Bloody hell, the sky's falling! Oh, no, wait a minute... it's just The Destiny Program, opening up like the screaming, exploding end of the world is underway. Having had to change their name (from simply 'Destiny'), they've stepped their game up a notch, and we're all the luckier for it.

Subversive Blueprint is LOUD. It sounds like Poison The Well playing Earthtone9 songs. It's heavy (dear lord is it heavy!) and it's melodic, but nowhere near as diluted as the hundreds of identikit genericore bands peddling their wares from behind hideous fringes. When it gets going, it sounds like the whole thing may get so angry, so urgent, that it will implode - but instead they rein it in; taking unexpected melodic left turns or unleashing more predictable but utterly gut-busting breakdowns. Songs like promo track 'Project Hoax' have a wider net, the melodic chorus adding an extra layer of accessibility, while remaining as ferocious as a pack of starving Velociraptors.

This Subversive Blueprint is not without its flaws; 'Escape The Living Plan' is a bit too formulaic, despite how bone-shatteringly heavy it is, there's a few chugga-chugga breakdowns you've heard done once too often, and 'Neurosis And Projection's constant repetition of "this is our privilege" can't help but make you think of Incubus before they became a boy band. But the pro's far outweigh the con's; sandwiched between highlight tracks 'Project Hoax' and 'The Appeal' is 'Welcome Overboard', an utterly devastating track that outshines every other moment on this quality record combined. The Destiny Program are lacking in hype and publicity on these shores, but 'Subversive Blueprint' is a stunning statement of why that needs to change. You don't need to be an architect to realise these blueprints make for solid foundations.

Rating: 4/5 by Phill May

Tracklisting

1. The Personal Revolution
2. Project Hoax
3. Welcome Overboard
4. The Appeal
5. Daeva
6. Escape The Living Plan
7. Rebel Press
8. Walk In Step With The March Of History
9. The Frequency
10. Neurosis And Projection
11. With A Modern Punk Flavor
12. Mithra

Further links

Nuclear Blast.de

More metal than Iron Man's groinguard: Respected European metal label, home to Anthrax, In Flames, and more...

The Destiny Program on Myspace (myspace.com/destiny)

Listen to the wall pulverisingly heavy sound of Germany's Destiny Program.

The Destiny Program (destinyonair.com)

Homepage of Germany's excellent new Hardcore alternative.