Electric Earth have been doing the rounds since 2001, and the post Zeppelin grunge of the 1990s commands a large presence in their latest offering, 'Touching The Void'. Evidently then they share a sound with their influences such as early Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. In fact, three songs in to the album, and just as I thought I was listening to something akin to Soundgarden, the words "black hole supernova" were sung from the ballad-esque 'Collision With The Sun', and I was instantly taken back to the 1994 album, 'Superunkown'. 'Touching The Void' being Electric Earth's first release since 2007 (following the tragic loss of singer Peter Gottlieb's wife to cancer) the band are eager to show they are back and raring to go.

Now in 2011, the band are "determined once again to set the rock 'n' roll record straight." And as the album progresses it isn't difficult to spot that there are wider influences than merely the grunge that is immediately apparent. They have had a few releases since their inception and this longevity may also explain the top production and the sharp tightness on the record. And although driven by an understanding of that grunge passion, a classic metal shines through the crisp riffs on tracks such as 'Intermission' and 'Harvest Time', the latter also demonstrating their ability to produce high-class boogie rhythms.

One of the highlights of the album has to be 'Judge Me' which manages to force a myriad of riffs and vibes in to one song. This track really does have everything that Electric Earth are about, being delivered with cosmic precision. Following this is an anthem of a hard rock song in 'Need This Time', which is reminiscent of the throttle turning, dust splitting presence of The Cult circa 'Love Removal Machine', with guitar noodling to boot.

'Touching The Void' has many unexpected gems; largely unexpected because the variation within the record is not really fully realised until half way through the album. 'Amplification' is a strong opener, but it does seem that the album waits awhile until it fully picks up. When it does gather pace it offers up something a little different at every turn, whilst still retaining that solid grunge-rock throughout that rumbles underneath, driving the soul of the album forward with strong results.

www.electricearth1.com