Let's just say that these boys from South Carolina didn't exactly scrap their plans to conquer the world after their critically acclaimed 2006 debut. The band's sweeping, arena-friendly alternative rock returns on this ambitious follow-up. In the short year since 's release, the band's music made it onto television (The Evidence, MTV's Laguna Beach), movies (Employee of the Month), and at major sporting events (the 2006 World Series). They also toured with and , the latter of whose frontman shares producing credits on this album with ( ). Whether deliberately or not, there seems to be a distinct likeness to both of their tourmates' sounds, as combines 's mastery of mid-tempo adult alternative with 's pulsing, straightforward rock. The group dwells less in the / corner of the sonic universe this time, sounding more like and early-career Oasis. There is no runaway single like "Shine On," although first single "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)" has its share of rich, sweeping gusto. Now that the cat's out of the bag (i.e. their sound no longer commands an aura of mystery and intrigue), the boys seem to have lost just a touch of their pioneering spirit, buut that cannot distract from the album's strong, approachable rock that plays best when cranked to a "10." ~ Jared Johnson