Pulled Apart By Horses - V.E.N.O.M

Interestingly enough, I saw this band's first ever gig a few years back, when they were a sloppy but enthusiastic poppy post-hardcore outfit. There's no denying they've done well for themselves since, with regular touring and canny PR work making them a recognised name on the UK rock scene. Here, then, is their first recording with a big time producer, with Gil Norton twiddling the knobs this time round. Lead track V.E.N.O.M has a hardcore-inflected classic rock vibe that brings to mind fellow Leeds rock lads The Plight, but not as goofy. Flip it and there's two more songs...'Pwr' and 'Motivation' both sound an awful lot like Gallows songs...to be honest all this stuff seems much more by-the-book than their previous material, and is all the poorer for losing that slight unhinged edge. There's no denying that this is a slick and hard rocking single, but in setting their sights on the big time PABH seem to have sacrificed some of their personality and charm. Hopefully the album will have a little more about it.