The wait is finally over for fans of Klaxons’ debut record, Surfing The Void, their difficult second album following three years after their initial rise to stardom. Reports emerged early last year that the original incarnation of the record was ultimately rejected by Polydor, the band’s label, for being “too experimental” for release. Jamie Reynolds confirmed as much, citing their efforts as “really dense and psychedelic” before coming at their next record from a different angle.

Nobody could blame their compulsion to experiment, either: the band is so often chastised for serving as an embarrassing reminder, a throwback to a subculture of scenesters wearing fluorescent tights and waving glow sticks, an era immediately ripe for parody. Fortunately, they seem to have escaped the vacuum of the past and have returned with an genuinely enjoyable LP.

Echoes emerges as the opening track and Klaxons continue to wield melody as brilliantly as we’ve come to expect, an insistent rocker with an insatiable chorus setting the tone for the record. Same Space continues their form well, as Klaxons create an imposing presence, professing a frenetic approach and pure pandemonium. The nu-rave tag has been left in the dust in favour of welcome experimentation, Klaxons dabbling in other ideas and concepts amidst a ferocious rock backdrop this time around, as heard in the dirty, hardened blasts of Venusha and the murky intensity of Flashover . It all seems hardly surprising considering producer Ross Robinson, the man behind such acts as Korn, Slipknot, and At the Drive-In has been invited to work his magic here. At times, the trade off for intensity is a lack of substance, but it's a gamble that often pays dividends, the album bursting with a fun energy.

Surfing The Void is one immediate serve of crashing theatre, a snapshot of complete chaos and a terrifically dark journey that appears reluctant to take a backward step. Amazingly, whatever they had in mind to begin with, the band have effectively forged a perfectly accessible collection of songs. Their effect is not as immediate as those songs on Myths Of The Near Future, but here roars an altered beast. Whether it suffers as a result is purely subjective, and it’s suspected there will be those listeners who wished for a greater, more absurd departure. Regardless, it’s an album imbued with a kind of throbbing energy that begs for your attention as Klaxons promise to successfully - after a three year absence - turn heads once more.

Review Score: 8 / 10