BREAKING BRAIN

Heavy metal instrumental jazz djent, right?! As you listen to this highly aggressive, abrasive, and dissonant music, take into consideration the extraordinary instrumental skills on display here. Also, consider the minds that composed and collectively performed this very difficult instrumental music. Also, don't forget to hear the hidden melodies, flashes of references to past classics, and the humor. In fact, the humorous side of this music for some reason reminds a great deal of the music of the band, FARMERS MARKET--a band of Eastern European expats playing, composing, and recording in Scandinavia--for its quirky, harsh-yet-comedic use of familiar themes and sounds from Eastern European and Middle Eastern classical and folk music traditions. While I have to admit that this music is a little too heavy and abrasive for me to ever give this a lot of airplay, I do not hesitate to recognize and extoll its merit based on compositional skill and instrumental virtuosity. These guys are definitely masters in their field. The amazingly high caliber of musicianship renders this album--and this band--unto a level akin to avant jazz masters Frank ZAPPA, YUGEN, BRUFORD, JEAN LOUIS and PRESENT.

A five star album that I am, unfortunately, marking down for lack of universal appeal and accessibility. It doesn't seem right or fair, but it is my truth: this album is not for everyone. It grows on you, but it is never going to be background kitchen or bedroom music (not that it has to be; it just isn't). Kudos to the band. Amazing performances and amazing music. Just not my cup of tea.

German band PANZERBALLETT can trace their history back to 2004, and from 2006 and onward they have released new material on a fairly regular basis, in addition to being an active live unit. So far five studio albums have been released by the band. "Breaking Brains" is the most recent of those, and was released through the German label Gentle Art of Music in the late fall of 2015.

The music by Panzerballett I have experienced so far indicates that this is a band that is keenly aware of what they are doing, and that they hold a high quality as composers as well as performers. As such the albums I have experienced by them so far are also fairly equal in style and execution. This latest one may perhaps feature few more instances of material with a broader appeal, or at least more sequences where the different aspects of their sound are marginally more separated and less eclectic, but not to the point of deviating all that much from what can be expected in my opinion. It is a quality production, for those, who appreciate and enjoy an instrumental band that maneuvers between tight, quirky progressive metal, jazz-rock and RIO, this CD by Panzerballett is one that warrants an inspection.