I ordered my copy of this record directly from Numan's webshop so it came signed by the great man himself. "Oh that's impressive," you say - but in truth finding one that isn't signed is probably the more impressive feat. By 2021 Numan had a good idea of how to boost sales and signing as many copies as you possibly can helps no end.
Like "Savage" before it, this album peaked at number 2 in the charts and offered confirmation that Numan had finally recovered from his early eighties career suicide. Unfortunately the rather tired post apocalyptic 'theme' seems to get another run-out, but thankfully most of the songs still allow the listener to apply their own interpretation.
I get a definite sense of a clash between the old and the new on this record. The familiar industrial guitars and Arabic harmonic scales Numan now employs are here, but the old Roland CR-78 drum sounds and even Numan's own voice hark back to albums like "Dance" and "Warriors".
The songs are pretty good with "I am Screaming" offering a glimpse of what I imagine Depeche Mode would sound like if they were still any good. The title track is entertaining enough but it goes in for a bit of the old, "You can whisper your Lord's prayer, and pretend that it matters" vitriol that is truly tiresome at this stage. Big chunks of this record are simply a rehash of the previous album "Savage" - but when these records meet with such success, why change? 3/5
