I was expecting this to be a nonstop assault of thrashing riffs—I mean, look at that cover—but it is surprisingly and disappointingly restrained for what it wants you to think it is trying to do. The album opens with a four-and-a-half-minute ambient intro with spoken word nonsense before it ever gets to anything serious, and then you get a weak guitar sound and undistinguished vocals buried under a ton of effects. The songwriting is slow and often breaks for surprisingly mellow melodic interludes. Overall there is too wide a gulf between what the name and title and cover art are selling you and what is actually on offer here.