So, my Valentine's present this year was a ticket to a gig of my choice, and so I went to see Rotten Sound (and The Ocean, and Victims, and Trap Them), at the Camden Underworld on Monday. A slight change of scene for me - more hardcore and punk than metal, but Rotten Sound's new album is a triumph of grind and I wanted to experience it live.

First two bands were great - fast, loud, short songs, fun times. Trap Them played with loads of energy, and Victims had their catchy D-beat hardcore. The Ocean however, were simply awe-inspiring. Usually playing much slower and more complex song than their touring mates, they were like a more extreme Isis. They exceeded any expectation I may have had over their heaviness, and in the process blew me away to the extent that I wondered how Rotten Sound could possibly follow.

Indeed, at the start, with The Ocean's deep heaviness still ringing in my ears, I initially thought they couldn't - their opener lacked impact I was expecting. But it was temporary, thankfully. Before long, they had the entire room moving to their blisteringly fast grind blast coupled with an unbelievable amount of groove. The guitars have that fantastic Entombed-like buzzsaw sound, the drummer was clearly some sort of robot, and over it all, never lost amongst all that, Keijo Niinimaa with his urgent, commanding vocals, telling us all exactly where the world has gone wrong. They played mostly songs off the new album, which is great because its the one I know, and I got myself a "Prai$e the £ord" t-shirt from the guys afterward. Freaking brilliant.