After a few EPs it\’s high time that Berlin street rockers The Detained dropped their debut album and finally it\’s here and doesn\’t disappoint. If they have been developing their sound since their inception, on The Beast they have hit their stride big style. A couple of changes stand out for me, mainly to do with the vocals and guitars. Vocalist Basti doesn\’t force his vocal chords as hard as on the EPs with a style that is a little more restrained and with more intonation and melody and it works really well. Oddly enough this more controlled style has the effect of making the overall sound more menacing as you feel the anger bubbling just beneath the surface. The band recently employed the talents of guitarist Mac (formerly of Final Prayer) and although I thought he would bring a more metal or hardcore sound into the mix, he has brought his own solid brand of riffage to the table that bring to mind bands such as Battle Ruins or Hammer & The Nails or Live By The Sword. Short and sweet, there\’s no time to get bored listening to this, just time to hit repeat as the last chords fade from the stereo… Tom Chapman