JUDGEMENT

Many bands encounter a slight snag in their creative abilities when they lose a valued member, in this case being Duncan Patterson. And many bands encounter a slight snag in their creative abilities when they meet with a new threshold for their output, as evidenced by Alternative 4, which was a solid breakout in purpose. So it's doubly reassuring that Judgment Day is so damn consistent and competent despite having been railed with both in a relatively short period of time. Now that we've wasted a full paragraph on useless information I researched on Wikipedia and made up in three minutes, let's get onto the actual music.

It's much softer than before at times ? this has become a spurious form of alternative rock, where the reality is in the atmosphere, and the skin is merely assigned a color regarding them to this amiable stature. Vincent's singing is growing even more pleasing to the ear, and the pastoral touches in songs such as 'Deep' and 'Pitiless' are more relaxing than they are revelatory. Distortion remains their ally, though it is used more in proportion with the other components. 'Forgotten Hopes' bordered on calming. That's kind of what I don't like about it. Fragile Dreams was anything but fragile and dreamy ? it was forceful and stirring. 'Make it Right' and the acoustic- guitar (or at least I think it is) led 'Judgment' and 'Don't Look too Far' are a little too soft and consoling.

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