PAINTING ON GLASS

At this point, 3rd and the Mortal had only the faintest connection with the style of gothic metal they had helped to inaugurate with their debut - oh, the female vocals, doomy riffs and other hallmarks of the genre are still there, but they're just one feature of a much more diverse smorgasboard of ingredients. Crammed with sonic experimentations and ambient textures, at points the album is reminiscent of the jazz-tinged soundscapes of the early post-rock scene, though 3rd and the Mortal have a very different approach to taking on those influences than exhibited by many subsequent post-metal bands. On the whole, this is gothic metal gone deliriously avant-garde, creating a brilliantly original sound in the process.