The gradual but momentous expansion of Intronaut’s music over the years has been fascinating to witness, but even by their own exacting standards, The Direction Of Last Things is a wild leap into the unknown.
The LA quintet have perfected the art of sounding redolent of everything and nothing, and so despite boasting moments that will get fans of Mastodon, Tool and Tesseract salivating, the sum of those parts remains ferociously original and absorbing. Exemplified by the contrast between Digital Gerrymandering’s stealthy, brooding sprawl and the lurching, polyrhythmic succinctness of the title track, this is all about weaving sparks of inspiration together and basking in the depth of the tapestry that emerges. Both heavier than either of their last two albums and more profoundly engaged with layered vocal melody, this points to an appreciation of space and organic/orgasmic flow much in evidence on Intronaut’s collaboration with Cloudkicker. If only more modern prog metal bands could tap into the essence of whatever intuitive alchemy drives this strange machine. Intronaut are abuzz with joyous evolutionary fervour.
