Tarwater's excellent 2000 album 'Animals, Suns & Atoms' made a successful link between melody and modern electronic music. In turn this led to fellow Germans The Notwist and Iceland's Mum following suit amongst others. The follow-up (not counting the 'Not The Wheel' compilation) is a case of "as you were" and no one can really blame them for that. True to form 'Metal Flakes', 'Perfect Shadow' and '1985' deliver the usual formula of attractive tunes topped off with the usual precise European enunciation from Roland Lippok, 'Metal Falkes' even experimenting with strings. Contrast arrives with 'Imperator Victus' that is more countrified and demonstrates the link between their music and The Notwist. The main disappointment of this recording is not so much the lack of adventure but the instrumentals are far less memorable, coming across as too tricksy and mannered save the rather excellent 'Diver'; no one needs to hear the Russian-influenced 'Dogs And Light Years'. 'Dwellers On The Threshold' still contains melodic thrills of former glories but struggles to maintain the level consistently.