It's official, the devil has gotten bored of Georgia and moved up north to hang out with his disciples in Cursed. Following up their excellent 2003 release "One" with this relentless assault on the senses, Cursed's virulent brand of punk, sludge and metal has been crafted into nothing short of weapons-grade auditory brutality.

With a feeling of desperation and vehemence serving as the lifeblood for the songs on hand, the band throw themselves into their material headlong, avoiding clean structuring for dirty, blackened beatings. Lyrical content is chockfull of violent imagery and yet the deeper messages the band preach are not overshadowed by their blood-soaked approach. Barbed guitars riffs freely maraud with adrenalized energy and double up with the screeching vocals to fortify their authority. A serpentine sludgy bass performance clouds the air like a pungent fog while a direct and enraged drumming performance creates a veritable stampede for the listener to be trampled by.

If ever there was an album that could contribute to global warming this would be it, as the intensity and sheer ferocity with which the band express themselves rivals that of the fires of hell. With "Two", Cursed have set fire to a scene that is currently ruled by lackluster bands who write their material by the numbers. From piano-driven exploratory purges and sludgy riffs that would make Crowbar and Mastodon proud, to some of the most caustic metal created in years; these Canadians have created a masterpiece both ardent and progressive enough to stand the test of time. The only bad part is that they just made the bulk of your modern metal CD collection sound foolish in comparison.