Intronaut | Valley of Smoke

1. Elegy
2. Above*
3. Miasma
4. Sunderance
5. Core Relations*
6. Below
7. Valley of Smoke*
8. Past Tense

* - stand out tracks

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I vaguely remember making a blog post about Intronaut's previous record, Prehistoricisms, which blew me away immediately. It was a giant upgrade from its predecessor, Void, which also kicks ass, just not as thoroughly.

On my first listen of Valley of Smoke I wasn't so impressed. There's now clean singing and a lot more reverby, spacey parts. Sounds right up my alley. In fact, it is my alley. So why didn't this click right away? It's because although the band progressed accordingly with clean vocals and a lot more atmosphere, they didn't progress experimentally. In all honesty, Prehistoricisms may still be the better album due to the fact that this band maxed the fuck out in experimentation, especially for this genre. That record is ridiculously groovy and WEIRD and weird in a very good way.

With that said, on second and a half listens of Valley of Smoke, this CD is fucking AWESOME. Yes, maybe they couldn't expand too much upon what they mind-fucked me on with Prehistoricisms but it's as if they took their own influence from that record, and the parts that really stood out and expanded upon those parts instead.

Although it's not my favorite song, I do want to mention the title track. It is essentially the two best songs on Prehistoricisms combined. The 16 minute "The Reptilian Brain" and "Any Port" merged into a half sized, 8 minute jam. This one featuring Justin Chancellor from my beloved Tool. The guitarist again, like in "Any Port" is jamming the drums on this track, but a full kit instead of two toms. So let me map this out.....two AMAZINGLY talented bassists and two drummers at the same time are ripping your mind apart with endless patterns and signatures on this track. It's not as incredible as "The Reptilian Brain" or "Any Port" for that matter but it's still a wicked track.

Either way, overall, this band still has it. If it continues to grow on me at this pace it may make the top 10 or 15. Dig it.