PREMONITIONS OF WAR first made a name for themselves with two blistering EP’s that combined catchy breakdowns with the relentless speed of grindcore. Now, as the lines between hardcore and metal continue to blur, the band is set to capture new fans with their Victory debut, Left in Kowloon. “Mother Night Revisited” starts the album of with the band blasting away at full-force before slowing to a snail’s pace with some crushing, sludgy, almost doom-like influences seeping through. Through out the next four tracks the onslaught continues with the band’s mix of chaotic, technical grindcore clashing with mid-paced breakdowns that serve as “breathers” until the next whirlwind of blastbeasts and growls whip through the speaker. “Black Den” is a fine example as the song starts things off with some high-speed blasts before slowing with some crushing grooves, which then get in to some tribal, dirge-like territory that’s equally as potent as the barrage of speed the listener just experienced. “Cables Hum Overhead” delivers the album’s most experimental song with the band playing around with some noisy, industrial sounds mixed with some black-metal styled screams similar to Norway’s RED HARVEST. The grind returns for the next song, but then PREMONITIONS OF WAR busts out some groovy southern rock influence on “The Octopus,” which sends a nod to the Louisiana metal sounds of EYEHATEGOD, DOWN and CROWBAR. “Dim Light District” closes the album with blasting intensity before settling in to a BLACK SABBATH-inspired riff that grooves like a motherfucker. Left in Kowloon is a mere twenty-six minutes long, but there’s a lot going on in that span of time. And the band manages to combine a diverse variety of influences in their songs and in doing so, have created their own sound in the world of extreme metal. (Victory Records)