9/10

After the release of their self-titled debut album back in 2015, the sound of Algiers certainly pricked up a few ears. Their use of brooding electronics and an impassioned vocal style from frontman Franklin Fisher gave them an edge of raw power and emotion. Now returning to deliver their second studio album 'The Underside Of Power', and having recruited ex-Bloc Party stickman Matt Tong as their full-time drummer, Algiers have moved from a humble outfit straight through to a ball-busting juggernaut.

If this is your first experience of Algiers then prepare yourself for one hell of a ride. While the intent of their debut still remains true on this release, the ante has most certainly been raised as the gospel influences of their previous record is set into overdrive, giving the full-length a truly epic sound. And while the addition of Tong's very unique style of drum play certainly adds a new dimension to the band's style, 'The Underside Of Power' delivers something so brilliant, it is difficult to fully get your head around it on the first listen.

This is most definitely an album you would want to come back to again and again. Each and every track gives us something memorable, whether it be the bellowing vocals or the high-energy exerted in every riff. This is most definitely the band's first masterpiece and we can only hope for more from here.