BILLED as one of the biggest rock releases of 2017, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes are starting the year in blistering fashion with the unveiling of their second album Modern Ruin. A thunderous collection that invades your subconscious with its monster rock tunes and hard-hitting riffage, it is also an album that is set to challenge many preconceptions of the band.  An entirely different beast to its predecessor, Modern Ruin marks a shift in direction for Carter & the Rattlesnakes and it’s one that will see them resonate with a much wider audience than ever before.

Where 2015’s Blossom delivered a hardcore punk sound that was reminiscent of Carter’s former band Gallows, this latest effort is more akin to the alt-rock stylings of his work with Pure Love. While this may challenge fans of the previous record, it’s a shift that definitely pays off. Carter channels his aggression in a more accessible and refined manner; it may be less brutal and chaotic than before but it is definitely still there, rumbling underneath and exploding to the surface for optimum impact. With this restrained power comes a newfound depth and clarity, both lyrically and sonically, and this results in his most versatile record to date.

Interestingly then, the album begins in the most unexpected fashion with a one minute track called ‘Bluebelle’; Carter delivering a reflective vocal over a gentle guitar-picked melody. If anything could highlight the difference between the two records it would their opening tracks; this new softer approach in direct contrast to the sheer ferocity of ‘Juggernaut’ on Blossom.

The familiar sounds of ‘Lullaby’ really kick things into life though; those relentless rhythms and guttural guitar riffs as stirring as ever before exploding into its anthemic chorus. Taking all of Carter’s power and anxiety and condensing it into three minutes of catchy alt-rock, it’s a sure sign of the band’s more accessible sound. Similarly, ‘Wild Flowers’ provides a fist-pumping singalong moment later on with its indie rock groove and brooding riffs.

With piledriving guitars and hammering percussion ricocheting off one another, ‘Lullaby’ hurtles into the dark intensity of ‘Snake Eyes’. Like on ‘Vampires’, ‘God Is My Friend’ and  the short and snappy ‘Jackals’, they reveal their harder edge in a more vigorous fashion; their punky tendencies coming to the forefront with aggressive riffs and snarling vocals. The title track is where they really unleash though; its vicious instrumental and explosive energy eliciting pure savagery as it engrains itself in your subconscious.

There’s evidence of other sounds and influences aswell though; the reflective ‘Thunder’ and  swaggering desert blues of ‘Acid Veins’ providing a welcome break from the onslaught of heavy riffage and allowing the band to harbour a more melodic sound once again. The latter also stands out as one of Carter’s best vocals thanks to his ability to contract and expand over some of the album’s darkest lyrical themes. Effortlessly moving from a hushed croon to a soaring, soulful howl to the more recognisable full throttle scream, his nuanced delivery throughout Modern Ruin lends the work a new emotional depth. His lyrics may contain the same aggression, but he harnesses his vocal power more effectively than ever.

As if to remind us of how far his songwriting has progressed though, the drawn out and expansive ‘Neon Rust’ forms the epic closer. Arguably his best song to date, it is a rousing and anthemic track which imagines the destruction of beauty around us. Formed around the emotive cry of ‘we don’t belong in a wasteland’, he offers a beacon of hope amongst the surrounding chaos to ‘be anything you believe; a last message of salvation to conclude the album.

Modern Ruin is easily the most versatile, melodic and honest piece of work that Frank Carter has ever laid his hands on. Where Blossom made an incendiary and instant impact, this second album is a more controlled and textured process; marking a breath-taking leap forward for the band. Set to please his most ardent fans, it will undoubtedly win over some new ones in the process.