Review Summary: How to pack the essentials and move on…
Intronaut have continuously raised expectations over the past decade, reaching a new peak with the brilliant
The Direction of Last Things. The band clearly improved on every level, becoming a very tight, top tier unit. Plus, Devin Townsend’s crystal clear mixing not only enhanced all their strengths, but also successfully blended the crushing heaviness with the gorgeous melodies and layered vocals. It quickly became one of their best received LPs, but I was convinced the guys wouldn’t stagnate by creating a carbon copy next. Complications arose when drummer Danny Walker was removed from the line-up due to a domestic abuse scandal. It was a heavy blow, since the man was really creative and diversified his style considerably over the years. Nevertheless, the group started rehearsing with Alex Rüdinger (Whitechapel, ex-The Faceless, etc.) to develop their latest full length,
Fluid Existential Inversions.
Overall, this (again) excellent collection of songs hits harder than
The Direction of Last Things, revisiting older material aesthetics as well. The tunes ended up more compact, yet all go through multiple segments at various tempos. The heavy-soft contrast is present, albeit in a smoother form. Rüdinger is just as impressive as Walker, showcasing busier drumming throughout. The latter managed to balance highly technical patterns with breezier ones. Still, Alex does a wonderful job crafting jaw dropping (double) kick-snare beats. At the same time, the guitars & bass interplay remains just as ingenious and strong between the members. For example, ‘Check Your Misfortune’ boasts a string of the most crushing riffs in the band’s catalog, before falling into engaging jerky rhythms and ultimately, their trademark dreamy chords. Moreover, ‘Contrapasso’ rapidly builds tension through its soaring guitar riffage. The labyrinthine progressions switch constantly between brutal and more melodic sides. As expected, broken grooves and interesting, irregular time signatures can be found all over the record, especially on ‘Pangloss’ and ‘Tripolar’. None of the parts overstay their welcome, as variations or completely different ones usually burst in. There is no shortage of inspiration, it’s clear the band worked tediously on these tracks and it pays off.
Rounding out the release, tunes such as ‘Speaking of Orbs’ or ‘The Cull’ tend considerably to the warmer side of Intronaut’s output. The former is one of the most infectious here, pushing the lovely vocal performance of Dave Timnick and Sasha Dunable to the front. The blissful portions are cut by grittier counterparts, however, everything is carefully and pleasantly arranged. On the other hand, after solid, lower end-oriented grooves, the second half of ‘The Cull’ nicely shares staccato guitar leads, complete with background synthesizer pads, a deep, round bass line, as well as soulful vocals. Critics can complain how familiar this material might sound, yet, the level of details and execution have improved.
In the end, my only "issue" with the album regards the production. Its predecessor was for me one of the best sounding releases of last decade, whereas this latest one is not that fluid. The raucous vocals seem too dry and the bass could have benefit from a brighter tone. I realize the material is heavier and required perhaps a murkier feel, but they lost ground in favor of the guitars. These resemble at times the somewhat clinical Russian Circles’ features (one of the acts that came to mind), where the accent focuses a tad more on the mids. Essentially, Kurt Ballou added his signature touch to a certain extent, the one that works wonders for dozens of post metal/sludge acts. In my opinion, for Intronaut’s wide spectrum of sonic details, meant losing some potential impact. The occasional jazz influences whose characteristics flourished on that crystal clear mix, don’t shine that much here. Despite these minor (maybe) subjective setbacks,
Fluid Existential Inversions is very intense and offers high replay value. Don’t miss out on it.
