10

A full on, brutal assault on the ears

Twenty minutes on the dot and with the longest track on this album being a paltry 2.55 in length, ;The Streets Have Eyes' is over as soon as you know where you are. This is not Napalm Death quick (no three second tracks here), but not far from it. It's quite simply one of those albums you put on and when you view the track count, you are suddenly on track seven and you can't remember there being a break in between any of the tracks. Unflinching in its full on sonic attack and brutal both musically and lyrically, it provides an incessant and more importantly interesting wall of noise.

Essentially, in spirit, A Second from the Surface are metal with a smattering of hardcore, metalcore if you will, but they don't seem to belong with that band of bland metalcore acts – there is a bit more substance and spirit here. Think the speed and ferocity of brutal hardcore, but with metal inspired guitars teamed with a two pronged vocal attack marrying the two styles together. With echoes of Mastodon and Isis as well as a teeny tiny bit of Slayer in the mix, 'The Streets Have Eyes', is a bit of a must for any who likes those aforementioned bands. Don't be fooled, this is no paint by numbers effort; this is fresh sounding, hook laden and a vital purchase.

Opening with 'King Cobra', a track which immediately kicks in with an eardrum bursting attack and all the palpable rage that a band could muster with the repeat of 'There is no other way'. This is an album which starts as it means to go on, with full intensity. Lyrically straying on the dark side, recounting tales of hate, death and depression this is full on fare. 'The Crawl' pummels at you incessantly with the blasts of 'You fucking hypocrite, You fucking Liar' where as 'Waterhead' icily dark 'Put the Gun down/Turnaround now/Stick your cock back in your pants'. The brevity of the tracks does not take away from the full on force of the blows it deals the listener.

This is a hundred times better than most metal bands that are now operating and really deserves to get heard. Although the scene is currently both tired and saturated at present, this is an interesting and provocative listen, giving other bands in their genre a run for their money.