I SAW THE WORLD BURN. The Staffordshire, UK based metal act truly are one of the best kept secrets in the underground metal scene in this country. Their ferocious live performances have led them to securing slots on stages such as Hammerfest and Bloodstock Open Air. They're also a band I've been fortunate enough to share the stage with, in my previous incarnation as a musician! Whilst not being the easiest band to categorize stylistically with elements coming from across the spectrum, I'm sure that "Sentience Part 2" is going to be an enjoyable listen.

"Echo Your Own" features some delicious guitar work and crushing tones that made me wonder how they only have one guitarist in their line up! No need for fancy solos, just straight up in your face intensity, much like that which you would expect on a BOLT THROWER album. I noted some impressive production through the bass, with that full and dirty low end pulsating through my headphones. This is the kind of stuff that you certainly feel in a live situation, pounding your chest and possibly shaking your vital organs. I note Katie's vocals. I've always been an admirer of her primal and visceral shrieks, which are on full display here. These vocals are combined with clean layers of the top, making for an interesting contrast. I love it! Although I do wonder how this would be achieved in a live setting.

Insular was the surprise package for me. The first minute or so is dominated by a much slower, cleaner progressive passage. Katie demonstrates her cleaner vocals, again something I had never associated with the band. This certainly works though and provides a neat progressive element. I'd love to hear more of this. After this cleaner passage, I'm expecting the band to suddenly unleash a full blown thrashened-death metal assault. But no, I SAW THE WORLD BURN are clearly going to keep me waiting for this, which is very smart on their part. I have to wait until around the 5:50 mark to get my wish. It was worth the wait. I don't quite know how to describe what happens. But that passage was brutal! I had to rewind it several times. Whereas Graeme had held a steady groove up until now, he decides to unleash the mother of all blast beats, the ferocity of which is matched by the bass and guitars and some more primal blood curdling screams to create a monolithic wall of distorted sound! YES! If I had done a reaction video to this, my face would be a bizarre combination of delighted yet terrified!

PARASITE takes a more stoner/sludge direction. No glitz, no glamour. Just straight up head snapping grooves and intensity. I particularly admire the production values. They maintain the retrograde 'dirty' feel that you'd expect from that genre, yet everything still feels full, crisps, and polished! I honestly thought I'd accidentally clicked on a song by SATYRICON when I opened up "Their Guilt"! The blast beats, dissonant chromatic guitar riffs and Katie's trademark demonic shriek completed this illusion for me. This demonstrates the bands versatility. They still maintain that iconic thrash-groove intensity, which is symoblic for the band at this point. The breakdown at around 3:30...yeah, that's definitely going to incite some serious pits and walls of death when they get to play this live! If I had one criticism, I do wonder if the vocals sound a little bit too thin, too low in the mix, or both. That being said, it should be an easy fix.

I'm honestly feeling some despair now after the last song finished. Is that it? Four songs? Well, it just means I've got to follow the band a lot more closely and keep an eye on a potential follow in a trilogy of EPs! Honestly, I'm feeling so smug knowing that I've heard this before many of my contemporaries and fans of the band have.