For this Cleveland math-metal band, this release has been a long time coming. It was several years ago that I heard their first demo; the contained music was raw and frantic, yet it showed great promise. Now, seven years later, I am listening to the band's debut full-length, well sort of. Throughout their time as a band they have recorded and released a slew of demos and EP's that had questionable recording quality. Intermittent Parasitic Oscillation is a collection of those songs, plus a few new ones, recorded in a proper studio for a proper release.
The album's opening track, "Music's in the Message," is chaotic metal teamed up with some great grooves. However, don't write them off as a metalcore band, because that is definitely not what we have here. Sure the guitars are fierce and the drumming is relentless, but this band does not rely on breakdowns or catchy hooks for choruses. "Purpose" is a prime example of the band at its best. With its Deadguy-inspired riffs and Torchia abrasively screaming, you can't go wrong. "Kill Cycle" and "Above the Body" are other songs with intricate guitar parts that hint influences from the likes of Botch and Candiria.
Though I am just highlighting some choice cuts here, I must suggest you listen to the album as a whole. Sure the songs mentioned above are the better ones, but the listening experience is so much better when it's done from start to finish. Though, this goes for all albums, not just this one.
As a special treat, the band has tacked on a few extra tracks. Included among these are demos from throughout their career as well as some choice covers - Radiohead's "You" and Nirvana's "School." The first makes for a fairly interesting take on the song, while the later is fairly straight-forward to the original. Both are enjoyable though.
Lyrically, Torchia is as unique as they come. Rather than tackle the same topics we've heard about a thousand times, he has something real to say. "Kill for God" questions the U.S. government's reasons for war, "Therapeutic Dose" probes just how prescription drugs "make us right." And that's just the tip of the iceberg. All in all, the lyrics are an interesting and thought-provoking read.
Intermittent Parasitic Oscillation is a solid debut full-length for Dissolute. My main disappointment is the fact that I've heard a good portion of these songs on previous recordings. But given the impeccable production by Bill Korecky and the fact that most - probably 99% of the music world - haven't hard any of these songs before, it's forgivable.
