The third album from The Manics isn’t the easiest of listens. It’s a tense and at times harrowing collection of songs, recorded shortly before Richey James hospitalisation for depression, and subsequent disappearance.
 
The lyrics, whether personal or political, are graphic and unflinchingly bleak. And even their usually buoyant glam hooks are tighter and more intense. It’s a powerful statement and still remains one of The Manics’ finest moments.