Reading, England's metal mavens Landmine Spring have rapidly become one of the country's most riveting metal bands, seamlessly establishing a cult fan-base through two well-received European releases and an astounding live presentation. Now these purveyors of post-hardcore discontent and aggro ingenuity have returned with "Are We The Culprits?", an effort that boasts maturity and confidence in one's craft, while looking to spread the band's reputable name internationally.

The group's affinity for condensed riffage is undoubtedly inspired by Quicksand, yet they manage to layer such elements with thick bass tones and all-encompassing wall of percussion (an area that has vastly improved since the addition of former Matter drummer James Burt). This melting pot of driving metallic urgency and raw hardcore tenacity results in a much thicker musical concoction, making the album steamroll forward with little resistance. Robert Newson seems insistent to incorporate brooding post-hardcore melancholy into his repertoire of volatile Nothingface-esque screams, yet these periods of melodic singing never quite compare. It should also be noted that he has abandoned his Page Hamilton fetish, though it is still noticeable how he tends to pattern his vocal detachment after the ever influential Helmet frontman. Unfortunately Newson has neither the rich tone nor commanding melodic presence to ever effectively establish this element within the band's raucous riff-heavy metal blast. More often than not these moments exist only to piece together one passage of violent intent to another, droning on with repetitive monotony. There are however exceptions to this rule, as his organic wails occasionally bring to mind Dayinthelife... while "The Mermaid's Fourth Head" finds Newson lapsing into brilliant low-key melodies vaguely similar to early Incubus, though in spite of these few moments of grandeur, Landmine Spring still have difficulty executing jaded post-hardcore sullenness. In fact, never is it made more clear how the band are drastically underachieving when songs like these are matched up against the unbridled fury of such tracks as "Broadsided" and "Temptation Walks", where Newson's guttural vocals feel less like screams then they do animalistic expulsions of noise, proving these eruptions of aural debauchery to be the vocalist's prominent strength. If the band do have any musical restraints it's their tunnel-vision mentality, as songs like "Shallow" surge forward, never taking the risk to deviate from its set course until late in the song, leaving one rather bored in the end.

Though these British lads have proven they have the skill to become one of the U.K.'s finest metal groups, to understand that this is essentially the band's introduction to the American hard rock scene, it's tough to consider "Are We The Culprits?" anything more than an average release. Landmine Spring have clearly grown as musicians, firmly establishing an original sound built with confidence and focused intensity while shrugging away the ever-present Helmet comparisons detectable on "Elephantine"; Yet in spite of such notable accomplishments the group are still lacking the charisma necessary to hold one's attention over the course of 11 tracks. This collection of songs succeeds in being aesthetically pleasing, craftily balancing metallic fervor and introspective melody, but even when the band rise to their fullest potential the material somehow feels hollow and uninviting. As such, the band have assembled an admittedly fierce musical entity that too often leaves one longing for more, delivering an assortment of mosh-inducing hand grenades that often turn into duds once their pins have been pulled.