Void

Intronaut play a specific brand of metal obviously influenced by such bands as Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, and perhaps Mastodon. Gritty, hypnotic and repetitive riffs reminiscent especially of classic Neurosis collide into eerie interludes and vague, static textures and effects, occasionally languishing in spacey clean-tone guitar interludes and tribal-esque drumming. I actually have enjoyed both this album and their previous EP, "Null", quite a bit compared to a lot of the latest metal releases. Cool stuff, and great for those who like doomy, repetitive post-metal-style dirges. I must point out that I have read several reveiews comparing them to Meshuggah, which is not really accurate....I think that the closest comparison is definatlely "Through Silver In Blood"-era Neurosis. Recommended.

If you have a pulse and you enjoy progressive metal, this one is the bee's tweeds or whatever it is those british people say. The best drummer in metal right here, showing his focused powers.

Good music

Since their largely overlooked debut EP was released earlier this year, Intronaut have drawn numerous comparisons to Mastodon. But with their second (and first full length) release, "Void," this L.A.-based quintet further proves that their overall sound--hefty, angular riffs, complex drum pattens, trance-like repetition, pin-point technicality, oddball time signatures, breakneck tempo changes, usually lurching rhythms, harsh, atonal vocals, fusion of jazz elements, etc.--actually falls more in line with that of Meshuggah's. And fortunately, Intronaut don't stop there. "Void" is very refreshingly unique and actually quite different from both of the above bands' albums, because it is a perfect balance of harmony and dissonance (punishing heavy stuff and gentle, carefully placed melody). All but one track on here has some pleasing-to-the-ear parts. Often, a song will begin with or go through a section consisting of docile strings and moments of near silence; but then, in not too long, guitarists Leon del Muerte (ex-Exhumed and Impaled) and Sacha Dunable suddenly launch headlong into series of riffs that drop from the sky and bludgeon the listener like a cement block. Sometimes a song will have a soft part that seems a bit tacked on, but the almost undying use of melody is needed because it intertwines the songs and makes them flow so seamlessly."Monolithic Vulgarity" begins with a minute and twenty seconds of eerie, foreboding guitar feedback and soft percussion that follows the same rhythm as a drum roll. This intro is then mowed over by a grumbling, bottom-heavy guitar lead, booming beats, beeping bass, and schizophrenic, almost puking vocals. The track then ends with clean, almost aquatic-sounding acoustic guitars and tribal drums.Following that is "Gleamer," the album's only track that's devoid of any melodic pleasantries. This is a truly staggering song in that it has great musicianship throughout, and boy, is it heavy! The crushing guitars and lurching tempo combine to create a brutal, scorching interplay with the drummer's forceful, slamming double bass."Fault Lines" is awesome, too. The light strumming and wind noises at the beginning disappear when massive abrasive guitar riffs and propulsive bass line (which is still very audible, despite being buried beneath the sound's mix) kick in. Intronaut reign it in a while later, of course, and the energy level dives dramatically, but the song does build and regain momentum (with the help of a bouncy, ascending drum pattern) and ends with a climax."Nostalgic Echo" is one of many examples of a perfect, effortless flow from a menacing, low key sound to a rip-roaring one. Its instrumental, strings `n' all verses smoothly segue into huge, chunky guitar-driven choruses. Next, "Teledildonics" offsets frothing intensity (blistering riffs and driving, thumping drums) with a beautiful ambience that evokes the Deftones circa their 2000 album, "White Pony." Similarly, the gloomy "Iceblocks" has both quiet (almost silent), dwindling, prog-ish restraint and a bullying onslaught of brutality.The set closer, "Rise To The Midden" is one of the instances where including melody seems a bit gratuitous. But this track, especially the bulldozing, Converge-meets-The Acacia Strain opening, is still very enjoyable."Void" more than deserves comparisons to the product put out by any great prog/technical-metal band, including Tool, Meshuggah, Meshuggah, Mastodon, Neurosis, Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge, Isis, and Pelican. But just because Intronaut include "progressive" touches and assemble their songs in such an epic, meticulous way does not at all mean that their music is hard to listen to. "Void" will take more than one listen to fully wrap your head around, but it still manages to be much easier to listen to, digest and absorb than one might think. This is one mighty tasty, highly infectious disc that warrants frequent return visits. Good stuff, indeed.

Void is a killer first full-length album from Los Angeles-based metallers Intronaut. The members of this band all have an impressive resume in that they also played in other bands, including the black metal act Thornlord, death metal band Exhumed, grindcore bands Phobia and Uphill Battle, and the sludgy metalcore ensemble Anubis Rising, among others.Intronaut sounds nothing like these bands though. It is more of a combination of these groups, but their music firmly lies in the sludge-driven metal area, much like Neurosis, Isis, and Mastodon. However, Intronaut writes faster songs that don't rely merely on creative riffs that are repeated endlessly; they like to juice their material up with strong rhythm combinations. Schooled bassist Joe Lester has studied all forms of music from jazz to funk to Indian tribal music, and he does a great job of weaving these elements into the songs. Drummer Danny Walker is equally vital in the band. His sparse, rhythm-conscious timing recalls greats like Tool's Danny Carey, but he also rips it up with intense double bass drums and high-speed beats, as he comes from a grindcore background. The duo dominate pretty much every song on the album, as they seem to be written around their ideas first and foremost.The vocals of Sacha Dunable and Leon del Muerte, both of whom also play the guitar, are screamed in a metalcore-ish way, but there is also a good deal of low, gutteral vocals that drive their music onto death metal paths. On the gloomy "Iceblocks", a song so perfectly titled, they play single strokes of acoustic guitars that sound cold and lonely. The notes echo forever until a jazz-meets-funk drive of bass and drums solo briefly takes the lead only to underscore the relatively deeper growls and a ferocious kick drum experiment. This comes as a huge surprise, considering most bands favour screamed vocals in such musical settings. Not to say Intronaut's vocals are devoid of vicious screaming; "A Monolithic Vulgarity" perfectly emphasizes the band's Mastodon influences, underlining their thick, carefully timed riffage and prominent bass that stands out much like those on Cynic and Atheist albums. Towards the end, drummer Danny Walker puts in a tribal drum solo atop clean-toned acoustic guitars, and the result is more than impressive.The dissonant "Gleamer" is filled with a smashing rhythm slam, noticeably heavier guitar riffery, and a cool, sludgy breakdown a la Isis' pre-Panopticon material. There are also significantly more complex chord progressions here, which seem to surround the band's atonal arrangements. The band opts for more technical elements on "Fault Lines", a song heavy on atmosphere and clean acoustic guitars. Despite the unusually complex multi-section guitar work, there are plenty of tense silences on this track coupled with weird drum syncopation and gurgling, independent sounding bass guitar. "Nostalgic Echo" is a song that continuously alternates between dense and crushing guitar crescendos and dreamy, pristine passages. The scream vocals on this song are amazing, as is its punishing finale."Teledidonics" is an epic-sized cut, once again evocative of Tool's drummer in that Danny Walker takes a very similar approach to rhythm build-ups, but they quickly move into jazzy sections that are punctuated by weird guitar effects and glistening cymbals. The ending to this song is particularly interesting, as they simply raise the distortion so high nothing else can be heard. "Rise to Midden" is another heavy tune with highly distorted guitar sounds where layers of feedback churn violently and are injected into atypical guitar and bass rhythms.The European version of this disc features a great bonus track called "Fragments of Character" and if you like Intronaut, this is a song you won't want to miss. It is very different from the other songs; it begins in a pretty straightforward death metal vein with great death growls and melodic guitar riffs. However, at around the midpoint, Lester's galloping bass is reduced and replaced by undulating effects that are filtered through harmonically rich guitars. The piece finalises in a droney sense where strong drums continue to beat until the final second.Void is a very strong start for Intronaut. If this type of music is your thing, you should check it out.

Great album: powerful and intense. Met all my expectations. Highly recommend this album to anyone who is a fan of Intronaut.