The waiting is over; the punchline has arrived and Extreme are back! After being a devoted Extremist for over four years, I've learned to expect the unexpected from this band. I knew this album would be completely different; a new side to Extreme - they weren't about to go back and repeat any of their other albums. I'd even had a taste of some of their new stuff courtesy of 'There Is No God', 'Better Off Dead', 'Never Been Funked' and 'Naked'; so how come when the punchline arrived, I was still shocked?!

Well, I don't know the answer to that - but I do know that I absolutely love this record! 'There Is No God' is the opening track, and immediately establishes a "live" feel that is continued throughout the whole album. 'Cynical' follows, with Gary pointing the finger at his own cynicism; although really it is something we are all guilty of and can relate to. 'Tell Me Something I Don't Know' appears to be the second part of 'Cynical', and is one of the my favourites on the album; I love the poetic lyrics.

'Hip Today' is a great choice for the first single. The lyrics really speak for themselves. Extreme aren't a band who follows trends, or tries to set them, and they're the ones that'll survive. As for the Hip Today kind of band - well, I guess time will tell...

One of the tracks I'd heard before is 'Naked'; I'd seen them play it live too, but I was really surprised how raw it sounds on the album. I wonder whether Gary's voice ever did recover......?!

At the moment, 'Leave Me Alone' is my favourite on the record, along with 'Shadow Boxing', a song about being our own worst enemy.

The subject of the danger of blind faith which appears in 'There Is No God' is also present in 'Evilangelist' - I hope they play this on tour; I think it'll be amazing live!

The only ballad comes in the form of the beautiful 'Unconditionally', and it certainly isn't a 'More Than Words part 2' - although I'm sure the media and some critics will tell you otherwise. It's a shame some people don't seem capable of opening their mind as well as their ears when they're listening to Extreme.

'Waiting For The Punchline' is the final track, and the only one on the album that I'm not keen on - although I love the lyrics, and they seem to really summarise the album for me.

So congratulations guys, you've done it again! Just don't keep us waiting so long next time, okay!?