Manic Nirvana essentially continued the revitalized hard rock crunch of Now & Zen. Unlike the previous record, Manic Nirvana played it a little closer to the vest, concentrating on a set of lean, driving riff-rockers instead of ponderous Led Zeppelin pomp. While the overall result is successful -- especially on the frenzied "Hurting Kind," the Technicolor stomp of "Tie Die on the Highway," and the affectionate rockabilly cover "Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night" -- the album sounds like a holding pattern instead of a step forward.