If there's one thing that is always welcome in any album, regardless of genre or style, it is variation. A varied sound in a record is proof that the band has an imagination, and is willing to take risks in their recording process. Showing some creativity will earn you brownie points. It is for this reason that DASH has earned a lot of brownie points.

"Turning Vicious" is an album that is difficult to predict, and constantly whips the carpet from beneath your feet. As soon as you think you know the structure for a song and are expecting the chorus to begin, the track takes a sudden turn in a bizarre direction and you're left feeling impressed and lost at the same time, like suddenly finding yourself sat surrounded by crates of beer; you might not know why they're there, you just go with it because it's a good thing.

It's not just the individual format of each song either; the album as a whole incorporates lots of different styles and isn't content with maintaining one sound. "Love You Till You Die" seems to kick things off in a standard fashion, opening the album with some death vocals and a flashy guitar riff. But very quickly it becomes apparent that this is something special, as the song frequently bounces between this ordinary Metal sound and a chirpy, Funk-like style that is almost reminiscent of some styles of Reggae. The track is something of a strange medley; two songs colliding and becoming one fantastic entity, resulting in perhaps the most memorable track on the record.

The album continues in a similar fashion, with "You Can't Outrun a Thoroughbred" beginning with techno/synthetic elements before mixing them with the traditional guitars and drums.

Speaking of drums, there is something to be said for the beautifully strange timing of the percussion across the record, as well as the way it gels so perfectly with the guitars. Hearing one of these two instruments alone would sound bizarre and unnatural, but the two combined genuinely become the sum of their parts.

The album's production is also worthy of praise, with every powerful note of the guitars as well as each and every drumbeat being crystal clear. The vocals, while coarse and full of rage for the most part (with a number of creative exceptions), are distinguished nicely from the instruments, having their own room to breathe and take centre stage in the cleaner sections when the lyrics are actually audible.

"Remember To Be Good" takes a number of twists and turns during its five minutes, becoming just another notch on the band's bow of experimentation. The frequent clean vocal sections make for some wonderful choruses, and only add to the sheer amount of variety on offer here.

"The Dihydrogencarbonates", in spite of its name, is a brutally simple track that proves that if the band were inclined towards more simplistic styles of music, they could just as easily kick ass at that, too. The music video is worth checking out, as well. "Blinded by Scarlet Eyes" closes the album nicely with some acoustic elements and more chilled vocals, and the track's extra length (clocking in at just under eight minutes) means that it has more time to transition gently between tempos, making for a well-rounded song.

This is an album that comes highly recommended to anyone with an open mind, or simply to those who love hearing something slightly different. This is the type of band that deserve their shot at fame, and I for one hope that they make it, if only just to make people aware that creativity is still alive and kicking in the music industry.<