For their second album, MOTHERKISSERS have really pulled out all the stops. Citing influences such as EVERYTIME I DIE, FAITH NO MORE and DEFTONES, the Italian Metalcore/Alternative band have aimed high and hit the mark, which is a relatively rare but hugely gratifying thing to see (or hear).

The first track, "Ride The Equilibrium", announces the band's presence immediately with a seemingly deliberate raw sound, as the song initially seems oddly mixed but then becomes much clearer. The vocalist Dan demonstrates that he's more than capable of delivering the vicious sound that Metalcore fans love and expect, however in the next song "Screaming From Underground" his soft opening comes as something of a surprise and sounds odd when juxtaposed with his screams. That's not to say he can't sing; it's possibly just a case of it revealing some fairly bizarre lyrics that wouldn't have been discernible if they were screamed. This is more than made up for by the rest of the song, in any case, as it stands out as one of the finest on the album with some fantastic guitars and harmonies.

In fact, in a rare turn of events there isn't actually a bad song on the album, as each track remains unique and contains plenty of variety within itself. A good example of this is "Lost In A Paradox", which changes tempo and rhythm constantly throughout but still maintains the same monstrous riff. The guitars in general are very nicely mixed with the vocals, as they seem to be at roughly equal volume so that at times it seems like the guitar and vocals are having a (Metal) duet. The guitars in "Meltdown" are particularly good.

However I'd be heartbroken if the drums didn't get a chance to shine, and fortunately they do in the form of track 7, "Black Fire Devotion". Here Teo uses the Lars Ulrich approach of less is more, and it works superbly as the slower drumbeat conveys the power and menace of the band, especially underneath the awesome guitar riff.

Despite it not being a bad song, "Catharsis" is perhaps the weakest of the album as it uses very few clean vocals, which seems like an odd way to end. It's still very enjoyable though, and it is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from the song title: three-and-a-half minutes of flat-out Metal madness.

This is to date the album I have enjoyed listening to most for the Temple, which already indicates to me that this is a talented band with (touch wood) a long road ahead of them.