Kev Rowland The artwork may look pleasant at first glance, and the opening title cut may lead the unwary into a false sense of security, but we all know what FFAA are all about, and that is deathcore and here they have returned with their sixth album to pummel our senses yet again. What makes these guys stand out from the pack is not so much the powering rhythm section, or the three guitarists which know when to crunch or when to interweave, and not even Joe Badoloto who is such a towering presence on vocals but more with the way they use space within their music. The problem with many heavy bands is they only know how to keep turning it up to 11, not realizing that soon the senses are dulled, and what is the point of playing at 11 if the person at home only plays it on 2? There is a need for contrast which makes the heavy even heavier, the fast even quicker, the threat even more powerful, and on this album, they display an innate understanding of all of that.

It is no surprise to see this is already their most successful album to date, with strong chart success, as this feels just so good on so many levels. The music never stops moving, twisting into new directions, and due to the way they use space and mini breaks not only is one never sure where it is going to go next but the ears just get a chance to relax before being beaten up yet again. They throw in passages which are far more commercial, with normal singing, such as on “Two Towers” but there is always the sense of trepidation as one knows this is going to change dynamically, but as one does not know when the anticipation is always there. Deathcore rarely gets much better than this.