How big of a U2 fan am I? I was Bono for Halloween. 'Nuff said.

Essentially, I am both the best and worst person to review the Irish quartet's latest effort, the less-political-than-it-sounds How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

While my knowledge of Bono and the boys borders on "obsessive" -- or so people tell me -- it's hard to give an album of theirs anything but a great review.

But this one more than deserves it. Honest.

While certainly not the band's best album--although, deciding which one is "best" is an impossible task--Bomb taps multiple eras of the band's musicology to give fans of all ages something to rattle and hum about.

While the themes are existential and pensive in nature, the band hasn't sounded this sure of itself since Zooropa.

By now, everyone from 'Gloria' to the 'drowning man' has heard "Vertigo," the album's first single and track.

While not the album's high point, it kicks things into a gear that tells the world these aging rockers will not go quietly into the night.

Toss in a dash of social commentary mixed with Bono-grade romantic lyrics and we're off to a rocking start.

After a second energetic rhythm called "Miracle Drug," U2 slows down the pace with the genuinely sentimental "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own."

Written in honor of Bono's father who passed away during the band's 2001 tour, "Sometimes" evokes complex memories out of the listener while retaining a simplistic melody that will have you crooning along with the frontman in no time.

The pinnacle of the album comes in the form of a song called "City of Blinding Lights," my favorite U2 track since "Gone" on Pop.

As much as I love The Edge's effects pedal-laden guitar work, his magic takes a back seat to let all four members share in the glory of making a balanced and beautiful, yet heavy rock song.

The album also reminds listeners that U2 does indeed have a drummer and no song better exemplifies this than "Lights."

You can feel the typically sullen-looking Larry smiling as he throws himself into the middle of the music and not just act as a backdrop for the main event.

Even this fan can admit the album is not without its faults.

As a cohesive entity, Bomb's weakest element is its choruses. Often they are simply too short, or, in the case of the almost excellent "Original of the Species," too numerous.

There are moments in "Species" where you swear you can count four very different, succinct choruses, which simply would have benefited by focusing on one or two and extending them. Sometimes less is more, a lesson some argue U2 forgot in the '90s but is well on its way to rectifying.

Alas, the album's weakest song is geared to be the next single. While "All Because of You" starts off promising with a Rolling Stones-like guitar play, it quickly descends into musical monotony paired with a cheesy and grating chorus.

The only other skippable track is The Unforgettable Fire-hinting "Yahweh," which suffers from similar faults as "Because."

Is U2 getting old? In a physical sense, maybe. Bono's vocals strain more so than they used to and even the seemingly ageless Larry is showing a wrinkle or two. But in a creative sense?

Bono once said if the band released "two crap albums" in a row, they'd be out of the game forever.

Not only are they at the top of their game, they're on top of the game, setting the bar for 25 years straight and counting.

In a sense, the band came full circle with 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind, and is perhaps just starting the second cycle of their career. What U2 may have been looking for all along was an atomic bomb.