This record took me some time to truly appreciate. I can’t quite place my finger on the sound’s feel, but to describe it I would say it sounds like thrashy, proggy, heavy, gothenburgy, awesome metal. The lyrics are on point, the riffs are almost always blistering; often, though, the individual licks are ordinary (“Beautiful Mourning”; “Now I Lay Thee Down”). As usual, frontman Robb Flynn spearheads the whole affair, writing most of the songs and playing most of the leads; Phil Demmel also plays lead (resulting in some explosive duels), while the rhythm section of Adam Duce (bass) and Dave McClain (drums) is either brutal or mellow as the song requires.’s>

Standout tracks are “Halo” (which is absolutely awesome, both on the lyrical and musical levels), and “Aesthetics of Hate.”