Well, if anyone knew what ‘alone’ was like it’d be Finnish individualists Xysma, right? A band that have always stood for doing what thou wilt ever since they were, by turns, Finland’s first grindcore and death n’roll band, they’ve returned now after a quarter century hiatus to grace us with their singular presence again. But is No Place Like Alone worth the wait?

Probably not if you were hoping for a return to the days of Carcass worship. But, ere a fan of another Svart band Teksti-TV 666‘s last offering, then you’ll probably lap up every second of …Alone…

That’s right; Xysma are no longer out there on a lone wolf limb; this time around they’ve decided to stay with the pack a little, deciding to put out the sort of music that is very popular at the moment around the more mentally agile rock clubs; that’s right – psych rock…

The results of this decision are, I’m pleased to report, entirely satisfactory. No matter what style of music they’ve been involved in, Xysma’s quality control has always been A1, and riotously successful romps like Final Episode, which sits somewhere between a lost seventies TV theme and an as-yet undiscovered MC5 outtake, absolutely bear that out. This is music on the one hand unapolagatic for it’s cerebral nature, on the other fully concerned in kicking out the listener’s jams until they succumb, quivering, to their final demise. All hail the new kings of highbrow lowest common denominator rock!

Elsewhere Earthrise adds a bit of Can-meets-Hawkwind drone to the mix, but anywhere you care to drop the needle thrills, spills and a helluva lot of fun are guaranteed to be found. NPLA is the sound of a band resolutely playing music with no fucks given for modern mores, much less ‘musical criticism’. It’ll make ya feel alive if you let it in to your consciousness, I promise you…

No Place Like Alone is out now.