OneMetal.com REVIEW:
Senser- How To Do Battle

UK rapcore veterans Senser return with “How To Do Battle”, their 4th studio album which has been in the can since october `08- so is this now a relevant warcry from a band who feel people want to hear what they`ve got to say? or is it too little too late??

Unfortunately, for this listener at least, it`s definitely a case of the latter being true. Senser`s past is littered with band break-ups due to musical differences and I can`t help but think that another, possibly final (?) one is on the cards after hearing this!!!

“Resistance Now” opens the album in fine form, making all the right noises and threatening to grab us by the throat the way Senser did with “Age Of Panic” on their 1994 debut “Stacked Up” but then it all goes a bit pear-shaped with a track, “Brightest Rays”, that would be more at home on a Ministry Of Sound cd.
And herein lies the problem- the running order of the rest of the album alternates between heavy guitar-driven rapcore and a mix of ambient dance, rap, electronica and R&B to the point you think you`re listening to two totally different bands.

Vocalist Heitham Al-Sayed is an excellent orator of fast, in your face lyrics with a clear and distinct diction, however the decision to keep the whiny, uninspired and downright dull vocals (and I use that term “vocals” extremely loosely) of Kerstin Haigh must surely have been a tactical move in the hope of garnering more interest from the uninitiated but this factor alone is enough to make you skip to the only other decent track on this effort- “Lights Out”.

Had this album carried the opening vibe of “Resistance Now” right through to the end, then this review would have been full of praise and anticipation of hoping to see these guys ripping it up live but instead I feel somewhat saddened this isn`t the case and those good old “musical differences” seem to be at the heart of the reason for this!

Bottom Line

If this is how to do battle Senser-style then be thankful that they`re not on the frontlines! This falls way short of the mark and will be for diehard fans only. Shame.