Thi band beat out Sanguisugabogg in 2023 to claim the number one spot on the Top 10 Extreme Metal albums list, thus earning a spot on that year's Top 10 Metal Albums list, making expectations high for this album..Unless the title track is an anomaly, they are less extreme this time around, and leaning into the more screamo side of what they do. With grooving riffs and lyrics that are speculating about religion. There is a hint of nu-metal in the riffing, but that was always a thing in metalcore. "Sissy Haat Machine" is a little more straightforward.
A cool bass line leads the way into the darker "The Anti-Christ's Testimony". The riff is also more memorable than the previous song's. They have an angular style that balances melody with dissonance. Their drummer is pretty impressive, throwing in double bass in tasteful little spots rather than hitting you with a full-on assault and numbing you out. The screamo feel is dialed up for a "Crisis of Realization". The sung hook is even more emo than anything we have heard from them before. The proggy tension of "Apostates and Gentiles" works really well.
"Plath vs Kafka Vs Romance" is lyrically the intersting so far; the sung vocals are less 90s emo. There's a hardcore punch that puts them more in league with Dillenger Escape Plan. I like the more melodic moments of "I Dreamt I Survived an Extinction Event".The more screamed sections work as well, in this context. I am obviously not opposed to harsh vocals done right 'Carrion Birds on the Ark" has a great breakdown toward the end, but some moments are not as memorable. It balances out to be decent enough to not feel like filler. Aside from the opening track, they keep all the songs at a compact three-minute range, which is impressive considering what they pack into them,
They close the album with the marginally darker "Cherub Rock of Gibraltar". It has a cool creeping feel. Despite the slight shift in intensity that makes it more progressive screamo than the more intense feel of the previous album, the concept here is intriguing and will likely make me come back and dig into this one for deeper listens. Sure it's a little more accessible in some way, but more challenging lyrically, so I will give this a 9.5, putting it on par with the previous album. It drops August 28th on Prosthetic Records
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