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I can remember when the 'Roadrunner' label on an album meant it was almost certain to be good, as back in the day, Roadrunner and Metal Blade released about all the metal worth hearing. Nowadays it's a different story, and so a band on RR does not get instant cred. Thankfully, Canada's 3 Inches Of Blood are waving high the flag of real fucking metal.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this band is real metal, not metalcore. Some people insist this band is 'metalcore' because they have a vocalist who screams. I won't even dignify that with refutation, just remember some people insist Iced Earth are Thrash and Dimmu Borgir are Black Metal, so there are idiots everywhere. I liked Advance And Vanquish a lot, and I was hoping the follow-up would rule similarly. I see I was not wrong to hope, as 3ioB have punched out one of the best albums this year.

Heavy, sometimes surprisingly technical riffage with an almost Thrashy crunch is the highlight here, backing up some killer songs like "Night Marauders", "Forest King" and "The Great Hall Of Feasting". Actually one of the good things about this album is how consistent it is, with no filler at all. Even the tracks that are not as catchy pack plenty of chugging steel riffs to keep your head flailing.

Vocals may be a sticking point for some, as they are hardly typical. One singer wails like Jon Oliva on Sirens, and the other one sounds like a harsher thrash vocalist like Jay Clark of Coven. Together they make for an aggressive and distinctive assault that may put off people expecting something more like Matt Barlowe. I for one think the screamer is better, and I find the nuts-in-a-vice wails a bit much, but nobody can say that this band sounds like anyone else, that's for sure.

Ignore the screws who say this is 'core' just because of some screaming vocals and get into one of the most exciting bands of the new True Metal generation. What? Are metalheads afraid of screams now? Yeesh, bunch of pansies. 3 Inches of Blood will eat your livers.