Boris – Heavy Rocks

That similarities exist between the 2011 and 2002 incarnations of Heavy Rocks is to be expected, but this release holds as much in common with all of Boris’ output as it does with its namesake. Hankering for Flood? Try the swirling ebb and flow of Missing Pieces’ cloud-borne riffs. Maybe some of Akuma no Uta’s nitro-charged punk? GALAXIANS has it by the crateful; it's an old-school thrasher tempered by Takeshi’s matured vocal range.

Thought perhaps not one of the Japanese enigmas' more groundbreaking creations, what it does serve to do is distil the entirety of a staggering back catalogue into a mere 52 minutes. That’s almost an hour of headbanging, rock’n’roll, punk, psychedelia, shoegaze, pop and doom, and those are only the surface textures. Doing this has given the band the free rein to push their abilities to their utmost, especially Atsuo’s drumming which now ascends to greater heights of artistic hyperactivity. For those looking for a place to start with Boris, this is without a doubt it. [David Bowes]