There is a great deal going on with this album. The synths are very present in the mix going into the otherwise hammering open song. Throaty vocals are aggressive but howled more than growled. The second song starts off with more of a frantic thrashing before the metallic chaos ensues with a barrage of barked vocals. The sung vocals break things up in an almost Mastodon-like manner. Then things begin to get darker for "Your Pets Died on TV". The industrial elements creep into the song's corners. There is an eerie feeling to the places the song is given room to breathe. I would say this is more like sludge than any other sub-genre of metal.
"Liminal Blue" breaks away from the confines of sludge to groove in a more Killing Joke-tinged fashion. The songwriting on this album shows a great deal of growth. There is more of a Neurosis feel to "Rerouted" at the onset of the song, then it wanders off into darker and sometimes more melodic places. Other bands could learn a great deal from this band when it comes to using heavy as a dynamic rather than solely relying on it. More atmospheric elements haunt the background. "12-31-89" crosses further in the industrial direction with a heavier synth presence. A darker groove carries the throb of this song making it one of the album's best.
They get blasty for "Crawler Night". There is stellar drumming in this song and more melodic singing. When things get more deliberate it plays in their favor. "She Does Not Exist" has a John Carpenter-like synth line running through it. They use an almost disco beat in what might pass as the chorus. "End Credit" finds the bass carrying the verse. Sung vocals emote over this more brooding turn for the band. There is an ominous feel to counterbalance the more grandiose feel. I really enjoyed this one it's an improvement over what they did on "Skin Show" so I will give this one a 9.5.
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