In 2001, rock thought its savior had finally arrived.

Now, two years later, rock’s saviors have returned.

A quick listen to Room on Fire, The Strokes’ sophomore effort, and you think you’ve found the lost side to Is This It. The songs are fast, hard and oh so Stroke-like.

Julian Casablancas still warbles and wails through each song, almost arriving at a tone of complete apathy on more than one occasion.

Nikolai Fraiture remains a shadowy force in the background, delivering solid bass-lines, and Fabrizio Moretti’s relentless drumming keeps your head bobbing. And bobbing.

And the dueling guitar licks of Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. drive each song forward with ferocious intensity.

Yet Room on Fire isn’t Is This It. And the difference can be attributed to three measly minutes. While Is This It was over and done with in 35 minutes, the five New Yorkers have cut their second album down to 32.

And that three-minute difference is exactly what makes Room on Fire a progression in The Strokes’ musical career.

It’s obvious this album has been meditated upon. While Is This It followed a haphazard approach that seemed to accidentally end up flawless, Room on Fire was mulled over, worked on and worked on some more. What results is a piece that is sharp and focused, refusing to get lost in experimentation. The Strokes took the time to carefully construct their second album to sound the same — it’s just down and dirty rock, stripped to its pulsing core.

So if you were hoping for a 180, tough luck. And it’s apparent from the beginning that The Strokes don’t care if you’re dissatisfied. The opening track, “What Ever Happened?” begins with Casablancas uttering the lines “I want to be forgotten/and I don’t want to be reminded.”

What follows is a series of tracks each different in their own right, yet without a doubt similar.

“Automatic Stop” tells the tale of a love-triangle — “So many fish there in the sea/She wanted him, he wanted me” — backed by a strangely reggae-like beat.

“12:51” (not surprisingly the first single) features handclaps and a Cars-like guitar synth, making it unbelievably catchy as it breezes by in a mere two-and-a-half minutes.

“Reptilia” and “The Way It Is” feature dripping vocals and hard-driving drums and guitars that are simply unforgiving, and here it’s important to note that Valensi has obviously been honing his skills in his time off as he offers up several piercing solos throughout the entire album.

But perhaps the greatest surprise is “Under Control,” the first-ever Strokes ballad — if the term “ballad” can be included in The Strokes’ vocabulary. Moretti provides a throwback to the Motown era with his drumming as the band lays down a simple, straightforward track that’s nothing short of beautiful.

Will this so-called ballad rescue rock music? Probably not. But for the time-being, The Strokes have definitely provided more oxygen for the gasping music scene.

Grade: AB