I guess one could argue Voices is starting to almost abstractly distance itself from Akercocke. However, the tangible musical components of both bands are incontestable; the continuation of the Akercocke sound stands out like a double-decker bus clogged up in traffic. The whole package picks up from where "From the Human Forest�" left off, packaging and shipping vexing black/death metal riffs mostly covered in blast beats and harsh vocals. Voices' progressive elements show up in the clean vocals, which sound so much like Jason Mendon�a's that I honestly thought on my first few listens he had a role in this, and little experimental bits carefully placed around every corner, giving each chapter features of a distinctive identity between the carnage.

This is better than "From a Human Forest�" due to the overall refinement Voices shows on "London" in every conceivable way. The death/black metal riffs they throw out aren't different from the sequences on the debut, but they sound more involved in the general sketch of each song. It helps the band is exploring and experimenting to greater degrees; many of these tracks are ambitious. "The Antidote" is a creepy, atmospheric seven-minute monster slowly boiling itself up with eerie clean guitar chords that lead Voices to explode by the end of it, building up tension and conveying the noir vibe, a common theme in the many narrative sections here. "Megan" and "Vicarious Lover" also plummet and rise on the morbid rails of "London," sticking to the abstract black/death metal plan, each with their own particularities.