"The Catalyst" kicks off with chugging metal guitars, before the storm clears and singer Anneka Latta slinks centre stage. The layers of keyboard add an element of mystery to the song. Lyrically it's a more-obscure-than-usual attack on parents, asking: 'Do you realise you are the catalyst of your children's demise?' There"s an Eastern feeling to the music, which will please fans who like such aspects of Lacuna Coil. Flanged guitar ushers in "Salvation" before more Lacuna Coil-style guitars join the party. Exoterik know how to vary the pace in their songs, meaning that things never become dull. One of the most exciting moments of "Watch You Bleed" is one minute in when Anneka sings: 'Distorted faces that feed me lives/Conspiracies that make me blind' without the support of the instruments.

"Complicity" starts with a welcome change of pace. The music's languid nature is undercut by some unpleasant imagery that suggests the band were influenced by the Iain Banks novel of the same name. A particularly fine morsel of lyric is: 'You serve my head up on a plate/Add caviar just to garnish it.' The music takes a particularly dark turn at this point. "Are You Alive" is particularly effective during the quieter musical passages. Things have been somewhat similar so far, so it's delightful when "Alone" starts, with its industrial clanks and piano motif. The heavy riffing returns, but we are offered a glimpse at what Exoterik might achieve if they varied the template a little more. The song climaxes with a metal rock out, which is no doubt effective live.

"Forever Watching" shows the heavier side of the band. Meanwhile "Preservation" has moments of The Gathering-style calmness, with swathes of ethereal synth mixed with the, at times, hard rocking guitars. The heavily produced guitar riffing of "Humanity Inc" and strident tone of the vocals call to mind political activists Senser – an impression further emphasised by Anneka's ethereal Eastern wailing. All that's missing is a male rapper. "Raping The Reverie" has a moody guitar part, with hints of The Mission, which detracts from the unpleasant imagery of the title. At eight minutes long it's Exoterik's "Kashmir". "Find A Cure (To Save Yourself)" is an effective close to the album, building to a triumphant climax. This song offers a glimpse of what Exoterik might be like live.

Exoterik seek to 'spurn the OTT tendencies of their symphonic metal peers and the sickly sweet derivatives of pop-rockers'. Yet they do not vary the formula enough to alienate the fans of bands such as Nightwish and Evanescence. This 'different, but the same' concept might be a recipe for success, but to my mind there isn't enough that's original about Exoterik to make them stand out in an already crowded market place. It might be that the band really shines in the live context. It might well be worth finding out.