Following first track "Soul Extraction Assay", a minute-long quiet intro, the album kicks in properly with "Brilliance of Shadow". This is a sprawling, dense work whose vocals occasionally remind me of Alice in Chains (first tick in the box there) but with Fear Factory guitar work. It's an odd mixture, but it works. Even in this single song there are hints at all sorts of refreshing directions - including vocals that verge on the choral at times. The guitars chug and scrape and screech in a creepy way that, yes, sounds a little like later Alice in Chains or Soundgarden.

This is followed by a short spoken-word piece (from a film I'm guessing) called "Boundless" which heads straight into "Empathize with your Enemy". If anything, this is more straight-ahead metalcore, but it changes and writhes in unexpected directions. The chorus is pure Fear Factory, which by no means loses them points - if you're going to show your influences, do it well- and this they do. I'd go as far as to say FF (given that they seem to have lost a bit of their edge these days) could learn a trick or two from this band.

"One by One" has a nice loud-quiet alternation and superior riffing that reminds me a little bit of Tool. The way the band mix their influences into their own unique sound continues to impress - "Lacerate" and "9 Gone" continuing the theme with odd key changes and atmospheric vocals. "Hidden Truth" is a much softer, melodic track which has a Tool-ish vibe to it (actually perhaps more A Perfect Circle than Tool, but that's just as good in my book).

In "Distress" the only influence I hear loud and clear at first is Fear Factory, but it's a pretty impressive impression of them - machine-gun drums, tighter-than-a-gnat's-snatch guitar work and good alternation between bellowed and clean vocals, which again give the track an atmospheric edge. The change of pace and atmospherics half way through the song, however, bring another surprise - it sounds a little like modern-day Fields of the Nephilim.

The album ends with a softly-textured but ominous track, "Chain" which has an epic sweep but manages to keep the structure tight and controlled. It's a fitting end to a remarkably consistent piece of work.

This is the first Mainline record I've heard, but if the others (assuming they exist) are as good, I'll be seeking them out. In these days of whiney, spoilt emo kids, meaningless operatic power-balladry and retro guitar widdlers, they probably won't get the attention and exposure they deserve, which is a shame. This is genuinely forward-thinking, atmospheric, original metal with bags of talent. The best of its kind I've heard for a long, long time.