Cut Yourself in Half – Mekkanizm

Yorkshire's Cut Yourself in Half lift more than a few pages from Mastodon's book on this first set of recordings: the down-tuned, groove-oriented nature of their playing constantly makes references to the Georgia sludge scene's golden age, but there's a manic energy surrounding the quartet that's distinctly British. 

Although the band's musicianship is unquestionable, the constant tirade of latter-day hard rock clichés gets old fast. Some tracks feel like a speed-run of various genre tropes: Viracocha recycles tired chord progressions for much of its length, and Spider Legs soon turns into an uninspired jam session.

There are subtle dynamics to be savoured: frontman George Quinn's vocals range from mildly menacing to straight-up psychotic, and sometimes the more simplistic guitar chugs mutate and evolve into technically proficient riffs, like on Little Misadventure or The End. But for a record that professes to be about letting loose and thrashing out, Mekkanizm often feels frustratingly safe.