Paul Wardingham's sophomore record is in many ways a typical sequel: it's bigger and flashier, the production values are higher, yet it retains the same core style as its predecessor. Unfortunately, however, it's not as effective as Assimilate Regenerate: the songwriting, while grander and featuring extra production polish, is less inspired, with blase melodies (some of which, like "Simulated Reality," sound recycled from Assimilate) and a disconcerting reliance on low-string chugging. The tracks are too long, too. For example, both "Digital Apocalypse" and "Earth 2.0" appear to end, only to return unnecessarily, 'Return of the King'-esque. In its ambition to be big and epic, The Human Affliction leans too far to that side, becoming overblown in the process. The lack of a strong ballad, like "Fields of Utopia," doesn't help, either; rather, it contributes to the record running together. The playing is as good as ever, but The Human Affliction is a less satisfying endeavor than its predecessor.
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