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Formed in 2005 by guitarist Gurneet Ahluwalia and vocalist Adam Mayes, Viatrophy are a metal band with a point to prove. In a scene saturated with over-produced and uninspired bands, the current line up, completed Gavin Thane (bass), John Jones (guitar) and Craig Reynolds (drums), cut a thrilling presence as anyone whose witnesses them live will testify. Chaos, detritus, broken ceilings, torn carpets, spilt pints, broken limbs, and of course, epic fucking metal; these are the things you can expect from a Viatrophy live show, and that’s why their self-titled debut album is awaited with bated breath.

Recorded at Fortress Studios, London, by Justin Hill and Dan Weller, whose midas-like production talents have helped Enter Shikari and Johnny Truant gain worldwide attention, it’s not so much an album, but a document that traces the band’s brutal, bloody-minded path. Written over the last three years since the release of their 4 K! rated ‘Chronicles ‘ EP, its creation has seen numerous band members come and go, and a variety of all t-shirt-and-no-tunes bands do much the same. One thing has remained the same, however, and that’s Viatrophy’s dedication to crafting the hardest, most progressive metal music this side of hell. A quick listen will tell you as much.

From the blasts of fortified guitars and guttural howls, through to the ethereal euphoria of the group’s delicately composed melodic sections, Viatrophy’s brutal virgin odyssey is an album that will quite literally create shockwaves of seismic proportions with one gentle of tap of a ‘play’ button. And with a typically relentless touring schedule planned throughout the UK and Europe in support of its release this summer, the only question you need to ask, is where you’re going to be when it finally hits – behind a computer screen looking for new talent, or down the front watching the real thing.