Giraffe Tongue Orchestra

Broken Lines

BY Scott A. GrayPublished Sep 27, 2016

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What, you may wonder, is a Giraffe Tongue Orchestra? A far cry from the pizzicato leaf-munching the moniker conjures, GTO are a progressive rock Voltron of awesomeness assembled of experimental metal deity Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan), William DuVall (Alice in Chains), Brent Hinds (Mastodon), Thomas Pridgen (the Mars Volta) and Pete Griffin (Dethklok).
 
Weinman's creatively restless riffs and darkly anthemic chord progressions are focused on guiding epic journeys through a tautly plotted maze of bombastic, soaring rock movements, avenues of venomous punk, gutters of primal, searing metal and back alleys of sneering alt rock refrains, with unexpected excursions into dirty funk breakdowns.
 
The stadium-minded ensemble strikes a great balance between fearless exploration and casual virtuosity with unabashedly catchy classic rock-isms pulled and bent from across the genre's history. Such an expansive sonic playground gives all the members plenty of space to exercise their vast abilities — DuVall's powerful, versatile pipes are a particular revelation — so that the end result will appeal equally to fans of Guns N' Roses and Ween. Though, Dillinger devotees should still find plenty to like if they have a soft spot for the heavier side of self-aware cock-rock.
(Party Smasher Inc./Cooking Vinyl)

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