2007-03-11
Like most readers the name Intronaut means something to, I've also had the privilege to come across this Los Angeles quartet awhile ago when exposed to their hyper-acclaimed debut EP "Null".
"Null" is one of the best releases the genre of post-hardcore had to offer in 2006, up until "Void", that is. Although "Void", Intronaut's first full length, was released quite some time ago I still stress it is relevant today, perhaps even everyday, as a seminal piece of the third generation of music as we know it, much like
Isis's "Panopticon" or
Pelican's "The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw" and
Mouth Of The Architect's "The Ties That Blind", and some might even call it a milestone in the (disputed) genre of post-metal.
Clusters of feedback, bundles of drones and trigger-happy drumbeats open "A Monolithic Vulgarity" and thus give the album its serious, dramatic tone right from the beginning; moments of sheer wrath alongside atmospheric instrumental passages characterize this album. You'll find dynamics in each of the songs, and for a good reason too – All four members of Intronaut are longtime veterans in various genres of music: from grind (Danny Walker, ex-
Uphill Battle drummer and ex-Exhumed tour drummer) uphill to grind/death metal (Leon del Muerte, ex-
Impaled, ex-
Exhumed and
Murder Construct guitarist and vocalist), slightly sideways to Doom (guitarist Sacha Dunable, ex-
Anubis Rising) and all the way to jazz, funk and traditional Indian music (bassist Joe Lester, who also has a BA in music) – but instead of sounding like a mash-up of the above they prove their experience, with intriguing technical riffing (just listen to "Gleamer" and "Rise To Midden"), very notable bass lines (not heard in Metalville since Steve DiGiorgio and Sean Melone visited) like the ones in "Nostalgic Echo", untraditional drumwork that is often compared to Brann Dailor's ("Teledildonics", "Fault Lines", "Iceblocks") and overall freshness and complexity; This is not an album made by beginners, and it's not meant for beginners.
"Void" is more a voyage than a song-by-song album, it's much more about the soundscape, and the feelings and thoughts it arouses; it's a rather personal journey of each and every listener illustrated by varied riffs, over the top dynamics between bass-lines and drum-rolls, and occasionally adorned by wrathful throaty screams.
Any follower of the trinity (not of Christianity, but of
Neurosis,
Isis &
Cult Of Luna) should purchase this album even on the account of using a little less this month.
Ofer Vayner
