I have been a huge fan of Hatebreed since i first heard 'Burn The Lies' on a Metal Hammer CD back in 1998. I have followed their career very closely, and to me they're easily the kings of the hardcore scene at the moment - and in my opinion, the best hardcore band around.

They promised this album would be special and it really is. It incorporates the best elements of all their previous albums, it has all the standard elements here - breakdowns, fast thrashy circle pit inducing sections, lyrically it's anthemic - but Hatebreed do it a lot better than most the bands currently kicking about in the HC scene worldwide. Only bands like Madball, Merauder, Earth Crisis, and Full Blown Chaos come close... they write songs that can be differentiated from one another, which is a huge plus in a scene that currently is at risk of becoming stagnant.

'Not my master' & 'Everybody Bleeds Now' are 2 of my favourite tracks, but nearly every track on this album has it's moments - the instrumental track 'Undiminished' seems to kill the pace slightly but 'Merciless Tide' rages on til the end of the album. It's the best Hatebreed release since 'Perseverance', which is quite a statement. The only other small critiscism is the 'clean' vocals - they only appear on a couple of songs thankfully - but don't contribute a huge amount.

It's positive, meaningful and aggressive music in the best and most empowering way - Hatebreed's throne is very safe and secure for now if they keep releasing monsters like this.

Nick Clay