Dundee metal trio with their debut CD and it's a rare thing - something that truly evokes the power, energy and sheer strength of the band's live performances.
Opening with "Burn" the first thing that becomes obvious is that the band aren't afraid to take a song into areas that twist and turn more in two minutes than most metal bands manage in half an album. The main focus of the song is a shuddering thunder of deep bass, charged guitar and driving drums, as the song is sung, hollered and intoned, as the band dive headlong into a rock-based rollercoaster ride, the whole thing building and rising the further into it you travel, emotionally explosive and mightily metallic, a strong delivery for the entire band. "Hijack", with its clever, and some would say controversial, lyrical content, is a monster of a track, a bit like a darkly metallic mix of Faith No More and Funeral For A Friend, only more intelligent and cleverly arranges than either, as another song cycles and revolves, built on foundations of strong metallic rhythms, pumping bass underpinning a seething mass of guitar riffs and leads, as the anguished, provocative and powerful vocals convey the song to perfection.
Despite its rage, there's a kind of hypnotic quality to "Chill" as the darkly, deathly metallic song thunders into life, revealing a kind of early Metallica feel to its outpourings, the dual vocal providing an angry set of lyrical spitting as the song fairly races along, still twisting and turning through its metal-edged alleyways of venom, and this is the, near six minute, highlight of a great CD so far, one of those intense slices of modern molten metal that really cuts through. "Just As Well" starts slower, but quickly builds into a driving, dramatic slice of dark metal action, building then falling back only to build to even greater heights, a the vocals become ever more anguished, the band become ever more raging but nothing is sacrificed to the altar of melody and magic as the song rises and falls to pefection.
"Breakdown" continues in this vein, with a more dynamic sounding arrangement this time, a slightly more raw set of dual vocals, dramatic rhythmic foundations and a song that is good, but at this point, seems to add little to the might and explosive qualities of what's gone before, but as you say that, you realise that its softer approach (in parts) is just what's required at this stage of the CD. But then, just as you've settled down to its more ballad-like state, it erupts into life and bursts headlong into action, the metal train-ride surfing to the skies a the guitars reign down and the rhythms thunder, in retrospect, a well composed song that makes more sense the more you play it. The CD ends on "Taut To Fight", again a slower start with chiming electric guitar and vocals before the whole thing builds and this huge, massive mudslide of wicked bass depths smothers the mix to perfection as the drums crash in, the guitars starts to climb and the angry, anguished vocals shout from the rooftops as the whole band deliver a rousing set of raging rock that, turned way up loud, is not only heavy as a battleship but as potent as poison, as your addiction turns out to be your last breath in dying ecstasy, the song sailing through your head as the natural end to everything.
From a band whose live work has yet to achieve the lofty heights of acceptance and respect that it so clearly deserves, this is not only quality stuff from start to finish, it does more justice to the band's writing and arranging than you'd ever have thought possible and I'd strongly recommend that you get a slice of this 32 minutes of mighty metal action before you see the band, as then the performance will be extra special and highly enjoyable - moreso than without it, but just go see them anyway!!