“It all begins with a stunning one-two-three-four punch…Augmenting their samples and keyboards with a studio band, Massive Attack open with Angel, a stark production featuring pointed beats and a distorted bassline that frames the vocal (by group regular Horace Andy) and a two-minute flame-out with raging guitars.” ^JB

“Risingson is a dense, dark feature for Massive Attack themselves (on production as well as vocals), with a kitchen sink’s worth of dubby effects and reverb.” ^JB

“Teardrop introduces another genius collaboration – with Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins – from a production unit with a knack for recruiting gifted performers. The blend of earthy with ethereal shouldn’t work at all, but Massive Attack pull it off in fine fashion.” ^JB

“Inertia Creeps could well be the highlight, another feature for just the core threesome. With eerie atmospherics, fuzz-tone guitars, and a wealth of effects, the song could well be the best production from the best team of producers the electronic world had ever seen.” ^JB

“Obviously, the rest of the album can’t compete, but there's certainly no sign of the side-two slump heard on Protection, as both Andy and Fraser return for excellent, mid-tempo tracks (Man Next Door and Black Milk, respectively).” ^JB