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

The likes of 'The Resist Stance' and 'Someone To Believe' burn with righteous anger and the energy of a band half their age. Only the closer, the toothless 'I Won't Say Anything', isn't up to scratch. A fine addition to their cannon.

Gareth’s vocal is less shrill these days, his lyrics are less desperate (though just as despairing), and the band’s soundscapes are increasingly diverse....A big step forward.

Even at its most meandering points (‘Nowhere Lullaby’), the tangents on ‘There Is No Enemy’ feel purposeful. Martsch’s lyrics remain wry and erudite, but he’s back to expressing himself in a more whimsical fashion and, more importantly, writing actual melodies.

Overall, it’s an impressive progression on all counts.

The results are shufflingly majestic, loaded with blissful truths and, it must be said, startlingly close to perfect.

Possessing a grandeur that never descends into pomposity and a restraint that could never be mistaken for bland aural wallpaper, this is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful releases you’re likely to hear over the coming months.

Production-wise, the vocals could do with sounding more 'live' (they are note perfect)--but the musicianship present is enough to justify the polish.

This brief addition to their canon might consist of just four songs, but it's a potent reminder of why we love them.

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.

Motionless In White’s third full-length sees them firming up the sound they settled on with last album ‘Infamous’, but with varying degrees of success.

Everything’s here from a band that still pack arenas, whilst there’s enough progression to ensure they’re ahead of their peers.

This album seamlessly flits from one brilliantly bold idea to another with no dips in quality.

Justifies the hype.

Though perhaps overly mechanical, Vengeance Falls remains compelling and staggeringly textured.

This album sets the band on their surest footing for years and proves that Anthony Green and friends can still hang. After all this time away, that’s more than enough.

Even if it doesn’t all hit the bullseye, at least they’ve dared to stray from the beaten path.

It’s nowhere near as hot as the real prime stuff the early ’80s gave us (Poison Idea, Void, Tar Babies, that sort of thing) and still lags behind the young ‘uns who’re keeping the genre fresh and vital.

As a whole, Close The Distance is a touch lacking for our ears.

Safe In Sound’ is clearly engineered for the airwaves; almost every song produced and polished to within an inch of its life. ... That’s not to say that Safe In Sound is without its triumphs – there’s still an abundance of riches to enjoy here.

More than a decade on from ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’, Frank is still singing from a different hymn sheet to everyone else, and that’s well worth celebrating.

Merging brittle, jittery riffing, fraught tremolo-picked flutters with mesmeric drum patterns and tense, semi-spoken vocals the result is as resounding a success as ever and a reassuring testament to the ongoing fertility of the Louisville underground.

The Human Romance is how metalcore should be: layered, dynamic, passionate. Easily the best Darkest Hour have been since "Undoing Ruin."

This preposterously technical mish-mash of progressive metal, full-throated hardcore, operatic female vocals and lounge jazz interludes triumphantly evidences a band taking an absurd amount of joy in kicking against the pricks.

Without the hands of major label henchmen edging them into the most marketable direction, there's an overwhelming feeling that consumes you when listening to Don't Panic that they've had more time, more room to breathe, and more fun this time around.

It’s impossible not to admire the scale and ambition of what Sleeping With Sirens are trying to achieve here, so don’t be too surprised if they’re swapping Warped Tour for arenas before too long.

At times the results are exhilarating, as on the superb ‘Moth Into Flame’ and doomy death-march of ‘Confusion’--written from the perspective of a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder--but there’s a smattering of filler, too. Too many tracks outstay their welcome by a matter of minutes.

It’s an album dripping with class, craft, heart and soul and Deaf Havana’s most accomplished to date--a step out of their comfort zone and a step up in every regard.