In the Court of the Crimson King
Drummer Brann Dailor described the album as more "focused" than its predecessor, "Blood Mountain": "Maybe there was a deeper heart to this record that needed more exploring… We got more involved with feeling the vibe of the record and everything feels more creepy and spaced out and something special is going on." During the composition of the record, Brent Hinds listened to "In the Court of the Crimson King" by King Crimson every day as inspiration, while Dailor and Troy Sanders listened to Pink Floyd's "Animals".