| CD REVIEW Intronaut |
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Band : Intronaut Although Valley Of Smoke constitutes my introduction to this Southern Californian quartet (based in Los Angeles), the band has already several releases to their name, and was founded in 2004. The brainchild of singer/ guitarist Sacha Dunable (previously of Anubis Rising) and drummer Danny Walker (of Uphill Battle, Phobia (USA), Thornlord, Exhumed, Jesu, Bastard Noise, and Infanticide (USA) fame, he also did a session with Bad Acid Trip and is currently also a member of Murder Construct), whom were both looking for a new project, they hooked up with guitarist/ singer Leon del Muerte (has Exhumed, Morbosidad, Dekapitator, Phobia (USA), Artificium Sanguis, Impaled, and Infanticide (USA) on his activities sheet, and left Intronaut in 2007 to concentrate on his Murder Construct project – he was replaced by Dave Timnick of the Ventriloquists) and bassist Joe Lester (of Mouth Of The Architect). Actually, in an early incarnation of the band they also worked with keyboardist Christina Fuentes of Sonic Death Rabbit repute. In 2005 the band released their 4-track Null demo, which was re-issued through Goodfellow Records in early 2006. That same year saw the release of the band's full-length debut Void, recorded with producer John Haddad. Their contract with Goodfellowfulfilled, the band next released their 3-track 2007 EP The Challenger (the last release with del Muerte)through the Translation Lost imprint, before signing to Century Media in January 2008. Later that year saw the release of the band's sophomore full-length Prehistoricisms, and album said to take “...Metal in a new direction...”. Ach, most labels will tell you that their new signing is something out-of-the-ordinary, but in the case of Intronaut that may well have been true enough, as the band (and then especially the drummer and bassist) has always blended complex Jazz poly-rhythms into their Proggy Modern Metal. The band also covered Eyehategod's “Dixie Whiskey” for the 20th anniversary covers album of their new label. Evidently, signing to a major player in the heavy music business has also brought Intronaut the opportunity to tour on a higher profile, starting with a support slot for Mastodon's Crack the Skye tour in April 2009, playing to 2,500 people in Pragati Maidan, Delhi (India) at the Great Indian Rock Festival XIII in October 2009, joining Disrhythmia on Cynic's Re-Traced/ Re-Focused Tour during last Summer, and more recently (October- November '10) touring with Helmet. With Valley Of Smoke the band apparently went for a slightly less complex approach (so stated in a recently published interview), which doesn't mean that they abolished experimentation altogether. One needs only to listen to the album's title track to be reassured! Vocally, a more restrained style is used for most of the album, but there's a threesome of songs in which a harsher style is maintained, and in the case of album opener “Elegy”, where harshness is combined with melody, I was somewhat surprised of how much Dunable sounds like Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke! As it so happens, that song is also the only one off the new album posted at myspace.com/intronaut, but there's plenty of older material for the interested parties to sample, and any lovers of a slightly complexer modern Metal can almost buy this album blindly. Those among you whom are more critical in their approach of album buying, might check out the album's page at any of the trusted online sales websites (they usually display 30-second samples), or otherwize get off their lazy asses to check the album at their local record store! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for this type of music, and I sure will try to get myself any of the band's previous releases! Ooh...almost forgot: we Europeans get to be the lucky ones this time around, as the European version of the album contains a bonus track!! 98/100 Tony. |