If there's one thing that can be said about the Holy Mountain, it's that there is nothing pretty about them, and that's what I love about them.

Entrails, the band's latest full-length following last year's release of Bloodstains Across Your Face in Decline, is the same old Holy Mountain. It's clear that they aren't trying to convert anyone who didn't like them before, but hopefully this one will reach some new ears.

You've really got to be in the mood to listen to the Holy Mountain, or at least I do. With heavy vocals over guitar parts that fuse eighties-style hardcore and metal together into something fast and heavy, every note played leaves a bruise. Vocalist "Ponch" has had a prolific career in the Florida hardcore/metal scene and fans of his previous work will undoubtedly find something redeeming in his latest offering, as would fans of other No Idea label-mates such as Combat Wounded Veteran. Fans of lyrical substance will also appreciate Ponch's efforts of criticizing the Bush administration. This is straight-up heavy, aggressive music.

What stands out though, is that everything sounds so clear on Entrails. Mark Nikolich handled the production and it comes out a lot clearer than Bloodstains, but it's never over-done. Throughout the album it's the guitars that stand out the most. While the bass and drums provide all the heaviness, the rhythm section simply rages.

In short, Entrails is an angry album that somehow finds a twisted sense of melody despite all of its brutally heavy elements.