Valley Of Smoke

I feel like I've been missing out.  I only just recently picked up the latest from Intronaut, so this commentary is not really news to most fans of the band.  I've been a huge fan of Intronaut since the release of Void, when I first heard them.  With each new release my thirst for more of their unique style is quenched just enough to leave me satisfied but also entice me to crave more.  Intronaut have a great way of challenging their listeners to want to hear every single nuance and cadence.  I couldn't be more impressed.

The first thing that grabbed me about Valley Of Smoke was the vocals; not only are they much more refined and diverse than in previous Intronaut releases, they now come to the forefront and are perhaps the most pronounced aspect of Valley Of Smoke - a significant change for the band and their songwriting.  Vocals range from gruff growls to clean and soaring multi-part harmonies...and in some instances layers of the two extremes and/or various interpolations.  These songs are more built around the words and the message, rather than the lush and weighted sonic landscape for which Intronaut is known, and which mostly remains in tact.  The difference really is that each song has more definition in and of itself.  Previously, Intronaut records were built on evolving layers of texture and sound, creating space or ambiance...a flowing stream of progressive post-metal that defined an album as a whole, each piece being a constituent but necessary irreplaceable part.  Valley Of smoke manages to retain this airiness and ambiance, and strength as a whole, but also more deliberately and purposefully shapes each song into its own complete point of focus.  The space has been filled with intention and clarity.  In riffs there is more of the same; they are more focused and rely less on dissonance than in the past.  The production of the record also echos this general theme: the stereo image is a bit narrower than Void and Prehistoricisms, and the positional placement tighter.

Intronaut have continued to churn out extremely high-quality releases since their inception, and Valley Of Smoke is no exception.  They have reached a new and different stride with Valley Of Smoke.  Some hardcore metal elitists may be quick to find fault with some of the changes, chalking them up to the influence of more commercially popular bands (Mastodon comes to mind)...but they'll be missing out. While Void remains the most brutal of Intronaut's offerings, Valley Of Smoke signals the band reaching a point of maturity.  As a fine wine improves with age, Intronaut are indeed more flavorful, robust, and sophisticated.

...you should own this record.

Here's a link to a post regarding the subject matter for Valley Of Smoke from Intronaut's official blog: Blogtronaut - The Stories Behind The Songs On "Valley Of Smoke"