Leeds based bands are enjoying somewhat of a rock out resurgence this year, with frenetic shout-core Pulled Apart By Horses blazing a trail that has been quickly picked up on and hotly followed by These Monsters. The latter however take a more mid-tempo approach to things, leaning more heavily towards visceral, almost stoner-rock esque riffs crossed with the unique inclusion of a hard rocking saxophone. Debut album Call Me Dragon is a loud, assertive, post-rock statement of intent.The eponymous album opener certainly has all guns blazing. Explosive, catchy, heavy and with just enough incoherent background shouting to come across as slightly crazed and languorously psyched out as opposed to purely instrumental. Pleasingly, there are also hooks. The saxophone melodies underpin the usual (but no less well judged) guitar lines with a sexy timbre. It’s a seriously great opener.The rest of the album largely follows suit. Third track ‘Who Is This Sick Man?’ is especially potent, a heady mix of faint screaming, slightly doom tinged guitar lines and tone shifts. Elsewhere the album is perhaps a little too down-tempo, a little too dependent on running on old grooves to appeal to those hoping for a more ambitious and meandering post-rock epic; it becomes a little too sparse. Tracks such as ‘Harry Patton’ and ‘Space Ritual’ are filled with good musical ideas and solid riffs but don’t tie them together quickly or cohesively enough to make that surge from great to truly compelling.‘Call Me Dragon’ is a seriously assured debut from a band none too keen to rush themselves, having recorded plenty of material prior to this LP. The saxophone is a welcome texture, the devilish background vocals a cool cross ever element from hardcore, and the riffs and rhythm are consistently solid. You can't fault the instrumentation and pacing for the most part either; though not immediately accessible to everyone, especially those keen on melodic vocals, Call Me Dragon is a definite grower. Conversely, their crushing aural assault over the two opening tracks will leave little time or inclination to doubt the finer points. A tiny bit meandering in places, with a little more discernment the next time around, These Monsters may well yet live up to the impressive, daunting promise of their name.