INTEGERS

the new album, Integers seems to have mellowed a little bit in comparison to the debut. What I mean is that the band has chosen to focus more on long-form songs (the album is very long with few tracks); meaning they jam out some numbers for near the ten minute mark. It seems they have also toned the tech down a notch which is mildly disappointing. It seems as if they were listening to a lot of "hypno-metal" and the result is a hypnotic journey that subsequently keeps one stimulated, while also relaxed- due to the nature of the song structures. I really wish they would play in a more "free" compositional structure (personally), but really the songs are decent either way. For those into instrumental metal, this is right up your alley, complex enough to garner your attention, with decent chops on display but no real "shred" to be found; whereas the first release had a little more excitement to offer by way of the noodling. Maybe I was having an off day, and should allow this to play a few times......but in a certain regard this reminds me of a lot of 'post-metal' bands (not that this is a bad thing) in that the songwriting is pretty mathematic and droning in a certain way. good stuff either way. When I need a metal fix with no annoying vocals, I will reach for this, as the subgenre of instru-metal is really lowly populated. 3.75 overall