I was really excited when I found out it would be more of an Angels of Light sound, as I love folk and acoustic-based music. But the album is just too long and meandering for me and I would probably cut out a couple songs completely. The Hanging Man is completely out of place and feels like a watered-down trilogy track. Leaving Meaning, The Nub, and Cathedrals of Heaven are all very similar, so I’d probably get rid of one of those. Finally, My Phantom Limb is a bizarre closer, especially coming after What is This?, which I feel would’ve worked a lot better. I would either cut Phantom Limb or put it somewhere else in the tracklist.

With that being said, the album is still a 6-7/10 for me. There are times, though rare, where I’m in the mood to hear it. It’s Coming It’s Real, Sunfucker, Annaline, and Amnesia are all excellent, and It’s Coming It’s Real is one of my favorite Swans songs.

I’m hoping they explore more of this sound on the new album, but tighten it up a bit. I have high hopes for The Beggar.