I’m sure this record has been mastered properly, but unless I’ve received a dodgy copy this is really, really quiet. I had to turn the stereo up several notches to get the volume right which didn’t affect my enjoyment of the record, but it did seem a little strange. Anyway, MUFF have grown up a Hell of a lot since I last heard them and this record is really, really impressive. It’s possibly about two or three tracks too long, but overall the level of musicianship is top notch – fans of Rise Against and Belvedere are going to love this record.
At times the solos are so A Wilhelm Scream-esque in an OTT way they’re a joy to behold. ‘She Likes Drugs’ rips while there are other lead guitar parts that simply shred. Really shred; like ‘holy shitting fuck is this riff the bollocks or what?’ shredding. However, at times it seems like the band simply threw a solo into the track when it doesn’t quite fit, and while it’s admirable a band can write great parts as there are on this record, it sometimes doesn’t fit. But when it does, boy are this band good.
‘I’m Fighting Me’ is brutal, while ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ is just an explosion of energy within a song. The aggressive nature of the vocals remind me a fair bit of Rise Against, but it’s the quality of the guitar work which really stands out. If this was a little shorter it would have gained at least an extra half-star. If you loved the recent AWS album you will certainly enjoy this – it’s one of the best record of it’s type that I’ve heard in a while.