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It should come as no surprise that Tad Doyle, of TAD, has returned with an uncompromisingly brutal new band. TAD, after all, had a pure metal backbone, even if it was surrounded by pioneering grunge flesh.

But it’s a joy to discover that not only is he refusing to mellow with age, but also the output from this trio is so heavy; the fittingly dense sludge riffs of Lava overflow with unnerving post-metal atmosphere, while Doyle surfs the treacly wave with the ursine roar of a madman.

From there on in it’s relentlessly, poundingly horrible. And, one suspects, there’s no greater compliment to give BOTSC than that./o:p

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.