National Acrobat

Hailing from Louisville, KY the National Acrobat are one of those truly rare bands that are at once both gloriously confusing and downright engaging. Their second release, The National Acrobat For All Practical Purposes, Is Dead, is a nine-track swirl of spastic rhythms, unorthodox riffs and eccentric vocals. Take the math-y computations of We Are The Romans-era Botch, Ink & Dagger's obtuse musical discoveries and some Refused-like moments, then filter it all through the Acrobat's unique interpretation and you may have a vague idea of their sound. Punk, metal, math rock and hardcore all collide, coalesce and repel, driven by the distinct warble of vocalist Casper Adams, the inventive guitar histrionics of Evan and Ryan Patterson and the unrelenting rhythm section of bassist Dale Nixon and drummer Phil Stosberg. Although every track on here is superb, save the silence of track eight and the seemingly endless looped guitar in track nine, "Blood Is Sweeter Than Honey," "Eyes the Size of Organs" and "The Prophecy of Old Sage" best demonstrates the National Acrobats unique and inventive sonic killing spree. Bands like the National Acrobat don't need you to recognise them, they force you to take note, find cover and give reverence.