Dysrhythmia

This Philadelphia trio have built a name for themselves in various underground music scenes by creating solid, enjoyable and technical instrumental rock. This may be on Relapse, but it’s not really metal, so to speak. Although there is a good amount of heavy hitting on some of these ten tracks, there are more moments of atmosphere-building or indie/math rock leanings. New bassist Colin Martson is high up in the mix here, playing with both groove and technical precision, while drummer Jeff Eber continues to command the crew, be it through hard-hitting or controlled subtlety. With this disc the band have gotten a bit closer to writing real songs, but it’s mainly still a technical workout. But it’s energetic and enjoyable. I’m always left wondering who really enjoys this stuff; while it’s great for a listen or two, I have no idea what mood one has to be in to excitedly reach for a Dysrhythmia disc. Sure, it’s jazzy at points, and has mild prog rock tendencies in there with the weird time signatures, labyrinth riffs and off-kilter melodies. But mainly it’s just difficult, antagonistic music that makes me think these guys hate anyone who might even pretend to like the band. But I’m sure they’re nicer than that, and if they ever stop band practice to get out with the humans at some point, we’ll find out.