Moderate Rock

Holy Roar are on a hell of a roll in 2018. And not content with releasing new scene-stealing material by Svalbard, Møl, and Modern Rituals, alongside a potential album of the year by Rolo Tomassi, they’ve now ushered another Secret Cutter record into the world. Whether the world will accept it is another matter entirely- this is relentless, abrasive rage that sounds like it wants to chew the ears off the side of your head. ‘Introduction’ is a slow-rolling boulder of buzzsaw guitars and bloodcurdling screams and the least friendly welcome ever recorded, the sub-minute ‘Vow of Obedience’ sounds like every Godzilla ever, all roaring at once, and ‘4 ½’ is the best heavy song released so far this year. A volatile bunch, there’s a chance Secret Cutter rattle apart before they can capitalise on the quality here so fans of Converge, Pig Destroyer and challenging heaviness should take note quickly.