Senser – How To Do Battle

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London-based Senser’s sporadic recording activity has now resulted in only their fifth album since 1994 and a heavy, groove riff on lead single Resistance Now, echoing genre pioneers Stuck Mojo, bodes very well for their latest offering. But the album is ultimately disappointingly lacking in the genuine rap metal Resistance Now indicates. In fact there are no other tracks with that kind of heavy riffing. Or in most cases any riffs at all. Senser have always prided themselves on being “uncategorisable”, but they don’t do enough here to maintain the necessary levels of variety for such a branding. There are still good tracks, like the epic soundscapes of Brightest Rays and industrial flourishes of 2 3 Clear, but for the most part this is just a standard rap album with a few different instruments. Two more tracks prominently feature heavy guitars, but both are largely simplistic riffs buried under other effects, and are likely to be overlooked by rap metal fans lured in by the single. They will also struggle to be taken seriously on the vocal front, not because of anything they’re doing, but because of the joke that has been made of rap with a London accent by popular young artists in the years since Senser’s last album. How To Do Battle is not a bad album, and tries a lot of different things, albeit small touches to a stock rap backdrop, but it’s not a rap metal album any more than any of Cypress Hills albums are. Fans of the genre should tread carefully.

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Non-metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Rap/Crossover, Senser