One part DAD, mixed with Tiamat and Pink Floyd, that’s Lake Of Tears, an eclectic act that prematurely disappeared, only to reform at Wacken, last year. Actually thought the reformation show would have been my last glorious experience, but here’s eight new tunes, true to the quirky, ultimately indefinable, hard rock/metal/psychedelia the Swedes have always produced. In many ways M&Ms; throws off the direction of the last decade, venturing back to Headstones and Crimson Cosmos. The opening ‘Last Purple Sky’ is the most aggressive, traditionally structured (although with these guys that doesn’t mean all that much) metal number. As the record progresses, Lake Of Tears gradually spreads its off-kilter wings. ‘Island Earth’ is simple and repetitive, but the bass-plucked melody (a la DAD) is hypnotic and infectious. Thumping bottom end introduces ‘You Better Breathe While There’s Still Time’, which threatens to be heavier than it really is, settling into that rollicking mid-tempo. The slower, trippy pair of ‘Waiting Counting’ and ‘Like A Leaf’ complete the investigation of the various LOT personas. Staccato riffing greets the upbeat ‘Children Of The Grey’, as Dr. Who-inspired synth/calliope churns beneath the main instrumentation. ‘Head On Phantom’ sees a return of the mid-tempo chugging, while the ‘Planet Of The Penguins’ finale sees Daniel Brennare (guitar/vocals) agonizing through hauntingly sporadic raindrops of keyboard notes and emotive guitar solos. Sadly, the disc clocks in at under 38 minutes.