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I've followed Phinehas for years since their first full album release.thegodmachine was a great mix of proggy and ethereal elements tied into the metalcore formula - a fresh sound that popped up out of nowhere.Then it was The Last Word Is Yours to Speak, which removed itself from the more proggy and ethereal sound, and instead focused on some really tasty and incredibly improved riffage and melody in slightly more streamlined song structures. On this one they explored and tied some other metal subgenres into their tracks and it ended up being a diverse and focused effort!Till the End is the album that they pinpointed a concise "sound", if you will. Every song on the album sounded like they belonged together, and it offered by far their best production value on an album to date, with great instrument separation and a spacious mix. The riffs on this were by far the most impressive offered by this band's musicians. It was an incredibly groovy, heavy, and technically impressive - my personal favorite Phinehas.Dark Flag takes off where Till the End left off - it retains the Phinehas signature from that album, instead of jumping to a different, but somewhat similar sound as occurred on The Last Word Is Yours to Speak and Till the End. This album is definitely their heaviest yet, with more time focused on breakdowns and neckbreakers than melodious guitarwork in earlier releases. For some, this will be exactly what they wanted to happen, for others, not so much, but certainly no departure in sound has occurred - do not worry; the ratio is just a bit different is all.It's not notably bold or treading on new ground this time, but instead looking to follow up Till the End with another polished signature release. It may not deliver a "WHOA WHAT?!" surprise at parts of the album like those prior, but it will give you a really solid metalcore album that deserves your full listening attention. If I had to pick my biggest gripe with the album, it's the mixing of vocals and guitars. Vocals are incredibly forward and clear, which is a really awesome experience on headphones, however, the guitars are lost in the mix at many points in the album, which stinks because their riffs are some of the most technically satisfying in the genre. If you are listening to these on speakers, you will definitely be hearing the vocals primarily over all else.Overall, great album - a solid release. Pick this up if you can! I wouldn't say it's their best for sure, but it's definitely a contender due to its polish and concisely executed vision.