Well, here you get exactly what it says on the tin. Florida-based blastmasters Blastmasters play fast Death Metal with enough groove to keep things catchy without becoming (gulp!) modern in style. There are shades of Deicide, Immolation and Morbid Angel here, all but two songs here being in the three-and-a-bit-minute range, the two longer ones not going far past four minutes. Nothing progressive or experimental, just under an hour’s worth of honest workmanlike Death Metal that you’ll headbang to and then forget about without a second thought. It’s not the band’s fault, as there is very little that is wrong with Twisted Metal. The solo in Putrid Failure, the catchiness of Shockwave Undertow, the hyperfast blastbeats throughout... this is very good for what it is.

But what is it? Twisted Metal was supposed to be released back in 2005, but due to various circumstances has been delayed until now. As a bonus we get the entire 2004 demo as bonus tracks, and whilst they’re more than decent, it’s impossible not to feel that Twisted Metal is a bit of a chore to sit through at times rather than the kind of fun, headbang-friendly blastfest that traditional Death Metal should be. The band’s four members are clearly scene veterans, also taking part in acts such as Diabolic, Crimson Massacre and Amon, but for Blastmasters to be truly worth your time they’d have to do something original, and whatever you’re looking for here, originality is not what you’ll find. Make no mistake, the band is skilled at what it does, but in a Metal scene like today’s, there’s absolutely nothing to make them stand out from the crowd, and as such there’s absolutely nothing to recommend them. A solid if unsatisfying album, let’s hope that Twisted Metal is the first step towards individuality for the band.