Heavy and incessantly shifting contours — ‘The Conductor’s Departure’ is simply riveting. The constant progression here can leave anyone speechless. Like any technical death sound, these textures are tangled and layered. But when combined with that relentless melodic progression, it only becomes more captivating. This level of savage sophistication in braiding tech death with complex drawn-out song structures is rare.

Anata is not only meticulous, but their compositions project an offhand feel, as if the record was composed on-the-go. In other words, they tread this demanding terrain of understated refinement, and tortuously rugged, yet dazzling display of spontaneity. Adds refreshing aspects to an otherwise grinding framework of measured technical progression. Undoubtedly, this blend of old school with modern technical death is melodic and yet dissonant — a cross-over act of the most demanding kind.