These guys and their fierce female singer have to be one of the best live acts in extreme metal today. The way they can whip up a frenzy coupled with the way singer Grace Perry throws herself into her performance like a woman possessed is quite a site to behold. Usually bands like this have trouble converting this live energy to disc, but on their newest platter Landmine Marathon manage to capture the manic intensity that makes their live show such a must-see.

While their last album Sovereign Descent clocked well over 40 minutes, this new one is just a shade under a half hour. They just boiled everything down to kick ass riffs, blast beats, and sick, guttural vocals. This one doesn’t mess about; it gets in, kicks your ass, and gets out before you know what hit you. This lean and mean approach works wonders for the band.

They go right for the throat with opening track “Three Snakes Leave,” mixing in traces of grind, while “Cutting Flesh From Bone” keeps the foot on the accelerator for its duration. “Knife From My Sleeve” works a cool death/doom hybrid for a bit, before picking up the pace and adding a sick guitar solo to its mix. Closer “Morbidity” also works in the whole death/doom angle and settles into a brutal mid-paced groove that is Slayeriffic. These are only a few of the standouts on the album, but trust me — this is one you are going to want to listen to it from beginning to end. It’s the band’s best album to date.

(Prosthetic Records, 11664 National Blvd. #413, Los Angeles, CA 90064)