Across the haunting sweep of "Concrescence of the Sophia" (21:42) and the much shorter "Silence of the Passed" (8:57) are some similarities, at least to me, to Anathema's _The Crestfallen_ EP (1992). It's hard to put my finger on, but there's something about the riffs, the subtle feedback, and the measured acoustic passages that are redolent of the aforementioned EP -- which is a fantastic thing to me. What I love about Mournful Congregation compared to other, newer funeral doom bands is the variation in their songwriting. Yes, this is a very slow, very dolorous form of metal; however, between the great leads, the clean guitar, the spoken sections, the acoustics, and the delicate shifts in tempo, each song really captivates my attention. There are also enough of these shifts in tempo and structure to make you think the song has changed entirely, even though it hasn't.