The stakes have never been higher for this band. It's the first album without Brent Hinds. He was a key songwriter and helped balance their prog tendencies, so what is going to happen to the band without him? The opening track has a solid enough groove and does not sound too removed from what they have been doing in the last decade. The album is littered with guests to help fill the Brent-sized hole. Ben Koller from Converge provides additional percussion that is largely unnoticed. Troy's howl looms large as the spotlight falls more centered on him. The keyboards are also more prominent to balance things out. "Poisonous Weapons" also works for who they are in 2026. But this is a more proggy album than a metal album; Brent was not that invested in metal.
In the context of the album, "Your Ghost Again" works better than it did when I first heard it. For the sake of transparency, while I have been public about this matter, Brent was a good friend of mine who lived with me for a couple of months while he was in transition between living spaces, so hearing this album without him makes me sad. It feels too upbeat; it should be their darkest and most depressing album, but all this prog prancing around is too lighthearted and feels like a weird way to process the death of a former bandmate. Making me think they were even more disconnected from him than the documentary suggested, and had emotionally moved on. The only glimpse of grief I hear is in the lyrics to "Snakes For Dinner," but I am only four songs into the album. Josh Homme's vocals only surface at the end.
"Out Like a Lamb" finds them somewhat recycling old songs. The bridge breaking up the verses switches it up a bit. It's not hooky enough to be the chorus, and Brann is giving himself too many fills to sing over live. The guitar solo has a jammier feel than what Brent would have done. "In the Ruins" finds Troy delivering a nuanced and heartfelt vocal performance that addresses the prehistoric elephant in the room. They wander out in a prog jam for "They Are Coming For You". It sounds like Troy is doing what Brent might have done vocally on this one. The new guy's style is more like your average prog shredder and has less of a unique thumbprint than Brent's.
There is more of an older hammering thunder to "Golden Spires "; it ebbs down into more of a groove. Brann and Troy have been forced to fine-tune their vocal interplay here. The best guitar solo so far is on this one. 'Moth and Bone" opens with proggy atmospheric noodling. The guitar phrasing feels more reflective, and Troy's vocals work with this vibe. With Randy Blythe and Nate Newton both on "A Vampire's Demeanor," you can only expect it to be heavy. Troy's vocal as a counterpoint to the more aggressive vocal on the verse.
Geezer Butler's bassline leads into "The Vanishing," which also features Joe from Gojira. It is the most organic song so far. They use a "Planet Caravan" like effect on the vocals. The synths are very Pink Floyd. Here is the second guitar solo that fits what they do. Joe brings in a more roared vocal at the end. The last song works for what they do and features Neil Fallon, who does a spoken-word vocal in the middle of the song. There is a lot of jamming on the second half of this song. I will round this up to a 10 as this album was made under very difficult circumstances and this sounds like the onlyoption theyknew to move forward, which I can't fault them for. Here is where I have to seperate my personal feeling in wanting a darker album and accept it was where they were when they made this.
11
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