The 80's worshiping synth wave band continues to grow as songwriters on their third album. Once again there are plenty of guests helping out. Not all of these contributions are highlighted, though rather than writing to play to the strengths of the guest spots the electro trio is just focused on writing hooky songs which works just as well. The opening track "Monster in Paradise" took multiple listens in order to hear what Dave Lombardo was doing on it. Wargasm's Milkie Way is easier to hear as her vocals take a more prominent role. Tim Cappello of Lost Boys fame gets his solo, but Dave's drumming is harder to make out amid the programmed drums and might be limited to accents here and there.
Lights joining them for "Empress of the Damned" pretty much conforms to the standards of today's pop music while draping it in more 80's sounds. "Tech Noir 2" which features John Carpenter, is pretty typical of what these guys do. The vocal lines are more refined than the project's previous albums. Gavin Rossdale and Carpenter Brut make an appearance on "DooM Dance". Rossdale's vocals take the refrain of the chorus. It works off a pretty steamy groove that might have more of an overt thump to it than what they have done on previous albums. The distinctly androgynous croons of Jake Duzsik from HEALTH coast gracefully over the verse to "Blood For the Blood God".
"Weaponized Love" also finds the vocals dialed into sharper hooks. "Ghost" which finds them collaborating with Powerglove, does not find the video game-inspired sounds Powerglove normally uses in play but things go in a little darker direction . "Darkness For Dreams" finds them flirting with dark wave, though leaning more heavily in the sound they cultivated on the first two albums. Britta Philips who was the voice for the Jem & the Holograms lends her pipes to the aptly named " Holographic Heart". It's relevant enough to appeal to the TikTok pop kids, while still paying homage to the era that inspires these guys.
"Nuclear Date Night" leans into a more dance floor-heavy groove. The vocals take on a more breathy tension. "Run Like Hell" is the first song that does not really feel as inspired as the others. While the vocals are produced just as effectively as those found on the rest of the album, there is a slightly dialed-in feeling to it. "Lost Shadow" also feels like the air is seeping from the ties of inspiration, the guitar line being the best thing about the song. Not to say everything else is flawed, it just does not have the neon fire that sparked earlier in the album. They take their collection of all the right sounds and dig from it to paste together than last song which is more of a ballad. Does it hold up to the kind of ballads Peter Gabriel made that inspired this 80s bandwagon, no, but it works well enough for what they are doing. I will give this one a 9.5, as see how it grows on me, I think they have perfected what they do in a manner that now has it ready for a larger audience
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