20 years, 11 albums and countless band members on and the jury is still out on Brian Jonestown Massacre lynchpin Anton Newcombe. Is he the figurehead of a cult making a unique brand of San Fran shoe gaze? Or an irritating maniac, doped up to the eyeballs on his own proclamations of self-importance?

Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? kicks off in particularly beguiling form with chilled pseudo-dubstep of 'Tempo 116.7'. A Madchester beat somewhere between 'Fool’s Gold' and 'Flowered Up' (at their most chilled out) provides the basis for an interesting album that typically answers none of the earlier questions as to the nature of the enigmatic Newcombe.

'Let’s Go Fucking Mental' is a derivative and moronic as the unashamedly cringe worthy title suggests, think the title repeated ad infinitum complete with "La Laa Laa La" (just like on the terraces!). It would no doubt be Danny Dyer’s favourite track on the album, but is surely not the sort of material that will move BJM away from their status as a predominantly “cult” band.

The trend continues. “Cos I’m gonna fucking kill you and everyone too, I don’t give fuck about World War II”, Newcombe oh so confrontationally spits, whilst on 'Someplace Unknown' he manages to convince nobody of his credentials but himself. However, it’s too easier to with a persona such as Newcombe’s to be over-critical; there are numerous flashes of inspiration during this marathon of an album. The main issues arise due to these hints of greatness being too few and far between to make any sort of lasting impression in amongst the surrounding 70 minute quagmire of noise.

Take for example 'Dekta! Dekta! Dekta!' with its South American, samba-esque groove and incomprehensible lyrics- it shouldn’t work but somehow it does... brilliantly. Similarly 'Super Fucked' (obviously Newcombe’s word of the moment) sticks to the same formula but lays of the feedback to reveal a less dense, more accessible, but no less captivating sound.

Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? won’t convert any new fans to the BJM cause and the fails (deliberately no doubt) to offer any further insight into what we already know of Newcombe.  Whilst the boldness and unwillingness of Who Killed Sgt. Pepper? to compromise should be commended, what’s left is an overbearing sense of dissolution and an album riddled with questions, but so few answers.