DYSRHYTHMIA

I picked up their album Barriers and Passages a while back in 2010 and was so impressed by that album that I bought Pretest as well. A few months ago I was mooching around my usual record shop in Leeds and I stumbled upon their latest... Having highly rated their other work, I thought I'd give it a shot. 2012 happened to be a great year for music in my opinion, with Car Bomb's excellent album "w^w^^w^w" and The Walking Dark by Phronesis, so I was faithful that Dysrhythmia's output for that year would suffice my tastes as well.

It delivered the sufficient, and much, much more.

This album soon became one of my favourite albums on the technical metal scene and to be quite frank slightly tops Barriers and Passages. Barriers and Passages delivered great music, but it lacked a cohesive quality and a sense of balance. Granted, the band released that record 6 years prior and Jeff Hufnagel has clearly been honing his composition skills since, giving birth to this beauty.

Don't believe anyone when they tell you that this album is carnage, because it really isn't. That could arguably be said for their previous work, but not here. Don't get me wrong, this is angular prog metal at its finest, but this time the jagged technical bits act as a more contextual backdrop to make the beautiful sections sound even more charming and poignant. After all, you cannot appreciate beauty without a bit of chaos to put it into perspective? Well, this album has a lot of beauty and a lot of material to put that beauty into perspective. It almost reflects life in a way... It's tough, it's horrible and it's savage, but that makes you cherish the nice parts and truly appreciate them to their full.

Perhaps I'm reading a little too deeply into it, but that's what I'm getting.

Functional harmony seems to arrive seamlessly out of an abyss of dissonance and unresolved cluster chords where you least expect it to, yet it all feels so natural. You feel like the tune has really developed and in a sense you get taken on a journey that seems longer than the actual piece itself. This cannot be said for the first, second or even twenty-fifth listen for that matter, but you soon start to see form if you dedicate your time to the music, and when you step back to look at it from a distance it's magical. Notable examples of this thing I'm referring to can be found in the last half of the title track, Running Towards the End, the phrygian theme of The Madness of Three and in Like Chameleons, however the other more intense numbers have enough contour and narrative to be emotionally enthralling still.

The musicians are also fascinating. It's clear what I think of Hufnagel's writing ability, but his guitar playing is also great too. I love particularly how he isn't afraid to stay in the middle register where his voicings can really sing. I also like the fact that his tone isn't actually THAT heavy. It's muddy, yes, but with a sort of cleanliness and honesty to it that is more attributed to 60s blues and it's very refreshing to hear. It's also refreshing to hear Colin Marston out of Behold... The Arctopus not using a Warr Guitar and rather a regular Bass Guitar. Clearly he's skilled at both, and it's cliche to say this, but once more really does a good job of rooting the band to the floor and stopping the drums and guitar flying off into the ether. Speaking of the drums, Jeff Eber is phenomenal. He defies a metal cliche by hardly using double bass pedals, and nor does he need to: he is vicious enough with the kit as it is. He manages to maintain such tumultuous parts whilst holding absolute control over his playing, keeping damn good time to boot. Let's not get started on his technical facility either...

Composed well, delivered well and unlike their previous release Barriers and Passages, Test of Submission has a real air of cohesion about it. It feels like an album as opposed to just a few ideas thrown into a blender hoping for the best. I don't think it is a masterpiece as I'm still not convinced that there isn't room for improvement, but this album proves that the trio are almost close to perfecting their craft - IF such a thing as perfection exists of course. 8/10, I'll be getting a lot out of this record for a long time and I recommend all of you do too. Dig deep and you'll find the beauty, and you'll think it's staggering.

When it comes to progressive metal, there is usually no shortage of talent and technical skill, but few bands manage to harness their abilities and make something fresh with it. All too often, I hear yet another Dream Theater clone, or band that's riding on the glory of Symphony X... you get the picture. Then, of course, there's a band like Dysrhythmia to make a twist on metal that is much less common; this is a band from Philadelphia that was brought to my attention by the membership of bassist Colin Marston, who has already impressed me with his work with Behold... The Arctopus and atmospheric black metal act Krallice. With this precedent for eclectic style and crazy antics, it could be difficult to expect something in particular from this band Dysrhythmia, besides that I knew this would be something a little left-of-centre. True enough, the band's fourth album 'Barriers And Passages' is an incredibly quirky piece of instrumental prog metal. While dissonance and sporadic playing isn't anything new to metal, there are few bands who make it sound as fun as Dysrhythmia.

The music on 'Barriers And Passages' is entirely instrumental, and only three instruments at that; the guitar, bass, and drums. For a power trio, Dysrhythmia is able to get quite alot of sound going on. In a way, this band reminds me greatly of what Voivod did, particularly on their 'Nothingface' record; higher register guitar riffs , strange chords, and a heavy bass presence to fill out the sound. The big difference here is that Dysrhythmia keeps up the technicality up a fair notch; the music never tries to be particularly heavy, but it is indeed challenging, and while I never felt that the album as a whole had some in-depth hidden meaning or message to it, it may take a couple of listens to start making sense of the sound here. Dysrhythmia has made little attempt here to create catchy melodies or things for novice listeners to grasp onto, although there is a nice hook on 'Seal-Breaker Void' that sticks with me. In a way, I would have liked to hear some more memorable licks and riffs here instead of the unrelenting dissonant quirk that runs throughout 'Barriers', but I wonder if the band would have managed to maintain the pace of the album if they had melody to focus on as well.

While I may be driven to label this as an 'avant-metal' release, there is alot of post-rock here. In other words, while the music focuses primarily on wowing the listener with dissonant bass grooves and atypical guitar work, there are more harmonious layers of atmosphere that create a greater sonic range. This works really nicely for the music, and helps the performance become less dry. I would have maybe liked a little more cohesion in the album- as it does feel a little thrown together and ends abruptly- and a little more variety in what Dysrhythmia does here would have been nice, even if the album is only a brief thirty five minutes long. In any case, 'Barriers And Passages' is a very good album for tech metal, and a sign to me that heavy metal still has a ways to go before every possible sound is exhausted.

"Body Destroyed, Brain Intact" is rather tastefully done until it kicks in before 2 minutes (haha). "Craving For Transformation" is a top two track for me. When the sound gets fuller it sounds excellent. So impressive. It gets pretty intense before 3 1/2 minutes then it changes completely to end it. "No Interference" sounds so good for the first minute. Drums and bass are steady as the guitar makes some noise. Then they change it up again. The guitar is screaming before 5 1/2 minutes. I like the drums and bass 2 1/2 minutes in on the next track "Circulatory System Overhaul". Nice sound 5 minutes in. It settles down late.

"Let You Fall" is by far the longest track at almost 11 minutes. It's kind of ominous with those deep bass lines. Guitar joins in followed eventually by the drums. "Orbiting" is fairly laid back. Deep bass 1 1/2 minutes in. The tempo starts to pick up a minute later. It settles before 4 minutes. It kicks in heavier than ever 5 minutes in. "Nutritional Facelift" is a barn burner early but it settles down. Blistering guitar 2 1/2 minutes in then it kicks back in. "Slumlord" is the other top two track for me. A great rhythm to open is contrasted with a different soundscape throughout. A nice heavy sound comes in before 3 minutes. "We Lead The Way" has this great sound as the guitar plays over top. "Physical Desolation" is very laid back. "Four, Five, Six Minutes Late" is the short closing track. A free for all ! Sort of...ok not really. Good song though.

I like this but it's not essential by any means.

The music on "Contradiction" is intrumental experimental rock with a slight metal edge. The music features lots of dissonant notes, tempo and time signature changes. The tracks are everchanging and full of different riffs and sections. This is no easy listening experience, but on the other hand it´s not extremely difficult music, so I´m sure Dysrhythmia won´t lose everyone on their way. But don´t look for easily recognisable choruses or hooks or you´ll be dissapointed. The slight Voivod influence that are present on later albums by the band are only hinted at here on "Contradiction". All tracks are of high quality but my favorite is probably "Rotary". Great song that one.

Dysrhythmia is a three-piece power trio and the sound they produce is very stripped down as a consequence of having only guitar, bass and drums in their music. All three musicians are highly skilled intrumentalists though and they are fully able to write and play captivating music with only those three basic instruments.

The production could have been better, but it´s not a major issue.

I wasn´t expecting much from "Contradiction" knowing that it is a self-released album, but I´ve been pleasantly surprised and all in all I find the album very enjoyable. The music is still a bit imature and the production could as mentioned have been better but "Contradiction" is definitely a promising debut album and a 3 - 3.5 star rating is warranted.

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

Sub-genre: Tech/Extreme Prog-Metal (Tech/Extreme fits fine, "metal" may be a bit of a limiting descriptor for their sound. Think I heard the term "Geekmetal" thrown around)
For Fans of: Probably works good for Don Cabellero fans, instrumental
Vocal Style: None
Guitar Style: Varying levels of overdrive/distortion, never to a dominating level familiar to most metal. Neat use of vibratos and chorusing effects
Keyboard Style: None
Percussion Style: Standard rock set, busy beats
Bass Style: Electric picked
Other Instruments: none

Summary: This Philadelphia based band fits the definition of "Power Trio" very appropriately. This young group of musicians embraces the challenging world of instrumental music within a genre dominated by bands that typically have a vocalist as the focal point of the group. That they are able to pull off compelling work without words to provide cohesion is quite a triumph. Compositions are extremely tight in musicianship, yet maintain a mature openness and stylistic wisdom. No one in this trio becomes overbearing, the teamwork is quite rare. While this band has taken on a "Metal" tag, the sounds of Kevin Hufnagel's guitar very rarely take on the typical ultra-gated crunch distortion that is the primary characteristic of the "Metal' sound. Hufnagel embraces numerous sounds with a strong taste for sustained harmonics, chorused arpeggios and occasional warm bluesy tones. The structure is rhythmically quite often reminiscent of Rush without the cheesy radio element. Not without dissonance, but never far from resolution. Recording quality is not the greatest, but quite excellent for what is essentially and independent project.

Final Score: Highly intelligent and aurally wise compositions for such a youthful trio. Only slight nuances separate this album from masterpiece status. 4 stars

Each of the ten tracks are essentially controlled chaos, urgent calculus-core, a band that throws out any number of blows for us to deal with before they kick our ass with tough, heavy-bottom gonking from bassist Colin Marsden, kick-your-teeth-in batterie Jeff Eber and Kevin Hufnagel's mean and dirty guitar. These boys are street fighters... it's not about the money and they don't want your watch. They just wanna push you up against a wall and slap you around before breaking multiple bones in your body. Urban, depraved, predatory, there's little you can do but appreciate the method to their madness and hope you get through it. Exhilarating and complex, no vocals or solos to distract, at once fascinating and hideous, entirely progressive, Dysrhythmia should be experienced at least once so you'll know what to look out for next time you're alone on the streets.

P.S. Don't listen to this A) on headphones B) while trying to go to sleep