Review Summary: Wow.. SKSK took everything that dragged on repetitively in The City Sleeps in Flames and made it better! Great album.
Like their second album TCSF this album has a them (TSCF, was an end of the world type theme) this album focuses on changing people and trying to make them better, almost with a resident evil type theme.
One major upgrade in this album is the guitar work has greatly improved it all syncs so well with all the other instruments and the keyboard is still as strong as ever, unlike the first album you actually hear the bass every now and then and the drums while nothing spectacular are still very strong. One thing you'll notice in this album that I think is one of the very few cons about this album is what little screaming was in TCSF is gone now.
The album picks up really strong with the lead track Degenerates(5/5) which really has that resident evil type theme and is a very strong song all the way through, possibly the best song on the album. After that is Holding On (3.5/5) which isn't anything amazing but a good track it takes the album to a slower pace but features some great keyboard work. The third track on the album The Deep End (4/5) carries a pretty soft verse setup with a powerful chorus and is another great track, which leads into Faces (5/5) which was the first single off the album and another great track which is upbeat all the way through and has some great vocal work and once again great guitars and keyboards. A Pistol To my Temple (3.5/5) is another good track which has some very odd time changes and some good tap work on guitar, another solid track. Star Crossed (4.5/5) the next track on the album which stays slow the whole way through is another great work with a very addictive chorus.
We then come to Derailed which comes in at 1:43 has a small vocal break and some ambiance this track is there basically to serve as an intermission, which leads to Breath an instrumental track with some more ambiance and guitar work which sets up for.. Set Sail (5/5) which is one of the best tracks on the album while it is slow paced it has a very powerful feel all the way through. Next up is Free Again (4.5/5) another great song which feels the most like a song off TCSF sounds like it should be the second track off that album and has a really great chorus. Now we come to Snake Devil (3.5/5) which is another good track this is really fast paced all the way through and really sticks to the theme of the album. The next two tracks Watch me Bleed and Goes without saying (3/5 for both) keep pretty much the same feel of slow and downbeat. And we come to Blood Runs Forever (3/5) which is the only track I don't think that keeps up with the rest of the album it just doesn't have a very good feel to me, then we go to the outro The Power of Resolution which does its job well, ends a great album!
Pros: Musicianship has improved so much more and there don't seem to be any drag on songs, an album that gets better every time you listen to it.
Cons: No more screaming and 4 tracks that aren't really tracks. The only other complaint is just when this album really picks up energy it drops it with a roller coaster type feel.
Recommended tracks: Faces, Degenerates, Set Sail, Star Crossed and Free Again.
