Siouxsie's new album Mantaray is a perfect example that great talent never truly leaves, but is simply re-invented. Remarkable on many fronts, Mantaray allows Siouxsie to express herself as an artist at the absolute peak of her many musical talents. The album moves between the industrial heavy rhythms of the single "Into A Swan," through the modern glam stomp of "It's About To Happen," into the complex freeform playfulness of "Drone Zone" and the electronic, relentlessly hypnotic "Sea Of Tranquility." Lyrically, the album shows Siouxsie reveling in a sense of freedom, something much more expansive than what was displayed in any of her previous work. It's altogether a more human, humane record than she has ever made allowing her to break away from her "Ice Queen" persona. The themes of the songs may encompass disappointment, distrust and despair, but they are bound together by a warmth of spirit, which is fresh and exciting. For fans who thought she might never eclipse her Banshees or Creatures highlights, this will be received with the form of rapture only reserved for the iconic.