7/10

Having spent much of the year building up to this moment, Idles have so far managed to prove themselves as one of the most exciting new thrash-punk bands in the country. With the raw energy of Cerebral Ballzy and the sarcastic, self-aware lyrics of Slaves, this Bristol-based outfit have turned the art of social commentary on its head and taken a nihilist approach to the multifaceted punk scene of the moment.

Their debut album 'Brutalism' is a name that fits the content as frontman Joseph Talbot delivers one killer line after another. This feels more like a lecture from a deranged professor with his own backing band than anything else, as each track aims to become its own highlight on an album filled with memorable moments. With an almost sermon-like approach to his delivery, Talbot has used his place on the microphone to add a very British sense of direction to the band's sound, ultimately giving them that much needed edge.

While the album starts with pure gusto and force, things do begin to waver nearer the end of the record, but given some of its content, this is one of the more intriguing albums we have heard so far this year. A great debut from a band that surely have much more to say.