A mere seventeen months after releasing their debut album, Evans Blue is back with their patented brand of chugging hard rock. In such a short time, the band has learned several important lessons and crafted a good, if somewhat uneven, second effort.

The good news is that fans of the group's debut, The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume, won't be disappointed with what Evans Blue has brought to the table on their second outing. Mercifully, the whiny, girlfriend angst that littered Volume is largely absent here. The band wisely dialed back the eye-rolling, high school mentality and replaced it with a more mature, though no less introspective, platform.

Musically speaking, not much has changed. The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends is still mostly wall-to-wall power chords punctuated by vocalist Kevin Matisyn's clean intonations. While it would be easy (and simplistic) to dismiss the songs on this album as all sounding the same, there is enough variation within each track to make most of them stand out. While this album doesn't deserve a ringing endorsement, it should please hard rock fans looking for energetic and catchy music.

Energetic? Catchy? The opening song, In a Red Dress and Alone has both qualities in spades. The twin guitars pound away with remarkable fury, and the closing moments are particularly sweet. Q (The Best One of Our Lives) echoes the first track's surging pace, while Matisyn is in top form with a healthy dose of light whispers and tempest-like howls.

Toward the album's finish, several superb songs make an appreciated entrance. Fear begins slowly, but features a dramatic and satisfying finale. The twisting guitar solo and thundering percussion make for one heck of a combo. Dear Lucid, Our Time is Right Now has a more mainstream feel, especially during the upbeat chorus. The chiming guitars and infectious vocal hook work wonders, most notably in the airy bridge leading up to the final chorus delivery. The CD ends with the first single The Pursuit. It follows the standard alt-rock formula, with brooding verses giving way to a big, churning chorus. Fortunately, Evans Blue are quite adept at making the most from this otherwise routine set up.

In other places, the rather predictable formula prevents the tracks from reaching their full potential. Take Kiss the Flag, a weary anti-war anthem from a soldier's perspective. The painfully dull instrumentation does it no favors, despite the earnestness of the lyrics. The band asks the right questions, but fails to provide a compelling backdrop for their social commentary. The band does a cover of Tori Amos' Caught in a Lite Sneeze and fumbles the ball. Matisyn, so effective elsewhere on this disc, delivers a wobbly performance with as many vocal hits as misses.

The clumsiest song on the album is undoubtedly Painted, which labors on for over nine minutes, with hardly a vocal passage or catchy riff to speak of. The real song ends after five minutes and then sonic filler occupies the final four. My Damsel: A Confession to an Adversary roars out of the gate but drags on for nearly six minutes. The bottom line here? Evans Blue are not Tool, in that they cannot execute the long-winded rockers since they don't have the lyrical or musical prowess to sustain these interminable songs. Evans Blue simply bit off more than they could chew. Shine Your Cadillac and Pin Up, while certainly competent hard rock efforts, are not likely to grab the listener by the ears and demand repeat listens.

What your left with is an album that delivers a handful of crisp, fast-paced songs counterbalanced by several obvious duds. Give the band credit for not sticking to the three-year album cycle, which has almost become the norm nowadays. There is enough quality hits for the band to eek out a passing grade and avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. Evans Blue's formula for success won't break any new ground, but those who enjoyed their debut album are more than likely to be pleased with this release.

Recommended: Yes