I think labeling this as metalcore is a mistake. This is a straight-up progressive metal album, and a pretty solid one at that. It leans HEAVILY into grooves rather than rough riffage or djent, and although that can lead to it stagnating slightly by the end those grooves are incredibly easy to lean into, and have a fair bit of variety. Very good work.

This is *the* djent album. I consider this to be better than anything Meshuggah has ever done.
The only things in the prog space that can even touch this are the more spacey soft stuff, which isn't a particularly fair straight-up comparison.
This album is mandatory listening for anybody with even a passing interest in progressive music. The kind of piece that I genuinely believe the majority of the human population should have heard at least once in their lives.

Relistening to this for probably the 30th time in the last couple months and yeah I just had to toss this review out.
This is, in my opinion, their masterpiece. It's a pinnacle of the genre and it represents them doing everything right. Holy shit what a fuckin album dude.

It's like if the guy behind that one Bungo Stray Dogs opening made his own take on 10,000 Days.
That might not be the most accurate description, but at least around track 3 it was all that was running through my mind.
I liked it a lot! Prog rock, an alt sound, interesting vocals, generally pretty unconventional, really a good experience!

Neuron activation.

Impossibly badass album art and it really has its moment, but the age of this album is showing. I liked it but I just don't see much of a reason to listen to it when more modern examples of the same style and ideas exist.
Mad respect for doing it so early!! I'm sure if I had heard this at release it would have blown my mind.

This steadily grew on me as I sat down after listening and thought back on my experience.
Manages to be shockingly listener-friendly while still holding a healthy amount of heaviness.
Really impressive level of sonic diversity on display, really clean and strong technicality, dope riffage and even the occasionally really sweet baseline, this album does it all.
This also manages to really capture an oldhead 80s sound without being boring as a result, I enjoyed it an awful lot and will be coming ... read more

I really thought I was going to love this:( The album art is really dope and I've heard amazing reviews, comparing them to some of my favorite bands.

But it just doesn't come through and doesn't hold up. This has given me a newfound appreciation for Marcus Vik, because now I know how empty a sound like this can feel when a voice like his isn't there.
There are flashes of really cool guitar parts, but they're completely drowned out by forgettable uninspired thalling. ... read more

One of my most anticipated releases of the year, despite the terrible album art unfortunately, and it exceeded expectations!
Love Rarely is so very bouncy and energetic while still managing to be absolutely full of heart and soul. Their vocalist not only has an excellent voice but really truly knows how to use it in the way that best serves the final product.
The sound here is one that can only be achieved with the entire band really feeling each other, and I've had a wonderful time with ... read more

I really hope that they don't lean further into the thall sound, because plenty of other bands(including Peur, who is made up of Invent Animate members) are already doing that. The intricacy of the guitar parts is what really makes this band who they are, and I don't want them to step away from that into something less technical.
That said, this is a banger, and around 2/3 of the way through I get a huge helping of that exact intricacy that I wanted.
Overall I think this could be a ... read more

Didn't have this reviewed on this platform before but yeah I've known since early 2023 that this is a masterpice. Holy shit what an album.
Perfect for listening to while reading a book; I particularly find it a good fit for high fantasy or the works of Lovecraft.
Absolute must-listen for all fans of Progressive music, both rock and metal.

Grew on me HARD as I listened.
I thought this was gonna be too much drone for me, not enough happening, but I was only partially right. I do think that this doesn't hold up to shoegaze like the work of Have a Nice Life, but that doesn't automatically mean it's free of quality.
Listening to this while settling in to do some schoolwork, and to finish that schoolwork and actually have the time to settle in with the back half of the album and a good book for the first time in months, ... read more

Really good atmosphere, really satisfying construction.
Shockingly accessible for a death metal album, but for once I actually think that's a good thing. It's solid without relying on any gimmicks, just straightforwardly good in a way lots of people can appreciate.

I had high expectations based on this album's presentation, but it landed right in the middle of the field. Some good moments, some soup. Maybe I'll like it more on a second listen.

This album is only really doing one thing, but it's doing it so well that I can't possible be mad. The tempo is so high and the chugs and growls are so incredibly pleasant.
Limb of Leviticus especially. Great album.

Not really as aggressive and weird as I was expecting. Really inventive and fun, would go bonkers in the club, but not actually an exceptional masterpiece like people were saying.

I was grabbing my morning energy drink when the opening riff started and I immediately decided that I didn't need it because this album had me covered.
Like twenty minutes later I was wishing I had grabbed a monster anyway. Idk, starts off good and there's some fun stuff but nothing special.

I always always ALWAYS need more screamo in my life. This gave a similar experience to SeeYouSpaceCowboy or even more so, Static Dress, both of who I absolutely love.
Really well-executed album overall, emotional and intense and kinetic and intriguing. Will be listening again.

Some fun soundscapes, some interesting vocals, overall pretty nice.

Some really nice shoegaze elements were the highlight of this one, but the more traditional rock sections failed to hold interest.
Honestly this would have been better if it was a straight-up shoegaze album, and I hope to see something like that from this artist in the future.
Enjoyable theming in the song titles!