Georgia-based psychedelic rock band (calling them a metal act seems very reductive, though there's some seriously headbangable material on this disc) has made a subtle but unmistakable evolutionary leap on this, their second full-length and a clear companion piece to 2007's . It's hard to say exactly what new guitarist has brought to the band after replacing drummer 's brother , but the band's established blend of Southern sludge riffs, druggy instrumental journeys, and melodic interstitial interludes, all propelled by a particularly thudding drum sound and held together by 's hoarse but clean vocals and gorgeous cover art, are even stronger now than before. The transition from the almost -like into the crunching hard rock epic is just one example of ' seamless melding of moods through technique and compositional acumen. There are numerous interludes on the disc -- basically, any track shorter than four minutes is an exploration of a riff followed by a dissolve into sound effects or keyboard swooshes, slowly dissolving into the next actual song. for example, offers one of the album's heaviest riffs, but it's a mere appetizer before a suitably galloping prog-metal epic that effectively conquers 's territory, and includes some astonishing guitar leads. This is a ferocious album that's not afraid to be genuinely beautiful. ~ Phil Freeman