Like Crash Love this is one of the rare AFI albums that doesn't begin with an intro track. The opening song Dark Snow is a full fledged song although it does do a good job in setting the style and mood. It's fairly heavy on the synth work and it's a fairly powerful song. Still A Stranger which starts with an acoustic guitar and features it in the background is probably one of my favorites from this album and from the band in general. Hidden Knives does a great job blending elements of hard rock, punk, and post punk all together, it's a song that could have fit right in on Sing The Sorrow. The standout track is easily So Beneath which is probably the most aggressive song they have really ever done, the band does not mince words or hide it's message with the song.
I've actually really enjoyed Davey Havok's vocal changes throughout the years. Crash Love was a bit too smooth though, the grittiness was missing and while there on Burials it wasn't nearly as smooth as it is on this album. Honestly this is the best his voice has sounded in years, especially on songs like The Wind That Carries Me Away with it's shout and catch bridge. While there is some growling sprinkled throughout if you're looking for screaming you might want to look at XTRMST instead because it's really not here. Jade Puget on guitar also seems to have found his comfort zone again. Some of the riffs on Crash Love and Burials felt a little bit awkward or rushed. Not so on this album, it just sounds like it flowed naturally. Also as a bonus not sure what it is but something about many of the riffs, particularly on songs like Snow Cats and White Offerings really remind me of Sing The Sorrow's style.
The album does carry some clots though. Some of the tracks are very stylistically similar and can blend together, however that isn't to say they are necessarily boring. There are some songs like Above The Bridge which repeats it's chorus just a few too many times and The Cure inspired Feed From The Floor that do fall a bit flat. They're not bad but just overall meh especially considering the strength of the rest of the songs on this album.
AFI have really gone back through their history with The Blood Album and returned to a style that blends their hardcore roots with post punk and hard rock. The result is something that feels comfortable like returning to an old friend. They really have shown they have no intention on stopping nor are they willing they stay still with their style. While bringing going back and bringing back a lot of elements that made fans fall in love they have also progressed their sound even further. It's everything an AFI fan could really want from an album.