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Calling Desdemonia Luxembourg’s finest metal band might be damning them with faint praise, with their quality catching the attention of in-demand producer Fredrik Nordström, whose mix gives an impressive edge and bullish snarl to the band’s fourth album. Hitting the melodic death metal ground near Amon Amarth’s heroic tremolo riffing, but with plenty of Michael Amott’s larger-than-life classic riffs thrown in, the likes of the title track and opener Reaper Of Souls are drenched with irresistible power. While it may be frontheavy, what sets the album apart from being another Swedish tribute is the powerhouse rhythm section that threatens to take the glory from the field, with frontman Tom Dosser’s thunderous bass jostling for position and drums that dominate the menacing Revenge. Abysmal also offers a keen knowledge of Bay Area thrash and the fiendish Out Of Sight recalls Megadeth fronted by Frank Mullen.

Rugby, Sean Bean and power ballad superfan Adam has been writing for Hammer since 2007, and has a bad habit of constructing sentences longer than most Dream Theater songs. Can usually be found cowering at the back of gigs in Bristol and Cardiff. Bruce Dickinson once called him a 'sad bastard'.