Chances are, if you've been to a festival or a club tour over the past year or so, you've probably bumped into Kent's Feed The Rhino. Or more accurately they've probably bumped into you. Feet first via a speaker stack more than likely, with frontman Lee Tobin bellowing into your face like a schizophrenic cross between half a Brian Blessed, 'Deadwood's Al Swearengen and a spider monkey.
A motley black-clad crew of tattooed hellraisers, they've been flying their pirate colours on the live circuit since the release of 2010's 'Mr Red Eye', an album thrown together with a quickness (ten breakneck days to be precise), quietly evolving into an essential live experience. Albeit one that could kick your head in.
'The Burning Sons' is lightyears ahead of its predecessor. While 'Mr Red Eye' had its moments, such as the crunchy 'Caller Of The Town' and the pit blitz of 'The Butchers', its influences were worn clearly on its sleeve, leading many to compare them to Every Time I Die and Gallows amongst others. However, 'The Burning Sons' sounds like Feed The Rhino – no one else.
“I knew I had to deliver something head and shoulders above the first album and I wanted to deliver something more special, production-wise and writing-wise. The press was on but this is the album we wanted to make,” said bassist Oz Craggs in an interview with us last issue and it's a clear case of mission accomplished.
Opening with the abrasive, groove-laden hardcore of 'Flood The System', the first thing immediately apparent is how confident Feed The Rhino now sound. The second thing immediately apparent is that 'Flood The System' is heavier than a skip full of bricks. With its refrain of “We're all dead!” and low-end guitars, it sets the tone for 'The Burning Sons', as 'Nothing Lost' barrels its way in straight after, a meaty riff holding the whole broken rollercoaster of sound together. The title track is a slow burning affair, building on effected, syncopated guitar lines and pit-inciting drums, holding most in common with 'Imprint'-era Vision Of Disorder, while 'I Am The Curse, I Am The Cure' gives a whiff of Soundgarden in its atmospherics. 'Kings Of Grand Delusion' gleefully plays with tempos and rhythmic structures, Tobin's bellow anchoring the transition into 'Song Of Failure'. 'Razor' slows the tempo down with what could be an 'OK Computer' outtake, as melodies and clean vocals come to the fore before the treble whammy of 'Left For Ruins', 'Fountains' and 'Death Of The Swine' kick the listener's head in. By far the biggest shock is the two-part ending of 'Tides' and 'The Compass', which throw piano sections, samples, blood-curdling screams and a sense of impending doom into the mix. Outstanding.

Read an interview with Feed The Rhino about 'The Burning Sons' in the new issue of Big Cheese, out now. Order your copy now from HERE