Following some key line-up changes last year, Premonitions Of War have returned with their new album "Left In Kowloon" on Victory Records. Recorded with Erik Rutan of Morbid Angel/Hate Eternal fame, the outing is a crushing display of force that encompasses elements of grind, dirge and sludge to create a fearsome metal battering ram that's aim isn't only just to break in, but to also demolish everything in sight once inside.

Outright heavy and decidedly low end based ,Premonitions Of War often have a methodically slow pace to their music which allows for some curious experimentation with electronics and such ala Neurosis. But this is not to say that the band are always in a lethargic state as there are more than enough bruising riffs and thunderous drumming moments included here to keep the metalheads entertained. At most times, the music on hand brings to mind groups like Burnt By The Sun and Superjoint Ritual, with little more than out and out aural punishment being shoved through the speakers. Solid musicianship helps to cement this charge and with a devastating low end performance to back up the barked vocals and sludgy riffs, "Left In Kowloon" is an album that generally succeeds in laying waste to anything in its path.

However, for all its intensity and tenacity, the bands vaunted experimental elements tend to play a supporting role rather than steal the spotlight. Sure there are a number of the prerequisite time changes and complex breakdowns to throw the listener off guard in place, yet there is little that is unmistakably off the wall being achieved here. The sheer heaviness and grim nature of the recording are indeed quite captivating, yet even they can become a bit tiresome with the lack of color and contrasting dynamics. In the end, "Left In Kowloon" is still a solid affair that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of this intersection of genres; it's just a shame that it doesn't do all that much to advance it further into uncharted waters.