The history of Architects is one that's filled with missed opportunity and disappointment. Starting their life as a ska band called The Gadjits, they got off to a good start before they were dropped from big labels, not once, but twice, despite all of their records being released to generally positive reviews and good sales for an indie band. The departure of the keyboardist after all this drama would probably have led to the dissolution of many a band, but to their credit, this lot changed their name, changed their sound, and have come back with a record that is so ferocious and energetic, that it leaves you in no doubt that this baby is still kicking.

Architects specialise in dirty, grimy revivalist rock, in much the same way as, say, Jet, but without the insistence on avoiding new ideas and barefaced ripoffs of Iggy Pop songs. It's cheesy, tacky, and occasionally gimmicky, but it's generally delivered with enough good humour, intensity, and passion that you can overlook the fact that this band belongs in a subgenre that has been more or less beaten to death over the past couple of years.

At their core, it's obvious that the guys in Architects know their share about rock and roll. Everything from the trash-rock of AC/DC to classic rock like The Who seems to influence this record, all of the seemingly disparate influences wrapped up into ten neat packages of retro-rock worship. What's impressive is that rather than coming off as slavish imitations, as these sort of acts often do (again, Jet), Architects have their own style and sound, and they're not afraid to use it. Take Black Guitar Kalashnikov for instance, one of the finest tracks on this album. The most obvious feature is the buzzing, reverberating guitars, but underneath it is a bed of keyboards, mixed low enough into the sound that they're almost inaudible, but still placed well enough that it gives the song an interesting dynamic. It's nothing that the great bands of yesteryear haven't done, but they never did it quite this way before.

On the negative side, like all rock revivalist bands, Architects are trapped by their own music. When your music plays tribute like this does, you more or less stop yourself from exploring any territory that hasn't already been covered before. "Keys To The Building" suffers this fate, while everything is inventively put together, there are only so many things that you can do with classic rock sounds, and they've all been done in the past by other revivalist bands.

Still, don't think that this album isn't worth it. It has everything that a good rock album needs; good songwriting, passionate performances, and a few hooks thrown in here and there. There's nothing on this album that you haven't heard before, but it's delivered in a very listenable format.