Formed in 2008 by friends Alex, André, Jordan, Max and Arnaud, and hailing from Haute Savoie in France, the amusingly named Hybrid Sheep return with their second full-length album, Hail to the Beast (Tenacity Music). Already having a couple of independently distributed EPs to their name, the band released their debut album Free From The Clutches of Gods (Tenacity) in 2014 to a fairly positive reception.

Three years on, and the band have returned with their second offering of technical Deathcore. A little more refined than the debut, the band have developed a few new skills but still happily sound like a band of tantrumming gorillas when required. Deep guttural vocals interchange with higher pitched shrieks and pig squeals; time changes, stops, and breakdowns occur on a regular basis, and some of the lead guitar work is frankly superb. The drums blast along like an army of particularly furious pneumatic drills, but also show a little more restraint and creativity this time around.

Mixed and mastered by Vladimir Cochet (Mirrorthrone, Promethee), the album has a punchy production, and the guitars sound great, even if some of the riffs – such as the one on second cut, ‘Towards Ruin and Oblivion’ – have a tendency to sound like Gojira doing drunken impressions of 1980s video arcade games. One surprise is just how boring the instrumental track ‘The Last Breath of a Dying Earth’ isn’t. At just three minutes in length, it does its job superbly and moves on without ever becoming tiresome like many instrumentals.

Featuring a nice balance of technicality, aggression, speed and groove, Hybrid Sheep have taken a firm, confident step forward, and although their influences (many of whom tend to be looked down upon by fans of “proper metal”) are still clearly worn on their sleeve, they do more than enough here to earn some genuine recognition.

7.0/10

GARY ALCOCK