Oh my groove, this album is a great one. Intronaut’s fourth full-length “Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)” has a classic quality to it with grungy presentation. Expect off time chaos, memorable passages, and forward thinking creativity from these Progressive Metal vets.
Intronaut’s line-up is rock solid. Every member makes an essential contribution to their sound. Danny Walker lays in the groove like no other, drumming up a catalyst to hold the music. Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick weave together intricacies on guitar while folding through the grooves. Both members also provide vocals with Sacha as the front man. His voice covers an exclusively clean, low range in a manner reminiscent of some 90s grunge bands. Lastly, Joe Lester
diligently supports the rest of the band on bass, providing a fresh rumble from down under.
The tone of the instruments is perfect for the vibe these guys put out. Expect Progressive chillness with a heavy backbone throughout. It’s especially interesting when this band gets jazzy with some jaw dropping instrumental segments. They cover all these elements in an intelligent and skilled manner, making this album a winner.
It immediately starts with off-time goodness in the 8-minute opener “Killing Birds With Stones” before abruptly chilling with the question “Does the day keep you up, up at night?”. There’s no question that this is a stand out track, especially with the way it carries you on the wings of original melodic / metallic thinking (watch out for stones!). It serves as a great start to “Habitual Levitations” as it gives a fairly good indication of the album’s sound. Not to say there won’t be surprises down the line. Tracks like the single “Milk Leg”, “Steps”, “Eventual”, “Harmonomicon”, and “Sore Sight For Eyes” certainly leave an impression. In fact, every track from the album has something outstanding to offer listeners.
I don’t have any personal criticisms of “Habitual Levitations”. However, I recognize it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea (oh well, more for us prog heads). This a relatively low energy album that may not appeal metalheads outside of prog circles, despite the power it’s capable of delivering.
All in all, Intronaut brought a superb effort in the musical construction of “Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)”. Some may even consider this album a modern masterpiece and an absolute classic down the line. If any of this sounds appealing to you, it’s recommended you give a listen to the songs above and pick up “Habitual Levitations” for some grungy groooovin’.
