With each album, discovers new ways of balancing the power and subtlety of their music. On , the band returns to its roots, working with producer for the first time in a decade and delivering its first set of completely instrumental songs in several albums' time. This is the most massive 's music has felt in quite awhile -- and for a band that turns in expansive pieces as regularly as they do, that's saying something. opens the album with shades of 's sparkling beauty, but it uses every second of its nearly seven minutes to more climactic effect than the previous album's subdued approach: beginning with intertwining pianos and keyboards, it teeters on the edge between beautiful and ominous, ratcheting up the tension until the song finally dies out with a violin that bleeds into feedback. That still doesn't quite prepare listeners for the wallop that -- which is 's lead single -- packs. It's no secret that loves metal and has never shied away from heaviness in their own music, but even their most churning workouts seemed to hover; hits the ground hard, and with a blunter impact, than any of their previous guitar workouts. As fantastic as is, it represents only as proof of how wide-ranging the album's sound is. is aptly trippy and surprisingly poppy, with wispy electronic textures and a huge rhythm section that gives the song almost planetary heft; and though doesn't hit any peaks or valleys, its rolling majesty and shadowy guitar melodies are still awe-inspiring. Between these major statements, takes breathers with smaller-scale tracks, like the glittering that reveal their intricacy with repeated listens. The album's second half expands on that subtlety in different ways: Though the -quoting climaxes in a skewering guitar solo, it's preceded by six minutes of artful counterpoint and jazz-tinged drumming; takes the opposite approach, with strong rhythms propelling a pensive melody for a uniquely mournful yet hard-hitting result. These tracks demand close listening, which makes 's slow-burning tribal rhythms and swarming guitars even more dramatic as the album's final statement. At first, it's tempting to want all of to be as obviously powerful as its biggest tracks, but with time it reveals itself as one of 's most masterful blends of delicacy and strength. ~ Heather Phares