Alabama hardcore mob Gideon have come a long way from their roots as a Christian Metalcore band. During those early years, they felt trapped and pigeonholed within their genre. Over time however, they have branched out, becoming more confident in their sound. On their latest album ‘Out of Control’, they are at their most ambitious, bringing an intoxicating flavour of hip-hop, nu-metal, and even country elements.

The record starts off with a bang, with the bouncy ‘Sleep’, which is about people who have moved away from the band for “selling out.” It has a lot of filtered guitars, while also bringing a strong idea of what’s to come with some tasty breakdowns. The vocal delivery is defiant and passionate, setting the tone for the rest of the album.

Up next, ‘Take Me’ is about the struggles of being a musician. It is relentless, chaotic, aggressive. The build up to where vocalist Daniel McWhorter screams “cut me deep and let me make you move” into a violent breakdown will open moshpits up wall to wall.

The band are touring with Stray From the Path, and ‘2 Close’ has a guest spot from the latter band’s singer Drew York. It’s a solid track because it shows the diversity on offer, with a more alternative rock vibe and the clean guitar tones in the build up matching the anguished lyrics. It talks about feeling penned into a cage, which is something that a lot of people can relate to.

As the album goes on, there is the crushing beatdown of ‘Southwind’, and ‘Outlaw’ which is one of the heaviest tracks the band has done. It hits you with an assaulting brutality, then ends with Limp Bizkit-esque samples, while ‘Life Without’ and ‘Denial’ are huge slices of nu-metal chaos.

Gideon are full of confidence on ‘Out of Control’, expanding their sound palette in a massive way. They have released a superb, honest album which doesn’t hold back any feelings.