Album Review: Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes - Modern Ruin

When Frank Carter sailed into the sunset from much-loved British hardcore outfit Gallows in 2011 it was a sad blow.

Leaping into his new project, the more alternative grooves of Pure Love, was an unexpected turn. So it was hardly surprising when the ginger-haired frontman jumped ship again after an 'indefinite hiatus' was announced in 2014. It's quite a patchy experience for any frontman, and often bodes ill; it wouldn't be the first time a singer had bounced around from outfit to outfit, becoming notorious more for how long they lasted with this band and that one.

With the talent, vigour and nous that Carter has though, it is a big sigh of relief that his eponymous incarnation is the best yet, and seems to be where the young bloke is hitting his straps. EP Rotten came like the slap in the face needed to shake up the scene in 2015, and now second album Modern Ruin gives us a fuller introduction to this savvy, likeable and genre-transcending band.

From the gentle slow-burners to the buzzing, guitar-driven jammers, there is a mountain of gold to be discovered here. Bluebelle eases into things with lilting strums and Carter's distant croon, before Lullaby belts out sharp beats and jagged lines under his sneering drawl, as does Acid Veins' seedy guitars, before the thrashy title track gives ways to the calm and collected Neon Rust. This waltz back and forth between the light and heavy is chief among the album's charms; it satisfies and entertains beyond a single spin.