Rarely does a band stack up to their ambitious bio, but UK’s End of Level Boss do in excess. Flirting with Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Metallica, and Godflesh on their 2005 debut Prologue couldn’t even hint at what was in store for this London quartet on Inside the Difference Engine—and now, thankfully, every semblance of guitarist/vocalist Heck Armstrong’s former band Hangnail is officially laid to rest.

Opener “Selfishnegativevibemerchant” paints the perfect picture of a leaner, meaner EoLB while harnessing unruly, Helmet-like waves of discordant guitars and asynchronous yet amazing drumming. After a Melvins-ish intro, Armstrong settles into his warm, Layne Staley-styled warble with room-sized, Jerry Cantrell-lovin’ licks on the incredible “Mr Dinosaur Is Dead,” fading out with a wonderfully phased ambience. The urgent “Reticence” and the Beats the Hell Out of Me workout “Corners” further tighten the screws on the metallic throb, while “Words Have No Meaning” and slow-burner “Instinktivitus” pit Armstrong’s strong vox against the inexorable Operator:Generator-ish pulse. The band’s worship of AIC’s Dirt comes to ultimate fruition with the eight-minute “End of Line,” a loping homage to said album’s dark psychedelia that blossoming halfway through with eyes-rolled-back-in-the-head, Cantrell-dripping chords.

Closing with “Connotations,” a twisted, instrumental take on John Wetton-era King Crimson, EoLB prove their worth a thousand times over on their phenomenal sophomore release. Any band that proudly uses the killer robot from the classic videogame Berserk as their mascot is worthy of initial praise, but the taut, muscular indie metal of Inside the Difference Engine leaves grunge fans panting for more.

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