Artwork

Whereas some publications have been rather hasty in hailing 'Artwork' as "the best album you will hear this year" and "the definitive offering of their career", The Used have, at the very least, driven one more indomitable nail into a wall plastered with nine years of blood, sweat and tears.

Indeed, the Utah-bred quartet have walked a lengthy, rocky road since their humble beginnings at the turn of the century and have all the pained scars to bare for it.

Exemplified by lead singer Bert McCracken's ongoing battle with life's fragilities, the besieged band's difficult journey across three full-length releases receives a fitting middleground in the form of 'Artwork'.

While their 2002 self-titled debut, 2004's 'In Love And Death' and 2007's 'Lies For The Liars' chronicled McCracken and company’s enjoyment of raw, unadulterated musicianship coupled with raspy, untainted vocals, 'Artwork' signifies an adjusted account across an evolving listenership far more receptive to screamo outfits nowadays.

"In the past, we have always brought pop sensibility into heavy rock, but this is going to be all that much more tantalising and brutal," McCracken enthused of 'Artwork' to Alternative Press magazine recently. "Our songs are 10 times messier and noisier than they've ever been.

"This record is about coming to grips with how much you really hate yourself and knowing you can never hate yourself to the full extent, so you're free to hate yourself as much as you want to."

An excessive penchant for self-loathing aside, The Used have delivered 11 accessible songs without watering down their heavy roots.

The mass-market sensibility of 'Blood On My Hands' and 'Empty With You' pave they way for the heartfelt nature of 'Born To Quit' and 'Kissing You Goodbye', while 'Sold My Soul', 'Come Undone' and 'Meant To Die' rekindle the ferocious approach boasted across preceding releases. The brutality of 'The Best Of Me' and dynamism of 'Men Are All The Same' provide fitting closure to a very satisfactory album.

The Used demand the stature and respect they have fought tooth and nail to achieve and, justifiably so, 'Artwork' rallies a fist to the face of those too quick to judge.