Recorded at Puk, Denmark.

After scoring big time with Floodland, Sisters of Mercy frontman Andrew Eldritch changed direction once again, heading this time for a guitar-based techno-rock feel. The title track became a club hit, where the driving tempo and distorted guitars provided a perfect dancefloor atmosphere. On "Doctor Jeep" and "Detonation Boulevard," the lack of variation becomes quickly annoying, however, and "Something Fast" fails entirely in its efforts to be introspective and wistful. The Jim Steinman-produced "More" and the clever "I Was Wrong" are the album's highlights, but it's a shame the rest of the album is so patchy. ~ Jim Harper

The third Sisters Of Mercy album, VISION THING, makes a dramatic shift from its predecessor, introducing heavy metal riffs to the band's genre-defining goth sound. Far from signifying a fundamental change in Andrew Eldritch's sound (once again, he had a new group of musicians with him, keeping only the drum machine, Doktor Avalanche), this combination is an excellent sonic fit. The swaggering machismo of heavy metal sits nicely next to Eldritch's studiously straight-faced delivery of his colossally egocentric (and intentionally funny) lyrics.

Opening with the monster riff of the title track, VISION THING is a note-perfect parody of metal, while also pushing the boundaries of goth, something the Sisters have done consistently with each of their releases. Standouts include "Ribbons," where the guitars alternately call to mind crashing waves and thunderclaps, and the caustic lyrics end in a desperate howl. "Doctor Jeep" is a jittery, caffeinated swipe at American commercialism, and "More," a masterpiece of bombast built on a big, chugging guitar riff, incorporates everything from sawing, synthesized violins and a piano fade out, to gloriously selfish lyrics and swooping backing vocals.