Musically, the band wanted to expand further upon its earlier output by incorporating more influence from artists whose music is as emotive and dynamic as their lyricism - Cave In, Sunny Day Real Estate/The Fire Theft, Peter Gabriel, Tiamat, Concrete Blonde, etc. - thus broadening song structures with more complex instrumentation and arrangements, coupled with a heavy, vibrant production.
Thematically, This is a Sickness and Sickness Will End doesn't stray entirely from CRUSADES' recurring 'spiritual' questioning, but this time around, Dave Williams (the band’s primary songwriter and lyricist) chose to reflect on the loss of two parental figures within the span of one year and many of the very human anxieties surrounding mortality that came along with that experience. In addition to his own family's various coping strategies (from his own atheism to others' deeply held religious beliefs), he looked to many of his favorite poets' and lyricists' own reflections on death and loss, comparing their written experiences to his own, borrowing a few particularly relevant lines, and attempting to highlight the universality of mortality throughout time and culture.
Gatefold Packaging Pressed on Limited Black with Color Burst Colored Vinyl
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