Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Acclaimed Liverpudlian singer/songwriter Ian Yates is riding on the crest of a creative wave at the moment and his latest offering, a seven-track mini-album, is arguably his best yet. This is an unapologetically brooding collection of songs that sees Yates seek out hope in dark times set to a delightfully full-on rock backdrop that refuses to let up until the very last track - the considered and relatively stripped back "Hope In My Heart". Yates kicks things off by referencing Dickens and Ecclesiastes in the wonderfully distorted "Blackout" - a lament for the current state of the world - before subtly pointing to God in the pounding "Hope Beyond Hope" and, whilst Yates doesn't get too literal in his references to matters of faith, there is an overriding sense of cautious hope that comes across loud and clear. Each track is as good as the next but the unrelentingly explosive "Belly Of The Beast" is a masterclass in thundering, meaningful rock that - like the rest of this first volume - showcases Yates' writing and vocal skills in one fell swoop.

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