Customer Reviews

Null

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

 

 

For a debut release, "Null" is a hell of an accomplishment for Intronaut. It makes a statement about what the band hope to accomplish on future releases while simultaneously drawing the listener into a world where the standard rules of metal simply don't apply. And all this in only 4 songs (the first track is a short intro).

For my tastes, the first two songs are by far the strongest, but every thing here is interesting and entertaining. "Sores Will Weep" starts off with a very Converge-esque feel to it and doesn't let up, although the mood of the song definitely changes midway through, turning into bludgeoning death-metal. "Fragments Of Character" is my absolute favorite track, and what a spot-on song title! This song will no doubt draw some comparisons to the current crop of doom-metal bands like Isis and Neurosis and maybe even some of Justin Broadrick's work (Jesu and Godflesh). Sadly, those comparisons will sell this song (and the innovative promise of the band as a whole) short. The track starts out in a fairly standard, albeit strikingly heavy, way that will keep you listening long enough for them to build some steam and get you comfortable before they yank the rug out from under your feet. The first short breakdown hits with an off-time, very original choppy riff executed with razors-edge precision. Now that they have your attention, they're not going to let it go and they procede to drop into one of the heaviest death metal parts I've ever heard. Right as the audience gets comfortable with that, it falls away into a slightly spacey softer section that sees the band infusing a beautiful melody into the cacophony, but not in a cheesy or heavy-handed way. From there the song builds back to its original starting riff and then ends abruptly. Fragments of character indeed! 7 minutes of metallic perfection.

What really sets Intronaut apart is the momentum they develop with their songs. The doom-metal bands seem to mostly rely on punishing the listener with the things they're NOT doing, repeating riffs over and over and droning on and on. That can make for an interesting listen, but there's not much room for originality in that the style stifles any attempts at progression. An 11-minute song that relies on only one riff is, by definition, very hit or miss. It can be done well but it had better be a damn good riff. Intronaut take the same style of chugging guitarwork and song structure and add a frenetic rhythm section, a few moments of genuinely fast riffing, and nothing that even resembles clean singing. And while they're heavy as all hell, they stay away from the tenets of modern "American metal" and the dubious "Gothenburg sound". No screeching pinch harmonics after every measure, no group vocals, no flailing solos, no keyboards or sound samples.

All in all, this is a great debut and one of the best EP's I've ever heard. I'm not going to give it 5 stars because not every song on here is wonderful. "They (As In Them)" has some brilliant moments but also has some disorganized ones. "Burning These Days" has not managed to catch much of my attention. It simply doesn't stand out. That said, I will definitely be picking up their full length when it comes out. These guys show a tremendous amount of talent and originality in a package that is genuinely heavy. With the possibility of more songs like "Fragments Of Character", there's no reason not to spend a little cash and give Intronaut a try. At worst, they're something frighteningly heavy to scare your friends with. At best, they might be the future of metal.

Standout Tracks:
Sores Will Weep
Fragments Of Character

I just saw these guys last night opening for Isis and I was blown away, so much so that I purchased "Null" right then and there, which I never do. After my ears still bleeding from a three band, four hour Doom-Drone fest in a smaller sized venue till 2 am, I popped in this CD on the way to work at 7 am, and was itching to see them again! I had to play it twice on the way! Brutal and beautiful, intelligent and somber, however almost violent with technical cacophony orchestrated by these guys. It didn't surprise me today that the members had prior metal bands. This is not Death or Black or Grindcore, but all of those tastes are somewhere incorporated in these passages, including that ambient feel. The only thing I wish is that this EP, which is more than worth it's weight to purchase, emphasized the Bass and the Guitarists experimentations like their live show captured. I must have, and see them live while your at it as well. Highly recommended. I'll buy their other release today, I promise.

I liked the music on this cd for the most part. I think that if some other things were done with vocals this cd could be brought to a whole other level.

Intronaut, a relatively new example of the slew of "post-rock" bands flooding the music scene these days, is also an example of how to do it right. Taking a page from the playbook of their contemporaries, Intronaut are similiar in many ways to such bands as Isis, Pelican, and The Cult Of Luna. Heavy, doomy rock and metal riffs are juxtaposed with eerie and hypnotic atmospherics and experimental soundscapes and textures...

Intronaut, however, offer just the right mix of these elements, and it all seems well thought out and executed....I actually enjoyed this disc much more than the recent Isis release, whcih seemed rather meandering and simply kind of boring to me, whereas Intronaut's "Null" is in a very similiar style (some would say they are a blatant Isis rip-off) but manages to hold and maintain the listener's attention with interesting dynamics and pulsing, organic riffs and arrangements. Cool stuff; the nearly unintelligible death-metal style vocals my not be to everyone's taste, and it is an EP, so it seems a bit on the short side, but highly recommended despite these minor flaws.

The only problem is the intro. It is not gripping or unique in any sense, and I actually think they could have had a great one, which is why it peeved me.

Other than that, the music is completely original. A combination of all types of metal today, from death to hardcore, yet retains a quality of intelligence that most of the genre's they represent just plain lack.

The structure of the songs, and rythyms, are on par with Led Zeppelin's intricate abilities.

Let's just say I can't wait for the full lenght album to come out. Void will be even more amazing.

Technically proficient in all aspects of gore, grind, death, and black, former members of Exhumed, Impaled, and Uphill Battle join together as if bored with their genres to correct technical metal's lack of originality. Overtly technical on the drums and guitars, the vocals sing out in a manic way. Definitely one of the highlites of last year's metal scene, "Null" will suprise you as you listen.

This debut release by California's Intronaut was a fantastic surprise. When I found out it was members of bands such as Exhumed and Uphill Battle, I expected a more grinding, death metal style release. Instead, the band uses both muscle and brains to pump out some standout droning metal. Can't wait for more!