Reviewed by Owen Jones

This is heavy. I'd love to try and describe the ferocious energy and intensity of this band but there would be little point. Without cliché ridden metaphors involving the phrases "stampede of wildebeest"', or "pneumatic drill", I'm not convinced the words exist! Here is an album of re-released and, I assume, re-mixed/re-mastered tracks by Sacramento's Training For Utopia, a swansong for the band who parted company in 1999 to focus on other projects (brothers Ryan and Don Clark now front the band Demon Hunter). A new breed of fans, formed after the split, found difficulty picking up TFU records and so songs from their four previous releases were compiled by the band as a reminder of their achievements. As I listened, I was swamped by wave after wave of seemingly random noise, followed by, well, more of the same! It takes considerable talent to write and play music this chaotic yet keeping such musical cohesion throughout the band. I am not saying I am a big fan - truth be told I would struggle to listen to the 19 tracks all the way through without a big pair of earmuffs and a trusty box of ibuprofen handy - but at least TFU never seem to take themselves too seriously. This is demonstrated by playful song titles such as "New York City Is Overrated", "Burt Reynolds Vs Godzilla", and my personal favourite, the modest "50,000 Screaming TFU Fans Can't Be Wrong"! I shudder at the thought of the mosh pit at one of their gigs, but as long as you don't mind slight perforations to your eardrums, then crank it up!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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