Two years on from their complex, critically acclaimed and starry eyed “multi media album” Jettison,Irish post-rock kings ASIWYFA return with their seventh LP. Intended as a tribute to family and friends who have played a part in their near two-decade history, Megafauna sees the laurels-phobic four-piece re-embrace their roots.

Built around bass, drums and their trademark “guitars set to kill”, the nine-track instrumental offering is both a celebration of their past, and an affirmation that they’ve plenty of gas left in the tank.

Recorded over the course of a week, Megafauna is loaded with incendiary riffs. For the fairweather, the likes of the genre-splicing ‘North Coast Megafauna’ – which flirts with everything from sludge to reggae – will be a reminder of their pigeonhole-busting brilliance.

For the faithful, the wonderful ‘Years Ago’ and the Eddie Van Halen-inspired ‘Do Mór’ will be exciting new additions to their glittering catalogue.

An explosive effort from the often imitated, rarely equalled ASIWYFA, Megafauna is blooming marvellous.

Rating: 8/10 

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