Norwich four-piece The Boy Will Drown could never be said to shy away from controversy. This is, after all, a band whose debut release features no less than two songs dedicated to the Fritzel family as well as numbers with such politically-correct titles as 'Barrymore's Pool Party' and 'Dance Like An Epileptic'. Needless to say, Soundshock is outraged, disgusted, and thoroughly interested.

    The quartet's grindcore roots betray a refreshing and reassuring essence of parody, but 'Fetish' is far from a piss-take album. While the levels of heaviness on display never reach the ear-splitting heights of Rotten Sound, Insect Warfare et all, the aforementioned 'Dance Like An Epileptic' – weighing in at a tidy 31 seconds – is a surefire sign that this band aren't messing about. Having said that, the considerably longer 'Dead Girls', with its subtle progression and eventual dive into melodeath territories, promises a scope that could see The Boy Will Drown become a serious force in British extreme metal.

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