[holden]

Release day! Listened to the full deluxe edition twice through... Short story is: front loaded record, half brilliant, half bizarre. 7.5/10
Longer story: the Chems know how to bang and know how to get the most of their guest vocalists. Previously released tracks show off this strength. But techno blaster "Reflexion" and psychedelic "I'll see you there" ( homage to the Beatles "Tomorrow never knows") are amongst their best tracks. The second half lags a bit with half finished, dated tracks like " taste of honey", "born in the echoes" and even, "just bang" (joyful, but such a random assortment, its a mess that works). Final two tracks take on a melancholy edge, but seem out of place with the danceable proceedings.
Overall, one gets the sense that the Chems are trying to change things up, but they either fall back into a comfortable mold or lose it completely in experiments that sort of work. Not as consistent as "Further" (2010), but miles ahead of "We are the night" (2007).