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Pretest ::
1.
The Philadelphia trio Dysrhythmia are not at all the sort of group typically
sponsored by the extreme Metal label Relapse. Their blend of post-hardcore
bombast and Prog intricacy takes cues from the more spastic side of art
Metal, but owes just as much to the muscular jazz-noise of the Sonny Sharrock
Band or Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society. With their 'stop on
a dime' changes, guitar bleats and occasionally furious tempos, Dysrhythmia
neatly fit alongside primarily instrumental groups like The Flying Luttenbachers,
Orthrelm, Ruins, Sightings and even Lightning Bolt. Pretest is
Dysrhythmia's third release, following 2000's Contradiction and
2001's No Interference. It's little more intricate than No Interference,
with riffs building fractally rather than following the propulsive grooves
that distinguished the last disc. The two-part "Annihilation" suite is
the album's high point, particularly "Annihilation I", where Clayton Ingerson's
throbbing, post-punk bassline buoys Kevin Hufnagel's screaming 'space
rock meets thrash' guitar. It's unclear how much of this often-astonishing
music is notated, and how much improvised, but given the quality of the
results, it's difficult to care. If there's a problem with the record,
it's that Dysrhythmia don't always have the courage of their convictions.
The slow number is a watery jam that goes nowhere, and not in a fun way,
like Subarachnoid Space. It's also possible to dispute their choice to
hire Steve Albini as engineer. His obsession with huge drum sounds make
it almost impossible to hear just how locked-in and unified they really
are. Still, on balance, Pretest is a superb record by a wordless
group with much to say. Phil Freeman - The WIRE (UK)
2. Relapse Records, known for the soothing sounds of bands like
Dying Fetus, Regurgitate and Pig Destroyer, is doing a little bit of a
180 — and Philadelphia avant-indie prog-metal band Dysrhythmia is taking
that 180, dividing it into prime numbers and piecing together the entire
fucking mess in 11/16. Basically, if Dysrhythmia’s name were any more
apt, it would be touring under the decidedly unruly moniker …And You Will
Know Us By The Fucked-Uppedness Of Our Time Signatures. Engineered by
Big Black Steve Albini, this slice of herky-jerky calculus-core sounds
like Albini’s pals in the Jesus Lizard and Don Caballero woodshedding
through the Opeth catalog. Opener “Bastard” is all heart-stopping six-string
bass polyrhythmics twisted out like Ruins for metalheads; “Running Shoe
Of Justice” is like a propulsive Tomahawk B-side stretched out and mathed-up;
and “Annihilation II” shows the choppy porkchops at work here know restraint
as well, with some slow-building atmospherock, replete with Bill Bruford
drum flurries for good measure. Four stars! Um, that is, four stars and
a measure of 13/8. Just because. - Christopher R. Weingarten: CMJ New
Music Report Issue: 815 (US)
3. I've been looking
forward to this release for quite a while. Now that it's out, I must say
it was more than worth the wait. This Philadelphia band is totally amazing;
calling them a power trio just seems inadequate. They play a very unique
style of high-energy fusion metal that just boggles the mind. Although
the music is very complex and challenging, it's more than easy to appreciate
what they are doing. After two excellent independently released CDs and
a few vinyls, the band was snatched up by Relapse Records. They took a
few weeks off from their almost constant touring schedule to record Pretest
with veteran sound engineer Steve Albini, famous for his work with Nirvana,
Shellac and his own legendary punk band Big Black. I've seen Dysrhythmia
perform several times and I must say Steve did an extremely accurate job
of reproducing their mighty live sound onto disc. The CD kicks off with
the aptly titled "Bastard", a monstrously heavy tune with some totally
unbelievable guitar work from Kevin Hufnagel. All three members put on
extremely technical performances but this is no show-the-world-my-chops
clinical bullshit. Their music is intricate but always honest and original.
Jeff Eber is an amazingly brilliant drummer and bassist Clayton Ingerson...well
he's just indescribable. He has almost superhuman energy onstage and that
quality remarkably carries over to their recordings. Thankfully the band
doesn't always travel at the speed of light and on the improv piece "Annihilation
II" they show a much quieter textural side. This is also evident in the
last number, the 11 1/2 minute "Touch Benediction" which also has a slight
psychedelic flavor. As I stated before the band is constantly touring
and as of this writing (May 2003), they are on the Relapse Records "Contamination"
tour with Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage, Uphill Battle and The End. I have
no idea what those other bands are like but I'd be willing to bet Dysrhythmia
are in very heavy company. If you get the chance to see them, don't pass
it up, they are utterly intense to say the least. Until then, pick up
Pretest and be ready to have your brain scrambled! Ffroyd -
Progressive Ears (US)
4. "These guys are really good"...said my mother...when she came
for a visit and I must say she´s right!!! I´m in instrumental
music since I heard Gore from the Netherlands back in the eighties, but
these guys are the next generation of instrumental Rock...hard...technical
and full of energy. Dysrhythmia creates their own musical world, a little
bit of Jazz, a little bit of Punk and a big slice of Rock. Getting bored?
No way, cause after listening to this album the 5th time I still find
new sounds and hidden treasures in their songs. This is an interesting
album for sure. Dysrhythmia are really worth a listen and besides Gore
and Spickle (New Orleans) Dysrhythmia counts to my favourite instrumental
bands now. Pretest...a great album!!!! RB - DareDevil Online
Magazine (US)
5. Jeff Eber (drums), Kevin Hufnagel (guitar) and Clayton Ingerson
(bass) formed Dysrhytmia in March 1999. 'Pretest' is their third full-length
album. They started of with a self-released album 'Contradiction' in 2000,
followed by 'No Interference' in 2001. After these releases Relapse Records
discovered this original band and a record deal was made, with 'Pretest'
being the first album to be released at Relapse. Dysrhythmia is kinda
different than the music I normally listen to. For starters there are
no vocals. For me, a person who likes to sing along with every song she
heares, that is quite a change. At first I thought I wouldn't be able
to listen to the entire album in one setting, because I thought it was
going to be boring... how wrong was I! This trio from Philadelphia are
no strangers to their instruments and know how to use every sound coming
out of their gear. Because the songs are so technically well-made you
never seem to notice there are no vocals. The instruments really speak
for themselves, it feels like the album could be a soundtrack for a movie
or something. Every song could be telling a tale of brave knights trying
to conquer evil?! Well anyway, that's the feeling I get from it, you just
have to listen to it yourself. Being influenced by so many different music
styles and bands, there isn't a music-genre that could describe Dysrhythmia.
Very refreshing! Linda - Pitfather (Netherlands)
6. In addition to being the talk of not only the town but also
of the metal community at large, Philadelphia's instrumentalists Dysrhythmia
bridge the gap between prog metal and avant jazz--plus they're Relapse's
most eclectic signing since Xysma many years ago. Pretest,
their third full length and Relapse debut, picks up where 2000's No Interference
left off and expands those ideas to stellar proportions. The most noticeable
change is in the recording: Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in
Chicago has imparted a sound to the album that's warmed and earthier than
the sometimes sterile bleakness of No Interference. The go-for-the-throatness
of the opening track "Bastard" juxtaposed with the fugue-like playfulness
of "My Relationship" immediately allows for more variety--something that
is lacking in recent material from genre-neighbors Gordian Knot and McGill/Manring/Stevens.
The subtlety of "And Just Go" gives even more breathing space like King
Crimson's more acoustic offerings, but "Catalog of Personal Faults" dips
into a furious punk rock vortex like Jesus Lizard drawn into fisticuffs
with Aghora. Naturally, each member can be equated with a more famous
icon: guitarist Kevin Hufnagel (King Crimson's Adrian Belew), drummer
Jeff Eber (Rush's Neil Peart), and bassist Clayton Ingerson (Yes's Chris
Squire). Their music, however, is more about pushing the musical envelope
than mere hero worship. On the two-part "Annihilation", Eber fills his
spaces with deftly daring work on high toms and small cymbals like the
Police's Stewart Copland, while Hufnagel (who wears his axe high like
King Crimson's Robert Fripp) effortlessly jangles out chords over Ingerson's
driving, rippling bass. The 11-minute "Touch Benediction" features an
angular Godflesh-like jaggedness amid crashing cymbals and feedback washes,
and "Running Shoe of Justice" jogs alongside The Champs with a more rock-based
structure. Pretest takes giant steps forward as Dysrhythmia continue
to foment the rebellion of standards in foward-thinking prog metal. Chris
Ayers - Digital Metal (US)
7. The pointless guitar masturbation of virtuosos like Steve Vai
and Marty Friedman has until now made me shudder at the very mention of
the phrase "instrumental album". Despite always being technically sound,
the majority of these records have failed across the board to compensate
for their flashy antics with even the slightest redeeming flicker of entertainment.
I therefore approached Dysrhythmia's Relapse debut with a predictable
amount of prejudice and indeed kept a copy of the new Immolation close
at hand to replace it on the sound system at a moment's notice. A strange
thing happened, however: unlike the futile fretboard noodling I had been
expecting, nay dreading, an infectious, exciting and hypnotizing lick
wafted from the speakers after I had pushed the play button. While the
track did retain some of the tiresome technical tomfoolery that plagues
all instrumental albums, it also bore with it a strand of undeniable charm
-- a melody that was at once refreshing and mesmerizing. I placed the
jet-black Immolation disc inside its jewel case and waited for more. "My
Relationship" followed -- a speedy, metallic jazz number I would almost
expect to hear on a racing videogame. On the third track though, Dysrhythmia
came into their own and suddenly the album had my full attention. You
see, despite its lack of vocals and its sometimes overdone freeform approach,
_Pretest_ actually contains many a moment of sheer breathtaking musical
brilliance. While I'd happily pass on tracks like "Heat Sink", the ingenuity
of a song like "Annihilation 2" is breathtaking. Taking the listener from
a subtle, atmospheric soundscape to a full-on Dillinger Escape Plan-esque
frenzy, Dysrhythmia's keen sense of dynamics and composition is the glue
that binds every worthwhile second on this effort together, and inevitably
makes it a surprisingly satisfying experience for those who see it through
to the end. Dysrhythmia will probably never ascend above much more than
a largely eccentric niche fanbase, but I doubt that they're all too concerned
with this. _Pretest_ is about passion and belief in one's work. And if
they can manage to convince a cynical fool like me, then who knows what
they could do for you. Jackie Smit - Chronicles of Chaos (US)
8. This is the first Dysrhythmia record on Relapse but they already
released several albums and Splits before. Personally I don't know their
previous stuff and as I read that they are an instrumental rock outfit
I had mixed feelings before listening to Pretest the first time!
I immediately reminded of the last instrumental show I've seen...it was
an awful show of extremely boring music and luckily I already forgot the
band-name! But back to Dysrhythmia because they are totally different.
Yeah, interesting and diversified are the trademarks of their sound and
it shows that not always a voice is needed to mediate emotions. The first
song contains a lot of tempo-changes and at some times the song even seems
to be very unstructured but those guys prove me wrong again. Hectic style-changes
that also show the song-line! If some guys decide to start an instrumental
band I guess they have to know that they must handle their instruments
right and the three people behind Dysrhythmia show that they are outstanding
musicians that are able to combine a lot of different rock-styles to one
blasting unit! The first two tracks are totally awesome high-energy rock-songs
whereat the third one shows the calm and more emotional side of the band.
Overall the record could be file under rock-music but they also have heavy
- I would even call them moshy? parts. Disentangle your mind from prejudices
and enjoy over 50 minutes extremely high-class music that is great although
they don't have a singer! Big Surprise! Marcel - Silent Stagnation.com
9. The weirdest thing about Dysrhythmia is that they’re so damn
easy to follow. Their preternatural user-friendliness would count as no
mean feat even if the Philadelphia instrumental trio limited its peregrinations
to the sorts of cerebellum-twisting time signature contortions typical
of the prog-metal jazz genre it nominally inhabits. As it is, these wandering
souls match their rhythmic trickiness with a predilection for jumping
genre fences like yearling colts on Red Bull. In fact, they don’t merely
leap from style to style or change time signatures the way a chased cockroach
changes direction, although they do plenty of both. On Pretest,
the band’s third full-length release, Dysrhythmia occupy multiple genres
simultaneously with remarkable ease, ripping substantial openings through
the musical space-time continuum in the process. “Bastard” might make
a person think that Slayer, Living Colour, and the Ventures had always
been the same ensemble. “Annihilation II” (and “Annihilation I,” which
follows without interruption) pull a similar sleight-of-mind maneuver,
providing an idea of what it could sound like if Spacemen 3 and Mudvayne
got together and wrote a song for King Crimson. It goes without saying
that the sonic acrobatics on Pretest require massive chops, which drummer
Jeff Eber, bassist Clayton Ingerson, and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel possess
in abundance. Ultimately, though, it’s the band’s inspired compositions
that make the album far more than just another empty exercise in instrumental
excellence. Pretest is a rare creature indeed—an album brimming
with extremely complex music you can, and will, tap your foot to. -
Gallery of Sound (US)
10. Well one thing's for sure, you probably haven't heard
anything like Dysrhythmia before. Pretest is an all instrumental
experiment in sound, but it's probably not something the average metalhead
will like all that much. But if you're fans of the jam/experimental side
of rock you may want to give it a listen. If there is a singular most
important theme to this sort of music, it's don't have a cognizant theme.
The music twists and turns throughout the album, never foreshadowing where
it will wind up next. The musicians themselves make it a point to challenge
the listener as well as themselves, and while the quintessential death
metal fiend will turn up his or her nose, fans of bands such as Phish,
Morphine, or John Zorn might find something worthwhile. Now all you headbangers
probably noticed that none of those examples were metal bands, and that
is a point your best not to forget. This music doesn't even approach metal,
if it did it might remind me of the jammier parts of Mastodon, but since
it doesn't the comparison is obviously moot. While I can't say I dig this
record all that much, I can't say it sucks either. It's mostly a personal
preference thing, and while my tastes dabble in this sort of thing from
time to time, I don't find this album quite compelling enough to hold
my attention. There are very interesting parts to the record. "Running
Shoe of Justice", for instance, I find to be a very successful piece.
In fact in some ways it's damn brilliant, but that brilliance isn't lasting
and ends up being impeded or downright ignored. I guess my biggest criticism
is the fact that there aren't nearly enough original sounds on this album.
While experimental with other aspects to the songwriting, the effects
seem largely one-dimensional. It's like being at a buffet where everything
looks different and has an assortment of textures, but tastes the same.
Another thing I find frustrating is the long instances of boredom in between
the solid themes, every song at one point loses me, if it ever had me
at all. Like I said, this has a lot to do with personal preference, so
if you consider your tastes pretty out there, you might want to garner
a listen or two, but I think this one falls short. One word review: Laborious.
Abyss - Metal Judgment (US)
11. The less literal-minded among you may find the best description
of Dysrhythmia to be the band's own. The back cover of Pretest simply
reads as follows: "To look inside . . . to find yourself . . . so many
different ways" "9 songs, 53:08" As far as I'm concerned, that just about
sums it up. Need a more descriptive review? Let me try. Pretest was recorded
at Electrical Audio Studios with Steve Albini (Shellac, Jesus Lizard,
Don Caballero). These Philadelphia-based "instrumentalists" release themselves
from any genre-based constraints and forgo the need for silly limiting
rock traditions such as, most prominently, including vocals. Instead they
deliver introspective, dynamic, progressive rock mixed with jazz-inspired,
free-form musicality and with a foundational hardcore and grinding metal
vibe where appropriate. At times the music is sparse and mellow, at times
it is brutal and aggressive; at times it is loose and spacey, at others
it is tight and direct. Always it is engaging, often it is transcendental,
and often it is worth your time. Musicians who like improv jamming done
by metalheads not hippies will be intrigued. Jazz-rock fusion fans who
like such music filtered through a hardcore/D.I.Y. vibe will be in heaven.
Dysrhythmia are clearly doing their own thing and deserve global attention.
Props to Relapse Records for not overlooking something so left-of-center
developing right in their own backyard. Death - Metal Judgment
(US)
12. Dictionary.com defines dysrhythmia as: "An abnormality in an
otherwise normal rhythmic pattern, as of brain waves being recorded by
an electroencephalograph." Translate that into notes on a musical scale,
and you're getting close to the true nature of this Relapse band. This
all-instrumental act is all about the ever-shifting time signature. Amorphous
and inventive, Dysrhythmia redefines musical boundaries consistently and,
seemingly, effortlessly. The last time I really, truly listened to anything
purely instrumental (besides the occasional guitar god rock record in
the early 90s) was during my classical music phase in my grade school
years. This album is just the kind of thing to make me wonder why that
is, until I recall that said guitar god records were painfully dull and
repetitive beyond the extended masturbatory sections. Dysrhythmia, on
the other hand, is interesting from beginning to end. This record certainly
may not be everyone's cup of tea. For example, those who exclusively listen
to death or black metal will probably find little to like on this album.
But anyone who has an appreciation for music that is amazingly performed
and brilliantly composed will find himself or herself in a state of bliss.
Immerse yourself in the eclectic sounds of Dysrhythmia. Hel - Metal
Judgement (US)
13. Ahhh, the latest full-length from this killer instrumental
trio out of Philly. For those unaware, Dysrhythmia plays jazzy, improvisational
progressive rock type material with a good dose of melody and a little
bit of an abrasive edge or some math rock-ishness on occasion. It's not
overly technical or complex, but they're very competent musicians and
their playing is getting tighter with time, as is their writing becoming
more fluid and cohesive. There's a sweet emphasis on the bass playing
this time out that I really enjoy, and the drums are mixed pretty loud
so the fills and accents really make a huge difference. A few standout
moments are "And Just Go", which is a bit more melodic and laidback and
the guitars are sort of resting on the line between clean and distorted,
and "Annihilation II", which starts to break out some nice alternate picking
patterns that have a slight Cynic vibe to them, they're just slower and
a bit more broken up with unique chord formations and such. "Touch Benediction"
runs a massive 11+ minutes that starts out with some forcefully slow
riffing that would almost sound like Black Sabbath or something were it
not for the discordant note choices and entirely different guitar tone
- it actually really brings Engine Kid to mind. As the track moves along
things quiet down a bit with some great drum fills and nice ringing clean
guitars with dense bass notes held in the background. It's a little more
"experimental" than some of the other tracks in a sense, but it's absolutely
one of the strongest compositions herein. The production is pretty nice,
but the drums are running that show. The percussion sounds fucking phenomenal.
Warm, resonant, clear… just fucking perfect. The bass is second in command
in my book, harnessing a good amount of low-end but also a ton of definition,
so that it's always its own instrument maintaining its own space. The
guitars sound good, but something seems a little bit off there. I don't
know what it is… I think I'd mainly just like to hear a warmer, smoother,
perhaps fuller tone. I don't know… it's a little bit dry, and that makes
it hold less weight against the strength of the rhythm section. A hindrance?
No, not really. But in the future I think that the guitars might benefit
from gelling with the bass and drums more than is the case here. But nonetheless,
things sound quite good. The layout's great. Simple, minimal, but highly
effective. There's a lot of blank white space with crisp photography here
and there, and most of the text is handwritten which works perfectly in
this case. In fact, I think it would've looked even better if literally
all of text was handwritten. This is another good record from a consistent
act. I definitely like this better than their previous efforts. It's not
quite different enough for me to really feel much more strongly about
it than their last full-length, but they're obviously continuing to get
better at what they do, and I'll be very curious to see where they take
it in the future. - aversionline.com (US)
14. Step aside, Burning Brides. Here comes something leaner (and
meaner). Though on the surface, Pretest -- recorded by Steve Albini --
conjures up shades of the late Don Caballero (and its Storm and Stress
offshoot), Dysrhythmia is based in groove instead of dynamic and tonal
changes. Stretching nine songs over almost an hour, the disc vies for
the listener's attention at times; flashy time changes and skilled noodling
are sometimes called upon to spackle in the holes. Fear not, though, you
can easily file this one safely next to your treasured Oxes 7-inch or
Trans Am bootlegs. - Philadelphia City Paper
15. I could tell within a few seconds that, yes, checking the cd
insert, Steve Albini, the producer of Nirvana's final full-length album,
had lent his signature sound to this Philadelphia four piece. They're
in for it now, and you can hear "it" in the dehydration of the drums,
and actually in the room itself whenever the instruments paused a moment
to let their own everything reverberate and fade. It's a good job Dysrythmia
is an instrumental group, since any vocalist would be flummoxed to find
a spot to anywhere drop a verse that's free from overindulgence and testicle
sweat.
I waited for more than three minutes for at least a "Yeah!" to tell me
that "Bastard" was a stretched-out intro. That opening track was similar
to a rock orchestra warming up, but, like most attempts at making rock
palatable to jazz heads, pretest never went anywhere. This was ultimately
an expen$ive rehearsal tape, and that's my problem with Albini -- everything
he does is so stripped-down and bare that the songs lack momentum.
Imagine a Jeep stuck in the mud with this on the stereo. Look, just because
a band noodles about for nearly an hour doesn't mean that they're "jazzy."
I saw that term mentioned a few times in Dysrhythmia's press kit, and
it's offensive to anyone who plays or has ever played jazz music. While
jazz is often about the abstract, and painting with sound, pretest subscribes
to the format of fucking around aimlessly like stoned, talented twats
who can't find a singer. Fodder for guys who work at Guitar Center and
practice with the hand grip gel device on their lunch break so they can
show you arpeggios when you only fucking want guitar strings. Guys like
that love this crap. pretest is 53.08 of the drummer and his chops, which
he's more than happy to show off to the rest of the band, who follow him
in tired circles. I got up, made dinner, came back and listened to it
again an hour later, and had already forgotten almost everything. Is that
what you want from an album? If it is, then sell everything you've
got and just purchase this one. RATING: D Jason Thornberry - Cosmic
Disk (US)
16. Is it possible for something to be so damn good that it makes
you sick? We only listened to Dysrhythmia’s Pretest once and there’s
coughing, sneezing and barfing everywhere – so we’re saying yes. Maybe
it’s the shaking from Clayton Ingerson’s earthquake-o-rama bass that’s
making us nauseous, or perhaps Kevin Hufnagel’s intricate yet powerful
guitar mastery is the culprit (it did taste kinda bad, but bad meaning
good in a bad way). Oh wait, maybe it’s the fact that the usual ingredient
for sickness (vocals) doesn’t exist with Dysrhythmia. That’s right, there
are no vocals and crappy lyrics to ruin big D’s flawless prog-metal/rock/jazzy
fusion of awesome. Could you imagine if there were? Judging from their
total disregard for suck, Dysrhythmia’s lyrical skills would probably
be nothing short of amazing, which would equal certain death.
- Pulse Weekly (US)
17. As far as instrumental "post-rock" groups go, Dysrhythmia is
one better ones I've encountered. They weave intricate webs of guitars
and drums that lean toward the mathematic. Full of energy, Pretest feels
like a kid with ADD, quickly changing moods and tempos. (AL) - Impact
Press (US)
18. This instrumental trio was formed in Philadelphia in 1999 and
consists of Jeff Eber (drums), Kevin Hufnagel (guitar) and Clayton Ingerson
(bass). On “Pretest” these guys fuse progressive rock, metal, jazz and
indie rock in nine tracks that range from 2 to 11 minutes in length. Never
predictable, never traditional.
If you want your music to be a challenge, then here’s an album for you.
If you’re a fan of Sonic Youth, Tomahawk and Dillinger Escape Plan, then
here’s an album for you. They’re pretty good at what they do. But I have
to say the songs really fuckin’ annoyed me and after the fourth one I
called it quits! - Munchkin Music
19. Philadelphia three-piece into instrumental and technical stuff.
Their music surely is considered as "Metal" by most listeners even if
the real "Metal fanatics" won't necessarily get what they need to feed
their heaviness addiction. Guitars mainly avoid the fat heavy riffing,
rather aiming a subbtle mix of indie experimental Rock with some Jazzy
or numerous other weird musical styles. Rhythmic background also is very
important and intricate, sometimes reminding me of the first WATCHTOWER
stuff, without the gay vocals… but I'm not sure about that "reference"
since it's almost 20 years ago…Anyway, this album will certainly appeal
to anyone into music and how it is made, open-minded progressive metallers
and even post-rockers. Steph - Pull the Chain (Belgium)
20. Their name gave my spellcheck a heart attack, but luckily the
music isn't the usual heart attack-inducing scary-ass fare from Relapse.
They play very cool mid-tempo prog-metal that's more like a heavier, more
driven take on instrumental indie. While they're not thrashy like Yakuza,
but they do share the same dynamic, jazzy approach, and the musicianship
is superb. I bet they're big Rush fans. - Read Magazine
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