“I’d like to think that the perception of us as a band within a scene will be blown apart now – the new stuff doesn’t to me feel like anything that other bands are doing right now.” Tom Lacey – The Ghost Of A Thousand

It’s a bold statement from one of metal’s most versatile frontmen and it remains to be seen whether TGOAT really are unique in the world of hardcore rock. But if getting producer Pelle Gunnefeldt on board is a barometer of the brilliance to come then 2009’s New Hopes, New Demonstrations could be an album worth looking out for this summer. Recorded in Stockholm’s Studio Grondahl in the winter of 2008, it will rear its potentially ugly head in June – by which time TGOAT will undoubtedly be one of this summer’s hottest festival tickets and adorning every magazine cover from Kerrang! to Rock Sound and even Observer Music Monthly (or maybe not).

Lacey added: “It’s heavier than …Fight… in places, but its whole feel is a lot sadder and its mood changes all the time. This album could have been a straight up sing-a-long catchy hardcore record but it’s very much not and I think that will come as a shock to some people.”

What might come as a shock to some more people is the fact that the Brighton quintet have signed a deal with legendary LA indie label Epitaph. It’s a partnership which could quite easily propel TGOAT into metal’s big league and, at the very least, open a few rather handily placed doors around the world.

“I’m over the moon to be joining Epitaph,” added Lacey. “It’s a huge deal to be a part of a label that has shaped punk rock in such a massive way and I feel even better about the fact that our new record has a great home.

“We’re not resting on our laurels though. The proper hard work starts now. We’ve been welcomed in by the staff like a new family member so we can’t let our folks down. We’re going to do them proud.” Get ready for the metal core ride of your lives.