The album opens with a rather dystopian narrative that I appreciate. "Schizophrenic Legacy" is the first actual song that throws you into their bizarre progressive take on metalcore. While the screamed vocals are more dominant, Carson Pace's voice continues to grow. His poppy-sung vocals carry the need hooks to contrast the chaos. "Full Moon Guidance" is sonically similar to the first song, though it stylistically circles a more condensed range of metallic sound. "Two Headed Trout" has a more nuanced groove as it leans more into the pop side of their equation. There are some heavier punches toward the end of the song, but one of the album's more accessible songs.
"Tears on Lambo Leather" flirts more with the core of metal-core, while jerking your neck out of alignment with the jarring math of the riffs. They deviate more from the formula; this album tends to use a blueprint, with lower death metal vocals sometimes providing an accent. "Lemon" shows how powerful the pop end of their DNA is, as it is one of the album's strongest songs. Lyrically, this album is interesting and is going to take a few listens to fully absorb. "Body Horror For Birds" is a ballad that pushes things further in the pop direction, almost sounding more like something Bruno Mars might do. I applaud them for having the ability and dynamic range to pull this off.
"The Demon of Unreality Limping Like a Dog' is more metalcore in its stomp and circumstance. Closer to something that might appeal to fans of Knocked Loose. "Idiot Temptation Force' shows both sides of the band firing with equal power. The are marginally more spastic snarling, and break down like riffs. Things go in a weird melodic direction for "Douchebag Safari". When they throw themselves back into the metal, it's a less predictable transition. "Distracted by the Mona Lisa" is a really fun song. Carson's sung vocals work well on it. It bounces with an almost radio-friendly glee. The last song might be a sprawling 11 minutes and feature Low Before the Breeze," adding atmosphere, but even with its three minutes of lead-in, they hit some memorable moments, as the song unfolds. They jam out for the last minute,e making it a song that feels like they should close their headlining set with. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. If there is any justice in the universe, these guys should be at least as big as Knocked Loose, just on the merits of songwriting.
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