Have you ever listened to Powercore? No? I would highly recommend it. Up until a few days ago I was completely unacquainted with the genre, I didn't even know it existed. This all changed however when I was introduced to Brisbane heavyweights A BREACH OF SILENCE and their latest release "The Darkest Road".

The record is to be released via Eclipse Records and if you've ever been through a difficult or challenging period in your life (stupid statement, I know) then this album will appeal to you. The lads from Oz preach of tough times and heart ache throughout, but whatever difficulties they've faced, they appear to have battled them valiantly; and somewhat come out on top, as this release would suggest. Powerful uplifting choruses are paired flawlessly with violently heavy drops, to give a finished product that screams viciousness in every manner of the word.

Conforming to regular metal-core constraints the group give little in the way of surprises, but this is as much a criticism as it is a compliment, because although I find myself pre-empting the heavy bass assaults, I enjoy them nonetheless. The album opens with a rather fitting battle cry of 'T-P-N-E, the party never ends' before the band kick into gear and heavy laden guitars burst through the mix. Immediately the guys have your head banging and this 'party' shows no sign of slowing down.

Rhys Flannery's gut wrenching screams give A BREACH OF SILENCE a brutish presence and at some points I even hear relation to their Australian cohorts PARKWAY DRIVE. Blair Layt's power cleans when combined with this are a little odd, but not unwelcome, as they go together like peanut butter and jam; unexpectedly pleasurable.

Title track "The Darkest Road" features second on the release, and for me, is the stand out song. Here the entire band proves their worth as powerful melodic lead guitars take the spotlight, almost echoing of metal-core giants AUGUST BURNS RED. This is not to say that the others take a back-seat role however, as this track is as blistering as the last in each and every way. The lyrics 'It's not enough to know I'm breathing, I've got to feel like it all has meaning. I couldn't cope with the easy path, so I'll take the darkest road and hope I last' gives an insight into the ethos that the group have adopted, whilst providing a backstory to the release as a whole.

The biggest shock on the album came from the weighty power ballad "Immortal". The reason this stood out so greatly for me is because it demonstrates versatility within this band that is greatly lacking within Metal-core. It truly depicts how they have grasped their chosen genre and engineered it in a way that they can actually have a power ballad on an album and it fits exquisitely, not sounding out of place with the standard dose of brutality.

It's safe to say these guys have found their sound, but I can't help but feel as though they have a lot more to offer. Given more time and maturity, they could prove to be something really quite impressive. If there's a battle scheduled on your 2014 calendar, definitely add this one to the playlist.