The band's 8th album finds them following a similar direction to their last, they continue to evolve away from nu-metal since this time around they have more in common with White Zombie than Korn, though they use breakdowns and various electronics. There is a more modern take on thrash with double bass driving "Fall in Line". The song benefits from strong melodic vocals in a hooky call and response. The production is stellar thanks to Matt Wallace. It's fitting that Faith No More's producer worked on this album as that band is also a big influence on songs like "Emptiness" which reaches into a funkier place with a more Mike Patton-like croon dominating the music. It's impressive, but at the same time I could go listen to "Last Cup of Sorrow". The guitar is more nuanced with jazz phrasing so that alone is impressive from what amounts to a nu-metal band.
They need to hand the mic over to Jackie LaPonza, as she is a show stealer who helps set them apart from Slipknot comparisons. "UIOP' finds a darker carnival atmosphere emerging from the Faith No More fetish that still lingers. "Prepackaged" is more hammering which places them back closer to Sliknot's current zip code. "Decomposition" moves with more of a swagger but still finds the vocals following a Patton-like path,. They continue paying tribute to Faith No More on "Grand Gesture", but then allow you to hear a more fully realized version of who Mushroom Head is as songwriters on "Hallelucination". It's one of the album's strongest songs, as it presents all their strength in symmetrical balance. "Hideous' crunches back in a more nu-metal direction.
They hit with harder thrashing aggression with "Torn in Two" . "Gloom Goose" is more of an outri making the ballad "Shame in a Basket" the last song, which is a good enough note to end things on. For fans this stacks up solidly against their last album, so if you like that one this is a better-produced version of that, so you should like it, I am going to give it a 9, and see how it grows on me. Being released on "Napalm Records"
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