To say that this album is "good", "great", "perfect" or anything else would be an understatement. This album is Biblical. Black Eyes were in direct communion with The Lord and His Choir throughout the entire process of making this album. It's a logical continuation of their self titled despite what some may think (from playful no-wave-y dancey-punk that sounded strained and deeply personal, to jazzy no-wave-y punk slash free jazz hybrid that sounds like the soundtrack to biblical end times), still bleeding but now lucid enough to remember their assailants.

The band are experts at walking the line between cacophonous noise and total beauty, showing their free-jazz sides on songs like the opener Cough, Cough & Fathers of Daughters while still retaining their groovy sensibilities on tracks like False Positive and Spring Into Winter. Songs like Eternal Life fuse their two modes together into something supernatural and electric, while other tracks like Drums focus on building on a consistent groove and trying to maintain their composure.

Lyrically they continue themes from their self titled, such as sexual ambiguity & queerness (False Positive is all about the perils of dating and romance, Holy of Holies is equal parts devotional and deeply romantic petplay BDSM [on that note, the album flirts with themes of bondage sometimes. 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝓔𝔂𝓮𝓼.]) & urban violence ("I KNOW THE SOUND AND SMELL OF GUNSHOTS!!!" / "Helicopters every night over Washington, and you don't know if military or civilian..."), but now featuring a notable biblical overtones, such as with comparing U.S. occupation to Armageddon. The band rips from "Song of Songs" on Holy of Holies and quotes canonical passages in the cataclysmic Eternal Life, alongside seemingly pulling from Orthodox Christian music for composition.

Just as their self titled pulled from Black Poetry and pointed their sword at social injustices, Cough sees them pulling from biblical passages and aiming higher. They bring down their righteous fury upon everything from conformity & consumerist culture to the military & foreign policy. They've evolved from sexy revolutionaries into enlightened prophets, desperately shrieking about the end times in hopes of whipping the listeners into action and contemplation.

There really is no way I could possibly put my love for this album into words. I've tried with this, but I've come up short. I don't know how to close this out, aside from begging you (you specifically.) to listen to this album whenever possible. It's ethereal. It's biblical. It is the most convincing reanimation of punk I've ever seen.

WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE, LET THEM SEE!
WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR, LET THEM HEAR!
THE STRENGTH OF THE LION LIES DOWN
BEFORE THE STRENGTH OF THE LAMB!
SO WE'RE NOT DULL CHILDREN,
SO WE CAN KEEP MOVING,
SO WE CAN SHARPEN OUR LITTLE T-T-T-TEETH!
SO WE'RE THE FIRST AND LAST,
SO WE'RE THE HONORED ONE,
SO WE'RE THE SCORNED ONE,
THE WHORE AND THE HOLY ONE.
SO WE STOP HAVING THESE PANIC ATTACKS,
BUT NOT THESE PROPHETIC VISIONS.
SO WE KNOW HOW TO USE OUR QUEER TONGUES,
SO WE CAN KEEP OUR MOTION,
OUR JOINTS ROLL LIKE THE OCEAN,
WE ARE NO FRAIL MESSENGERS,
WE ARE THE SUN!!!

(excerpt from Eternal Life by Black Eyes)