Biffy are one of those bands who have a “sound” and are world class musicians, so we were expecting this to be “Yeah, it’s good, it’s just more Biffy, next” but they’ve managed to pull off the neat trick of producing what fans expect while sounding new and different. A neat trick if you can do it.

They’re never going back to their early sound (slick as that was, though Unknown Male 02 and Slurpy Slurpy Sleep Sleep get close) – they’ve got too many stadiums to fill – but this is a good second best.
They’re still playing at a level most bands would dream of, and there’s always far too much going on to take in at any one listen. DumDum opens with ride cymbal and guitar before a thundering complex riff ended by a drum fill to make way for a melodic and gentler verse – all standard Biffy tricks. They’re not frightening any fans away but it’s more user-friendly than your usual stadium rock.

Standout is perhaps Hara Urara, which mixes all the best of Biffy to create a hugely uplifting sound: “This is the sound that we make / Can you hear it?” goes the chorus, one of the few occasions the lyrics cease being merely something for Simon Neil to sing to.

A close second is Errors In The History Of God, which allows Ben and James Johnston to show off, opening with a bass line that Thor would be proud of (before he cues Led Zep and leaps into action) and powerful drumming, with some really dirty guitar riffs.

If you want a fault, it’s still Biffy’s formulaic stadium-filling sound and it takes no real effort to listen to; it is, at the end of the day, only more Biffy, just much better.