One of the main problems that I had with Of Machine and Men was the fact that there was almost no experimentation in that album. Every song was pretty linear concerning song structure—there was no surprise to be found. Thankfully, in Exit Mould, there is indeed some experimentation to be found. Songs like "Spiral", "Revelation", and "Mistaken Identity" contain some ideas that I was not expecting at all. The experimentation is not drastic however—the sound that is produced is still decidedly Pale Forest. It’s nice to see some new ideas incorporated into this album though.

Singer, Kristin Fjellseth, sounds the best she’s ever sounded on Exit Mould. Just listen to the chorus of the title track, "The Pale Suit of Drunkenness", or "Nine-Eight" and tell me Kristin’s voice does not tug at your heart strings! In "Spiral" we hear Kristin as we’ve never heard of before. Kristin reaches near the bottom of her range throughout most of the songs—it’s nice to hear some low notes actually. Her singing has always been sort of "little girl"-ish, though in "Spiral" we hear a more woman-like voice. Unfortunately, this is the only song where her deep voice can be heard. As much as I love her higher voice, I would have loved to hear more of this lower voice. "Stigmata" and "A Perspective on Certain Matters According to X" contain some excellent vocals of Miss Fjellseth as well. Unlike Of Machine and Men, there are much many male vocals present on Exit Mould. In the concluding song, "Mistaken Identity", the female and male vocals are sung in unison throughout the whole song. Still, the male vocals seem a bit unnecessary when you have a vocalist like Fjellseth in your band.

The songs are on this album a very well crafted for the most part. There are some excellent tunes, such as the ones previously mentioned. However, there are a few songs that don’t really tickle my fancy. "Urban Walls", "These Old Rags", "Holy Summer", and "Mistaken Identity" are sort of lost when listening to the entire album. They aren’t really bad; they are just lost in the mix when compared with songs like "A Perspective on Certain Matters According to X", "Spiral", and "Exit Mould".

Exit Mould does have its problems, though I feel like these problems aren’t as serious as they were in Of Machine and Men. The songs are very well crafted, with many songs on Exit Mould being better than the best on Of Machine and Men! I would highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoyed Of Machine and Men, and even to those who are into the femme metal/rock world in general.

8.5 / 10