They're back. With a bang. Never ones to do it colour by numbers, The Cranberries waited 'til their third trip to the studio before encountering the difficult album syndrome. And now that To The Faithful Departed has finally well, departed, Dolores & Co. can get back to doing what the 'Berries do best: writing divine melody lines and conjuring vocals that sometimes sound like they've come from some Elysian field and at others, are nothing less than demonically possessed.

The Cranberries took a three-year leave of absence from the business, an act of bravery that most outfits wouldn't dare dream of, and while they mightn't merit a purple heart for it, the gamble has paid off handsomely. Bury The Hatchet sees them back at the ranch, guns blazing, horses chomping at the bit, and best of all, bellies hungry for a chunk of cow pie.

'Promises', the first single release, is more than a tad misleading, if it's a thermometer reading of the album you're looking for. Strident, stubborn, and bland, it tries too hard and stands out alright, but only as a weak track in the line-up. Elsewhere, there are far more challenging and adventurous seams worth mining, and most of them lead back to the core of Bury The Hatchet, which is a far more mature attitude than The Berries have demonstrated to date.