label: Relapse Records, 2009
genre: tech instrumetal/rock/experimental
rating: 10
Marast maps the discography of Dysrhythmia since the Pretest album, and the new release won’t be an exception as it is definitely worth a listen. And Dysrhythmia proves again that it’s not a band that would like to stand, sit, shuffle feet in a certain place for a long time. If there was a large gap and shifting in musical direction between Pretest and Ba
rriers and Passages, the same holds true for Barriers and the new release. Whereas the last time the dominant new element was the infiltration by Marston handwriting, this time the reign is in firm, strict metal hand and spike collar round the neck. While listening to Psychic Maps you really won’t get surprised anymore that Luc Lemay picked Colin Marston and Kevin Hufnagel to continue with Gorguts, immediately recognizable are the influences of Marston’s black metal experimentation with Krallice and death meatl caressing in Indricothere.To the ususal weaponry of Dysrhythmia, psychedelic spaceish black metal drone is added, the main indicator being Krallice. Flirting with less usual harmonies comes quite often, comparisons could be drawn at time even to the above mentioned Gorguts. And, obviously, the influence of Behold.. The Arctopus has grown even stronger. Instead of the original sneaky rock/stoner basis the tendecies from Barriers and Passages grow even stronger, faster and more things at the same time to be precise. Without any question the main source of inspiration is metal, the speed pedal gets more and more pressure, pushing straight forward, you are just expecting to hear the triggered blastbeats and pigs squealing any moment, even though it never comes.This doesn’t mean however, that Dysrhythmia has become a more easily digestible, simpler musical body. Even though the metal is the main inspiration here, the mining is done in quite a different fashion, so even though Psychic Maps have 
pretty sharp edges, you won’t get the traditional metal trampling sense, nor any explosions of aggression. Still, the atmolsphere from the previous works remains, light ethereal felling, heavy psychedelia, misty, blurred sound, rhythmical dislocation, general failure to be grasped, described easily. At the same, the enthusiastic creativity almost reaches its limits here, there is almost never only one line to follow, in the backgroud, in the centre on the sides, form teh above, from the below there alwas come other lines to follow, under the misty black metal droning rhythmical battles between drums and bass take place, behind the stoner rock swinging trickle disharmonic guitar flows, there are lots happening, tehy are happening fast and they are happening at the same time. During the first contacts with the album you won’t be able to appreciate the delicate work with motives, their returns, repetition, dissolving, during the first experiences there exists only here and now and even here and now is sometimes too much, not to metion Psychic Maps as a whole. I myself, after considerable amounts of time spent listening, can’t cope and have to devote full attention to be able to enjoy the listen.In one paragraph: Dysrhythmia is running faster than ever, fatser and with more lines happening at the same time, sometimes even the head spins round and stomach gets unsettled from these speeds, sea sickness, reckless spinning around of a circus carrousel. The music got even more heavy than last time, more metal, got even more infiltrated by side projects especially form Marston’s side. Still, the disc doesn’t loose compactness, focus, thoughtfullness, sophistication, even though its again a bit harder to listen to than the last time, i can’t but give the full amount.Dysrhythmia: Colin Marston - Bass, Kevin Hufnagel - Guitar, Jeff Eber - Drums
6/37:17
Maps: 1. Festival of Popular Delusions 2. Triangular Stare 3. Reactionary 4. Room of Vertigo 5. Iron Cathedral 6. Lifted by Skin
kot
beats get broken over the sweetness. And this cooperation with the beat base and nosey superstructure is brought pretty far, caramel keybords intertwine with the acid beats, sometimes naturally highlighting the important parts of the beat, sometimes playing the counterpart and going rhythmically against the base, organic cooperation and amalgamation. That’s mainly why I like the new disc so much, and that’s what I miss on some other Snares albums (for example My Downfall, where beats and the classical superstructure work separately and cooperate only very superficially).
