This week, Stuart gets heavy.

The Hommos – Hommos Cosmic Rock (Deltasonic)
“Hommos” is in fact the correct Greek spelling of houmous, and not a play on the word “homosexuals”. From Stockholm, this vibrant, vital and tunes-aplenty rock quintet satisfy with messy rock, devoid of any Hives-isms. The band met one night in a kebab house where they discovered a shared love of long guitar solos (although they don’t do them) and chickpea dip. Their sound recalls the skewed playfulness of Cud, Half Man Half Biscuit and T-Rex.

British Sea Power – Carrion (Rough Trade)
This band are too clever for their own (fell-walking) boots, and are all the better for it. BSP are a thinking band that don’t, however, get too bogged down with concepts. Instead, they have fun with “projects”. What with their very own ale brew and outdoor clothing range imminent, Carrion comes laced with a stomping, insistent melodicism and delightfully hoppy finish. Bent-stringed chords, soaring synth lines, chugging drums and distinctive Subway Sect/Bowie-esque vocals mean there’s little to dislike here and much to fall in love with/to.

Client – Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine (Toast Hawaii)
Synth pop alert! Shrouded in stiff photography, replete with back-to-front fonts on the sleeve, this disc comes on Depeche Mode member Andy Fletcher's new imprint and fits his bill alright. But the chorus, “Rock ‘n’ roll is all I wanna do” – come on, please. Those. Words. Are. Done. To. Death. And setting them to what sounds like keyboards bought at Tandy doesn’t help. Yet track three, Pills, is much better, ditching the wretched vocals in favour of a meaty electro workout.

Metallica – St Anger (Vertigo)
Never poodle rockers or stack-heeled camp Freddies, Metallica always retained a blue collar “hesher” (US metal fan) kudos. Despite the occasional pompous bass solo infatuation, their thrash metal credentials remain relatively untarnished after over 20 years of volume. So, St Anger goes loud, then very loud, then quiet, then very loud again while the lyrics laud the positive energy to be had from getting angry. It’s a harsh stew of brains and brawn.

The Warlocks – Shake The Dope Out (Mute)
This LA groover comes out somewhat reluctantly as a single. See, the West Coast seven-piece have refused to play it live sometimes, deeming it “too catchy” for their Hawkwind-inspired, high-as-a-kite “heavy-ocity” (decibel loaded sonic aesthetic). But the superb, feedbacked “I'm Waiting For The Man” riff and delirious, distorted Hammond organ are addictive, while mainman Bobby Hecksher’s penchant for pronouncing “dope” as “duupe” is awesome. Stuart Turnbull 27 June 03

All singles released 30 June 03.