Customer Reviews

Barriers & Passages

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

OK, Definitely a winner!!! I can't believe I am the first one to comment on this CD. Yet again, it's just been released. I pre-ordered the CD, and just received it by mail. I was blown away in the first listen. The raw power... constant time-changes... extreme dymanic... excellent production... You will need more then one listen to fully grab the content. It is very complex, yet so enjoyable in every listen. They kind of sound like Don Caballero, but with more tempo changes, and definitely a very different mood. They are like nothing I ever heard, and I have my share of weird stuff in my CD collection!!!

You can tell those musicians are really having a blast playing the music. They are tremendous players, and extremely talented! The music is technical, very tight, constantly on the move, very spontaneous, and quite varied. The guys develop sometimes in fantastic climax, which are welcomed smoother moments. The bass lines are tremendous, drums are varied in rythms and sometimes very fast and aggressive, guitars are simply all over the place, with sounds varying from heavy riffs to more subtil arpeggios; synchro between the 3 musicians is the strength of the band. The music, again, is weird, all instrumental and very experimental. After few listens, colors start to appear, and the music shows a lot of variety, structures, mood; showing a very good production and high sense of musicianship.

Highly recommended. For fans of Don Caballero, Canvas Solaris, or any technical metal, making the bridge between metal and prog, but with a strong sense of edge into it. This is energy music that really pushes the boundaries of instrumental heavy-prog-experimental and even avant-guarde explorations.

Prog rock is usually too much prog and not enough rock, but Dysrhythmia bring some serious metallic intensity to their musicianly prog vision. This all-instrumental combo can truly construct believable instrumental tracks that stand on their own, with no need for words cluttering up the expertly constructed sonic architecture. Drummer Jeff Eber is adept at very tricky prog rock timing patterns but still rocks out boomingly, bassist Colin Marston adds harmony and power almost like a rhythm guitarist, and Kevin Hufnagel on guitar delivers a full range of precision metal riffs and noisy avant-garde anti-riffs. The ultimate Dysrhythmia prog-metal chops can best be heard in piledriving tracks like "An Ally to Comprehension" and "Bus: Terminal," which slowly beat the listener into submission with layer upon layer of sonic power. Also get a load of the imposing wall of sound in "Sleep Decayer," while the album's true centerpiece is the pummeling epic "Seal/Breaker/Void," which manages to sound both ominous and elegant. The only problem track here is "Luminous," which is merely an exercise in atmosphere that goes nowhere musically. But in essence, Dysrhythmia have combined the best sounds from instrumental rock, egghead prog, and technical metal into an impressive sound that might just be a breakthrough. [~doomsdayer520~]

I discovered this disc after I found out that one of Dysrythmia's members also plays with Behold...The Arctopus. While its not as intense as the latter, it still makes for pretty exiting listening. If you discover this disc the way I did, I think you'll find that the sound is alittle more open than The Arctopus. Dysrythmia's guitarist tends to play dissonent figures more often than riffs. This allows more space for the Warr guitarist's performance in the mix.

Outstanding album, equal parts mid-period King Crimson and Shellac. Not technical metal really, nor trying to be. More the energy of a hardcore band with no interest in 2-minute verse-chorus-verse songs. Closer in spirit to Don Caballero or a razor-sharp meter-shifting Fugazi with a wider harmonic palate. "Seal/Breaker/Void" stands out.

...now in the title what was I doing? I was narrating...and when I think of instrumental bands there are always two types:

1. Atmospheric - Instrumentals gradually build up and down in volume with repating riffs/ostinatos that follow a structure and use a variety of instruments to create imagery in the persons head...usually the songs are very long...

2. Narrative - Not usually as structured and definetely feel like they are telling you a more straightforward story that actually has a plot, climax and resolution...songs are complex with plenty of different scales and time signatures...

...Dysrhythmia fits into the category of narrative instrumentals...as when they play they noodle around with their instruments in a dissonant but well timed slurry...the creature that best resembles their music would probably be an ant...it scurries around in complex but automatic thoughts and although it may seem like it is just constant scurrying to some this ant is gathering food or invading other hills and writing it's own story...the ant doesn't know if it will survive...but it must try or risk dieing completely...

...if you have issues with buying complex instrumentals like this because you feel that the raw emotion that comes out of simple music shall be missing (the only reason original punk got such a large following) then let me assure you that this contains alot of music that will make you feel...yes it may scurry with intensity but it doesn't take much to see the feared rush in "Will the System Prevail?" or the hopeless insomniac daze of "Sleep Decayer" every song has it's own mood and own intensity that let's the tracks stand out...

...not for beginners trying to get into instrumental music (I'd recommend Slint even though they're not instrumental alot of their concepts are the same to most instrumental post rock) as the mathcore reference could be thrown around quite easily with their close relation with Behold...the Arctopus; but if you are able to give this instrumental/metal/prog/math/avant garde a try...you won't be disappointed at the stories that this lovely little ant has to tell...

Their best, and also their shortest by a large margin. You will hear the general groove the first few listens, but it takes a while for everything to make sense. I'm still giving this gem spin after spin - it doesn't get old! Astounding musicianship and complex, interesting tunes. Also look for Behold.. the Arctopus, who shares the bassist from this album, although BtA is a good bit heavier.

Being a classics fan, I don't know pop very well. I just know that this album is terrific music. Superbly performed and produced.

I bought this CD last Friday and knew I had made a mistake within 30 seconds of the 1st song. I only made it through the 4th track before removing it from my CD player and returning to the store to exchange it. I can respect complex time changes, but being good at math does not make for good music. I heard nothing that could be considered a melody and also nothing that sounded like actual instrumental talent. They may know how to play their instruments, but they do not know HOW to play. Also, the production is terrible. The praise of this album strikes me as some kind of joke. It's that bad. If you want to listen to instrumental rock/metal made by talented muscians who know how to play and write music that is not painfull to listen to, check out Gordian Knot "Emergent."