Mortiis' transition from "Era 1" to "Era 2" was pretty radical. With this release, Mortiis abandons the dark ambiant soundscapes of his previous releases and has shifted to writing dark-edged synth-pop. Twenty years ago, this style of music would have been called "new wave" and this CD brings back the early 80's sounds of Depeche Mode, Bauhaus and New Order. Mortiis' songwriting has also matured and the songs have a much fuller sound now that Mortiis has expanded to a full band. Along with all the other changes, this is the first release where Mortiis sings (on all tracks, no less) and it is interesting to note that Mortiis' singing is similar to that of Peter Murphy.

Standout tracks are Parasite God, You Put A Hex on Me and Smell the Witch. All three of these tracks are solid, synth-based rock tunes. I am also partial to the mournful and downbeat Everyone Leaves. I have read some reviews on Amazon where purchasers/fans were upset that Mortiis changed his sound but it seems a bit silly to expect every release to sound like Stargate. I also recently read an interesting interview with Mortiis where he describes his change in sound as "It was just time to move on. I was sick to death of the shit I used to do."

This is a great rock CD that beats the majority of nu-rock/metal songs on the radio today. I hope this finds the audience it deserves.