The Death Metal and Grindcore scene in the UK is probably at its best since the likes of CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH were beginning to make a name for themselves in the late 1980's onward. From PARTY CANON and CEREBRAL BORE in Scotland to NO FUCKS GIVEN in Yorkshire, this country has a lot of great Death and Grind talent to see, usually in some of the most intimate and unassuming venues. London's AGHAST! are starting to make a name for themselves among the aforementioned titans of the scene. They incorporate several types of music into their sound, and this is evident on their brilliant new album, "All the Rage".

The albums title track is really Deathcore influenced Death Metal. But the balance between the two genres works quite well here where it might not for other bands. Lyrically, it's a love letter to Metal music. "We Fear Silence" is a very good Brutal Death Metal track. It goes from a wall of sound, through melodic interludes and crushing rhythmic sections. Perhaps the best that this band has on this record is the razor sharp, blisteringly fast "Look Alive!", a song which is designed to insight pits and chaos. Just as "Look Alive!" is a brilliant track, "Drop Dead Famous" is perhaps the weakest song on this album, and this lies not in the fact that the song itself is bad, but that it relies too heavily on Deathcore clichés to carry it. Other than this song, the Deathcore elements are more subtle and bearable, if Deathcore doesn't happen to be your thing. "We Fear Silence" has some of the Deathcore elements, but they are so swamped below the Brutal Death Metal elements that it doesn't matter. This band combines so many different musical styles into their music, and the end result is genuinely unique Extreme Metal which will draw in fans of all forms of the genre, from your hardcore Grind fans to Melodic Death Metallers.

This is a band that is at the top of their game, and look set to storm the UK on their upcoming dates in places such as Leeds, Manchester, Bristol and Portsmouth, just to name a few. This tour will be one to catch, as I'm sure these guys will not be playing intimate shows for much longer.