The third studio album from Canadian arena rockers treads familiar ground, presenting 12 slabs of the kind of reliable, accessible and serviceable hard rock that will always have an audience. 2006's dealt heavily with vocalist 's personal demons, a theme that continues on , albeit with a hint of sunlight. With a sound that lands somewhere in between , , and , ( sounds like a less volatile ) treats the well-worn themes of anger, isolation, heartache, and redemption with the kind of begrudging respect they deserve, pumping out a competent flurry of fist-bump anthems ( ) and world-weary, midtempo rockers ( that are so painfully earnest that one can almost hear director pitching them to the studio for inclusion on the soundtracks for his next ten sequels. ~ James Christopher Monger