I’m becoming addicted to seeking out European tech-metal bands and when there’s quality like this lurking across the water, who can blame me? Norwegian four-piece Aerial are my latest discovery and with a sound similar to early Northlane, they have all the stuttering riffs, crunching breakdowns and instrumental mastery you’d expect from a tech-metal band.  

This is the musical equivalent of having the shit kicked out of you by a very polite man. In one moment you’re being pummelled to the floor by the power of heavily downtuned riffs, but in the next, your assailant is reaching out to offer you a kind hand in support, raising you to your feet with gentle, soaring melodies. No matter how many times ‘Foreign Coast’ hits me in the face, I’m never tempted to stay down; the blows are heavy but they’re extremely addictive.