The Exquisite Death Of Saxon Shore isn't just a clever name -- Saxon Shore's third full-length was almost stillborn after the departure of two of the three founding bandmembers in the summer of 2004. Guitarist Matt Doty floundered for a while and even considered working for the man full-time, but ultimately picked up the pieces, recruited new partners in sound, and released the Luck Will Not Save Us From A Jackpot Of Nothing EP in early 2005.

The reformed Saxon Shore isn't necessarily rehabilitated: as an instrumental wall-of-sound rock band, they still follow the quiet/loud/quiet school of music on a grandiose scale. Fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai or even Yume Bitsu will grasp The Exquisite Death immediately. The repetitive riffs, the gradual buildup and layering, the fantastic melodic release and the atmospheric denouement are all par for the course. However, Doty and company are slightly different this time around: the physical distance between the new members necessitated exchanging elements of their songs-in-progress via the Internet. This compositional process resulted in a greater reliance on electronics and synth effects than on past releases; without the monotonous guitar/bass/drums arrangements, The Exquisite Death's material feels more spacious and airy. The songs feel epic without actually being epic -- only three of them break the five-minute mark -- and they never collapse under their own weight.

Epic in scope and triumphant in execution, opener "The Revolution Will Be Streaming" (an allusion to the band's collaborative process) and closer "The Lame Shall Enter First" are ideal bookends for such an ambitious album. "With A Red Suit You Will Become A Man" channels the best of Trans Am, while the soaring guitars and heavy-handed melody in tracks like "This Shameless Moment" and "Isolated By The Secrets Of Your Fellow Man" are more in line with Pelican and Isis's gloomy, ethereal metal. These are strong songs from a group that believes in itself; Saxon Shore's members have quit full-time jobs and put graduate school on hold to shill their brand of rock. Their achievement is a palpable example of the success of instrumental music over the ostensibly more accessible lyrical kind -- and while some listeners might argue that the lack of vocals limits a band's expression, The Exquisite Death Of Saxon Shore proves that the exact opposite is true. This is rock you can believe in.