In the same way that New Zealand's Ulcerate managed to pummel their brand of extremity into our subconscious by understated, yet highly effective twists on virtually patented formulae, the likes of "Ruins & Dead Ends" and "Horns" come close to bettering a similar premise -- thanks, at least in part, to Christian Silver's phenomenal job at the mixing desk. Trouble is, they dip into the same well a little too often, and blisteringly effective as it may have been earlier on, much of the album's second act speeds by in a faceless blur. Then again, maybe I'm just one of those sad old farts, who prefer to enjoy albums end-to-end, as opposed to the bite-size approach taken by the majority of the iPod generation. Either way, this is a first-rate introduction to a band I expect to hear much more from in the future.