ULTERIOR - Wild in Wildlife

Dust off your leather jackets and get ready for a dirty ride of drum machines, thrashing guitars and synthesizers. The long awaited first album from London four piece Ulterior, delivers a bold triumphant punch in the stomach. Wild in Wildlife is a mix of howling guitars and dark electronica, the record is fast paced and intense. The album starts off at blistering speed with the macho 'Sex War Sex Cars Sex'. The track has an 80s goth-rock edge; it sounds like 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, mixed with a Sisters of Mercy vocal.

Second track 'Catherine' soon dispels the belief that the album may be 80s driven tribute to Billy Idol. It will hook you into the world of Ulterior with its dirty electronica and deep melodies. 'Sister Speed' returns us to a fast pace with guitar thrashing and pounding drums, before the tone is changed by the epic 'Dream Dream.' Over seven minutes long it seduces you and elevates the album to a new level. This high is felt over the next couple of tracks. Second single 'Big City Black Rain' and 'Too in Love to Fuck' continue the hard-hitting sound that Ulterior consistently deliver on this record.

My personal favourite is 'The Emptiness We Share'. It combines the rawness of an early BRMC track with the intensity of The Cooper Temple Clause and no doubt will be tremendous performed live. 'Tarantula' changes the tone of the record with a two minute burst of driving guitars before the inevitable low at the end of such a trip. Title track 'Wild in Wildlife' is 10 minutes of downbeat garage rock with enough feedback noise to satisfy any fans of the genre. The final song 'Shallow Brown,' is a melancholy end to the journey, bringing the album to a close on a low note.

Wild in Wildlife is a mixed bag of an album. It splices indie, rock and electronica together to produce an intense record. It is not easy listening; it will uplift you and then knock you down, in the good old rock n roll fashion.