This is a shred album. A jaw-dropping, modern, effects-pedal-rinsing, what-the-hell-are-they-doing shred album, and it’s bloody brilliant. Malcolm’s Law is the sound of three players at the absolute top of their game, showing off with zero apology and total style. There’s funk, glitch, two-step grooves, and there’s a lot of notes. Waldo’s Gift are here to slap your face with sound, and yet, for all its technical insanity, this isn’t a clinical record. It’s noisy, and full of imperfections. Loops don’t line up with the beat and solos go totally off the rails. That’s the point. This is live energy bottled - three guys locked into each other like some sort of math-funk animal, letting the guitarist take flight while the rhythm section keeps things driving, playful, and filthy.

Classic Waldi Anthem loops a glitched-out, bar-ignoring guitar phrase for the entire track while the drums and bass just ride the wave, whilst Malcolm’s Law, the title track, is straight-up Bristol club heritage translated into rock - built on a dubstep/half-time groove with a snarling bassline. It’s hard to describe what this is. It’s not jazz. It’s not really post-rock. It’s not prog in any traditional sense. It’s just a modern jam band melting your ears. This is music made by people who love playing, even if you can’t keep up. Across just over half an hour, Malcolm’s Law covers a tremendous dynamic range, with tracks that are languid and spacious, locking into slow, dubby grooves whilst others are full-on, breakneck shred-fests. From the moment you hit play it’s impressive. There’s a new wave of guitar nerdery sweeping through instrumental music right now - and this is easily some of the most fun and funky stuff sitting in that bracket.