Cuts Open

Reconvened as a trio once again, after 2013's savage debut; 'Cuts', Gustafsson, Pándi and Akita found themselves exploring far more spacious and airy soundscapes than is typical for their explosive meetings. The results are no less sanguinary for being unusually quiet (relatively speaking, of course; this trio's 'serene' is the equivalent of most musicians' wildest extremes). Instead, the use of agitated percussion and hair-raising breathiness makes for a decidedly ominous atmosphere. When the occasional bursts of brutality arrive - and they do arrive, in all their eviscerating glory - they're almost cathartic in their relief from the teeth-gnashing tension of the album's more subdued moments, where menace hangs in the air like a thinly veiled threat.