Review Summary: A follow up to their successful debut EP by progressive instrumental metal band Intervals. A decent effort which manages to slightly peep its head out from the shadow of its predecessor. Worth a listen.
‘In Time’ is the second offering from the Canadian progressive instrumental band called Intervals. Their debut EP was seemingly well-received in the online metal community and similarly with any returning venture, they will be looking forward to build upon their early success and avoid coming up with a sophomore slump of sorts.
Intervals is made up of lead composer and guitarist Aaron Marshall, second guitarist Lukas Guyader, revered drumming sensation Anup Sastry.and bassist Matt de Luca. The follow up EP lasts a little less than 25 minutes, which may seem as too short of a run time but considering that there are only 5 tracks on the EP, it averages to an acceptable run time 5 minutes per track.
Diving into the music, ‘Alchemy’ produces a great introduction for ‘In Time’ where you are treated to an amazing breakdown. It seems to act like a reward for having to listen to 50 seconds of random machine-like sounds before the track actually starts. It sets a rather generic but likeable tone to the EP but the image dissipates once the clever and sweeping guitar comes in. It gave an indication that this album was built upon the idea of ‘intelligence’ and ‘intricacies’ instead of mindless and generic hooks that we can be guilty of indulging in with some of the music nowadays.
You would expect and prefer for the intricacies to carry on but sadly the mood dies down after the first track and the next two tracks ‘Mata Hari’ and ‘Tapestry’ take their cue. The rather repetitive and lack of distinct notes within the two tracks make the need for a vocalist (when I said instrumental, I really meant no vocalist!) even more apparent. I mean let’s face it, there are just some things that only vocals can provide. But without taking anything from the band, they do have the ability to ‘take listeners through a myriad of soundscapes’ as promised on their Facebook profile, even without vocals.
The mini slumber from those two tracks however, ends with Momento, which stands out with an intro which can bring an arena headbanging in unison. Seemingly the most guitar-driven track on the EP, it is also the most flavourful where the guitars harmonise to great effect with the yo-yo like drumming which catches and releases you with the constantly varying beats.
The EP ends off with Epiphany, whose clean guitar solos made me want to grab my old out-of-tune acoustic guitar and pretend that I am in the middle of it with my funny lead-guitarist-playing-THE-solo face on. The song provides the mood of ‘completion’ and you can somehow feel that it was the last track in that respect. It is the similar feeling you get when you are in the bus ride home gazing reticently out to the scenery and feeling glad that you have made it through the day alive and in one piece. And the slow fade at the end of the track giving the impression of you slowly dozing off in your seat.
A warm feeling (in a progressive metal sense) brought about by a good EP. A decent effort though it falls short of emulating the potential of its predecessor. But still, not a sophomore slump by any stretch.
