Manchester’s metallic hardcore moves to Roadrunner and the press salutes in formation: 80.2/100 on Album of the Year, aggregated over four reviews of unsettling unanimity — Metal Hammer, Kerrang!, Classic Rock and Distorted Sound, all at 80. The public follows at 76.4. Kerrang! (4/5) calls it « a huge leap » and concludes the band is « fortifying their position as one of this country’s most exciting exports »; Distorted Sound describes a record galloping « with the fury of demonic blood cells terrorising a steroid-infused bicep ». You cannot make that up.
What everyone agrees on: controlled power. James Hickie sums it up: « Retaining this big and bruising sound, while allowing sufficient space for everything to breathe, is no mean feat. » Jak Maden and Sam Baker’s guitars — huge chugs, smouldering solos, squealing harmonics — and Jay Valentine’s « kinetic » vocals come up everywhere, somewhere between Malevolence, Bleed From Within and Drain.
What divides: variety, or the lack of it. Sputnikmusic (3.5/5), the only voice holding back, points at eleven too-similar tracks, a monotone delivery and few real choruses — a « gateway band » built for the pit rather than the headphones. Even the Sonny of P.O.D. duet on « Resurrected » doesn’t change that. Verdict: no reinvention, flawless execution. 8/10, mind your neck.