HORRORSCENSION

These guys kick some motherf*ckin' ass, and they always have. Somehow disguising their astonishing creations behind frantic meth-head jams and brutal streetfights that explode with violence, BtA's Horrorscension is the only album I've ever heard that could cause you actual physical harm. No, really; corporeal damage that may take some time to recover from. It is a crippling record.

But that's the beauty of the Marston/Lerner chemistry-- as mercurial as things get, you know they have everything under control. What you hear is exactly what they wanted, as per 'Disintegore' with its dizzying rate of exchange blowing open holes in places you didn't know existed, happening all too quickly to get your bearings. You're gonna go down, but it's just the beginning of an un-winnable match. New drummer Weasel Walter penned - or pounded - the slightly more musical 'Monolithic Destractions' taking his bandmates on a ride of unknown distances which oh-so-subtly morphs into the title cut hiding a mellotron sample near the end. But my personal favorite here, to the extent that I can wrap my head around it, is torturously-titled 'Deluge of Sores' with Mike and Colin's neat pyrotechnics and thoughtful symmetry. The disc wraps with chiming and wild 'Annihilvore'.

BtA have never been for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but here you really have to watch yourself or risk getting in over your head. These three will kill you. Enjoy.