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After taking things in a heavier, more modern direction with their sophomore effort, Wish For Destruction, Italy’s Beholder produced their most consistent record in album number three, the quite excellent Lethal Injection, and despite the awful cover art, this is a collection of songs I often return to, always surprised at how cool they still sound.

Kicking off with two tracks based on The Shining is always a good sign, and in "Mr. Grady" Beholder show us all what they can do, ripping your face off with some thrash-inspired riffs before bursting into a high octane double-kicked verse and then onto a memorable refrain. Patrick Wire had stepped up his game as a frontman (and songwriter, it has to be said), and super-hot female vocalist Leanan Sidhe had developed her style to complement Wire’s, overshadowing him at times with her soft, supple approach. The band offer a potage of material here, all varied and well-thought out, from fast Labyrinth-esque numbers like "Lay Down The Law" and the catchy "Everywhere I Go", to more straight-ahead stompers such as "No Religion" and the chugging "Daydream".

The production is smart and youthful, but with enough bite in the guitars to keep it from sounding too clean. It’s not an immediate album as such, but it does grab you, mainly due to its strange originality. Most Power Metal albums are easy to figure out from the get-go, but Lethal Injection surprises at every turn. Give it a try and see for yourself.