Prehistoricisms

This rules. I don't really need to say a lot more than that, but I would be doing this band an immense disservice to not shower them with praise.

If you're unfamiliar with them, Intronaut is the brain child of Sacha Dunable (Anubis Rising), Joe Lester (Mouth of the Architect) and Danny Walker (Uphill Battle, Exhumed, Phobia). After the Challenger EP (2007) guitarist Leon del Muerte left the band and was replaced by Dave Timnick, a seasoned session drummer residing in LA. With the release of "Prehistoricisms" the band did not lose a step, and if anything they really came into their own.

I thought the Challenger EP was pretty good, but to me it fell short of the dynamic nature and chaotic environment they created in 2006's "Void". On their latest release they picked up where they left off with "Void" and catapulted themselves even further into musical oblivion. I genuinely think that Intronaut is taking metal places that it has not been before, unlike many of their "progressive" peers. They write coherent music on a level that most people just don't quite understand, and with "Prehistoricisms" they managed to write a more tactile record while maintaining the turbulent style that helps to define them.

The record opens with "Primordial Soup", a short atmospheric guitar bit that sets a dismal scene where the rest of album unfolds. The first real song, "The Literal Black Cloud", is in my opinion the weakest song on the album as it lacks a lot of the frenzied madness that you'd expect from an opener. But beginning with "Cavernous Den of Shame", the album really takes off with a relentless mix of cacophonous turmoil, prog inspired post-rock, and pummeling riffs that slug away with all the heavyweights we've grown to love. This formula carries on for the remainder of the presentation and left me with a pretty satisfied listen.

The musicianship on this record is phenomenal, but if this is not your first encounter with Intronaut then you would certainly not be surprised by such a claim. Danny Walker is arguably the best drummer in metal right now and he puts forth yet another effort to support his candidacy. All of the guitar work, minus a couple filler parts, is top notch in both execution and creativity. Further, Joe Lester has made sure to not be left in the background by giving a pretty memorable performance on bass. The production is great all around; I have not a single complaint. Only gripe I have with this record, other than some blah parts on the second track, is the equivalent of a drum solo at the end of "Any Port" which, though awesome, is completely unnecessary and hurts the solidarity of an otherwise fantastic group outing.

This album is just really good. Even the throw away track is decent song, and the last track, "The Reptilian Brain: Sleep/Eat/Shit/Fight/Fuck", is as good a way to end this album as I could have thought of. As of right now I would put this on the same level as "Void", but I think after more listens that "Prehistoricisms" will eclipse their first release in my rotation because it just has more to offer.

I implore you to listen to this album.