Montreal's Barn Burner is a breath of fresh air within the crowded technical death metal scene of Quebec. The quartet bring an intensity and catchiness to their brand of heavy metal with touches of stoner and classic rock. Newly signed to Metal Blade records, Barn Burner are a different breed from what the typical Metal Blade roster boasts.

"Bangers" was originally released by local Canadian label New Romance For Kids, but Metal Blade has re-released it and is already one of the best releases of 2010.

The almighty riff reigns supreme on "Bangers." Every song represented has a boogie groove to them with a loud, full-on, in your face pummelling. Distorted guitar riffs permeate throughout "Bangers" with a nod toward '70s-style fuzz rock. Barn Burner meld Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Priestess and Fu Manchu together, while treading into Mastodon's prog-psychedelic territory as well.

"Holy Smokes" kicks off, and right away, you'll be swooped up within the monster wall of sound that is stamped all over "Bangers." The theme of marijuana runs rampant throughout Barn Burner's bio. Even their MySpace page lists them as hailing from Bongtreal. "Beer Today, Bong Tomorrow" channels some great Sabbath riffs and is just an awesome song. No further explanation is needed. "Brohemoth" is the longest song on the album at 6:29. It's up, then down, and just when you think it's gone on far too long, a groovy riff picks you back up.

A minor complaint for me is that some of the songs seem to outstay their welcome and start to lose interest. But then a monster riff or guitar lead kicks in and you're right back in the groove. "Bangers" is surprisingly fresh and fans of this sound will undoubtedly be hooked.

Good effort.