They may not have come up with the most original record title (what's left, Fictitional?) or strayed too far from the debut, but
Fictional's follow-up to
Fictitious does manage to once again explore the darker side of synth pop. The only problem is, there isn't anything effective this time around. "The Sound of the Falling Rain" begins
Fiction with undistinguished, gloomy electronic with dark trance once again overshadowing synth pop and electro. From there, it never quite picks up. Mostly, it feels like weaker versions of tracks from
Fictitious as something such as the EBM-leaning "Hunting Machine" could easily be a revision of "Hangman." New vocalist Jason Bainbridge has the right voice to carry the songs, and the lyrics (mostly by
Kai Schmidt) are deep and emotional, but there's no interesting melodies to support them. Unfortunately, another "Blue Lights" isn't in the cards, which, considering the experience and talent of
Gerrit Thomas, is a disappointment.