Biographical insights from creation to completion in their own words. The album of a lifetime. Bill Kelliher (guitars): "This is exactly the album we always wanted to make". Brann Dailor (drums, vocals, percussion): "When I listen to the album, I feel like I just came out of a violent movie. After the first few times of listening to the album, I couldn't say anything for over half an hour. It took me quite a while to come back down". Brent Hinds (lead guitar, vocals, banjo):" I am very impressed, even though we did it ourselves. I listened to the album and thought: I'm proud of these guys! I love these guys and I'm proud of the album". Troy Sanders (bass, vocals, bass synth): "I hope the album reflects the emotional journey we put into this creation". Bill: "From the 70's to the 90's you put on a record like ...And Justice For All, Kill ' Kill 'Em All or Reign In Blood and listened until it ran through. Then you'd turn it over and start all over again. We're more old-school in that regard, and we're trying to bring that experience back. Moving away from the shuffle , and instead taking an album as a whole so the whole picture is visible. That's what we've always tried to do, and we've done it with this one". Concepts. Bill: "They are songs that tell a story from the perspective of one man. I don't know if "ambiguous" would be the right term, but there are very deliberate double meanings in the songs". Brann:" The story describes a multidimensional journey that begins in the present. The protagonist leaves his crippled body, and travels into space with his astral body, but gets too close to a sun. He is pulled into a wormhole and flung into the sphere of ghosts. He has to convince them that he is not one of them and is infiltrated into a Russian Orthodox sect called Khlysty in the early 20th century. Right into Rasputin's body just before the assassination attempt. Then out of the body again, through a crack in heaven and into the devil's realm. But he is not pulled into hell, but returns to the present." On the production. Bill: "This was the time to work with a real professional , Brendan O'Brien. We had the opportunity to do much more than on previous albums. There is a clearer concept and is a more layered album. We were always concerned with the whole album as one big unit. We had 15 songs to choose from, and the seven that ended up being sounded like they were all coming from the same direction." Progressive Programs. Bill: "I was always a big fan of Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. They had 15-20 minute songs, and you didn't even notice how long they were. It was like one big movement. On this album, there's more singing and more polyphony, and less screaming. We're honing our musical skills. More hard rock than southern metal. Some bands can stay in the genre they grew up with forever, but we had to take it a step further this time. We made an album better than the album before it, and we want that to continue for the rest of our lives."