41. Ever slid a debut album from a complete unknown into your CD player not knowing what the hell to expect, and were left with your jaw dropped in sheer amazement for the next 60-plus minutes? Pretest is one of those rarities. Dysrhythmia, an instrumental avant/pysche/jazz/metalcore hybrid that, recently emerged from the Philadelphia underground, and every moment of this disc is simply amazing. The musicianship is superb, as is the way this band works as an entire unit. The time signatures alone make it seem as if the members are supernaturally contected to one another's brain waves; the guitar work is impressive and hypnotic, the drums inventive and solid and the bass pulsating with energy. Above all, uber-producer Steve Albini has captured the core vitality of the group, creating a mesmerizing document whose longevity with sustain Pretest for many years to come.
Reason to Buy: Once this genre finally achieves mainstream success, you can say you were there before MTV bastardized it. - Real Detroit Weekly

42. Instrumental bands comes in spades these days, and they're often making a takeover big for biggest sound. From the grueling duals of pint-sized Lightning Bolt to the mammoth orchestrations of Godspeed You Black Emperor, instrumental prog rawk bands appear to be out to shake thunder from the Heavens and fill their croakersacks with it. On their new album Pretest, Philadelphia's Dysrhythmia take a more old-fashioned -and possibly more humble- route to making grand noise. Closer to noodlers than bashers, the band offers up nine tracks that have more to do with Gone than any of their contemporaries. But Dysrhythmia is not the totalitarian regime of Greg Ginn; you find their math worked out equally between all three instruments, despite engineer Steve Albini's penchant for the Rapeman-type drum-levels. Tricky, dense, textured, Dysrhythmia finds it's own brand of inspiration in the stormy skies. - Flyer

43. The whole mathcore/noisecore scene pretty much just confuses the hell out of me, so at first blush, I didn't exactly take a shine to Dysrhythmia's maiden effort, which was unfortunate enough to get shipped along with a copy of The End's Transfer Trachear Reverberations". I immediately lumped both albums in the same category, but luckily, I gave Pretest a few more spins before sending it off for review, and found one of the more rewarding aural challenges to come across my desk this year. Where math/noise bands work odd-time signatures and fractured song structures into over-the-top screaming fits, Dyrhythmia let brilliant drum and bass work drive half-improvised surf/jazz/skronk guitar into killer rock [and I mean that in the best sense of the word] instrumentals that range from subdued to frenzied. Their intensity doesn't come from a screaming maniac in thick black glasses going on about his relationships, but rather from the frightening intuition of their rhythm section alone. Throughout "Pretest", bass and drums build the foundation of the song, while the guitar spices and elaborates on top, with the whole band moving from tough instrumental workouts [Bastard, My Relationship], to moody dreamscapes [Annihilation II, Touch Benediction], to aggressive nastiness [Catalog of Personal Faults] without skipping a beat. Fans of Jane's Addiction, Primus, Tool, Dick Dale and Karma to Burn take note, because played at the right volume, this one will rock your socks off. Muxlow - Deadtide

44. Something more akin to what you would expect on Hydra Head rather than noisy label Relapse, Philadelphia's Dysrhythmia deal in instrumental epics with influences as far and wide as King Crimson and Dillinger Escape Plan. So don't expect just stoner rock noodlings created by a band too wasted that they forgot to lay down some vocals, but some seriously interesting muso jams. Steve Albini's ferel production on this third release adds a tasty twist to the proceedings, which by and large keep you entertained while on the stereo, showing that Pretest is an album written and created by three challenging people. - Rock Sound

45. It's the third album of Philadelphia's instrumentalists DYSRHYTHMIA, this time recorded at Electrical Audio Studios with Steve Albini, who's famous for his numerous works with lot of bands during the last 15 years. "Pretest" is like a exciting kaleidoscope, full of amazing pictures and different emotions. The structures are always very sharp and bass, guitar and drums are communicating with each other in an inspiring way. The musicians are playing tight and exactley, but suddenly the band creates a sonic whirlwind, where the guitar plays free-form, while the drum-patterns are becoming more complex and the basslines are holding the band together. But there's enough space for another themes, if it's more up-tempo or just melancholic, a bit more heavier or Wave-like. Due to the tightness, "Pretest" owns a big tension under the surface, and the mesmerising ambient-like parts are still filled with high energy, too. It's really a pleasure to listen to the here included nine songs, because there's still a very natural and free-floating feeling in DYSRHYTHMIA's music. To compare them with bands as Spickle and Stinking Lizaveta, DYSRHYTHMIA are less Hardcore than Spickle and more Metal than Lizaveta, but no Metal band at all. They're also influenced from psychedelic jazzrock and progressive rock in equal parts, combined with indie-rock and avantgarde. That may sounds heavy, but after a few listening-sessions you'll discover the beauty within this album. Although not everyone's taste, I give you the advice to check out DYSRHYTHMIA at your record dealer. - Cosmic Lava

46. “ DYSRHYTHMIA foster a looseness in their ack of allegiance that makes their genre transitions seem seamless, harmonious, surgically precise. Few bands think of making the jump from KING CRIMSON to HENRY COW to WIRE or DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (even fewer are bold enough to try it)”  –PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER
Accolades such as this one abound when speaking of this band. The promo copy comes with at least 6 pages worth of hype. Pretest is Dysrhythmia’s 3rd effort, and my first exposure to the band. A trio made up of (as listed on the inner sleeve) Clayton Ingerson- Pilot (bass), Jeff Eber- Navigator (drums), and Kevin Hufnagel- Liaison (guitar). Together , they’re an explosive hybrid of avant prog, punk, surf music, and general mayhem. Hard, fast , and loose; Dysrhythmia come at you with both barrels blazin’ as they rip through one instrumental track after another. Imagine Djam Karet going garage band and you’ll get a sense of their genre. The garage band sound unfortunately, may be the one deterrent from this disc. This band is already legendary in the North-Eastern United States for their blistering live shows, yet unfortunately that energy does not come across as well as it could in the studio. I believe that this is a minor flaw which can be easily remedied with a more experienced hand behind the console. Watch out for these guys because their star is definitely on the rise. Yves Dube - Sea of Tranquility

47. I first encountered Pennsylvania's instrumental trio Dysrhythmia at the annual Powermad Festival in Baltimore. Their avantgarde, manic style went over well with the progressive metal crowd which relishes skill over memorability. Guitarist Kevin Hufnagel, bassist Clayton Ingerson, and drummer Jeff Ebor joined forces in Dysrhythmia in 1999. The following year their debut release, Contradiction, was released, followed the next year by No Interference.
Like these two discs, Pretest is experimental, quirky, and interesting. You can point out influences from prog rock, indie rock, jazz, and even ambient. Acclaimed artistic producer Steve Albini (Jesus Lizard, Nirvana) worked with Dysrhythmia on Pretest, but his signature rawness is not as apparent. I have become bored and tired with the instrumental shredders you often find on Shrapnel, Lion Music, and Leviathan Records but with bands like Hematovore, the Cancer Conspiracy, and Dysrhythmia pushing the rhythmic boundaries and exploring music with an open mind and superior talent, instrumental music is getting more exciting. It's also nice to hear the bass getting equal focus with drums and guitars. Sure, there's almost nothing on Pretest which is retained but Dysrhythmia are extremly talented and can be enjoyable if you're in the right mood. Brett - Transcending the Mundane

48. I like jerking off, but watching other guys do it is somehow not the same thing... Roberto Martinelli - Maelstorm Online

49. Philadelphia math rock that not only sounds a lot like Steve Albini’s old band, Rapeman but is also produced by Albini. This is all instrumental, the bottom end is huge, heavy and tight and the guitars are discordant and go all over the place. Like the Oxes, Dysrhythmia gets heavy enough at times to venture into metal.

**1. Starts ominous and dark and, well, odd sounding. The guitar sound for the first couple minutes is odd. Then the guitar just starts going everywhere.
2. Shorter, more metal.
3. Quiet beginning with just guitar and effects. Melodic once the rest of the band join in. Never fully rocks out but there is a bunch of guitar noodling later in the song.
4. A riff of sorts which I guess means more repetition and less noodling.
5. More of a rock song....with some pretty impressive stop/start parts in the middle.
6. Fun with harmonics. Pretty. Some showing off by the drummer.
**7. Damn...a groove into metal licks.
**8. Pummeling right from the beginning.
**9. Long. Starts with feedback and metal sounding guitar into slow pummeling like Earth/Melvins/Godflesh/Isis. Melodic, pretty, and sad sounding for the 2nd half of the song.

Good stuff. Michael Howes - Zookeeper Online

50. Every time I get an album of Relapse I`m pretty curious what to expect, especially the last few years. Besides that, you know also that 99% of the releases are more than good. Dysrhythmia is a band I`ve never heard of before, although they have a couple of releases before this album. The only declaration must be that the music is something different than (extreme) metal. And yeah, I`m right this time. This band from Philadelphia plays some kind of fusion metal with some indie and prog parts. Not my usual kind of business I have to say. So it was a tough task listening to this album in the beginning. But after a while this album grew and became better and better. First of all, Pretest is an instrumental album. There are no vocals on this album for sure. But they compensate this by the use of their instruments. Diversity is a great trademark and they show that you don`t need any vocals or whatever to change emotion in the music. Just let the instruments do their work. People who play in a band and jam often could probably get much quicker in this music. This album is far away from metal, but who cares if the quality is like this. If you want to compare this with a metal band that comes a bit near, than it must be Mastodon I think. But near doesn`t mean near this time. Dysrhythmia will only be for a select group of music lovers, but if you can please check out this great composed complex music. It`s definitely worth it and will enlarge your horizon. André - Quintessence [Netherlands]

51. I've never been much for metal -- or for classical precepts of instrumental virtuosity, for that matter -- but the whiplash prog-metal of Dysrhythmia's Pretest is pretty ear-grabbing. For metal novices like me, think of the Philadelphia band as an underground, instrumental answer to Queens of the Stone Age, bringing the noise for besotted headbangers and eggheaded math-rockers alike. - Memphis Flyer City Paper

52. Dysrhythmia is a hard act to grasp, and an even harder one to define, as this Philadelphia-based instrumental trio's musical output runs the gamut from Slayer to John Coltrane and back again. It's this type of coming full circle that makes Dysrhythmia's music engaging, enticing, and truly complex to the average set of ears. Running closely to bands like Candiria, The Cancer Conspiracy, and The Fucking Champs in terms of musical exploration, this outfit bars most generalization and requires almost all of the listener's attentiveness for maximum understanding. There's a plethora of things going on here, from odd time signatures to jazzy structures to prog rock noodling that vocals can't do justice to and just one listen cannot begin to fathom. Buy this disc, spend a few days on it, and you too will see the brilliance that Dysrhythmia displays on PRETEST. Mike SOS - 3:16 Productions

53. Philadelphia trio Dysrhythmia prefers the wordless life on its third album Pretest. Guitarist Kevin Hufnagel, bassist Clayton Ingerson and drummer Jeff Eber have more than enough riffs to go around; they don't need a vocalist to clutter up their clean, precise, power trio sound. The musicians have enough technique to go toe-to-toe with the Steve Vais and Phishes of the world, but use their skills for good, not evil. Ingerson grooves along like the bastard son of Geddy Lee and James Jamerson, keeping the rhythm moving with little fuss and just the right amount of flourish, while Eber batters the tunes forward, smashing his cymbals for emphasis but not effect. Hufnagel squeals, squonks, scratches, smashes and, most importantly, sings on his six strings, always using the sounds to color the songs, not the other way around. The rapid fury of "Catalog of Personal Faults," "Bastard" and "Running Shoe of Justice" contrasts nicely with the more sedate (but still violent) aura of "Annihilation II." The players move from mood to mood with finesse and style, never letting the tune itself get lost in the process. The record concludes with "Touch Benediction," an 11-minute beast of a track that encompasses lumbering sloth metal and atmospheric dream pop, the sound of someone coming down from an unsettling acid trip. Unlike so many instrumental rock albums, Pretest is no indulgence in wankery, but an honest-to-Miles Davis artistic statement. Michael Toland - High Bias

54. This is really abnmormal. And I don't mean the word they did use for a name. This is an instrumental band, not metal [though they have played on the same stage with extreme ones such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Cephalic Carnage, Mastodon, and ISIS how are closer to their music spirit...] that reminds someone mostly of alternative bands, but in a more progressive approach. Yes, they surely remind of Sonic Youth and it would be more difficult for someone listening to Dysrhythmia, instead of listening to the first ones who do use some lyrics in their compositions after all. It would be easier and more fun for a skilled and experienced musician to listen to them. It reminds me of Neurosis too. What else to write? I'm a death bastard after all...! Bill "unscarred" Georgiou - Metal Invader

55. If you wondered where challenging instrumental rock went, check out Relapse recording artist Dysrhythmia, a Philly trio whose aural onslaught is a collage of bold, artful sounds that will win you over whether you're a fan of King Crimson, the Dillinger Escape Plan, the old Rollins Band at its jazz-metal best or Shellac - whose member Steve Albini recorded Dysrhythmia's latest, "Pretest." - GoMemphis

56. This isn’t the kind of thing I normally review. Though I’ve written for several publications, the music I generally cover tends to fall into jazz, free music, or various forms of experimental and improvised music. But I’ve been a lifelong fan of heavy, angry, out rock too (and, for what it’s worth, I’m a lifelong funkateer as well). So I figured I’d try a shot at this band, being that it’s being released on the fine Relapse label (which, along with Hydrahead and a few others, is one of the better metal labels around). What I found was not the crushing, prog/math metal I expected but a much more idiosyncratic mix of some pretty hip post-punk (Jesus Lizard, Shellac, Don Caballero, and Slint; and hey, this disc was even produced by Steve Albini) with some of the darker and more moody metal being explored by Isis, Neurosis, or Cult of Luna (with maybe a bit of Swans thrown in for good measure).
They certainly play with the turn-on-a-dime accuracy of mathcore and progressive metal bands like the above (and particularly groups like Coalesce, Dillinger Escape Plan, Grand Ulena, or Botch), but the sonic template is rather different. As an all-instrumental trio (Jeff Eber plays drums, Kevin Hufnagel plays guitar, and Clayton Ingerson plays bass), they let the forms take shape not through vocals or lyrics but through very complex rhythmic patterns. What’s more, rather than simply pounding them out in full-on aggression, these guys are pretty hip to texture and color. They set up skirling, phased patterns a la King Crimson one minute, and dive into blessed-out fields of feedback the next. "My Relationship”, the most thrashy of these tracks, features good attention to dynamics, and an almost cinematic sensibility (the ever-mutating forms do really tell some good stories). Tunes like "And Just Go" or "Heat Sink" generate a slowly intensifying, escalating drama – they’re refined and flowing, yet packing the punch of a brutal live show. Guitar squalls shade into round-toned chimes that float over the winding bass and drum patterns.
It should be obvious that any expectations you have about metal will likely be dashed here. And in fact, each of these tunes defies convention and turns where you least expect it (it’s often hard to tell where they’re just improvising and where the structure is tight like a fist). These guys are smart and playful, but they can bring the rock. Hard. It’s not willfully complex, or tricky just for the sake of it; the tunes hang together as tunes first and foremost. The tension that’s at the heart of their music is the natural by-product of each member’s differing taste and training. Everything from sheer hard-hitting rock to ambient trance, from thrash to Melvins-like sludge-jams is put in the kick-ass blender that is Dysrhythmia. Hang on! Jason Bivins - Dusted

57. Okay, enough already with the fourth dimension music. I don't get it. I don't like it. I won't mention the similar CDs that I've reviewed in the past couple months, but STOP! I don't wanna listen to buzzing and grinding. If I did, I would head down to Home Depot, pick up a drill saw and build something. Otherwise, NO MORE-I'm serious. This isn't music. It's a fucking score to a home improvement show. On a more positive note, it is well produced. Very clean. Maybe I don't get it and that's fine, but fuck guys.... what you doin' over there?  Nat - Destroy All Monthly

58. I read what my fellow reviewers have to say about the CDs we listen to and some I agree with, most I don't. When I saw that the Angels of Light record was our miss, I was really bummed. So chances are no one is going to like my pick for Dysrhythmia. Well, it's their fucking loss. This is the only record outside of the Sabers record that had any merit whatsoever. There is an actual challenge to listening to the jams. Yeah, it might be instrumental, on the prog-fusion tip, but if I hear another fucking song about some dumb girl or how this guy is pissed at the world, I'm going to fucking explode. Fake suckas, eat a dick. Smokey - Destroy All Monthly

59. One of the finest current practitioners of the multi-genre wire walk is Dysrhythmia, and the proof is all over its third release Pretest. The instrumental trio works a jarring groove, suggesting an affinity for everything from Sunny Day Real Estate's spartan emo-core and King Crimson's prog jazz to Slayer's metallic thrombosis. An otherworldly synergy occurs between the three players, as Ingerson and Eber create a constantly shifting but solidly constructed undercurrent, allowing Hufnagel to spontaneously channel riffs from a galaxy of musical choices. Brian Barker - Rockpile

60. While instrumental albums can be very good, as in the case of certain solo guitarists, the music on them has to be of both a high standard as well as memorable enough to maintain the interest of the listener. In this case, it's more of a so-so vibe. As this is not a guitar solos-a-plenty shred-fest, the emphasis is on all of the instruments rather than mainly one. Most of the songs here have a dark, moody atmosphere with a jazz-based rock delivery to them. This isn't bad but it lacks in energy and somewhat comes across as more of a jamming session than a collection of songs. More for the musician than the casual listen. Nemanja Mandic - Rip 'N Tear

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