"Loss" and "Absolution" make great bookends but the tonal shift into a distractingly faster paced and darker, grittier sound in between ruins the immersive experience they worked so hard to establish with a tidal atmosphere of sauntering riffs and depressive melodies. There's an underlying fuzzy guitar effect that muddles the overall compositions slightly but it actually works as a nice contrast to the softer shades of doom on display. I'd appreciate this a lot more on a personal level had it not felt so musically inconsistent as a whole.

Definitely not a "starter" album for someone getting into the doom/sludge subgenres, but this is a fantastic piece of art. It's brooding, dark, and murky. Not one I'd throw on repeat for fun. Instead, this is a good contemplation album.