Song: Loathe - East of Eden [The Cold Sun, 2017]

Loathe's The Cold Sun boasts a completely different sound from its successor, I Let It In And It Took Everything, but the song that stands out the most to me is East of Eden. It strayed the furthest from the impression I had of Loathe at the time, and in the best way possible.

I think the most obvious distinction between East of Eden and the majority of their newer music is how much closer it is to modern metalcore. Their shoegaze style and ambient focus are almost absent in this track, and in it's place is a very tasteful and raw, almost djent-like metalcore essence.

Despite the differences, some signature sounds of Loathe will never be absent. Kadeem's screams and singing are as powerful as ever, and possibly even more. We even get an "Eughhh" at the end, which I wouldn't have thought they would ever go near. Their complex layers of musicality and sound design are as immaculate as ever, and the tones are so uniquely disgusting and elegant. Their chorus hooks are as catchy and memorable as always, their chunky sections are as heavy as ever.

The ending breakdown is one of my favourite moments in the entire record. The buildup is just the right length to raise the energy as fast as humanly possible before dropping it as hard as humanly possible. The riffage is super fun, stuff that I never expected from Loathe, the kind of fast-paced variety breakdown to the likes of Code Orange's Swallowing The Rabbit Whole and Wage War's Death Roll. Sometimes I listen to East of Eden just for the last minute of insanity, it's just that good.

It's so cool to see Loathe's take on the traditional metalcore style, as much as I love their unique style that they've defined in I Let It In And It Took Everything. I don't want them to abandon what they have now, it's definitely so much more refined and distinctive, but I really do love what they did with this song and I think they made awesome music even when they haven't figured out their sound yet.

Rating: 3.5/5

Lyric Of The Week 26: Doomed

"So come rain on my parade, 'cause I wanna feel it."

Bring Me The Horizon - Doomed, from the album That's The Spirit

Album: Sleep Token - Sundowning [2019/2020 (Deluxe)]

After experiencing the amazing record This Place Will Become Your Tomb, I had to get more of Sleep Token, and their debut album Sundowning was definitely what I had to listen to next. Sleep Token's reputation was widely brought about by this record, so I had high expectations for what this record would bring to the table, both as their acclaimed debut album and the album that put their name on the modern metal map.

It is amazing how you can see the beginnings of their unique style of modern metalcore throughout this record. This tracklist sees the different facets of their sound more distinctly separated into individual songs, rather than blended into every song. Their soft, trancelike sound is prominent in tracks like Drag Me Under, their signature metalcore sound is more evident in tracks like The Offering and Higher, their heavy aspect is blooming in tracks like Gods, their poppier sound is alive and well in tracks like Sugar and Say That You Will, and their emotional ballad sound is still as heartbreakingly powerful in tracks like Blood Sport.

I could see why this record was so astounding. With just 12 tracks, they've given the world a taste of so many new unique flavours of modern rock and metal. They blend together so many sounds that don't usually go together, and the outcome is a surreal yet elegant soundscape that can be as beautiful or as menacing as they want, or both at the same time.

There is nothing short of impressive about every part of this band. Sure, they definitely got better from Sundowning to This Place Will Become Your Tomb, but their musicality and skill in this record was still out of this world. I've already mentioned how much I love their vocalist and their drummer, but the guitarists' definitely have a lot of places to shine in this record.

Listening to Sundowning after This Place Will Become Your Tomb instead of before definitely made it weird to form a good impression of it. On the very first listen through, it felt less refined and slightly all over the place because I already had this impression of their blended sound imprinted in my mind. Over time though, I've learned to love this record for it's diversity, one that This Place Will Become Your Tomb comes second in. It allows for more intensity in the extremes of their sound, which to an extent makes it more memorable as well. I've started liking Blood Sport over Missing Limbs for the ultimate ballad track and Higher over Hypnosis for the semi-heavy metalcore banger (although I still love The Love You Want very, very much).

The deluxe version of Sundowning bestowed us with four live tracks: two covers, one live version of Blood Sport and a new song called Shelter. The stripped and softer sound of these four tracks from the room below give them all a much rawer and haunting sound. There isn't much to be bewildered about, they're just four songs with amazing vocals to listen to. In these four tracks, they almost sound like a normal pop musician doing an acoustic cover.

I was more than satisfied with this record. Sitting in the shadow of its successor, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as I wanted having fallen in love with their sophomore album, but Sundowning proved to be as commendable as its reputation suggested. What Sleep Token has managed to achieve in these two records is no small feat, and the sound that they've created has been one of my favourites in recent years. Worship indeed.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. The Night Does Not Belong To God

2. The Offering

3. Levitate

4. Dark Signs

5. Higher

6. Take Aim

7. Give

8. Gods

9. Sugar

10. Say That You Will

11. Drag Me Under

12. Blood Sport

Deluxe Edition (2020):

13. Blood Sport - from the room below

14. Shelter - from the room below

15. When The Party's Over - from the room below (Billie Eilish cover)

16. I Wanna Dance With Somebody - from the room below (Whitney Houston cover)

(Deluxe Edition Cover)

Song: My Chemical Romance - The Light Behind Your Eyes [Number Three, 2012]

The Light Behind Your Eyes is my favourite deep cut track from the emo legends My Chemical Romance. Coming off of their Conventional Weapons EP Series, which was a generally overlooked collection of tracks, I think it's one of their more unique songs, albeit mostly because of how different of a flavour it is compared to their usual catalogue. It's become one of my favourite soft emo songs of all time, like a gem in the rubble.

This song is quite different for them and you can immediately tell the moment the song starts. Symphonic elements lead the start of the song and overlook the entire track, half the song is on an acoustic guitar and without drums. His voice is soft but firm, not loud but equally emotive. The atmosphere of hopefulness that they paint with such simple but strong musical elements is at the very core of this song, even as they transition to a more powerful anthemic sound later on.

I love how the rest of the band comes in for the second chorus, just in time to amp up the energy and let Gerard sing louder. I love the little guitar licks going on in the background, and the soulful guitar solo wailing in the background of the bridge. The drum pattern isn't complex but it does the job, holding the fort down so that the song as a whole can sound more powerful.

The sentiment of the song is strongest in the lyrics, and as much as I love the passion and genuine emotion in Gerard Way's voice, I fell in love with this song for its words, its meaning. It's equal parts comforting and motivating, never trying to hide the ugly truth of life but standing steadfast in his declaration of belief in the listener to stay strong. It's such a cathartic experience to listen to this song, especially for people who felt like giving up. This song still gives me goosebumps every now and then, for what it meant to me then and what it means to me now.

Compared to the punkier party-esque sound of Danger Days, the iconic emo sound of The Black Parade and the rougher emo/screamo sound of Three Cheers and I Gave You My Bullets, it's hard to say that The Light Behind Your Eyes is anywhere near one of their best sounds. In fact, it's quite barebones for a song in essence. I guess that's the beauty of personal sentiment, both being able to acknowledge that it's nowhere near their best works but at the same time being able to proudly say that it is one of my favourites.

Rating: 5/5

Album: I Prevail - TRUE POWER [2022]

TRUE POWER is I Prevail's sonic spiritual successor to TRAUMA. They found their sound back in 2019, and with this new record it seems they've managed to refine it even more, yet at the same time diversifying their sound in a way that's fresh yet still very much them. I Prevail has been one of the best modern metal bands in the past few years, coming at us with a musical blend of metalcore, rock and pop elements that they can call their own.

They sound a lot more confident in their own style in this record, not afraid to experiment and go for sounds that aren't expected of them. A lot of the tracks on this record stray away from generic metalcore, although that is not to say that none of their tracks are still good ol' I Prevail-brand metalcore. Body Bag is ruthlessly heavy but not in the way you expect, Self-Destruction has a really cool and unique rap-infused metalcore sound, FWYTYK has a very chill and groovy kind of heavy.

I love how they've diversified their sound with this record. Their heavy has gotten heavier, their soft has gotten softer. Their angry has gotten angrier and their emotional has gotten emotional-er. No matter what sound though, they absolutely know how to do catchy, and they absolutely are capable of bangers.

I don't have too much to say to be honest. They're not super technical or complex, and as a band that's not their focus. I respect that entirely, and I love that they make accessible modern metal music that everyone can enjoy, from pop listeners with an edge to elitists who think that not enough screams and riffs makes a band a sellout (although I've heard there are still some who dislike this record for being too soft, which is kind of dumb). It's a fun record to put on, they're all extremely listenable and it's obviously passionate and creative. They make music because they love it, they do what they want, they're not following formulas to try and get more plays or fit some perception. It's a blast to get more of their music, and there's really nothing not to love about it.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklist:

1. 0:00

2. There's Fear In Letting Go

3. Body Bag

4. Self-Destruction

5. Bad Things

6. Fake

7. Judgement Day

8. FWYTYK

9. Deep End

10. Long Live The King

11. Choke

12. The Negative

13. Closure

14. Visceral

15. Doomed

Lyric Of The Week 25: Is It Really You?

"Let's search the sky for a while, you and I."

Loathe - Is It Really You?, from the album I Let It In And It Took Everything

Song: Veil Of Maya - Synthwave Vegan [[m]other (2023), 2022]

Synthwave Vegan is so ridiculously heavy, it's unreal. It's relentless, it's subversive, it's brutal. You can barely follow along listening to the song, it keeps switching it up constantly and throwing a comedic amount of breakdowns at you. The whole song is basically a breakdown. I don't know much about Veil Of Maya but this is definitely a hell of a first impression.

Immediately when the song starts, you get a taste of their pure, unfiltered heaviness, with low chugs and low growls peppered with generous amounts of dissonance. They barely stay in 4/4 time, leaving you sucker punched at every corner. The riffage is ridiculous, it sounds completely alien and cool. The calmest part of this song has constant double kicks, which is a ridiculous bottomline to have.

What I have to assume is the main breakdown out of the many breakdowns, the dissonance breakdown, is the most unique and intense breakdown I've heard in a long while. Polymeter dissonance and chugs that go so hard you should be headbanging but you can't find the rhythm to headbang to, how do you even write something like this? It's utterly insane and it sounds so awesome despite how chaotic it is. The super fast lick that comes at the end of it is the mindblowing cherry on top of the cake. Through my first listen, I was barely able to comprehend the technicality and sonic insanity going on, and then they threw me like a thousand notes in two seconds. Absolutely mad. Lukas screaming on top of all of that seems so calm and casual compared to the instrumentals, which is a crazy statement to make considering how good of a vocalist Lukas is.

I don't really have much to say, it's just relentless heaviness that's so brutal you can't help but laugh at its ridiculousness. I always thought the pursuit of heaviness would more often than not be a stale and dull endeavour trying to get a low enough frequency you could count on your fingers, but this is so refreshing for a immensely heavy song. No doubt a banger.

Rating: 4.5/5

"[m]other" Album Cover

Split EP: Alpha Wolf & Holding Absence - The Lost & The Longing [2022]

When I first saw the lead single for this split EP, I was honestly just surprised to see these two bands collaborating. They have wildly different sounds and I never would have thought they would make a song together, let alone a whole split EP. Regardless, I was super excited because these two bands have slowly become favourites of mine. Both A Quiet Place to Die and The Greatest Mistake of My Life were records that I first didn't really like other than one or two tracks, but after listening to them again and again, grew on me greatly.

I'll talk about them in chronological order of release, since the four songs were basically released one by one. Usually I talk about records in their tracklist order because that's how I listen to them, but I had so much time to soak into each song when they came out that that's how I formed my impressions of them.

When I first heard Aching Longing, I thought Lochie was doing all the screaming, and it actually took a long while before I realised that Lucas actually had some really serious screams. I was indifferent to it when it first came out as the lead single because of this, and at the time I thought that the blend of the two bands' sounds didn't really meld together as well as it should've. Now though, I realised that it was a completely different point being made. Holding Absence was actually putting out their heaviest song ever, and with that they made Lochie's feature fit in really well in retrospect. Although subtle, they took a sizeable amount of inspiration from Alpha Wolf's sound and fused it with the heaviest rendition of their own sound. I'm excited to see Holding Absence strutting into heavy territory with such confidence, but with that said Aching Longing is still the least impactful song to me, albeit on a banger EP where the other three songs are so high quality that a song as good as Aching Longing seems decent at best.

Hotel Underground came next, and it was just a good old Alpha Wolf song. It has all the rage and dissonance you'd expect from Alpha Wolf, and more to offer. The riffs definitely have a bit more groove in them, and there's also a lot more interesting choices in their sound design. That one part where it sounds like someone's mashing arcade buttons is a weird but fun addition, and I feel it fits weirdly enough. Lochie's vocal melodies and rhythms in this one is a lot more fun too, and in general it feels like he's saying more words than usual. The lines right before the breakdown has such a fun cadence to it, it feels new for Alpha Wolf and I love it.

Coffin is such a good song. It sounds like it belongs on The Greatest Mistake of My Life, and if I'm being honest, would be the best song on the album for me if it was. I don't know what exactly about Coffin I like so much, on paper it just looks like a typical Holding Absence song. I don't even like the bridge that much, it feels like it doesn't fit. There's just something about the verses and chorus that makes it my favourite Holding Absence song. Maybe it's just a really good vocal melody, or the sentiment behind the lyrics hits home or something, I'm honestly not sure. I just love this song so much.

60cm Of Steel was the last song released, and with it's arrival, concluded the split EP. This was what I envisioned the best possible outcome for an Alpha Wolf x Holding Absence collaboration. Unlike Aching Longing, where it felt like Alpha Wolf couldn't comfortably fit into Holding Absence's soundscape and they had to meet in the awkward middle, there was no need to compromise on this song as Lucas could comfortably match their intensity and rage on the chorus. This is an extremely Alpha Wolf song, I honestly can't point out to you anywhere that sounds like Holding Absence, not even Lucas' chorus, I've never heard him with this vocal style before, he's basically scream-singing. The chugs are great, the dissonance is fun, the chorus is lovely, the breakdown is wild. When it comes to musicianship, this is undoubtedly the best song on the EP.

I love that they chose to collaborate on two songs on this four song split EP. Usually split EPs are just 1-3 songs from each band put together (e.g. This Is As One by Holding Absence and Loathe), occasionally with one collaborative song (e.g. A Sure Disaster by If I Die First and SeeYouSpaceCowboy...), but I've never seen a two-collab split EP. It really was awesome, and I think essential, to get two different servings of their collaborative sound. I feel like it wouldn't do them justice to have just one collaborative song trying to meet in the very middle of their two contrasting sounds, and I'm glad they made the choice to do two collaborative songs with each song leaning heavily into each of their sounds. Overall, it's been one of the most fun and interesting releases of the year, it felt genuine and expressive, it felt like something they did because they love making music.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. 60cm Of Steel

2. Hotel Underground

3. Aching Longing

4. Coffin

Lyric Of The Week 24: No Return

"It's rock bottom and you finally have a reason. It's do or die, I'll see you when you're breathing."

Beartooth - No Return, from the album Below

Song: Slipknot - Yen [The End, So Far, 2022]

I have a confession: I have yet to start listening to the legendary metal band Slipknot. Do not know any of their songs, do not know what they are famous for. When The Chapeltown Rag and The Dying Song (Time To Sing) came out, I did a listen just to see if I could get into it while it's new and fresh, and neither of those songs did it for me at the time. When Yen came along, that's when I finally liked a song enough to replay it until I loved it. But even till now, I have left the rest of their discography untouched, and I hope to get to it at some point but I will see how I feel about their upcoming album. I do have a slight aversion to older metal, especially classic metal, as much as I want to appreciate it.

Yen feels surprisingly modern, I don't know if my expectations of the band were justified but this definitely subverted it. This vampire-esque metal ballad is spooky and dark, like a cinematic horror soundtrack, yet there are tinges of romantic flavours in sadistic tones, most prominently in the lyrics. Compared to what I vaguely remember of the previous two singles, this is significantly softer and less angry, leaning more towards a heartfelt and powerful sound.

The clean vocals in the verses are astoundingly haunting. The lyrics feel obsessive, the delivery feels love-drunk, and the vocal tone is exquisite, like fine wine. For a metal vocalist, it sure is rare to find one that can also excel in clean vocals, especially this kind of lower range singing typically found in musicals and such. The slow-paced instrumentals help to develop a richer soundscape that really accentuates the atmosphere and vibe of the verses.

I love that there's a subtle but powerful grit in his vocals going into the chorus, it really matches up with the increase in energy from the instrumentals going into the chorus. It also sells the idea of an obsessed lover, and is the exact vocal timbre to match the sentiment of the lyrics in that exact moment. It feels more metal, yet still very ballad-esque, which seems like a very hard balance to get.

The bridge makes a lot of sense storywise, as a climax point of the lover's obsession, but it does strike me as slightly off songwise. Not that it doesn't fit, but it feels a bit out of character. Regardless, it doesn't take much away from the song, and I don't mind it at all when listening to the song. The final chorus does a decent job at wrapping up the song, with slight changes to the structure and an added pre-chorus, but otherwise is nothing much too special.

It sure is a fun song to listen to. I'm going off of an assumption that this is not their usual offerings, and I don't think I'll be wrong about it, but I always love modern metal bands trying out softer sounds and ballads. It's nice to see bands mix up their palettes and records having a more diverse soundscape, and we really get to see bands' musicianship shine when they are out of their comfort zone. Yen is a fun listen, but I'll have to keep in mind not to make this my initial impression of the band, as it is nowhere near their signature sound. That aside, I love this song for what it is.

Rating: 4/5

EP: ten56. - Downer Part.1 [2021]

I found out about ten56. through Nik Nocturnal (who is great by the way), and I remember him describing this band as pissedcore, and there truly is no better descriptor than that. This compact six-song EP is packed full of unbridaled rage, dark and borderline disturbing. Yet, the heaviness and ruthlessness is unlike no other and it is such a good listen.

Exit Bag is one of the wildest intro songs on any metal record ever. I literally have no idea how half of the sounds are made on the guitar, but it is so sonically brutal and completely absurd in the best way. The chugs are insanely low, the tone is unreal and the scratches are everywhere. The song is so interestingly structured, reminiscent of trap metal and a bit of metalcore. The breakdown is downright ridiculous, there is nothing I can really say other than "what the fuck". The riff literally has a meow in it. It's just pure heavy, this song.

Diazepam and Shitspitter are kind of the two least crazy songs (relatively) on the EP. They have a more traditional metalcore structure and have less gimmicks going on, but they are still great songs on their own and fit well into the EP. With mostly low chugs and screams, it just doesn't stand out as much. Granted, I do really like the final breakdown on Shitspitter, not because of the surprise breakdown, but the line delivery is somehow really satisfying.

Sick Dog was the first song I heard from this EP, when it was released as a single. It was really interesting with it's trap metal style, and the slower pace which I didn't really love at first made a lot more sense as a pitstop in the EP. Outside of that, the obvious great thing about this song is the glitch breakdown, which is one of the coolest things I've seen any band do for a breakdown. I always love a good variety breakdown, but the added electronic effects just makes it even better.

Boy is peak pissedcore. That riff is going down in history, it feels like the guitar is screaming as much as the vocalist is. The lyrics are downright disturbing, the instrumental is disgustingly brutal, the breakdown keeps going, they do it like three times. The calm trap section at the end almost feels mandatory to even out the absolute rage barely contained in the rest of the song.

Kimo feels like a record holder of some sort, if there was a world record for lowest possible metal song. I have to commend them for the fact that despite the main focus of the song being the last section where they go lower and lower until they start digging below Satan's basement, the rest of the song has its merits and is still insanely heavy. But yes, that final breakdown is devilish, the buildup to it feels like it came straight out of a mental asylum, the lyrics probably do, and the vocals and guitars are starting to go out of hearing range. I want to think that this song is what it feels like to lose your mind to the devil, or some lovecraftian horror, except it's made by humans and that's probably concerning. In fact, the whole EP's lyrics are kinda disturbing and maybe a therapist (or two) should get involved, but when it comes to heavy modern metal, it's great.

Downer Part.1 is one of the refreshingly heaviest records in a long while, and the band is definitely going places. I do hope they continue to innovate, because I'd hate for them to start putting out songs that are nearer to the standard of Diazepam and Shitspitter, songs that are just heavy for the sake of it and aren't as memorable. I was slightly disappointed by Yenta, I'll admit. I'm sure they'll be able to shock us still, this band is full of potential in making pissedcore a thing, and they definitely have the musicianship in their hands. As it stands, this EP is ridiculous.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:

1. Exit Bag

2. Diazepam

3. Shitspitter

4. Sick Dog

5. Boy

6. Kimo

Lyric Of The Week 23: Circles

"I'm just dying to be all that I've been dreaming of."

EDEN - Circles, from the EP i think you think too much of me

Song: I Prevail - Body Bag [TRUE POWER, 2022]

Body Bag is such a great lead single for the new I Prevail record. I haven't seen any song that is as much like them as this is, and I have high hopes that this is a sign that their upcoming record will be them at their best, honing in even more on the sound they established with TRAUMA.

This song alone features a surprising amount of genre-fusion, which is something we already know them for. Their blend of metalcore, rock, rap and electro-pop elements has been amazing since TRAUMA, and I'm excited for more. That aside, it is surprisingly heavy, and I love them even more for it.

The moment the intro riff comes in, you already know they're about to get pissed. After Eric's screams and Gabe's drumming enters as well, we are in full angry mode, and the lyrics absolutely match the energy. The verses are fast-paced and relentless, the growls are low and the screams are intense.

The chorus fits surprisingly well. I know they have their formula for these kind of pop-structured metalcore songs, but a clean chorus that can smoothly follow up on such a ruthless verse's intensity is commendable. It is quite catchy too, although it's nothing surprising from them. This is where they excel after all, their home territory in a sense. It's fun that they decided to end the chorus with another brutal scream and a beautiful line, "Oh my god just shut your fucking mouth". His scream there is crazy, by the way, I have to point out.

The drop out and slam into the next verse is so well executed, and the second verse is wildly different. I like that they switch up the vibe entirely, different vocal rhythms, different dynamics, different everything, yet it feels like the same song. When they go back into the chorus again, they also throw in some variations, which always makes the song more interesting.

Their breakdown subverted my expectations wholly. It felt so much like a traditional buildup to a traditional breakdown, but they went with a fast-paced double time riffdown that works so well, especially when they rerun it with some ridiculous double kicks. Even during this, they still keep kicking up the pace like they're building up to something even bigger, and then they drop into this second section of their breakdown that has slowly become my favourite part of the song. The electronic buzzy synths create this really cool slow-mo/low-gravity vibe, and Brian comes in with some really tastefully delivered lines. I'm especially in love with how the vocal rhythms are enhanced by the accompanying synths and drums, it sounds wild.

There's really nothing to top after the breakdown, and the final chorus and outro is nothing crazy, but it wraps up the song nicely and, tadah, it's a banger. Angry, relentless, intense, yet unique and in their own style. It's fun to listen to, it's absolutely headbangable, it's perfect.

Rating: 4/5

Album: Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer [2022]

It's finally here. The tenth album from the Sacramento post-hardcore outfit has landed fresh on our doorstep, and it is such a treat. Boasting a massive tracklist of 18 songs, the addition of Andrew Wells as a full-time member of the band, and a tasteful selection of new and familiar sounds.

I absolutely love that they brought back the prelude track for their tenth album as a callback to Downtown Battle Mountain, Untitled 2 sounding way different compared to Untitled yet both evoking the same feelings. In a way, it feels like a representation of how much more refined as a band they have become, yet continuing to harness the same energy and musical freedom they've had from the beginning.

There are so many tracks, I don't even know where to begin. The 4 singles leading up to the album release were surprisingly tame if I'm being honest, in the sense that they felt very in the home territory of Dance Gavin Dance. All four of them feel like slightly different near-perfect renditions of their formula, which I absolutely won't complain about, but I remember not being able to tell exactly what kind of direction they were going with this new album from the singles.

The album release brought upon the rest of the songs, and they are all so wildly different and I love them all to death. There is a running theme of summer vibes through most of the songs, but I love the variety of emotions that come through in different songs. Holy Ghost Spirit is very euphoric, Ember is so heavenly, One Man's Cringe is soft and therapeutic, Two Secret Weapons is so unbelievably funky and groovy, Back On Deck is wildly catchy, and the final three tracks were surprisingly monumental-sounding.

I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that's so different on this record compared to the previous ones, but it felt like they made the choice to do different things and it somehow made it more like Dance Gavin Dance. Songs like For The Jeers, One Man's Cringe and Swallowed By Eternity would have never even come close to appearing on any of their previous records. This record feels so refreshing for their sound, especially for a band that created a genre and is constantly redefining it.

I have to give credit to the band for getting this out despite being in the midst of tough times. Losing Tim was unbelievably saddening, and there is very little silver lining in listening to the last of his music, as grateful as we all are to even have it. The rest of the band has had their issues as well, with the touring and everything before and after the release. It really does seem like the band can never catch a break, but it does come off as a strong statement of their love of making music.

This record has definitely replaced the top spot now, kicking Mothership down to second place. It feels like a gift I don't deserve, with how top-notch the record is in every way. Maybe they were intending to go further than ever before and, in a sense, go all out for their tenth album, and if so, it is a masterpiece of a milestone record. There is truly no band quite like Dance Gavin Dance, and I feel that this record is their new magnum opus.

Rating: 10/10

Tracklist:

1. Untitled 2

2. Cream Of The Crop

3. Synergy (feat. Rob Damiani of DON BROCO)

4. Holy Ghost Spirit

5. For The Jeers

6. Ember

7. Pop Off!

8. One Man's Cringe

9. Feels Bad Man

10. Die Another Day

11. Two Secret Weapons

12. Polka Dot Dobbins

13. Long Nights In Jail

14. Back On Deck

15. Current Events

16. Pray To God For Your Mother

17. Swallowed By Eternity

18. Have A Great Life