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Century Media seem to employ more skirt than Sex and the City. Cunning, shrewd, and habitually beneficial for any label, female fronted metal is flying off the shelves faster than "Saddam Hussein's Guide to Interior Design". Certainly, deification must be awarded to them in spades; not only has Lacuna Coil out-sold most Roadrunner bands, but Century Media are also sitting on Finland's hottest upcoming export: That being Lullacry.

Their forth release, pragmatically named "Vol.4" (nothing better came to mind, guys?) is likely to surprise anyone looking for yet another clone of the ubiquitous Nightwish. Lullacry come across like a Sign and Motley Crüe stew, spiced with Machine Men nuts and Tarot flavored peppercorns. Feeling hungry? Me too, and there is nothing better to feed that growing appetite than Lullacry's affluent feast of melodious sugar.

The Album kicks into gear with the splendid "Perfect Tonight", which in a nutshell (why are we stuck on this catering thing here?) epitomises Lullacry's sound and delivery. Jukka Outinen's drums are adequately pounded, driving the songs forward above the grinding guitars, the greasy solos and those fat, juicy chorus lines absent in so much metal these days. Obviously, frontwoman Tanja is a dirty fox, and if you can comprehend, she actually sings sexier than she looks. Once you've heard those lines, I wanna feel you/touching me/holding me you can forget your inhibitions and fall in love all over again. Enhancing the quality are the lush backing vocals of Twilightning's Heikki Pöyhiä.

Ostensibly, considering the production and mixing by Anssi Kippo, Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, Lullacry have the tendency to fall into the typically crystal dressed gown of Finnish metal, but under the gorgeous surface, influences as far as Kelly Clarkson are stalking the tracks like a poltergeist. "I Want You", "Love, Lust, Desire" and "Stranger in You" offer the best hooks – the latter being so catchy I couldn't sleep for nights… or maybe that was the amphetamines?

Unfortunately, the album dips in the middle, the melodies becoming rather too sugary for any metaller's taste. Thankfully, with a voluminous scissor kick of "King of Pain" and "Zero", things pick up for an acerbic climax. Now, this isn't for everyone. The melodies are so sweet; they make the Sugababes look like Napalm Death. Nowhere near as metal as most bands that enter Finnvox with an album to record. If you're a fan of Xandria or even Sinergy and like your metal as catchy as possible, "Vol.4" should satisfy your sweet tooth.