Rosetta Stone : "Cryptology"

Porl King is back. If you do not know who the hell he is then you sure as fuck are not goth. If you are going with Sisters of Mercy impersonators while not go with the ones from the 90s rather than kids trying to do it today. At least these guys were around for the real thing. They do not have the layers of female back up singers. His voice is also not as deep and resonate as Eldritch's .  The drum machine is kind of on the problematic side. Like the Sisters they gave their drum machine a name as well, theirs is called Madame Razor. I will take goth trivia for 500 please.The guitars sound better on the second song. The bass line doesn't differ greatly from the formula already employed. I am not sure why I was not more picky as a teenager  when it comes to these details.

It is not until "In Black " that I begin to take notice again. This song might not be as dark, but moves better and hooks you in more than the previous song that began to bore me. The bass line to "Soon" feels more tense like a Joy Division song. The guitar however ring out like the Cult , so they are at least pulling from multiple places. This also means Sisters of Mercy is not the only well they are drinking from. "Remember" plays of tropes that felt tired before the 90s were over. These guys were popular and could be found on frequent Cleopatra compilations, but I never claimed they were the best band from this period. His voice has not changed a great deal. It has always been more about where he puts it than how he flexes it. This is shown to be true on "I Put it to You" .

There is more Cure like guitar to "It Doesn't Bode Well" . King is no Robert Smith when it comes to weaving the guitar into a song. But the bass line does vary from the most common themes of the album. We are back to a more Sisters place with "Smoke & Mirrors". "Always Always' benefits from the effect on the vocals and the fact they are taking more chances with the sounds they use, which reminds me of their more classic sound. I will give this album a 7.5 , if you like this band you know what you are getting and they have not let you down. However they almost play it too safe.