"With CLOAK OF ALTERING I’ve been trying to better or at least be as good as 666 International. An album that had such a big impact on me.
Every song/section on that album is just very good. Around every corner there’s something mind blowing. And it still sounds really fresh after all these years. You can be weird and avantgarde.. but you can also be weird and avantgarde and make GOOD MUSIC. That’s what I try to do. I try to combine weird elements that sound fresh and new to something actually worth listening to. Not just random sounds/riffs. If I achieve that goal is for other to say... all I can say is that this 7th (!!!) album is probably the best one, both in terms of productions and ideas/songs.
I made sure that every section/song has something that catches one’s attention or at least some kind of hook. The lyrics are written in one long stream of consciousness process: the spilling of 47 years of gathering weird information. If I ever lose my mind, this is what I will sound like... insane.
01: I slip into a coma: Soothing melodic themes ... weird timed beats…’metal’ middle section. Palm muted riffs… I almost never do palm mutes.. Lots of background sounds. A blast beat. Soothing outtro... coma achieved.
02: I have missed the light so much: I sampled a falling can... I sampled my old band's demo... I tried to incorporate some ‘gliding’ riffs. This song has a nice flow imo.
03: Splendid euphoria of murdering ravens: Jazzy intro, black metal section.. pretty melodic. A vocoder! I like the outtro section.
04: I shall preserve the carefully shaped hatred for all things you: I sampled a GTT track for the intro. The reversed reverb is an old school trick where producers would reverse the 2 inch tape and record the reverb. I used a plugin. Beneath the staccato riffs there’s a whole world of sounds and vocals
05: The Jesuscraft: In some parts the guitar sounds mimic the sounds of lo fi 90’s black metal on purpose. That unbalanced trebly sound. The riffs are pretty melodic on this one. The sound within the song alters over time. Like two songs sliced together…well, that was the idea.
06: Prophets with swollen tongues: A slow crawling beginning. Brass section inspired by some soundtrack I was listening to. Classic saw tooth wave bass section. Weird beats, cut up piano sounds. Reversed synths. Can you spot the Bossa nova beat?"
Source: https://www.invisibleoranges.com/cloak-of-altering-sheathed-swords/