Ok so this album came out back at the start of the year but with their support slot with *The Offspring * just around the corner we thought you should know at least a little of what to expect from these noisy Atlanta residents. And no, following the hyper-speed thrash of *Send More Paramedics *things are not going to slow down to a parent-pleasing display of school disco sing-a-long pop ala ‘Pretty Fly For a Nice Guy’ _and _‘Original Prankster’. Quite the opposite in fact, for mercy is in short supply and non shall be spared on the kiddies as TLO promise a performance as ferocious and teeth rattling as our home-grown zombie core crew.

Promoted to the premier league of punk following their signing to (as luck would have it) Dexter Holland’s Nitro Records The Letters Organize have risen through the ranks at lightning speed and this, their sophomore release, is an album driven with a desire to prove they’ve got what it takes to compete with the big boys.

No less intense than last year’s offering but then not as spastic-crazy as we might have expected, 'Dead Rhythm Machine' is still a fast-and-furious 31 minute lesson in quick-shot rock ‘n’ roll punk; a genuine fire-cracker of a record ignited with a raging blend of Snapcase, F-Minus and Refused to leave you battered and bruised as riffs tumble and fall relentlessly around you.

Aligning such bands as extreme and full-throttle as SMP and TLO together on the same bill as The Offspring is an undoubtedly risky decision to make. Does this signal a possible mid-life crisis from a Dexter Holland trying desperately to claw back an ounce or two of respect from the punk community? Will The Offspring respond by focussing on their older, punkier material? Will there actually be a stage left after TLO?

Whatever the outcome 'Dead Rhythm Machine' rocks. You need it. ARM YOURSELF.