ELIXIR's second album on Quatermass 'Don't Be Scared' is the follow up to 2000's 'Music Mathematics Magic' on Sub Rosa and is a menacing album, full of hostility yet containing an undercurrent of beauty and humour which cleverly contrast the overall brutal feel. 'Don't Be Scared' is a reaction against all the over-produced, slick, lightweight acts who currently infest the broader genre of dance music. ELIXIR deliver a no-nonsense album of raw, nasty breakbeat cocktails, full of pummelling beats, twisted samples and distorted instrumentation. Filthy dirty bass is the foundation for the majority of tracks and whatever the tempo, the beats flow with head nodding accuracy, subdued where necessary and brutally powerful for maximum impact when required. Building on that foundation is a collection of varyingly conceived sounds, both sinister and sleazy, and melodic and uplifting. Recorded to the point of overload at times, tracks appear to be heading towards collapse, conjuring up images of decay and desolation, yet there are frequent flickers of hope within the album which suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel. Which of course there is, as the final track provides the most calming moment of the album.