Dysrhythmia – Barriers and Passages
Relapse Records – 6688-2 – May 9th, 2006
By Jason Jordan
If you’re like me, you’ll buy a
Dysrhythmia album knowing you’ll like it but also knowing you won’t listen to it all that much in the end. Is
Barriers and Passages better than
Contradiction,
No Interference, and
Pretest? If anything, their latest is just as consistent as their past endeavors regarding core value, and when it comes time to declare an overall winner, I have to abstain. The point being: this is still the same, unmistakable trio that can best even the most seasoned instrumentalists.
There’s no denying
Dysrhythmia’s status as one of the premier vocal-less groups out there, but I do usually prefer either of their side projects – namely,
Byla and
Behold…the Arctopus – depending on my mood. Nevertheless,
Barriers and Passages is 37-minutes of awe-inspiring musicianship, above all, with slapdash songwriting ostensibly stirred in. Arguably the crew is most valuable when they opt for speed rather than ambience. In addition, I’m not quite enraptured by the constant switching between various time signatures and tempos, though said techniques are perhaps a staple. Still, they’re top-notch when they find a groove and decide to linger. There’s actually a hefty buildup in “Seal/Breaker/Void” – the melodies being excellent – and “Kamma Niyama” has the energy of a whirligig but is seemingly more focused than the others. The stop/start motif, or changing direction without warning, gets tiring, although the individual performances are dazzling. One simply can’t exhaust that claim.
Trying to comprehend the complexity of
Dysrhythmia is difficult, so repeated listens are mandatory for those who desire to immerse themselves entirely. Like their prior releases,
Barriers and Passages takes time to absorb and the process wreaks havoc on the mind. In other words, you’ll need a lengthy break to get your brain back up to speed since the technicality can throw it out of whack. But if any of their discography is nestled in your CD rack, then I’m convinced their fourth long-player deserves a spot, too. It’ll collect some dust, though.
7/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official Dysrhythmia Website
Official Relapse Records Website
