In a bold and unexpected move, seizes their artistic crown on the creative triumph . Teaming with and , they pack a lifetime of emotions into a ticking time bomb of angst buffered by the duo's unmistakable production, which deftly serves 's whims and allows the artist to outshine not only them, but a team of famous faces from the orbit. When the project was first announced, the combination of global-pop-star-plus-industrial-wizards seemed a bit incongruous. However, they've succeeded in bringing out the best in each other, with setting the stage for to finally indulge in her alternative rock side, and giving the guys an excuse to flex their mainstream pop fancies. isn't simply " singing over songs," but rather a true artistic union, where familiar touchstones -- ominous atmospherics, minor-key piano tinkling, techno glitches, and distorted riffs -- support 's visceral explorations of pregnancy, childbirth, life, and death. Along the way, they delve into the sacred and profane, face mortality, and reconcile vulnerability and empowerment. No strangers to the darker side of the human experience, match the self-loathing, regret, and pain coursing through 's soul with production that stirs tension, frustration, and rage. From the opening piano waltz "The Tradition" to the sparse guitar thrumming of the morbid ode to her daughter "Ya'aburnee" (an Arabic phrase meaning "You bury me," as in "I'll die first so I don't have to live without you"), it's clear that this is a purposefully un-pop version of . Delivering on the promise of the rock-leaning 2019 single "Nightmare" and the explosive collaboration with from the soundtrack, "Experiment on Me," launches headfirst into pop-punk (the bouncy "Honey"), industrial (the thrillingly cacophonous "Easier Than Lying"), and distorted sludge (the gothic horror showcase "The Lighthouse," an engrossing tale featuring whispered vocals from ). Additional standouts include "Girl Is a Gun," which features neon synths and bubble-pop beats courtesy of 's , and "Bells in Santa Fe," a gorgeous showcase of 's poetic lyricism, commanding vocals, and the studio sorcery of , , and . The album's big moment lands toward the end with the enthralling showstopper "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God," a throbbing culmination of the core trio's power as a sonic unit. Throughout, maintains full control of this cinematic concept album, reducing all-stars such as (on the "Landslide"-esque acoustic break "Darling"), ("Honey"), (on the rhythmic "Lilith"), and (on the '90s alt rock affair "You Asked for This") to mere studio hands. With supporting such a weighty artistic vision, takes a huge leap forward with this course-changing opus, a revelation that finally presents their most authentic representation of self. ~ Neil Z. Yeung