"Beloved Enemy" is a mix of HIM and The Rasmus. There are keyboards, but the guitars dominate. It's effective, but despite lyrics like 'She wears her weapons well/Just like on a battlefield" it lacks the high camp majesty of songs like "Assassinate Me" from the previous album. Luckily "Change The World" is much more the ticket, with spooky keyboards floating malevolently over chunky guitar riffs. We get a glimpse into the hyper-realistic Technicolor world in which a priest with a gun plays 'Russian roulette with two nuns'. As you do. This song has peaks and troughs ensuring it is a thrilling ride for the listener. "Direct Injection" is dance floor bound, coming on like Clan of Xymox having eaten too many disco Smarties. "Stay With Me" accidentally channels the spirit of The Knack's "My Sharona".

"Break You Apart" sounds like the more accessible side of Nine Inch Nails, with a killer chorus to hook the listener in. It seems to run out steam three minutes in, before being recharged and returning with a burbling New Order bass line. It's an effective way of keeping everyone paying attention. "Stuck" features some effective shouting to rouse any listener tempted to drift off into reverie. "You Don't Know Anything" is an uncompromising blend of Prodigy-style noise and slow atmospheric Tiamat. I'm not sure how well the two styles mix, but sometimes it's a good idea to challenge the listener. This roughage is good for you. "The Last Day Of My Life" is the sort of epic Marilyn Manson was producing circa his Mechanical Animals album. There's an Eastern-feel to the droning keyboards, which thrills. "You Don't Know Anything" initially showcases the more electronic side of the band, before devolving into a rumbling mess, replete with Glam Rock 'Hey, hey, hey's. There's more shouting too. It does come across like a teenage tantrum, but those have a way of grabbing most people's attention. "Dead Presidents" sees a slight return to the glam world of the band's last album, with a bass line that is a mirror universe rendition of Lipps Inc's "Funky Town". The funky keyboards and soaring guitars gallop to a thrilling climax.

"Falling" mixes bleeping keyboards and thumping guitars. Just when one's attention might be wandering along stomps "Church of Extasy", which features the same spooky keyboards heard on "Change The World". The religious imagery calls to mind Depeche Mode, but this is more raucous than anything the Basildon Boys have committed to tape. "Sometimes" starts like a torch song, a genre which suits Jesus On Extasy more than you might think. The song grows into a writhing beast with many heads. Where you cut one off, three more appear in its place. It's a suitably majestic close to the album.

Beloved Enemy sees Jesus On Extasy gaining maturity, but losing some of their outrageous glamour on the way. This is a strong album, but it's more mainstream than before. Fans of the more listenable side of Nine Inch Nails, HIM and The Rasmus will find much to enjoy.