Considering -(16)-‘s lengthy, tumultuous existence and the rich seam of negativity being mined it’s surprising they’ve managed to stick with it this long and haven’t had to be pulled out of a river pale, bloated and stuffed to the gills with sleeping pills. Still, for all their miseries at least ‘Bridges To Burn’ is monster of an album – the band sounding fuller and heavier than ever before, as though they’re channeling the energy of offshoot band Black Cobra rather than sticking to the head-down, quasi-industrial dirge, lurch and wilful monotony of before. As ever, the song titles themselves pretty much sum up the band’s furrow-browed attitude towards life, love and existence – ‘Throw In The Towel’, ‘You let Me Down (Again)’, ‘Missed The Boat’, ‘Monday Bloody Monday’ – and are complemented by knuckle-dragging basslines, riffs the size of elephant bollocks and Cris Jerue’s enraged bellow, all of which serves to demonstrate that while they’ve taken more than their fair share of knocks, blows and setbacks they’re somehow still not beaten yet.
