They’ve succeeded in making a devastatingly heavy record that, bar the odd predictable breakdown, manages to steer clear of deathcore clichés and sets them apart from their peers.

That the record spans their 15-year lifespan puts the kybosh on continuity a touch; see announcing your last song in the middle of an album. However, that’s generally overridden by sheer dumb fun within cuts like synth-drenched supermarket ode "Tesco V Sainsbury's".

Negative Qualities might be uncomfortable listening, but it’s also entrancing, from the scrawny punk rock jams to the Nirvana-esque ‘Feel Shame’ or the surprisingly tuneful late-’90s emo of ‘Money’.

Pure metal it ain’t. Pure fun, it sure is.

The Deth's 13th album (how'd you guess?) gravitates between classy thrashers and hokey anthemic rock with scorching guitar work and Mustaine's snarling voice expectedly leading the charge.

All in all, Set The World On Fire sounds a bit like a band having an identity crisis – the sound no longer matches the carefully-created image but the music's decent none the less.

You figure they should know what they're doing by now and the former members of JR Ewing and Amulet certainly illustrate their capabilities.

Granted, in the more ballady numbers such as 'All Or Nothing', things delve into slightly forgettable power-pop territory, but overall there is enough substance here to credit this as a decent debut effort.

Though ‘The Powerless Rise’ only signifies progression within strict genre parameters, AILD have stuck to their guns with flair.

While some of these songs may not be up to the standard of their world-beating best, it’s clear they’re still having a lot of fun.

Taken as a whole, Helioscope represents another intriguing release from a band who remain a hugely promising proposition.

Now that they've finally given up the goods, it's easy to understand why they decided to go with what they already had because their eighth album is rooted firmly in hip-hop's old-school.

The latest album from St Louis, Illinois, quartet So Many Dynamos is definitely a keeper.

Nothing Earth-shattering, but enough solid riffs and spiffy one-liners that won't seem too out-of-place during a headlining set.

There's enough originality to warrant a second look, though, evoking the epic soul of the infamous The Haçienda club with percussive clatter overseen by techno producer Ewan Pearson.

True, at an hour-plus, only myopic fans would contest Forgiveness drags a little by the end, albeit brightened by penultimate Pavement-a-like ditty 'Water In Hell'.

The downside is that their understandable fear of becoming just another indie band leads them into too many changes of direction. Just having great tunes has never been enough.

There are plenty of moments on this record where it feels like Motionless have grown into their own skin; tugging at the heartstrings one moment and cutting straight to the bone the next.

An album that will creep up on you time and time again, Two Parts Viper is more evidence that all you need to incite a riot is a guitar, drums and pure attitude.

It’s bracing, familiar and flat-out exhausting all at the same time.

Though riff addicts may find this slightly wanting, for the patient listener, Enemies have left a fitting swansong.

Those familiar intricacies are thankfully still present and correct and the direct approach undoubtedly suits a band still full of ideas.

Equally experimental as it is disturbing, their latest musical experience doesn’t disappoint and is an altogether leftfield and very noisy affair.

At just seven tracks The Beautiful Stories is a touch slight, but whether it’s the ’80s guitar tones or quiet insistence of the quintet’s lyrics, it’ll leave a much longer impression.

The fact that this album is full to bursting with ideas means there are almost certain to be missteps, but the likes of acoustic-led snorefest ‘Father / Son’ are thankfully few and far between on this bracing debut.

King Animal doesn't hit as hard as their really early material, but it's well-paced.

Recent records have seen the band veer dangerously close to the saccharine. Thankfully --and despite its dubious title--For My Parents manages, for the most part, to avoid these pitfalls.

If they can combine the desperate urgency demonstrated on that first EP (which is a little diminished here) with the more finely-crafted songwriting they’re moving towards, they will be swimming onward, rather than sinking, for a long while to come.