Coming from Manchester, UK, Industrial, Noise and Crust Punk band LEECHED have released their second full length, "To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse", a dense and heavy affair filled with abrasive songwriting and skillful musicianship.

The album opens with a one-two punch of Avant-Gardeish, noise-filled tracks. "The Hound's Jaw" takes half of its length with piercing ambience before getting into a riffing pattern. It feels free-flowing at times, entirely devoid of melody of rhythm, especially for its first half. On the second, it ebbs and flows into extreme Hardcore mode. Meanwhile, "The Grey Tide" goes for mechanized drumming, atop harsh and gritty sounds. It is quite a dynamic track, with several sections bridged by pure noise.

"I, Flatline" feel considerably straightforward when compared to the previous tracks. You can picture the noisier side of NINE INCH NAILS on steroids, with its catchy, Industrial-ish sound. Erol Ulug's and Justin Moore's conversational delivery of the harsh vocals adds to the belligerent nature of the song. Slowing down the pace, "Now It Ends" is a droning and massive mood piece. LEECHED show their talent to build an atmosphere as trance-inducing as it is unsettling. Its titanic build-up towards the end and some subtle changes on the second half of the track brings a Post-Metalish vibe, reminiscent of the most abrasive JESU or even a more ethereal GODFLESH.

"Earth and Ash" is a nice slice of Blackened Crust, heavy on dissonance and with manic, robotic drumming. One of the most brutal tracks on the record, bleeds directly into "Famine at the Gates". "Famine" follows the more Avant-Garde, freeflowing vibe of the first two tracks, yet never fully escapes Crust territory. Alejandro Aranda's drumming gets a little more dynamic and busy. "Praise Your Blades" goes hard and heavy on guitar dissonance, as high-pitched squeals and squeaks take a central place. Moore and Ulug play around with riff building and assembling, showing off their talents. Feedback acts as a bridge with "Burn with Me" a fast-paced, noisy and punkish track.

Droning noise ambience, tribal drumming -heavy on the tom-toms-, and proggy guitar work on "Let Me Die" set the mood for expansive and crushing closer "Black Sun Ceremony". LEECHED are not a band for everyone, and that becomes clear quite sudden on "To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse". The album is unforgiving, filled with abrasive and rough sounds. Lyrically it pains images of decaying bodies, tortured souls and violence, which goes perfectly with the angular, at times confusing, at times jarring, music, but can be a daunting experience if you are not in the right mood. Also if your ears are not ready to be punished.

"To Dull the Blades of Your Abuse" is a solid record, especially as it delivers really creative, strange and unique stuff. However, it lacks memorable songs -"I, Flatline" is the closer it gets to-, or at least sections, and it can be a little too much for those that are not exactly into this kind of music. The band's commitment to their craft is commendable and it is clear that these four dudes are a talented bunch with a sharp vision of what they want to make.

If you like your music weird, heavy and abstract, or you are looking for something new and challenging this might as well be a great record to give a spin.