Old Time Relijun

The aptly titled Catharsis in Crisis is the final act of what is labelled by bandleader Arrington De Dinoyso as the Lost Light trilogy (after 2004’s Lost Light and 2005’s 2012), and it proves that under the tortured, feral façade lurks a forward-looking optimist. De Dinoyso refuses to accept the apocalyptic setting he conceived in 2012, instead taking in the world in all its shit and glory, willing himself to find some hope through it all. And it is goddamn fantastic. The thematic unity of the three parts is firmly established — elemental flux mirroring spiritual evolution, light as a deity at whose altar he worships, De Dionyso as the wild-eyed shaman who channels all this through a deranged mash-up of improvisational proto-punk blues. New group members Aaron Hartman and drummer Germaine Baca contribute to a sound that’s sharper and punchier — Hartman via his acidic sax wails and Baca through her almost tribal, focused drumming. It’s astonishing how the group manage to take their hefty subject matter and nimbly turn it into a varied and danceable set of songs. Try listening to "Daemon Meeting” without so much as nodding your head; it’s impossible. Cracking wise about prog gone wild is the easy thing to do. Actually listening to this album will demonstrate what an exceptional work it really is.