For their Prosthetic debut, Washington, DC's Reflux couldn't have come at a better time with their murderous explosion of political uprising and social dissidence. Fusing together a variety of metal styles into an almost overwhelming attack of extreme music with a message, the group quickly put together a convincing argument with enough muscle behind it to ensure the listener will take notice or face the grim consequences.

A grinding technical edge permeates the bands mismatch of abrasive metalcore and monstrous thrash. Sounding similar to the likes of Between The Buried And Me and Shadows Fall, chaos is played out with a sharp proficiency that is complimented by whirring moments of ambient noise and the occasional remorseful melodic vocal passage. One could even say there are elements of bands like Meshuggah at play here, yet Reflux somehow manage to keep their craft sounding earthy and infused with life, rather than governing themselves with mechanical precision.

While the chops and musical ability that are on display here are quite impressive, perhaps the most engaging quality on hand is the bands hunger and conviction. By expressing messages from an underdog standpoint, their palpable emotion and sense of wanting to overcome and make a difference instantly becomes inspiring. That's not to say this album is without its flaws though. Its recklessness and schizophrenic approach can be unnerving and will undoubtedly scare off casual metal listeners. It can also lack a clear vision in certain tracks with too many curveballs being thrown in at once. Even so, this is one of the most relevant and adept metal releases of the year, proving once again that the voice of the discontent is still alive and well in DC.