VALLEY OF SMOKE

Valley Of Smoke is Intronaut's third album already. The Americans had created a recognizable sound on their preceding alums, akin to Mastodon and Baroness but more progressive, with a notable dissonant sound, jazzy accents and prominent fretless bass, and - if you ask me - more interesting songs.

All these elements are still intact but the sound has expanded by the addition of melodic vocals and a more spacious sound where rich jazzy chords often prevail over riffs. It makes the music more intriguing but also more demanding. It's still accessible but a couple of listens are indispensable.

The clean vocals consist of long held tones, chants if you like, that create a sort of intoxicating effect; they can be a bit monotonous sometimes, but due to the variation in instrumentation and the clever structure of the songs, the album remains an entertaining listen throughout. The dreamy instrumental title track and the vocal Core Relations are representative tracks and a recommended listen for fans of either fusion, rock, prog or metal.

Based on a couple of listens, I still have a preference for their more direct and uncompromising Prehistoricisms album, but Valley Of Smoke is a grower and definitely a clever piece of metal from a band that wants to move forward with each release. It will perhaps not bode well for their (almost non-existent) popularity, but it is sure good for their street-cred. A varied, rich and modern metal album. 3.5 stars