When Bon Scott wrote about Hell not being such a bad place to be, no one would have expected six guys from Derby and Nottingham to take it literally and book the next excursion to Hades Central.

Having exceeded expectations and hooked up at Old Nick's squat, The Swarm then set about recording the most visceral, grime-sodden, mud-stained collection of songs since Nick Cave left the Birthday Party and Guy McKnight changed his horror mask into that of the Joker.

'War Course' is a tense thrash that recalls the likes of TEMBLD at their Horse Of The Dog scariest whilst emanating visions of Glenn Danzig at his most troublesome, argumentative peak. Even more engaging is 'Rising Up Through Your Chest', which sounds like a chainsaw massacre in the goth room of the Camden Palace on a Friday night, rivers of blood meeting the embers of kohl. Standing out like a burning effigy of the Wicker Man though is 'Shacked Up With The Flies', a slow-slow-quick-quick-slow epic of deep and dirty guitars and a terrifying vocal that is reminiscent of Papa Lazarou fronting Bauhaus.

Never mind a record deal, carry on like this and The Swarm will have the score rights to the next three Stephen King movies sewn up at a canter.