If the best things come to those who wait, for those who have waited five years for the Stone Roses' Second Coming, this is indubitably the case.

Following the Roses' eponymously titled debut release of 1989, fans have waited half a decade for the return of these Manchester, England-based cult icons of alterna-divinity, with nothing to tide them over aside from Turns Into Stone, a compilation of outtakes and b-sides released to keep the natives from getting restless.

During the past five years, it seems the Roses may have exchanged ecstasy for speed, as they have evolved considerably from a relatively mellow, harmonious band into a hard-rockin', boisterous bunch of jammers. This album is loaded with great, loud, pumped-up tracks starting with the first release, "Love Spreads." The song has a danceable groove and is very Zeppelin-esque -- like the bluesy but rockin' "Good Times."

Diehard fans of the first album can rest assured, however, that the old-school Stone Roses beauty is still there. This is particularly evident in "Ten Storey Love Song," a classic Roses-style love ballad, full of dreamy guitar swirls, soothing beats and lyrical clichs. This from any other band would sound corny, but by these guys, it is somehow beautified.

But probably the most noticable development on this album is the presence of unique lyrics, which never really stood out in previous efforts. The vocals basically blended in as just another instrument. But this album contains lyrics both bold and disturbing, with a traceable theme of religious rebellion.

The opening track, "Breaking Into Heaven," contains lines like "If heaven's gates won't hold me/I'll saw those suckers down," and the closing track, "Love Spreads," states "the Messiah is my sister/ain't no king, man, she's my queen."

In every way, the Stone Roses have proven that they wasted no time in the past five years but spent every minute of it working and evolving. They have in no way released a follow-up to their first album. They have truly made a Second Coming.