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Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive! Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The latest full-length release from Baltimore experimental rock band Horse Lords features contributions by Nina Guo, Madison Greenstone, Weston Olencki, and Evelyn Saylor.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Jun 23, 2026
    80
    The band’s overall approach feels less frantic and needling, more expansive and sinuous [than 2022's Comradely Objects]. The addition of further guest musicians Madison Greenstone on bass clarinet and Weston Olencki on trombone to the core quartet of Max Eilbacher (bass), Andrew Bernstein (sax), Owen Gardner (guitar), and Sam Haberman (drums) only makes the album’s sound palette even richer.
  2. Jun 16, 2026
    80
    If there's a math equation at the centre of it all, this one continually produces highly unpredictable and unusually captivating results. [Jul 2026, p.28]
  3. Jun 16, 2026
    80
    Horse Lords' music is both demanding and rewarding, and the group continues to innovate while remaining hopeful and celebrating life.
  4. Jun 16, 2026
    80
    Individual fragments lose their original function while simultaneously becoming recurring motifs. As a result, the record achieves a remarkable coherence. It is not a concept album in any conventional sense, yet it unfolds like a single narrative whose chapters continually circle back to the same question.
  5. Jun 16, 2026
    76
    Demand to Be Taken to Heaven Alive! makes one or two schematic tweaks to the chassis they’ve built, resulting in a smoother, more welcoming ride than usual.
  6. The Wire
    Jun 16, 2026
    70
    It's the first time that singing has appeared on a Horse Lords recording. But while shape note singing requires no electricity, Saylor and Guo's voices have been so liberally dipped in AutoTune that the words are indistinguishable. [Jul 2026, p.49]
  7. Jun 18, 2026
    70
    There is a beautifully down-to-earth aspect to this record, and Horse Lords seem keenly aware of and confident in their signature sound while still finding ways to keep it fresh and unique.