Encephalon was formed in 2005 in Ottawa, Canada by Alis Alias, Matt Gifford, and Sam Mainer and self-released a number of demos before getting the attention of labels, most notably the German label Dependent (who put out the band’s first commercially available track), and Artoffact Records, who released the band’s debut, The Transhuman Condition. That record went on to receive album of the year nods on music blog I Die: You Die, who noted that Encephalon are “squarely ahead of most of their peers.” After an eventful half-decade spent playing gigs and festivals, Encephalon return with their third record, a double-album of stupendous, incredibly well-conceived music. The new album will continue to inspire and awe fans of cyberpunk industrial, while still drawing on the epic mixture of symphonic-metal, EBM, and, yes, Meatloaf, that we’ve all come to love.