Existential Reckoning

{{Infobox album

| name = Existential Reckoning

| type = studio

| artist = Puscifer

| cover = Puscifer Existential Reckoning.jpg

| alt =

| released = October 30, 2020

| recorded = 2020

| studio = Puscifer Studios, North Hollywood, CA and The Bunker, Jerome, AZ

| genre = {{hlist|Industrial rock|alternative rock|electronic{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/existential-reckoning-mw0003417910|title = Existential Reckoning - Puscifer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic|website = AllMusic}}}}

| length = 60:01

| label =

Alchemy
BMG

| producer = Mat Mitchell, Puscifer

| prev_title = Money Shot Your Re-Load

| prev_year = 2016

| next_title = Existential Reckoning: Rewired

| next_year = 2022

}}

Existential Reckoning is the fourth studio album by Puscifer. The album was released on October 30, 2020, by Alchemy Recordings and BMG Rights Management.{{cite web|last=Kaufman |first=Spencer |url=https://consequence.net/2020/09/puscifer-new-album-existential-reckoning-new-song-the-underwhelming/ |title=Puscifer Announce Existential Reckoning LP, Unveil "The Underwhelming": Stream |website=Consequence of Sound |date=2020-09-18 |accessdate=2020-11-22}}{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/existential-reckoning/1529655245 |title=Existential Reckoning by Puscifer on Apple Music |website=Music.apple.com |date=30 October 2020 |accessdate=2020-11-22 |archive-date=2020-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204091006/https://music.apple.com/us/album/existential-reckoning/1529655245 |url-status=dead }}

Critical reception

{{Music ratings

| MC = 80/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/existential-reckoning/puscifer |title=Existential Reckoning by Puscifer Reviews and Tracks |publisher=Metacritic |date= |accessdate=2020-11-22}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|author=Neil Z. Yeung |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/existential-reckoning-mw0003417910 |title=Existential Reckoning - Puscifer |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=2020-11-22}}

| rev2 = Consequence of Sound

| rev2score = B+{{cite web|last=Prato |first=Greg |url=https://consequence.net/2020/10/puscifer-existential-reckoning-album-review/ |title=Puscifer Ride the New Wave on Existential Reckoning |website=Consequence of Sound |date=2020-10-30 |accessdate=2020-11-22}}

| rev3 = Kerrang!

| rev3score = 4/5{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/reviews/album-review-puscifer-existential-reckoning/ |title=Album Review: Puscifer – Existential Reckoning |work=Kerrang! |date=2020-10-29 |accessdate=2020-11-22}}

}}

Existential Reckoning received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 80, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 7 reviews.

=Accolades=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" \|+ Publications' year-end list appearances for Existential Reckoning !Critic/Publication !List !Rank !Ref.
scope="row"\| Consequence of Sound \| Top 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 2020 \| style="text-align:center;" \|27 \| style="text-align:center;" \|{{cite web\|url=https://consequence.net/2020/12/top-metal-hard-rock-albums-2020/\|title=Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020\|website=Consequence of Sound\|date= December 9, 2020\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}
scope="row"\| Revolver \| Top 25 Albums of 2020 \| style="text-align:center;"\| 19 \| style="text-align:center;"\| {{cite web\|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/25-best-albums-2020\|title=25 Best Albums of 2020\|work=Revolver\|last=Madden\|first=Emma\|date=November 25, 2020\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ Publications' year-end list appearances for Existential Reckoning

!Critic/Publication

!List

!Rank

!Ref.

scope="row"| Consequence of Sound

| Top 30 Metal/Hard Rock Albums of 2020

| style="text-align:center;" |27

| style="text-align:center;" |{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2020/12/top-metal-hard-rock-albums-2020/|title=Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020|website=Consequence of Sound|date= December 9, 2020|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}

scope="row"| Revolver

| Top 25 Albums of 2020

| style="text-align:center;"| 19

| style="text-align:center;"| {{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/25-best-albums-2020|title=25 Best Albums of 2020|work=Revolver|last=Madden|first=Emma|date=November 25, 2020|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}

Commercial performance

Existential Reckoning debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart with over 11,000 album-equivalent units, of which 9000 units were pure sales.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9483076/puscifer-existential-reckoning-alternative-albums-top-10#:~:text=Tool's%20'Fear%20Inoculum'%20Tops%20the,rank%20on%20Album%20Sales%20(No.|title=Puscifer Returns to Alternative Albums Top 10 With 'Existential Reckoning'|work=Billboard|last=Rutherford|first=Kevin|date=November 12, 2020|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Puscifer

| headline = Existential Reckoning track listing

| total_length = 60:01

| title1 = Bread and Circus

| writer1 =

| length1 = 6:28

| title2 = Apocalyptical

| writer2 =

| length2 = 5:22

| title3 = The Underwhelming

| writer3 =

| length3 = 5:04

| title4 = Grey Area

| writer4 =

| length4 = 3:58

| title5 = Theorem

| writer5 =

| length5 = 5:04

| title6 = UPGrade

| writer6 =

| length6 = 4:53

| title7 = Bullet Train to Iowa

| writer7 =

| length7 = 5:05

| title8 = Personal Prometheus

| writer8 =

| length8 = 7:25

| title9 = A Singularity

| writer9 =

| length9 = 5:30

| title10 = Postulous

| writer10 =

| length10 = 3:41

| title11 = Fake Affront

| writer11 =

| length11 = 3:28

| title12 = Bedlamite

| writer12 =

| length12 = 4:50

}}

Personnel

Puscifer

Maynard James Keenan – vocals
Mat Mitchell – Fairlight (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9–12), Voyager (1, 8), Juno-60 (1), bass guitar (1, 3, 7, 12), programming (1), 2600 (2, 8–10), synthesizers (3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12), Steinberger (3, 5–8, 11, 12), Quantum (4), Synclavier (5, 10), MS-20 (8), S900 (9), Chapman Stick (11)
Carina Round – vocals, Fairlight (4, 5, 9, 10), Akai S612 (5, 10)

Additional musicians

Greg Edwards – bass guitar (1, 3–6, 8–12), guitar (1, 2, 7, 8), Deckard's Dream (3, 5), violin (6), sitar (7), synthesizers (9, 11, 12), Synclavier (10)
Sarah Jones – drums (2–7, 9–12)
Gunnar Olsen – drums (7, 8)

Technical personnel

Mat Mitchell – producer, engineer, mixing
Puscifer – producer
Carina Round – additional engineering
Greg Edwards – additional engineering

Charts

scope="col"\| Chart (2020) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+ Chart performance for Existential Reckoning
scope="row"\| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite magazine\|title=The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 9 November 2020\|magazine=The ARIA Report\|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association\|issue=1601\|page=6\|date=November 9, 2020}} \| 92
{{album chart\|Switzerland\|57\|artist=Puscifer\|album=Existential Reckoning\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 23, 2020}}
{{album chart\|UKIndependent\|45\|date=20201106\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}
{{Album chart\|Billboard200\|65\|artist=Puscifer\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardIndependent\|13\|artist=Puscifer\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardRock\|12\|artist=Puscifer\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardAlternative\|7\|artist=Puscifer\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=December 16, 2020}}

References

Category:2020 albums

Category:Puscifer albums