Reviewed by Tony Cummings

If you don't know much or anything about the UK's rock/hard music you may not know that St Helen's-based Cenacle have done things like toured Britain with Funeral For A Friend. This EP has six tracks, though in truth the 30-second opener "The Awakening" is a piano-led intro to "Rise Up". Soon we're into the crunching guitar riffs and moshing mayhem that have become the focal point of the band's musical armoury. If you are tempted to dismiss Cenacle as mere noisenicks catch the strong, melodic hook of "Rise Up" or the clean vocals provided by the excellent Si Consiglio. Extreme music fans might want a bit more of the growling that occasionally rears its head on "Rise Up" and "Holding On" and they probably won't go for the less heavy "Encountering" with its Eastern music intro. But for me 'The New Today' is a clever balancing exercise with the potential to pull in some followers of metal, rock and pop. No mean feat.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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