 Musically, it represents a massive departure in sound from the band's previous work, both for the increase in recording and production quality as well as for the pursuit of far more avant-garde and experimental directions than the band's previous work.The album incorporates Gregorian chants, chaotic moments and significant use of dissonant and atonal riffs and chord structures.The album was also originally intentionally structured in the manner of 1970s double albums, with each LP side opening with a "prayer" (side four, which opens with "Carnal Malefactor", being an arguable exception).