Stephen The Poodles extends the glorious streak of powerful albums since their first launch in 2006. 'Performocracy' is a brilliant combo of melodic hard rock and heavy metal, many verses are packed with dark and modern riffs as depicted in their sophomore record, 'Sweet Trade' and the chorus was topped with sensational sing-along melodies as mostly seen in the third album, 'Clash of The Elements'.

The first three tracks are perfect examples to that move. Might not have an immediate hooks but couple of spins are rewarding and check out the monster chorus, this is the area where the band really shines. Out of 13 tracks, there are four tracks that I rated as 'perfect'. 'Cuts Like A Knife' is the first single and a beautiful bomb; 'As Time Is Passing' is an astonishing ballad with Samuel's vocal at its finest; 'Bring Back The Night' with its heavenly chorus; and 'Vampire's Call' with its extra-catchy riffs and tremendous chorus.

On the other hand, there are at least 4 tracks that could have done better and perhaps the weakest side of this album. 'I Believe In You' is poor at verse and doesn't have a very strong chorus; 'Action' is dark, slow, and not completely interesting; and the last two tracks should have been left out.

Nevertheless, the consistency of producing many awesome tunes in each album and accomplished the important task of bringing out a great production must be appreciated and I granted this a solid 85% and deserved a spot in my top 20. Fantastic album and hopefully the fifth album will reward us with an explosive surprise and a better output!