Odds 'n' sods collection from post-metal's newest luminaries
Featuring three brand new compositions, five live tracks and a remix, Intronaut's The Challenger is a perfect example of an enjoyable yet wholly inessential stop-gap release. While the band certainly deserves all the accolades it has received based on the strength of it's previous two releases, The Challenger only serves to barely whet the appetites of listeners craving more output from this devastating post-metal outfit.
The Challenger kicks off with a trifecta of new songs that are just as strong as anything the band has released previously. The opening title track lurches and heaves with stuttering guitar lines and some killer drum-work, while standout song "Whittler of Fortune" combines a shimmering, shoegaze-y quality with a sense of dynamics that constantly crashes and recedes with the elegant might of a massive tidal wave. It's like Isis and Slowdive jamming together after imbibing large quantities of psychedelics. "Deep Architecture", while a pretty interesting song in its own right, doesn't quite pack the punch of the first two tracks, coming off a bit like a more atmospheric Remission-era Mastodon.
However, as the disc plays on, it also becomes less enjoyable. While it is nice to hear that Intronaut can more-than-ably perform their material in a live setting, the inclusion of these tracks seems rather unnecessary, as it is hard to imagine listeners choosing to reach for these incarnations of the songs as opposed to the studio recordings. The live versions don't really add to or take away anything aside from a rough-around-the-edges recording quality. As for the remix of the track "Burning These Days", the attempt at morphing the song into a compact, glitchy electronica instrumental is largely uninteresting, especially in comparison to the seven-plus minute original. Unfortunately, there is a "secret track" that is even more pointless, consisting solely of the band's onstage banter with the sound man at a live show. It is a shame Intronaut decided to place all these largely superfluous tracks on the disc as opposed to composing another original or two and making a more worthwhile release.
Although the new compositions present on The Challenger are certainly well worth repeated listens, three tracks out of ten doesn't constitute a quality release. The new songs stand as some of the best material the band has committed to tape and there is no question that Intronaut are excellent musicians and songwriters, but by choosing to include so much filler on The Challenger, they've managed to render what could've been one of the year's most stellar EPs into a "for completists and hardcore fans only" affair.
| Reviewer: Josh Haun Added: November 17th 2007 |
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