Album Rating: 1.0

Yep.

Album Rating: 4.5

Harder To Pretend is a bop. It's like if you mixed elements of Japanese jazz fusion / fighting game soundtracks and mashed it with Absolution-era Muse

Album Rating: 4.2

Yeah that track is wild, so many left turns.

Album Rating: 3.5

that’s a good way to put it, it’s definitely the most fun track here

Album Rating: 3.0

i love how this isn't trending but i let it in is

Album Rating: 4.0

kinda sucks cuz this is much better imo



I completely get why people that LOVE that record aren’t crazy about this, but for me this is the exact kinda shit I wanted them to do. I always felt they had a good core sound that separated them from other djenty metalcore bands and to me this record fuckin proved that right.



No other band in the scene would make a sharp left turn into doing something like this.

Album Rating: 4.0

Need to sit and absorb this. I've listened to it a few times but I wasn't particularly paying attention when I spun it.

Album Rating: 5.0

"No other band in the scene would make a sharp left turn into doing something like this."



You know ball

Album Rating: 4.5

I like that this is so musically rich even between a lot of the 0--0-0-0 djenty moments

Album Rating: 4.5

I could write a review with how much I have to say about this album. Wildcard’s line of thinking was my own when it first came out, that the middle was just unneeded filler, but even that’s grown on me except for اثينا which always pulls me out b/c of the spoken word bit. Both interludes are kind of mid compared to something like "Nothing More". I still listen to that on its own in a general ambient playlist.



The mix isn’t shit at all, but needs to be experienced on great quality headphones or big speakers. Anything less and I get the complaints. You could make a case that this means the mixing is shit, but I’d wager forcing it to sound pretty good on everything usually means there’s also nothing it really shines on. I think PyramidNoise nailed a big influence here. I also noticed it, but on “questioning” from Static Dress’ new release. There’s a section on that song that feels entirely ripped from Death From Above 1979. Considering the connection between Static Dress and Loathe, it got me wondering whether that noise-heavy kind of alt-rock sound design might have played an influence here.



The less traditionally heavy stuff feels fresher. There’s a lot of indie rock or indie pop influences that feel like they shouldn’t work, but they really, really do: Block of Flats, The Ladder, etc. Then there’s all the little wild choices like the jazz in Harder to Pretend and the aggressive club music during the final third of Gemini. I can’t think of another band that could’ve actually seamlessly woven all the disparate influences through the record. And it’s good that they did b/c they made the ultimate Deftones worship album with ILIIAITE and there was no point in retreading that any further. It’s just a shame that they lost a bit too much of the heaviness in the process.



The final five tracks all rip. Album’s a grower for sure. I don’t think it can really reach the heights of ILIIAITE as a whole album, as that’s just a classic example of time and place, but there’s individual moments here that surpass that album for sure.

Album Rating: 4.0

I think when people complain about the mix they really just mean the tones… I think the mix is pretty good actually, but ya I get why people don’t like the guitar tones across this thing

Album Rating: 4.5

Must be a matter of preference. I love how distorted and djenty it sounds. I'm not sure they could pull off the ending to a song like Gemini or the backing synths in the opening of Revenant without it.

finally got round this giving this another go, and once I got past/over the production, there's def some good songwriting and other shit here. i still kinda hate the approach with the production and mixing, but there is more detail underneath the noise.

the heavy sections all feel very engineered for the live stage to blow people's eardrums out but the gentler more intimate tracks have a lot to enjoy. im not sold yet but i can see myself coming round with another couple gos

Album Rating: 4.5

"I think when people complain about the mix they really just mean the tones…"

I've been telling people, this is actually mixed impeccably but the creative decisions on the production side might not be everyone's cup of tea

a stranger to apu

Real

loathe's falloff needs to be studied

"I think when people complain about the mix they really just mean the tones…"

nah the noisy sections of gemini and revenant are just bad mixing. Other songs for sure they can be creative choices (and they pay off big in some songs) but not these two. i've spun this album like 100 times now and can confidently say I always laugh when that two songs come by.

but I have to say the layering and harmony in the final chorus for No Stranger to You is absolutely gorgeous

Album Rating: 3.5

yall remember those microwaved memes



this is that soundwise, microwaved