A powerful and fitting addition to a stunning catalogue of music, Manchester Orchestra release their sixth studio album, The Million Masks Of God.
An album that harnesses the unmistakable songwriting prowess of Andy Hull and Robert MacDowell, executing it on a refreshed, grander scale than before, The Million Masks Of God is not simply a return to form by the beloved rock group, but a new set of tales for new and old fans alike to wholly immerse themselves in as a brand new year takes hold.
Driven by Manchester Orchestra’s refocused approach to creating music, The Million Masks Of God is a record specifically designed to be listened to in sequence, across one sitting.
Inspired by their experience scoring their first film (2016’s Swiss Army Man), Hull and McDowell decided to bring this ‘movie-album’ process and structure into the studio.
Thematically, the album serves as both spiritual successor to 2017’s acclaimed record A Black Mile To The Surface, and as a way for the band to process a loss of a figure incredibly close to them. Where A Black Mile… was anchored by the journey of birth to death, The Million Masks Of God stands as a companion piece exploring what comes next.
The lush, cinematic soundscapes built on A Black Mile… in 2017 are expanded upon with beauty here; Manchester Orchestra flourishing in the studio, reinvigorated by new inspiration and influence. Offering up moments of epic catharsis (‘Bed Head’, ‘Keel Timing’) to contrast quieter moments of vulnerability (‘Tender’, ‘Way Back’), The Million Masks Of God doesn’t shy away from plunging itself into a wide range of emotions.
Charting the story of a man who encounters the Angel Of Death, who shows him various scenes from throughout his life, The Million Masks Of God soon took on personal connections for Manchester Orchestra, following the death of McDowell’s after a years-long battle with cancer in 2019.