I love a good debut record. Probably more than the next person, truth be told. And this particular record is one that many (over this side of the pond, anyway) have been looking forward to for a little while now. Burner are ultimately a metallic hardcore band from South London. But they’re in the mould of maybe a Trap Them or Converge insofar as they’re chaotic, frantic and also draw deeply from the well of extreme metal to complete their sound. This is where I have to accept that I just like this sound and have to take a step back to exercise some journalistic objectivity, so bear with me.

It’s interesting that when you talk about metallic hardcore, you kind of end up referring to 2 different types of bands. The more chin-stroking, arthouse bands; and the more wilfully aggressive and nihilistic types who typically eschew the more wiry, stabbing production approach in the favour of the bludgeoning power of metallic heft applied to hardcore structures. What I find both interesting and really promising about Burner is that they don’t rely on one or the other. Neither do they fall between two stools and fail to capitalise on the blueprints laid down by those who came before them. At times you could describe the structures and riffs as mathy, but then you’re thrown into a deep groove and then a quasi-black metal maelstrom of blasting and white-hot throat rasps. But as most music fans know, bolting a bunch of different styles together isn’t always a good idea. When it becomes a good idea is when twinned with the musical and songwriting ability to craft those styles into something which is sonically novel and sounds like it has been written without any specific consideration to what musical style is being drawn upon. And I’m pretty sure that’s how Burner write their material. Because I sure can’t see the lines where any stitching or bolting has been done.

The record is made up of 11 tracks over 34 minutes and as those numbers suggest, rattles along at real pace. But even within that relatively brief runtime, there is room for variety. Most tracks are in the 2-3 minutes bracket, but both “Trinity” and closer “Waco Horror” clock in at not much more than 1 minutes whereas “An Affirming Flame” runs to over 7 minutes. So even with the many styles on display, there is no obvious formula to the songs themselves. The one unifying factor however, is the savagery. With the sole exception of Trinity actually, but even that brings with it a sinister, malevolent ambience which unsettles arguably even more than the more conventionally heavy passages.

Burner have pulled together a really seriously impressive debut record here. I was lucky enough to catch them playing live in a small venue last year and can attest to their live prowess as well. At this early point, there seem to be no real chinks in their armour and if they can continue to grow and innovate beyond the impressive level they’re already at, then the sky really is the limit. This is a great record. Dizzying, enthralling, scintillating and brutally pissed off. Burner are, as they say, on fire.