I was sort of mixed on this album when I first listened to it, but on this relisten, I realize how wrong I was. This is a very thematically powerful album. It's very clear most of these songs were made in reaction to social injustices at the time, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, countless mass shootings, etc., which makes the contents of the songs even more powerful. The powerful symphonic riffs add to the themes a lot, too. This is honestly one of my favorite albums now, alongside The ... read more
While it doesn't reach the heights of Asylum, Immortalized, or Evolution in my opinion, it's still a very powerful album highlighting problems with today's society. A big example of this is the single "Bad Man," where it's obviously talking about bad leaders like Trump or Putin, and how their incompetence is killing people and yet still get followers no matter what. Other issues this album pushes to the forefront is how social media has caused everyone to hate and lash-out to each ... read more