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Though many purists may hate to admit it, the amalgam of dance and rock music has been commonplace for many a decade now. But Crossfaith’s arrival has lifted the rave metal genre up a notch and blurred the lines between movements to new and unheard levels.

Previously there were rock bands with elements of electronica à la Ministry and Pitchshifter and, as much as fans of heavy music have taken them to their bosom, The Prodigy and Pendulum are definitely dance acts with a rock’n’roll attitude. The beauty of Apocalyze is its refusal to compromise on either side, sounding as pure and current in dance circles as it would to committed metalheads.

While Countdown To Hell starts with a riff savage enough to make Lamb Of God sound tame and sprinkles it with electronics, Eclipse rides along on a huge throbbing synth line that you can feel pulsing through your whole body and layers it with thick guitar grooves. One minute you’re dancing insanely, the next you’re banging your head uncontrollably; these songs will no doubt come into their own during Crossfaith’s dazzling live shows.

It’s a testament to their abilities, nailing an actual song being something that gets overlooked in this genre, that the band sound so far ahead of a game that ran out of gas around a decade ago that they’ve practically reinvented it. Are they ravers or rockers? Who knows? Are they the perfect intertwining of two disparate sounds? No doubt. This is the future.

Since blagging his way onto the Hammer team a decade ago, Stephen has written countless features and reviews for the magazine, usually specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal, and still holds out the faint hope of one day getting his beloved U2 into the pages of the mag. He also regularly spouts his opinions on the Metal Hammer Podcast.