yell into it for his vocals to be picked up on the recording. McTernan thought the songs were heavy-sounding, but he was unsure if he was going to take on another project like that. He initially emailed their manager Nick Bogardus, suggesting they find someone else to work with. Bogardus responded by telling him he would be a perfect match, adding that he would supply additional demos. The following month, they recorded The Illusion of Safety with McTernan over the course of three weeks. The band had missed their flight as the airport had changed the times without informing them, prompting the band to drive from Washington, D.C. Sessions were held at Salad Days Studios, where McTernan also aided as engineer. As the band were arriving late at night, he told them to let themselves in, as beds could be found in the basement. McTernan had no familiarity with the members on a personal level, leaving him unsure if the sessions would be beneficial. It took him awhile to understand the band's direction, and for them to work out his strengths. Alan Douches mastered the recordings at West West Side. Composition and lyrics Musically, the sound of The Illusion of Safety has been described as emo, melodic hardcore and post-hardcore. Lollipop Magazine writer Tim Den said its "[s]omber melodic hardcore" had "Master of Puppets fingerprints all over it". Athom of Sputnikmusic said it "perfectly blends harsh screams and blistering guitar work with clean vocals and addicting, hook filled melodies". In a retrospective piece for BrooklynVegan, writer Andrew Sacher said saw the band "more strongly embracing their hardcore, metalcore, and thrash influences while toning down the skate punk vibes" of Identity Crisis. Bassist Eddie Breckenridge said the other members began expanding their music tastes, citing that he liked jazz, Kensrue listened to Michael Jackson, and guitarist Teppei Teranishi explored pop music. Breckenridge said working with McTernan helped the band to focus on the overall atmosphere of the track, instead of simply shredding a guitar. When one interviewer asked about the reoccurring theme of death on the album, Kensrue said the "dark themes are used because you can sometimes convey something to someone’s heart when you might not be able to convey it to their brain". In another interview, the host asked about the death references in the song titles, to which Breckenridge said, "we actually changed them. They were way way