7/10

Over the years, Manic Street Preachers have proven time and time again that relevance is all you need to maintain a solid career in the music industry. So long as you hold onto the fire that made you a success in the first place, you will always be a stalwart voice in a sea of flimsy believes and ambitions. Now as the band deliver their thirteenth studio album 'Resistance Is Futile', it is fair to say that they have plenty to sing about since their last full-length 'Futurology' back in 2014, and the trio are more fired up than they have been in a while.

But rather than be one of those artists that brashly condemns the state of the world in a black or white context, 'Resistance Is Futile' uses more than its fair share of metaphors and subtext to make the audience really listen between the lines and figure out exactly what each song is about. As you would expect Brexit, the Trump Presidency, and especially the mistreatment of the Welsh people are the core space for this record's anger, but in usual Manics style, that rage only simmers under a layer of euphoric songwriting.

It may not be the most focused album of their career, as no one in the political world could ever focus themselves completely right now. But it still makes for a thoroughly engaging listen and even after so many years in the spotlight, they just can not tear themselves away from their hometown ideals, and that is what keeps them so fantastic to listen to today.