For as long as six years now, we have been fans of Fathoms from Brighton and their brand of “hategroove”. In that span, they have put out several records; the most recent being the full-length Lives Lived which, while good, we felt never reached its full potential and did not have the lasting impact it should have. Counter Culture, however, is a different story.

The catchy Hate Preach unifies all listeners, and frontman Max is back at his A-game here with an authoritative, incensing voice. The title number is a loud, bombastic one with a strong chorus, although the screeching electronics admittedly do get a little grating.

The writing is notable in B.E.L.I.E.V.E, while I’ve Been Trying To Leave is littered with shredding chords, plus Sam gets a chance to shine at vocals; likewise with Slip Away which has a good hook in the middle.

The band are comfortably at home in the tracks that are pushed by brisk, weighty rhythms, as demonstrated in the likes of Fated, The Spaces In Between and No Compromise, and they eventually wrap up like bats out of hell with the kinetic You Ain’t On What We On.

The guys have trumped their previous effort with Counter Culture, going above and beyond to bring us a formidable album that should certainly re-establish them as one of the top dogs in the British underground metal scene.