Vertical Theory is one of the less progressive Haujobb albums, and it works. The familiar sound is there: ambient soundscapes layered behind driving rhythms and catchy hooks; the lyrics and vocals are still interesting, and the songs are in minor, with very few major chord progressions. Unlike Matrix and others, this is a very danceable CD. "Platform", "The Noise Institute", and the excellent title of "Penetration (Fuck The Floor)" are traditional Haujobb big-beat no-shit dance hall mainstays, with enough melody and ambient harmony in the background to be interesting and original. Dean and Daniel don't try to be progressive and ambient all that much, and the one fully progressive excursion, "Concrete" doesn't work at all in the flow of the album. The first track, "Renegades of Noize" is just progressive and ambient enough to be the most musically complex song on the album, but not too much so so that the track is thrown into Matrix-like repetitiveness. The only problem with the CD is that the Front Line Assembly inspirations that define some of Haujobb's sound are a bit TOO present; at times Vertical Theory sounds more like FLA than Bill Leeb has in recent years. That aside, Vertical Theory is a strong album, even if it does dwell on the less progressive nature of Haujobb.