Seeking to go further into the ethereal goth-rock realm shown on their self-titled 1984 debut, the Australian duo Dead Can Dance use their second album to explore ominous drums, exalted cellos, and influences from medieval and Baroque church music, drenching them in cathedral-sized reverb. From the choral textures and mesmerizing synth trails of "De Profundis (Out of the Depths of Sorrow)" to the marching dark neo-folk of "Indoctrination (A Design for Living)," Spleen and Ideal constructs a swirling portal to another world.