Some bands choose a style and stick to it, happy to restrict themselves inside clearly defined boundaries and remain neatly pigeonholed. Others dare to be different, gaining higher satisfaction by creating something new and exciting. Such bands are few and far between, because being different means taking chances, discarding the well trodden path for a more solitary one, but also because any variation on a formula makes people uneasy - unable to categorise, file and then conveniently move on. Dub War's desire to mess with the model therefore makes people uneasy, unsure of what they should be doing, how they should be reacting, what other people will say - but to Dub War what they're doing is the most natural thing in the world. The whole band philosophy is simple enough - they get together, bringing four diverse influences with them, jam it out, and go with what feels good. There's no set program, no set routine, but Dub War are blessed with the ability to write a good tune, no matter what mood takes them, as singer Benji explains: " There's a whole world out there, so why should we restrict ourselves? There's enough music to satisfy everybody, we just feel like mixing it in our music to keep us and the people that listen to it interested. I've never seen why we should stick to one style when there's so much music to enjoy." The thing that sets Dub War apart from the rest is this natural approach, making the band's sound more unpredictable and exhilarating each time around. Their debut album 'Pain' (1995) fused reggae, punk, pop and metal into whirlwind attack that demanded an instant reaction from the listener. Over a year on, the sound has matured, but is is still as insistent. "We're bringing out another side to Dub War on this album'" enthuses Benji, "but we've still kept the strength we had before. We're not trying to be hardcore, crossover or whatever, but by writing songs with a softer edge we can just put the message over in a new way." Certainly those familiar with 'Pain' would be surprised at some of the mellower material offered by 'Wrong Side of Beautiful.' Initial spins of tracks like 'One Chill', ' Silencer', 'Can't Stop' and first single 'Cry Dignity' might suggest the band have lost some of their aggressive edge. Not so according to Benji: "We've never done anything like 'Cry Dignity' before, but it felt good when we wrote it so we went with it. It doesn't matter that it might be a softer style, because it's still Dub War, only its another side to us. Songs like that aren't written with a view to having a hit, they just come out of what we do, and people can take them or leave them." Wrong Side of Beautiful' has its harder moments of course, 'Love Is' displaying a 70's-tinged rock out, 'Million Dollar Love' creeping up unsuspectingly to thrash explosion, whilst 'Enemy Maker' (an unlucky No.41 single earlier this year) remains one of Dub War's finest moments. Elsewhere, pulsating basslines meet Benji's unique vocal style to form an album that will surprise those who believed the band where just an undiluted mass of influences. What Dub War have done is to control their enthusiasm and create something that is fresh, listenable and innovative. Benji seems unmoved: "People make of Dub War what they will, some enjoy the music, others might get off on the lyrics but in the end we all go to a gig for the same thing - to enjoy ourselves. I'd love to have a hit single and make lots of money just like anybody else, but in the end we all do this for the enjoyment. I know that there's nothing like Dub War anywhere else." There lies the beauty of the Dub War experience - no other band can show such great songwriting skills whilst challenging themselves and the listener with each new tune. ' Wrong Side of Beautiful' contained something for everyone without sounding lost or forced, and those open-minded enough will appreciate where Dub War were coming from - wrong side of beautiful maybe, but a lot more exciting into the bargain.