The first thing that perplexes me about this release is why is this album subbed out to another U.S. label? If Century Media has the rights, why not just pump it out themselves rather than pass it on? I don't know, but either way, the U.S. wins. I have really lost interest in the band for quite some time now and it has to do with Mika's whiney voice. I know Goth is supposed to be all depressing and shit, but it just wears you out after a while.

However, I was surprised at how the sound of the band has changed a bit with "Bitter Sweet" and "Someone To Blame." These two tracks open up with a bang by being up beat and having more of a Rock attitude. They're heavy and Mika's voice is a bit sturdier sounding and just goes for broke here. He let's loose with his voice that is a combination of Punk, Rock and Goth. Perfect! The band reverts back to its droning ways by the time "Bleeding For The Cure" kicks in just after two promising songs. The whiney voice comes back full circle here and I get to hear the words get stretched out to epic proportions that drive me nuts. Also, the music drags and the synths are drenched here. Kids that pity themselves to death and enjoy this will no doubt be swallowed whole by this. "Still Remains" is a tricky song because it's a combination of rocking out and more drudgery thanks to Mika.

This album goes back and forth driving me nuts from liking it to hating it. At least this is a bit more diverse (no pun intended) than their last few outings, but for the most part, I am done with this band. I know that the Hot Topic crowd with soak this in with the quickness. (Online January 7, 2006)