6/10

Since releasing their breakthrough debut album 'The Back Room' back in 2005, we have seen a steady evolution in the sound of Editors. Emerging as a Joy Division-esque, post-punk outfit, the band have been slowly getting harder and heavier ever since, culminating in their sixth studio release 'Violence'; a record that sees them as a far louder collective than what we are used to but still manages to rekindle some of that initial glory.

Fans of the band may be surprised at how diverse they have become on this new album. With tracks like 'Hallelujah (So Low)' providing this hugely ambitious rock sound, while title-track 'Violence' sees them experiment with a more electronic direction, the general tone of this new LP seems hard to keep up with. Rather than stick to a specific idea of what the record should be, it spends too much time playing with ideas rather than letting the listener get settled.

It's a shame as a lot of this record is very enjoyable in individual bites, but you find yourself moving too fast between the ebb and flow of each track to get truly sucked into it. Great songwriting as always, but gets lost along the way.