They released their second album, "Self Made Maniac" on 24 April 1997, via the Beggars Banquet imprint the following year. The album received mixed critical reception: while "The Washington Post" critic Mark Jenkins praised the record's balance of classic British rock and modern punk, Dean Carlson noted via AllMusic that the band's sound had "ripened" but now lacked "fervor and melody". In 1998 the group added former Compulsion drummer Jan Alkema to their live lineup, freeing Lee to act exclusively as lead vocalist during concerts.