"Don't walk away when the world is burning" croons front man Marko Saaresto, who likes to strip on stage, crane-kick, mime to his lyrics, and milk ladies' screams. "In all this turmoil, before red cape and foil come closing in for a kill." The song, the best new track on the album (a better version of Maybe Tomorrow Is A Better Day was released free on the Internet) is vague semi-gothic nonsense like The Rasmus on speed, and is the bastard lovechild of a forced rhyme, "rust" for "lust."

This band received deserved attention for their MaxPayne2-popularised debut, Signs of Life, which introduced listeners to Marko's versatile semi-operatic vocals and some melodic poprock songwriting. In songs like Lift and Sleep (Late Goodbye was adapted from a poem by Sam Lake at Remedy software), gauche lyrics could be forgiven for the vocal tone, solid arrangements, and catchy melodies.

Now, apparently, the praise has gone straight to their crotches. Listening to this album is like gulping wee from a champagne glass. "Grow me a garden of roses," Saaresto orders an unnamed lover, "paint me the color of sky and rain." That's grey, Marko.

For talent, this band deserves recognition. Saaresto's voice is at least as pleasant as and certainly more vibrato-rich than, say, Collective Soul's Ed Roland's. And they play well, with an eclectic mix of softrock synth and guitar sounds. With a little more humility, less 'poetic' nonsense, and more honest work on lyrics and melodies, this might have been a great export. As it is, newcomers should stick to Signs of Life.