept from our vision? Is life a puzzle?”). That ductus, focused more on pitch and tone, is then overtaken by music’s tempo and rhythm. ‘Waves’ on the other hand sound like an actual scientific experiment on sound. Man’s voice teaching about how sound waves work sounds like an american 50’s educational documentary. At the same time single words “waves” and “sound” float between left and right speaker, between the right and left ear, making you appreciate a) your sound system and b) the ability of our ears to listen to sounds. It’s an amazing glorification of music and the fact that we can make it and listen to it. ‘Waves’ also features my absolutely favourite melody of the whole album.

Judging from the amount of words I just produced - I genuinely love The Flood Inside. Long Distance Calling continue to innovate their music and the fact that they’re open to collaborations proves that they’re not afraid to seek inspiration that can bring even more interesting outcomes. Their compositions have this beautifully effortless flow to them, at the same time giving the listener a lot to think about. What I also really appreciate is how the theme of flood continues through the album, giving it a concept edge. One thing is certain - I’m excited to hear hear how the band will continue to grow and I absolutely can’t wait to see them live again.

In an age where music is churned out daily and you can spend days without finding anything of substance, Cloud Rat have put out a "diamond in the rough". The sheer emotion put into the 29 minutes on Moksha is something any band wishes they could put into an album double in length. This is grind at it finest.

With songs about freedom, oppression, loss and *gasp* parenting, Moksha pulls at all the right strings at all the right times. They're even polite enough to let you catch your breath at times.

Songs flow from 58 seconds of blunt rage on 'Olympia' to the title track closer at seven minutes of a light piano and haunting echoes. Stuck just before the tail end is a cover of 'The Needle and The Damage Done' that would make even ol' Neil proud.

Cloud Rat make their own rules. And they don't care what you think; as long as you think something. This isn't just music. This isn't just grind. This is art. This is liberation. This is pain, laid out for everyone to see.

This is what music needs. Honesty.

Hands Out are a punk band based in London, as most punk bands seem to be. I don’t blame them. I tried to be somebody in Southampton, but nothing happens in Southampton, so I finally succumbed and moved to London. Where I’m still a nobody.

Hands Out are a punk band consisting of three full time members, and a fourth part-timer who provides loops and noises, and things that are usually extraneous to punk. Well, traditionally anyway.

It says punk in their bio on Bandcamp, but their music doesn’t suggest punk to me. There’s none of the vim, vigour and vitriol that I would say are the three cornerstones of punk.

What there is is a rather lovely, wistful sound; reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr., although I suspect that’s due in the main to the lo-fi production. There are fuzzy, almost indistinguishable vocals, laconic, flowing guitars, and unrelenting drums. I imagine them being the perfect soundtrack to an afternoon sat in a pub garden, sun streaming through trees, small bugs flitting around listlessly in the heat. You wouldn’t want to mosh to Hands Out, it would seem almost rude. You’d want to listen intently, giving them your fullest attention, while sipping a pint of Old Rosie.

There isn’t a stand out single on Hands Out, but I suspect that was never the point. The album is a collection of songs, a democracy, where each track is just as important as the others. The only song that really stands out as different is the closer, ‘Who’s Side Are You Taking On’ [sic], which seems to strive for epic, but with the lo-fi production just comes across as plaintive. That’s no bad thing, mind. It could make the basis for a fine score to an indie movie. About war. Probably.

I liked Hands Out. The album, that is. I’ve never met the band, although I suspect they’re nice lads, who drink responsibly and are good to their mums. It’s a warming, cheering album that would be an excellent accompaniment to some form of solitary exercise, if pub gardens in the sun aren’t your thing. That said, me recommending music to exercise to would be rather like Josef Fritzl advising would be parents on best practices for child-rearing.

Art Of Burning Water are an absolutely ridiculous band. This London based 3-piece smash out crazy combinations of face crushing riffs, which if not dealt with properly could put you in hospital. Their latest offering This Disgrace, which was released on the wonderful Riot Season is no different and takes the band onto another chapter on their legacy of brutality.

‘You Won’t Know Till You’ve Cried’ lets us in gently with some single string slashing before the pounding riffs start attacking, overlaid with samples of a German conversation where a female seems to be in complete despair… maybe she knows what’s coming. The vocals kick in and we’re pulled right into Art Of Burning Water’s chaotic little world. The vocalist known as "Grief" is snarling and intense. I can’t decipher a single word he throws at us from his throat on this entire album but I can tell you one thing… he’s fucking pissed off! The opening track is almost a battle between unnerving samples and seething riffs. Some people might find the heavy use of overlaid samples a bit much but I don’t... it’s 2013, let’s play with technology and go places.

From here they tear into ‘It Didn’t Get Any Better’ which is nothing short of huge. If this doesn’t mileage out of your head bobbing neck muscles I don’t know what will. This band is in ferocity Disney Land, delivering insane riff patterns on a colossal scale. Imagine a bloody battle between grindcore band who are armed to the teeth with explosives against a noise rock band who have somehow gained super powers; that’s pretty much what I’m hearing. This extreme experience of a record slows down, speeds down but never lets you go. There are all kinds of boundary breaking hard rock like sludge and doom thrown into the violent mix too… simply sublime.

‘Lacerations to Hand and Faith’ carries pummelling us down the same vicious road, pure filth before a nasty sludge like break down. Think Melvins on fine form but made to sound so nasty you could cry. We then have a minute of unsettling industrial drums combined with disturbing sample before Side A has finished punishing us… phew I’m alive.

If you bravely decide to go onto Side B 'We Failed' is unleashed. It rips into nasty sounding guitar before an exhilarating ermmm.. I want to say chorus but there are no parts of This Disgrace anyone could possibly call a chorus.

We’re then given some rest bite at the beginning ‘Since His Collapse’ with a slightly “relaxing” breakdown and samples before we’re punched in the gut with severe guitar chugging. The track then morphs into a Black Flag like direction with a hint of Dog Shredder math metal experimentation. Awesome!

Just to ensure they have destroyed every living cell in our brain the last track is a mixture of feedback and weird electronics which would make Whitehouse proud. This Disgrace is an absolute triumph of a record. It shows us a band not just playing heavy music for the sake of it but a genuine and successful attempt to do some different to everyone else. They are criminally underrated and this is guaranteed to shit all over 90% of heavy music this year. An absolute pissed off monster of a record!

Well, that was definitely an experience. Nails are back with a new LP Abandon All Life and are continuing to shred eardrums and bludgeon faces along the way. Initially super hyped to hear this, after a few listens I'll admit it's powerful and the production is really top notch (someone please give Kurt Ballou a bloody medal already), but it's not too dissimilar to Unsilent Death. Effectively "more of the same", it's full of energy and galloping rhythm, but a definite continuation of sound. But don't take that as it's unenjoyable- it certainly is a powerhouse.

Short and sharp couldn't be more accurately used than for this record. As soon as the abrasive 'In Exodus' kicks in you'll be bombarded with crushing riffs and vocals more at home in the seventh circle of hell than anywhere else. The catchy but brief 'Tryant' follows up with a taster of the much shorter tracks to come and creates an even more intense build up to the inevitable tirade. 'God's Cold Hands' and veritable epic 'Wide Open Wound' nestle comfortably at the mid-point of the record, coiled and ready to spring like some very pissed off snake. I personally favour these two alongside title track, but with the recent leak of the album I'm sure you're likely to come across it at some point and decide for yourself.

In summation, this is a blinding record, but not one to really push the boundaries of the metallic hardcore/powerviolence scene in my opinion. If you like Nails, you'll like this. If you've never heard them before, here is as good a place to start as any. I can imagine these songs will seriously kick some ass live though, decent sound management permitting. Pre-orders coming soon on Southern Lord, album drops officially on March 19th.

FFO: Trap Them, Code Orange Kids, Full Of Hell

When the boys on Ramlord chose their name, they had to be plenty aware of the jokes and puns that were to be insinuated. The word alone reminds me of a three month span that I dated a Russian woman who was heavy (and I mean HEAVY) into S & M. But no need to bring up wounds that are still healing, let's discuss the Rams shall we.

Ramlord make their statement of intent right away on opener 'Nihil Fucking Lifeblood'. These guys are in the process of exorcizing some demons, but also having a good time doing it. From the three song suite of 30 second burners 'Erode/Enslaved/Embittered' to the tumble and tortured sounds on this writer's favorite 'Skin Coffin', Ramlord wear there hearts on their sleeve, and they ain't pretty.

Thankfully there is no sophomore slump going on here. If anything Crippled Minds, Sundered Wisdom is a more appropriate representation of who Ramlord are. Three men just trying to get their frustrations out, and doing it well with the tools they have. Let's just hope they never get into bondage though, or someone's guna get hurt.