Apparently inspired by vocalist Tomas Lindberg’s deeper, more philosophical lyrics that in turn were inspired by writer Thomas Ligotti, the band wanted to make a darker record than 2018’s To Drink From The Night Itself. They have succeeded in this, though this album is perhaps a less violent one. There is a distinctly gloomy mood that hangs over proceedings, often an air of outright hopelessness, such as on the the title-track, and specifically the spoken sections. Then there is Garden Of Cyrus that goes full on prog, saxophone and all, making for something you would never expect to hear on an At That Gates record, but in context strangely works. Likewise, the epic strains of the nearly seven minutes of The Fall Into Time makes for perhaps the grandest thing they have ever done.