THE MACHINATIONS OF DEMENTIA

Ron Jarzombek is an extraordinary guitar talent who has been tearing it up on the heavier side of the progressive scene for awhile, and this project with bassist Alex Webster and drummer Charlie Zeleny is just one more feather in an increasingly impressive hat. The music is complex enough to appease tech-heads everywhere but is also quite definitely metal with a capital M, as evidenced by the chunks of cast iron that spew from the trio's album 'The Machinations of Dimentia'.

The music reveals what is possible in prog metal at its most genuine and is laced with many side-trips and modular explorations, mechanical sounds, space, and fusion as heard on the first cut 'Synaptic Plasticity'. 'Brain Fingerprinting' goes deeper, getting into unexpected polymeters and little electronic details, Jarzombek's guitar switching from monstrous to gentle at any given moment, showing us the sh*t with a laser touch and why he's a talent to be reckoned with. More majestic mayhem on 'Oscillation Cycles', and the head-splitting 'Activation Synthesis Theory' at eight minutes is an easy contender for Best ProgMetal Shred award. 'Night Terror' has hints of Satriani, 'Bleeding in the Brain' does its very best thrash impression, 'Vegetation' calms the stomach as does 'Narcolepsy', a beautiful flight through a night sky. The preoccupation with slumber continues on 'The Insomniac' with furious playing and echoes of Luke Jaeger's work on the Sleep Terror project, and 'Amnesia' is more a mental breakdown than music. The record ends with the awesome 'Adenosine Breakdown/Buildup' featuring distinctive Jarzombek guitar stylings.

Not to be taken while trying to remain sane or calm, Blotted Science will surely rip you a new one and must be heard by anyone interested in the madness of precision.