PRETEST

Dysrhythmia

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

3.97 | 19 ratings

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Tapfret
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

Instrumental Tech trio moving up the label ladder

Sub-genre: Tech/Extreme Prog Metal (Not totally metal, but very tech/extreme)
For Fans of: One might say bands like Don Caballero, but Dysrhythmia's unique sound is hard to corner. Certain aspects of Voivod also come to mind.
Vocal Style: None
Guitar Style: Overdriven spacey electric, occasionally distorted enough to be called metal. Lots of harmonics
Keyboard Style: None
Percussion Style: Standard rock set, busy grooves
Bass Style: Picked electric
Other Instruments: None

Summary: Dysrhythmia's first release for Relapse Records, Pretest, brings the band no closer to embracing musical establishment other than a little more distribution power. The band continues its independent, creative direction exemplified in their previous column No Interference. These guys are champions of instrumental counterculture, ranging from rapid fire Sonic Youth style punkiness; exemplified by the song ,My Relationship, to sludge rocking ambient glory; as heard in the songs Annihilation II and Touch Benediction. One is even reminded of 88 through 90 era Voivod with the song Catalog of Personal Faults. In fact, the guitar work of Kevin Hufnagel is often reminiscent of the late, great Piggy.

While the band's originality is not hard to defend, it is equally easy to draw parallels between Pretest and No Interference when it comes to album layout. But the sound has deviated even further from mainstream, if anything. The band's playing is tight but never mechanical.

Final Score: This album thinks as hard as it rocks. The writing has matured significantly since the previous album, but leans a little too hard on dissonance for a 5 star rating. 4 stars

Tapfret | 4/5 | 2008-9-2

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