INTRONAUT – The Direction Of Last Things

 
Label: Century Media
Release: November 13, 2015
By: Jordan
Rating: 9.5/10
Time: 46:15
Style: Progressive Metal/Sludge Metal
URL: Intronaut
 

INTRONAUT have been on an impressive streak in their 12 years of being a band. Since their debut album Void in 2006, they have continuously put out better and better material. The beauty of INTRONAUT is that they always find a way to top their previous album, even when it seems like that is not possible. Their fifth album is no exception to that. While it continues the sound left off with Habitual Levitations from 2013, it also acts as a retrospective of the band. The album starts off with Fast Worms, which showcases the bands sludgy and groovy sound, complete with the aggressive screams and yells that we have not heard from the band since Valley Of Smoke from 2010. The song then weaves in and out of clean vocals, technical riffs, psychedelic jam sessions, and even jazz parts that showcase the incredible bass playing of Joe Lester. Digital Gerrymandering follows suit on a more intense level, with heavy chugging and dissonance before going into a monotonous/robotic vocal style that sounds straight off of a Gojira or Cynic album. Tracks like this one are able to showcase Danny Walker’s amazing drum playing, the band’s incredible sense of harmony and melody, and the overall incredible production of the album. It feels like great Pink Floyd albums in the sense that there is so much happening in the background, but it still has a lot of room to breathe and does not sound compressed at all. The Pleasant Surprise returns to the heaviness of the first track. The Unlikely Event Of A Water Landing shows the band’s sludge metal mixed with ambience and really does a good job of taking it’s time. I love that the album goes back and forth between heavy songs and soft songs. I also love that the album is around the 46-minute mark because it packs a punch but does not overstay its welcome. The band has done it again, and released one of the best albums of the year. Their talent and knowledge is only growing, and it is surly paying off for all of them.