I'll admit that this review is a little hard for me to write. Is it because I'm disappointed in it? Not in the slightest. It's because I'm still reeling from the emotional punch that this album dealt me. Forgive me for going into what will more than likely be a track by track play of the CD, but every song is completely different while managing to be part of a cohesive whole, and that to me is extremely impressive and I feel that each song deserves a mention.

Masterpiece Theatre is the sophomore album of Vancouver quartet Marianas Trench. If you frequent our site at all, you know that myself, as well as the other girls have been anxiously awaiting this album since the announcement that the band would be heading into the studio to write the follow up to debut Fix Me. It was well worth the wait.

The album opens with Masterpiece Theatre I, a grand opening to the album. It immediately shows off how much the band has matured and how much more effort and thought has been put into everything this time around.

It then leads into the catchy All To Myself, which, I'll admit, on first listen reminded me of Swing, Swing by The All American Rejects (which gives you a good idea of the head bopping goodness of the song).

It then goes to the first single from the record, Cross My Heart. The song will light up almost anyone's face and make you want to jump up and clap along with the song. You'll hear it once and be humming "Take me with you, I start to miss you..." for the rest of the day! This song comes right before the first main mood change on the CD.

Beside You is slower paced, vocally driven, and beautifully melodic. This song is completely different from anything the band has done prior, but even in the drastic change in sound, the vocals keep it purely Trench. It's simply something that can make you catch your breath and leave you stunned at the progress they've made in maturing.

Acadia goes back to the somewhat faster pace of the record prior to Beside You. Lyrically about the place you grew up being torn down and impossible for you to go back to, the song paints a picture of nostalgia that most everyone can relate to, whether you see it as a literal take on the situation, or a figurative one.

We then move on to the first reprise, Masterpiece Theatre II. Similar to the first part (obviously), this song is grand in its sound, reminding you of the theme the record revolves around. It consistently brings you back to the idea of trying desperately to create something beautiful, but being tempted to destroy it all at the toll it takes on you.

Another mood jump with, what I think I have to say is one of, if not, my favourite song on the record, Sing Sing. Starting off drums that can only make you think of big band and swing dancing, the song simply makes you want to drop what you're doing and dance around your room singing.

Good To You is along the same lines as Beside You, in being vocally driven and slower paced. The song features guest vocalist Kate Voegele, and her voice, along with vocalist Josh Ramsay's, is truly a beautiful combination.

Celebrity Status feels like a mix between Cross My Heart and Sing Sing. It makes you want to sing and clap and dance, and just puts a smile on your face. I love the lyrics and the beat, but I have to admit that my favourite part is the harmonizing between all the band members about two minutes into the song.

Perfect is one of those songs that makes you just nod your head along with the beat and sing along at the top of your lungs. The band actually gives long standing fans a nod in using a bridge from one of their older songs, Sicker Things, as the beginning of the second verse.

Lover Dearest is the song that emotionally punched me in the face upon my first listen of this CD. It's beautiful, and to me comes across as so heavy hearted and sad, and I'll admit that initially, I burst into tears. It still pulls at pieces of me every time I listen, but don't let me saying as much stop you from listening to this gorgeous song, though. It's put together so well, and I'd say that after Sing Sing, It's next in line as my favourite.

With an album called Masterpiece Theatre, you need to end it with a bang, and that's exactly what Masterpiece Theatre III is. The bang that ends this CD perfectly. It samples all the songs on the album, as well as using new lyrics, and turns pieces and lines from each into one epic song. The third section of the song completely blows me away, and the fact they sample Say Anything, from their first album, made me laugh out loud, simply because it made me so happy to hear it!

I honestly can't say enough about this one song on this CD. In itself it has four pieces, each one drastically different than the other, (yet, as I said in the beginning of this review) all somehow merging perfectly in to one cohesive piece of music.

"The way that we put together this record was kind of like a musical," said Ramsay when we got the chance to speak with him about the release of the album. Well if the band wanted to put the album together with a similar feel to a musical, I believe that they succeeded. This is the best full album that I have picked up in a long time, and I can't urge you enough to try and find it. I can promise you that you will not regret it at all. It's amazing.