Having been doing the rounds for the past two decades you'd have had to be very sheltered to have not come across Sevendust on your musical travels. I first encountered them in 2006 supporting Black Stone Cherry at the old Carling Academy in Birmingham along with Stone Gods. How three bands have travelled such different paths is impressive. Stone Gods are all but forgotten about by all but the most ardent Darkness fan and Black Stone Cherry's stock has never been higher. But what of Sevendust? Well, Kill The Flaw marks the return of the Atlanta, Georgia five-piece.

Of course, this isn't really a 'return' as this is their third album in four years. Still, it could be seen as a return to form. From the opening few seconds you know immediately they've hit the spot. The riffs are big, the drums are loud and if feels like you've found Animosity again.

On Kill The Flaw frontman Lajon Witherspoon yet again shows just how distinctive his vocals are. His voice feels so effortless and yet so big all at the same time. This is evident from the open to the very 'classic Sevendust' sounding Thank You to the very end of Torched. A fine display of vocal work, mixed in with some carefully thought out lyrics, a must for any Sevendust album. Letters is a good example of this, filling your ears with emotionally charged lyrics but combining them with a nice riff that allows the most manly of metal fans forget about that side of it.

What is reassuring about this album is Sevendust's apparent willingness to move with the times. Yes, there are tracks like Cease And Desist that have a big standing in their old style, but the best thing is that they manage to maintain that in tracks like Not Today but also bring in elements that give the whole track a more modern feel. Impressive for a group of musicians that have been working almost exclusively together for the past 20+ years.

The second half of the album doesn't vary much from the second in terms of style or substance. Title track Kill The Flow is one of the strongest on the album and is followed by Silly Beast, a track initially sounding like it'd be right at home on your average thrash metal album before drifting into a nice track with well crafted vocals throughout. Closing the album are Peace And Destruction and Torched. Two tracks that despite not standing out, provide a satisfactory ending to what is a pretty decent album.

In truth, if you've been a fan of Sevendust up to the release of Kill The Flaw then nothing is going to change here. You'll enjoy this album a lot and it'll rank up amongst your favourites. If you weren't a fan before this album then it's about time you gave them another try. This album feels modern and like they've pushed themselves to reach out to new fans.

Dan's recommended track: Kill The Flow

For fans of: Slipknot, nu-metal in general

Can you see these guys in the UK?: Nothing yet, but they're definitely due back