87/100 across five reviews: as early as February, England’s Cryptic Shift post one of 2026’s highest extreme-metal aggregates. Four publications line up a 9/10 like a parade. Metal Hammer places the band « on a higher plane of prog metal consciousness »; Blabbermouth sells « an escape from the mundane, a brain-spinning trip into the obsidian kaleidoscope » — both pens belonging, incidentally, to the same Dom Lawson, conquered in stereo.
The independent voices concur. Angry Metal Guy (4.5/5) admits « a better record than my wildest expectations, six years in the making »; Distorted Sound (9/10) describes « every element meticulously planned » and one of extreme metal’s « most fresh and exciting » propositions. Tech-death, thrash, avant-garde, jazz fusion: the consensus salutes outsized ambition held together end to end.
The only nuance comes from Sputnikmusic (7.6/10), which mostly sees « plenty of reasons to devote an hour and a half to be taken over by the atmosphere » — a half-compliment pointing at the real entry barrier: the runtime. The public, at 77/100 on nearly 700 votes, confirms the trip is worth the ticket, however long.