SEX OFFENDER

Well, I guess that it's more like a disappointment by the standard that the band set with the release of their 2007 debut album Purgatory Dance Party. To me, that was easily the best album of the last decade and I rank it among my top 30 favorite albums. So you can probably understand the high expectations that I had when I heard the announcement of a new album coming out in May. I immediately pre-ordered the release off the band's website and marked my calender!

Before the album finally arrived, Polkadot Cadaver released a single off the upcoming release titled Bloodsucker and that was where the gears of confusion were set in motion for me. As I mentioned in my review of that release, I found this single to be a bit out of place due to its somewhat generic chorus section and the whole approach to music making seemed out of place with the debut album. I did eventually grow to enjoy this single even though, to be completely honest, I would have probably dismissed it all together have it not been released by Polkadot Cadaver.

Then came the second piece of the puzzle with a new sample track on the band's MySpace site called Cake & Eat It Too. This track was more in line with the general style of Purgatory Dance Party but there was still something off with the whole experience. It certainly didn't help that the chorus sounded extremely out of place with the rest of the composition. I finally found a simple explanation to my general dislike of these two tracks; they both followed a relatively easy to follow verse/chorus/verse/chorus/interlude/bridge/chorus -formula that didn't fit with the band that I've grown to love so far (this includes Dog Fashion Disco material).

I played the CD as soon as it arrived at my door and must have given it 4-5 spins that first evening alone. After this overexposure, I was quite surprised at how little of this material actually stuck with me. There were many recognizable sections here and there, but the overall feel for the album was non-existent! I've now played this album around 20 times and my opinion of the recording is that it's a great one. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as mindbogglingly amazing as the debut album. Allow me to be more precise:

The album begins on a high note with Opus Dei/Seagrave combo which brings back the memories of the intro to Dog Fashion Disco's final record Adultery. So far, we're off to a great start! Then we get the aforementioned single, Bloodsucker, which doesn't really fit in with the first two tracks, but it still makes sense to place it here since it does soften the blow of Starlight Requiem. This tracks is plain weird. The anti-religiously charged lyrics strip all the clever sarcasm that Todd Smith has built with his ingenious lyrics in the past and I'm truly surprised that he decided to go down this route. The composition itself is really nothing special, following the previously mentioned formula.

Stronger Than Weak returns us to slick word puzzles but the song itself is not among the band's greatest moments. Luckily, Slaughterhouse Striptease and the album's title track return us to the territory of Purgatory Dance Party, great stuff indeed! Unfortunately that's pretty much all of the highlights since Cake & Eat It Too, Mongoloid and Forever And A Day don't do as much for me. Great tracks, but the Polkadot Cadaver magic is just not there.

You might be asking yourself (that is if you've actually read this far) why I gave this album an excellent rating when I mostly complain all throughout my review? It's not that I dislike this album since it clearly has a few amazing moments. My main concern comes up wherever I try comparing it to the debut album; Purgatory Dance Party is an essential piece of music that should be experienced by all fans of Metal music with a twist. Sex Offender rates just above the excellent level but I it's definitely standing on the edge to the good, but non-essential territory. I would have probably dismissed it as such and not put in the extra effort of exploring the album have it not been released by Polkadot Cadaver.

***** star songs: Opus Dei (0:52) Seagrave (4:32) Slaughterhouse Striptease (3:35) Sex Offender (4:31)

**** star songs: Bloodsucker (3:58) Stronger Than Weak (3:38) Cake & Eat It Too (5:05) Forever And A Day (5:32)

*** star songs: Starlight Requiem (4:03) Mongoloid (4:48)

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