Gotta admit: I was one of those who gave up on Alphaville, at least in the short term, after their third album, _The Breathtaking Blue_, failed so thoroughly to live up to the expectations raised by their first two releases.

Yet all is forgiven with this one, which came almost out of nowhere to remind us that heart and soul can still be found within the embattled synthpop genre. (As far as I can tell, from the original '80s crowd, only Pet Shop Boys remain to contest the throne -- Erasure having given it up years ago.)

Sure, there are skippable songs. Sure, there's a bit too much "thump, thump, thump" for even this admitted admirer of Chicane. Sure, the lyrics to "Monkey in the Moon" make no sense whatsoever -- but it's well-poised to make anyone who's ever loved a Roxy Music song weep tears of joy nonetheless. Meanwhile, "Dangerous Places" is a flat-out brilliant venture into dance-industrial territory that I never would have expected from this particular band.

And did I mention that Marion Gold is one of the great vocalists of our time? No? Well, he is.

What was your *last* memory of Alphaville? Breathtaking Blue? If so, this disc will leave you overjoyed. Everything that made them one of the finest synth groups of the 80s - the ambiguous but passionate lyrics, the soaring melodies, the romance tinged with sorrow, the unbridled sense of fun - it's all here! They haven't aged - they've been reborn. Songs such as Guardian Angel, Pandora's Lullaby, Inside Out, and Point of Know Return will delight you. They not only compare favorably to the best Alphaville classics, like Forever Young, Big In Japan, or Dance With Me; they actually surpass them. There are a few vocal rough spots and awkward moments here - but overall, the vast majority of the songs are glorious. Long live Alphaville!

Salvation is an appropriate title... you will need it after plodding through the latest effort from this German group. Yes, I knew going in that the Alphaville songs that I enjoyed in my younger days were not the norm for the band... they were the nuggets spread out amongst the dirges... Well, guess what? Alphaville's first new release in several years shows me how right I was... it is all dirge.

Marion Golds vocals remain deep and hauntingly sweet, but everything else has been frozen in time from 'breath-taking blue' era. The mix is horrible - all vocals and drums, the synths are buried (and I mean buried)some times you feel like you are listening to tribal dance. Speaking of the synths... YIKES! okay I know you guys were not a huge band, but could you at least borrow some NEW equipment? The sounds are vintage 80's (perhaps on purpose? ) The whole disc sounds like a Casio on steroids - pucka - chicka - pucka - chicka - etc... The drum beats are all recycled 90's "rave" lines (think the movie: 'GO' on laudanum) One more thing... the song-writing is atrocious! (I seriously wondered if some of the songs were a Casio in demo mode)Okay... now that I have vented... there are a FEW moments that justify a repeat listen... track 1 "inside out" sounds vaguely like one of those "A-ha" songs that you normally just skip over... (but hey... that's an improvement over most of this disc.)

Brightest spot: track 5 "flame" a short melancholy ballad that shows what these guys can do when they really try.

Darkest moment: hard to pick, but I will go with track 7 "control" an over-volted Casio Popsicle sung by Frankenfurter... so base and simple it is embarrassing to listen to... Okay, I have to throw in track 13 "Life is King" a 6 minute 10 second nightmare in falsetto.

They get one star for track 5 and that's it

And not only am I going to listen to some excellent songs by Marian Gold, but I will also be hearing the legends Anything Box and Camouflage.

As for this CD, I rate it as one of the greatest works Marian and Alphaville have come up with since Forever Young. Songs that will blow you away are "Flame" (a lot like "Forever Young") "Soul Messiah" (blew my mind, its my new Alphaville favorite. Sounds kinda like "Dance with me") "Monkey in the Moon" (its a poem with a beat. Don't make sense? listen to the song and you'll know what I mean) "Point of Know Return" (it sounds like it should belong with the Pet Shop Boys) "Wishful Thinking" (if you think Alphaville has mellowed out on you, this is the song that brings back the days of "Big in Japan").

Of course, there are plenty of other songs on this CD, but I think you now get an idea for what's on it.

Wow! One (or more) of the members of Alphaville must have gotten their butt(s) kicked REALLY hard by a bunch of angry fans after the last two abominations that they tried to pass off!!! Quite frankly, I don't know WHAT they were thinking when they came out with that Muzak. But I guess a kick in the butt was just what the doctor ordered. Because when you listen to this CD, you quickly forget everything that happened between 1989 and 1995. I guess you might call this CD a return to their roots of sorts - 90's techno style. And this works quite well. So if you liked Alphaville in the past and were as disgusted as I was with the previous two albums, you might like this one.