Quicksand’s heavy metal is distinguished not by the band’s hooks but by its precision — they grind their riffs into the ground, never alleviating their intensity. Manic Compression isn’t as murky as Quicksand’s major-label debut and it contains tighter, better-constructed songs, all of which makes the band’s deliberate lack of melody excusable. Then again, the point isn’t melody — Quicksand is about sheer sound, in all of its distorted glory. If you like that sound, the album delivers the goods. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine