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All the euphoria, transcendence, and power of heavy music radiates with blinding energy from the sophomore release by this self-proclaimed "blissful black metal" collective hailing from Los Angeles.

The Spiritual Sound combines crushing weight with creative intricacies. Lead single the song Bodhidharma rides a riff suited to a motorcycle crew, before a burst of static and screaming heralds a sad atmospheric rock middle eight. The maligned art of the virtuosic guitar solo is brilliantly revived by axeman Richard Chowenhill, whose lead work here and on highlight the song Flea will have you floating in ecstasy – yet the calm ballad Hallelujah showcases falling guitar notes played with youthful innocence.

Songs such as Micah (5.15.am) and the song Serenity are high-speed punk rock, while Dan’s Love Song is drum free and has slow-moving drone-metal fuzz rumbling underneath its dream-pop loveliness. Black metal melodies can often be either nonexistent or overly fussy, yet the band's guitar lines and choruses are vibrant and innovative, and closer The Reply even evokes a more intense Radiohead.

Fans of post-metallers Deafheaven will probably love all this contrasting dynamics and fearlessly beautiful sound, especially because the group also have two divergent singing approaches, divided here across two singers. One vocalist adds occasional melodic vocals, but the star is Leah Levinson, her voice quivers on Bodhidharma but splenetically caterwauling elsewhere.

As is common in the genre, it's difficult to discern her lyrics, but they’re worth the effort: the narratives she sings about personal struggles and anti-LGBTQ bigotry are devastating, just like her quest for meaning in a world that inexorably bends towards conflict.