81. DYSRHYTHMIA send us "Pretest" - very kool, rock rhythm instrumental. Very up. Very fun. Nice work. Philadelphia's got some good talent going on there. Texture and energy with abstract sensitivity to feeling - colorful vibes. Starr Trucker - NY Waste 82. Relapse Records are a label very much renowned for their contributions to the world of Extreme Metal, famed for releasing huge amounts of classic Death Metal and Grindcore since the early 1990s. With this in mind, it's often easy to forget that now and then, they like to take a chance on something just that little bit different. If instrumental Rock-Metal-Jazz-Prog-whatever three-piece Dysrhythmia are anything compared to the rest of the Relapse roster, they're certainly different... The band overcome the first hurdle facing instrumental acts with ease; they manage to effortlessly keep things interesting in the absence of a singer, mainly due to the fact that they are simply all over the place musically, veering back and forth through a multitude of time signature changes. While this could quite easily seem artificial and forced, the band mostly manage to avoid this, the music mostly flowing quite naturally. They also dodge the major pitfall of anything that gets tarred with the "progressive" brush: pointless musical showing off. Sure, the band are excellent musicians and choose to show that fact throughout the album, but there are no long, drawn out solos on "Pretest", or indeed anything else that resembles musicianship for its own sake. There's plenty of variety on offer here, from the flat out, foot to the floor "My Relationship", the creeping heaviness of "Catalog Of Personal Faults" with its discordant riffing and the feedback drenched, vaguely Doomy plod of Isis-esque closer "Touch Benediction". While never straying too far from their general musical aesthetic, Dysrhythmia do manage to explore the various elements of their sound without the album coming across as one-dimensional, something for which they deserve to be applauded. There's still the odd hiccup however, notably "Annihilation II", which is a little on the monotonous side, despite the interesting drum workout in the background. While ultimately a challenging listen, there's certainly much to be appreciated on "Pretest" and it should easily appeal to fans of a wide variety of musical styles, be they fans of the more 'traditional' output of Relapse or simply fans of forward thinking music in general. Destroyer - Blastwave 83. Instrumental rock is fairly hard to come by these days. Most instrumental albums are made by guitar heroes or the occasional bassist or keyboardist who has a sufficient following to warrant the economics of a solo release. And most of those instrumental CDs are of the rock with jazz/fusion variety – that’s all well and good, but I always thought it would be nice sometime to hear a truly rock instrumental CD. My prayers have been answered. Philadelphia’s Dysrhythmia is a power-trio that plays instrumental rock – and wouldn’t you know it they’re pretty damn good. Although I had just recently heard the track “Body Destroyed, Brain Intact” (from their independent release “No Interference”) on a sampler, I knew that Dysrhythmia had just signed to Relapse Records for the release of their latest CD “Pretest.” When “Pretest” became available I got it at my next trip to the olde town music store. Dysrhythmia’s style is a cornucopia of genres and sounds – while the music has its basis in pure rock, the band is fully capable of incorporating any number of musical elements into their inventive approach. Dysrhythmia can rock out (“Bastard” and “Annihilation II”), dance around a hard riff (“My Relationship”), space out (“Annihilation I”), and can be playful (“Running Shoe Of Justice”). At all times Dysrhythmia fill the room with their complex, but not complicated, sound. I don’t think there is a lot of double-tracking or overdubs, but Dysrhythmia sure know how to fill up the sonic space with their spirited playing. While most of the band’s songs are taut rockers, occasionally, Dysrhythmia sound like a jam band that has taken too many steroids. But that must be their dedication to their craft rather than some long lost love of jamming for the sake of jamming. Only one song could be considered epic (“Touch Benediction”) – and at 11 minutes the track seems to breeze by pretty quickly. Usually, what you hear when Dysrhythmia is playing is a band that is probably too smart for the rest of us, but having fun in the only way they know how. But this doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed by just anyone – I think Dysrhythmia have diverse appeal. “Pretest” was produced by Steve Albini. Albini is known for his gritty production, but forgoes grit for a less abrasive yet deft touch on “Pretest” for the requisite amount of heaviness without making it unbearable. Christopher Kelter - Rough Edge 84. This 3 piece from Philadelphia waste no time in kicking off their fifth album. This release features a wide array of instrumentals ranging from off kilter tunes to more laid back indie-like songs. DYSRHYTHMIA have the same kind of urgency and control that is not unlike FUGAZI. This is especially true due to FUGAZI’s instrumental tendencies. The influences of this band can be felt all over this disc, with each song establishing a strong sense of familiarity. One could even go so far as to say DYSRHYTHMIA touch on some prog rock in songs like “Heat Sink” with significant emphasis on the sharp guitar riffs. Similarly, the drums create a very solid backbone for this band to rest its musical ability. I have found that with each spin of this disc, I find another new musical aptitude that furthers my interest. This is a sure way to hold one’s attention. Another thing to take note of with this release is DYSRHYTHMIA’s ability to transition from the off-kilter timing to an ambient yet melodic sound. It creates a nice and textured feeling to each song that leaves the listener with a sense of satisfaction. It illustrates the fine dynamics this band is prone to. I must praise whoever is responsible for the artwork, as it is stunning. It goes right along with how this band sounds: very clean and methodical. The production is nice and organized which is something that can be expected from producer, Steve Albini. All in all, I enjoyed this release, especially with the amount of metalcore I have heard recently. If you are tired of hearing bands try too hard and force a sound, DYSRHYTHMIA might be a more natural approach. AB - Euphonic Zine |