How I've matured over the years. Through the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles soundtrack years imitating the dulcet tones of M.C. Hammer et al, through the years of listening to the likes of Morbid Angel and Deicide, thinking that this was as good as it gets, grunting neanderthal lyrics about anger fueling "righteous dawns" or something along those lines. I blame the parents. Now, here I am - an older and wiser man - trying to persuade you that perhaps VNV Nation are at least worth a listen. How do I rate my chances? Not very high, I can tell you.

Anyway, background information time. VNV Nation - one of the world's most famous EBM/"futurepop" (as they like to call themselves) duos. Yep, they seem to have this thing for "The Future"; just about every single one of their songs on this CD mentions "future" at one point or another. I'm not making them sound the least bit palatable, am I? I'll start again, shall I?

VNV Nation are possibly one of the most talented duos in electronic music today. Through each release, they have been outstandingly creative at each turn - equally at ease when releasing extraordinarily loud dance music in the form of "Cold", "Joy", "Procession" through to the almost sombre "Further" and "Tempest". Their "latest" offering (it has been roughly a year since it was released) is mostly in the latter, but what it lacks in loudness, it makes up in sheer listening pleasure - I've had it for the best part of the year, and I have still to stop listening to it once a day. Yes, sad, I know...

It is a delicate mixture of thumping dance tunes, to the almost-ethereal compositions; catching the listener unawares in some cases, like the first time that you listen to "Structure" after "Genesis" - the sudden change of tempo just throws you off-kilter. All the while, the vocals of Ronan Harris lend a much-needed organic feel to the harsh beat of the pure dance tunes, whilst heightening the ambiance of the quieter songs like "Airships", "Beloved" and "Holding On".

But criticism! We must have criticism... Well, the first song (if you want to call it that) is a bit rubbish, but it's only there to set the scene as it were - so I suppose I can forgive it that.

Put it this way, it's an album that transcends traditional fanbases. I'm your dyed-in-the-wool goth music fan (undercover, however - not one of those "Oh, boo-hoo-hoo! No-one loves me! Boo! Black wings of despair! Etc..." types), and I can't help but love this album to bits. I suggest you do the same.