Gaza is one of those bands I find so satisfying to listen to because as much traveling as the music does inside the songs, it always comes back to that deep, dark note of despair (“The Kicking Legs”) they’ve been dancing around for a minute and a half and when it hits, it’s like a flood of relief, a long-awaited homecoming of sorts. Sweeping, soaring guitar lines that fill up your ears a la Will Haven’s el Diablo, the grindier side coming out in sections of songs like “Carnivore,” Gaza does not force themselves into a genre, nay even a steady tempo throughout a piece.

“Windowless House” and “Canine Disposal Unit” showcase the band’s faster-paced brutality, but I still prefer the drug-induced swaying of the title track, a perfect example of what Gaza brings to the metal table. Continuing to crush the spirits of all Christians everywhere (or at least in their hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah) He Is Never Coming Back is a formidable expression of anger, dismissal of beliefs, and display of utter abandonment, a smack in the face to those who have committed themselves to long and widely-held ideals.

Gaza has outdone themselves with this one, a well-rounded album that will blast through my speakers for the rest of the year. Just don’t wait to put it on your Christmas list – that would be blasphemy.