I was surprised to see this that act was not listed on a certain website of metal bands as these Canadians delve firmly in technical extreme metal with little compromise on melody but plenty of head caving guitar and drum insanity. This is the bands fourth full length and having not heard any of their previous material developmental feedback can’t obviously be given. I didn’t even try downloading their previous album for comparison.
So what do we have here then? Well immediately the opening title track intro had me scribbling deathcore which was rather short-lived but not too far off the mark on the odd song as the album progresses. “You People Are Messed Up” is furiously complex with guitar inflections dropping in from all angles like a riff carpet bomb. As hinted at there is little in the way of melody as each song is a riff and lead avalanche. The accompanying drum tornado makes the album sound like a murderous frenzy, though this is not as fast the last Braindrill colossus. In fact I’d say the riffing is closer to Pig Destroyer than a technical act like Necrophagist. The band loves long titles as well “The More Things Change..(blah blah)’ is brutally heavy and has the deathcore trappings of stop start riffing.
Frenetic is an understatement with this band with each song being clinically delivered and surgically executed. When the band slows down it is to unleash a deathcore slam riff that is brief but monstrously heavy. “After Everything That’s Happened (blah blah)” stands out as the all out relentless assault song that makes the follow up “We Like To Call This One – Fuck Off” (I typed it all out this time), a tad slower relatively as the track has sporadic blasts that actually makes the song more accessible due to its fluid dynamics. The tumultuous intensity shows no sign of flagging as the riff packed “Can Someone Please (blah blah)” perfectly demonstrates amongst its sonic racket. “Disaster In Sight” is a bastard of a song, being short, vicious and as pleasant as an eye bath with battery acid.
Not quite satisfied with demolishing your lug holes with a technical annihilation, “You’ll Never Know” begins as expected but has some strange electronics and distortions in the middle that repeat until the end of the song leaving me somewhat perplexed as the closing song is a slower song that even has clean vocals and a sound and structure similar to Cult Of Luna - bizarre indeed. This aural demolition is for anyone of you sickos who get off on Pig Destroyer, Necrophagist, Braindrill, Despised Icon or any other riff drenched tech outfit you want to name.
http://www.myspace.com/iondissonance
