What’s going on this year? The sludge crossover bands have flown out of the starting blocks with some excellent releases, including a blistering effort from the UK’s Mastiff. But now, be afraid because Switzerland have picked up the sludgecore gauntlet with a new album from Colossus Fall and remember, this is the country that spat out the mighty Celtic Frost.

Mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, August Burn Red), Colossus Fall have delivered a fearsome album that owes as much debt to the likes of Terror as it does to Converge. Punishing riffs are driven by unnerving drum work, which lurches from straight up groove to death metal double bass via jarring staccato pieces which is all held together by the gargling razors style vocals of Mathieu who could give Dwid Hellion from Integrity a run for his money. Just listen to Fury an aptly named song title if ever I’ve heard one. Slamming pit music one minute (or slow head nodder if you are my age) jerking nerve shredding riffs the next.  If Code Orange had released this the scene kids would be lapping it up.

Since their inception in 2011 they’ve toured with the likes of Agnostic Front, Neurosis, Clutch and Walls Of Jericho – a varied bunch, so it’s clear that with an album like this in their arsenal, no matter who or where they play with, they will level the place. After Celtic Frost, Toblerone and Xherdan Shaqiri, Colossus Fall may be my new favourite thing to emerge from the mountains of Switzerland... Chris Andrews