We have a thriving underground scene in the UK right now, and if you haven't had the pleasure of immersing yourself in it, I implore you to rectify that immediately! However, if for whatever reason there's a little trepidation on your part about stepping into the darkness of the mucky shadows, let me help assist you in persuading you otherwise. Do you enjoy the surly grooves of LAMB OF GOD, the meaty melodies of TRIVIUM, and have a penchant for the thrashed-out attitude of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE? If so, you'll love Londoners SECREUM. These guys formed over ten years' ago, but it's only in recent times that they recorded their crushingly brilliant talents and released the debut EP, "Embrace". Their identity is one that harnesses thick grooves, thrashy death-metal style riffing, and the growling contrasting vocal style in the vein of Matt Heafy and Jesse Leach. Now, the ferocious quartet have been back in the studio and penned their punishing sophomore EP, "Voice of Reason", a move that escalates the SECREUM experience to eleven.

Since sliding out of the shadows, SECREUM has made its intentions very clear: audial punishment is absolutely the agenda. With plenty of musical brawn behind the band, SECREUM's sound is authoritative and easily commands your attention, ensuring that "Voice of Reason" is an organic extension of the band's former opus, and furiously so at that. The barbarous intro of "Unspoken" unleashes hell and swiftly becomes a face-melter, with the rest of the track underpinned by groove-infused riffs, pumping harsh growls and switches to crisp, clean tones effortlessly. SECREUM inject crystalline solos and have a knack for catchy melodies, something beautifully executed in the more subdued yet smouldering "Clouds", a composition that showcases a natural synergy with mellifluous aspects and abrasive elements.

SECREUM has a natural aptitude for progressively exploring its boundaries and fearlessly incorporating nuances that other bands may think twice about, so it comes as little surprise that the title-track is an all-out ripper and pushes with all its might to culminate as a violent whirlwind led by the immensely talented Charlotte Jones (someone who has previously contributed guest vocals to GLOYHAMMER) at levels set to annihilate. With Charlotte at the vocal helm leading with her distorted and intense tones, combined with crunching riffs and beastly drums, "Voice of Reason" invokes an insidious level of power, aggression, and darkness all in one hit. And for those of you who venture into SECREUM's Bandcamp to pick up the EP, you'll be treated to the bonus track, "Venomous", which feels exactly like if MACHINE HEAD mated with death metal and spewed out pure poison.

For a short release - and merely a snippet of the band's potential - "Voice of Reason" is teeming with plenty of soundscapes to get your teeth into but leaves a little room for the imagination to consider what SECREUM's next release will bring. If this taster of SECREUM's dirty, metallic proclivities tickles your tastebuds, luck is in your favour; the band is currently on its "Voice of Reason" tour (all dates available on social media links) and there's a plethora of dates to choose from to go and witness greatness live and in the flesh!