Well, I wasn’t expecting this! I knew nothing about American rockers Lansdowne before their new album, Medicine, fell through my virtual letterbox and on to the doormat with a note from Sentinel Daily editor Scott Adams asking me to ‘try this for size’…

The pics accompanying the album gave me an uncomfortable whiff of ‘bro metal’, a genre I’ve never really given the time of day. Should I just send it back with a note of thanks but have you got anything more traditional? Or tough it out and maybe have my eyes opened to a whole new vista of metal?

Well, you have to make the best of things in this life, and it has to be said that there is a certain knuckleheaded Southern charm to One Shot and Watch Me Burn, both of which wouldn’t be out of place on a Black Stone Cherry album, or the riffy rabble rousing of No More, which Black Veil Brides fans will probably lap up enthusiastically. It’s metal, there ain’t no doubt of that!

Filthy is pretty good, too – my esteemed editor says it sounds a bit like Sweden’s Sonic Syndicate, if that’s any help – and the album ends with the gently anthemic Numb, which features a nicely underpowered, restrained vocal from Jon Ricci that really gives the song a classy sheen. Ricci has a stylish way of putting his thoughts across for sure. Almost in spite of my reservations, I’m starting to warm to these guys!

Less successful is Open Your Eyes, which reminds your reviewer of Nickelback, but I’m guessing that won’t actually be a drawback for the audience this album is being aimed at. If you like your rock slick, well produced and faultlessly executed then you could do worse than invest in some of Lansdowne’s Medicine…

You can get your dose of Medicine on February 3rd.