It'll be interesting to read the reactions to Intronaut's third album, Valley Of Smoke. Remember, they closed Prehistoricisms with the nimble 16-minute hand-drummed raga, "The Reptilian Brain." (In retrospect, considering the outcry bound to take place, the name was probably placed there for a purpose, reptile brain.) Anyhow, what you've heard is true, Sacha Dunable & Co. sing quite a bit on Valley. "Sing," as in clean, pretty vocals harmonizing alongside the mathy, stop-on-a-dime instrumentation. Maybe Cynic rubbed off on that "Re-Traced/Re-Focused" tour. (Minus vocoder.) It also finds them growing increasingly atmospheric and progressive in a calming, psychedelic sense and less sludgy, brutal. That said, there are still plenty of knots and that insane rhythm section, patches of gruff vocals. From where I stand, Intronaut's always been about hybrids, and this is just a matter of shuffling-in different elements. It's also my favorite of their releases: They write better songs than Mastadon these days, so the smearing and softening works. As far as the inevitable "post-metal" discussion, standout "Core Relations" is a great place to start.
Valley Of Smoke:
01 "Elegy"
02 "Above "
03 "Miasma"
04 "Sunderance "
05 "Core Relations"
06 "Below"
07 "Valley of Smoke"
08 "Past Tense"
Valley Of Smoke is out 10/12 via Century Media. The eight-song collection was recorded in Los Angeles with Josh Newell (Jane’s Addiction) and features Tool’s Justin Chancellor on the dub-y, hand-drummed title track. Hear the opening track "Elegy" at Invisible Oranges. They're on tour with Helmet:
10/08 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/09 - Ft Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
10/10 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
10/11 - Des Moines, IA @House Of Bricks
10/13 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
10/15 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's
10/16 - Hamtramck, MI @ Smalls
10/17 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
10/19 - Montreal, QB @ Studio JPR
10/20 - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
10/22 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
10/23 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theater
10/24 - West Chester, PA @ The Note
10/25 - Washington, DC @ Velvet Lounge
10/26 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
10/27 - Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter
10/28 - Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music
10/29 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
10/30 - Austin, TX @ Red 7
10/31 - Dallas, TX @ The Loft
11/02 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
11/03 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
11/04 - Scottsdale, AZ @ The Rogue
11/05 - West Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
