Pitchshifter

A few things about Deviant jump out. The bizarre, weirdly disturbing drawing on the cover. A ridiculous comic strip that depicts the band as a freedom fighting superheroes. And the listing of a song's bpm hints that Pitchshifter may be exploring slower tempos and mellower grooves as the vast majority of this album hovers around - and in many cases, dips below - the 100 bpm mark. This album is nowhere near as frantic as the last two, but the intelligent collision of breakbeats, artificial jungle drums and metal still exists, just in a more subdued form. Maybe a bit too subdued and sparse in spots, but JS Clayden's ability to create infectious catchy vocal phrases around the simplest of riffs saves this record from the scrap heap. This album may not possess any of the complications and experimentation of past work, but as a document of a band's progression over the years, you gotta give Deviant big ups.