Anomalous - Ohmnivalent (2011)

Even with five years of preparation and personal progression in the field of music as intense as technical death metal, it just doesn't seem plausible to transcend an experience as fitfully kinetic as Anomalous' 2006 EP Cognitive Dissonance. How do you play faster and harder and more intricately without becoming sort sort of gabber-blast-noise festooned in harmonies the likes of a sped-up tape reel? Much to my surprise, the Californians answered this question with their first proper full-length, Ohmnivalent, a half-decade of pent-up anxiety spewed out across 55 minutes of head-scratching confusion. Not only did the band ramp up its sense of pacing and structural density, but they also went for a more ominous, saturated production here that automatically imbued the music with a membrane of impermeability that wasn't quite present on its more clearly mixed predecessor.

Let me warn you up front: if you hate technical/brutal death metal, then this is basically the fuhrer of that particular regime, a work of such unimaginable rhythmic excess that only the word 'batshit' can come to mind to aptly describe its ballistic lattice of bouncing grooves, sporadic, twisted leads and accelerated clinical picking sequences that make a band like Theory in Practice feel like child's play in retrospect. Not that this is some wildly plucked sequence of beats and notes created only to generate a headache in the listener, as Anomalous always have a method to their madness. Accessible, warmer chord textures and hints of that jazzy climate I so enjoyed on the EP remain intact here, but almost like an Autechre of the extreme metal medium, they have absolutely no inclination to repeat themselves. Pop/rock song structures are about as alien to Ohmnivalent as a colony of ants to a passing celestial body. They throw a riff in your direction, it sticks around for a painfully short while, and then it's off to the races again. In some aspects, that does make the album feel like a clearing house of ideas which have been too compactly packed into an album to short to do them all justice; but to the Californians' credit, there are so many pleasurable melodies amidst the surge of beatings that it's not a journey I found entirely unwelcome.

Not the least of these is the mid-point instrumental, "Mitosis", an obvious spiritual successor to the track "Merged" which had appeared on Cognitive Dissonance. Here the instrumental form has been expanded into a nearly 9 minute behemoth, with flourishes of cleaner, tranquil guitars that support the phrasing of the more ambient lead; this time, also, they incorporate some jamming, jazzy percussion to create more of a variation. That said, I won't say this was quite as delightful as "Merged". One, because I expected them to do it again, and two, because I just didn't find the coordination of spatial notes to feel quite so fulfilling. That said, it's still a deserved break amongst the harder hitting neighbors, which possess an even broader range of techniques than the EP. Guitar tone is far swarthier in nature, for an added air of punitive damage, and this translates even to the richer, juicier timbre on the leads, which are legion and bound to pop up at just about any point in a given track. Seriously, much of Ohmnivalent plays out like Al Dimeola jamming with Cynic or Believer, and there's a natural, improvisational feel to the solos which will thrill fusion fans. That said, are they all so innovative or catchy that this spontaneous subtext works out in the album's favor? Not always.

Elsewhere, the use of drummer Marco Pitruzella here could only be seen as an improvement, not only because Anomalous is more aesthetically compelling than another super-tech death band he has played with (Brain Drill), but because that thicker, less robotic sense of percussive presence really lends itself well to the progressive/jazz underpinnings, especially in the toms, fills, and the near constant tempo transitions. On the other hand, the bass here was less impressive for me, not because it's not a capable performance but because the depth and tone just merges under the rhythm guitar a little closely for it to create distinction. I also wouldn't say Tim Hale's vocals have improved here, if anything they're a little blander, going for more of a constant, bloodied monotonous edge. Whispers, strange noise and other vocals appear beneath the burdensome rhythm sections, but ultimately the effect barrage of scientific and dystopian political imagery conveyed through the lyrics is more impressive than the front man's delivery of it. In the end, this and the other underwhelming elements actually hold back Ohmnivalent from reaching its full potential. A gajillion guitars meandering, colliding and contracting throughout over the brute skeleton of the drums, and a listen surely to bedazzle those interested in claustrophobic levels of instrumental proficiency (think Obscura or The Faceless with increased atomic density), but more or less a roller coaster ride without a great deal of resonant entertainment value.

Verdict: Indifference [6.75/10] (I can't wait to melt away)

http://www.myspace.com/anomalousmetal

Anomalous - Cognitive Dissonance EP (2006)

With a level of technical ingenuity and surgical intensity that easily rivals local luminaries like Decrepit Birth or The Faceless, California's Anomalous has proven one of the most dizzying acts to emerge from that substantial Golden State scene in the 21st century. Now, whether you go out for this dextrous excess and proficiency in your death metal or not is going to go a long way in determining how well you can ingest and translate this music into your own personal space; but in any event, it would be criminal to ignore the bewildering level of talent on a theoretic scale that the members possess, and their balance of whipping, battering, staccato-driven mute-storms and sleek, solar jazz/fusion skills makes for a contrasted, appealing experience, with only a few limitations.

More than once have I seen this band referred as carrying a 'djent' influence, and that's not a description I'd disagree with entirely, though the impetus throughout Cognitive Dissonance is clearly about 50% acrobatic brutality, 25% jazzy ambiance and another 25% of a hyperactive throwback to Meshuggah circa 1995-98. This is not just felt by the explosive, mechanical grooves and off-time chugging, but also in the hoarseness of vocalist/instrumentalist Tim Hale, which alternates with a more punctual, brutal guttural standard to provide some angry variation. It also wouldn't be a stretch to assume Anomalous count progressive, fusion inspired forebears like Atheist (Unquestionable Presence), Death (Human and beyond), Pestilence (Spheres), or Cynic (Focus) among their personal listening material, at least for the synthetic sound design occupying the middle chunk of the EP, and the various ambient subtext elsewhere. But while such a complex formula could easily get out of hand in the hands of a band of overly self-indulgent dilettantes, I felt that Cognitive Dissonance was, for the most part, a very cohesive, focused experience; simply one that flings a million riffs and ideas at you that take some quick reflexes to interpret, rather than merely to write off as spastic noise.

For one, the ambient, jazzier guitar-scapes present on this thing are utterly astounding. Pure escapism, brilliantly developed from about the jarring close of "Metastasize" through the intro to "Subliminal Servitude", smack dab in the center of the Californians' more frenetic compositions. If all the music on this recording were as beautifully formed as the instrumental "Merged", I would give this EP a perfect score without hesitation. Fragile and melodious lead lines communicate over a shimmering backdrop of ambiance, and you almost feel like you're gliding some solar-powered kite through our universe, star-stuff radiating through you as the various suns' flares fuel your journey. Next to this cautiously crafted, dream-like component, all of the band's considerable technical splurging seems almost useless by comparison. No bric-a-brac of spurious arpeggios, scales, pinch harmonics and impossible robotic grooves can measure up to this intangible, joyous vision, and so the harder stuff has its work cut out for it. Fortunately, for the most part, Anomalous seem up to this task, even if the EP ultimately feels like it crests its summit of creativity with the instrumental.

It's very, very easy to get lost in this labyrinth if you're not acclimated to intensity for intensity's sake.The mechanized drumming feels like a half dozen automated factories manufacturing disparate appliances, all sampled in unison; the buttery, Cynic-al burp of the bass-line never once kowtows to the harsher rhythm guitar punishment; and the voice, though the most familiar and friendly access point for the ear, still feels like a schizophrenic who thinks he's the living embodiment of Chaossphere and half of the Deeds of Flesh backlog concurrently. To be honest, of the myriad of rhythm guitars hurtling past you at light speed, there are few that would stand up to scrutiny if plucked out and slowed down. Anomalous certainly relies on a sense of overwhelming its audience in order to impress them, and yet tunes like the titular opener or "Metastasize" have enough of a balance between atmospherics and instrumental aerobics to avoid the juvenile cliches and oneupmanship that often corrodes the arteries of this medium. Simply put: these musicians are so effortlessly unbelievable that they don't feel as if they're showing off, just putting those skills to good work. If given a choice, I'd have opted for more of the "Merged" sound here, but it's overall a palpably exciting introduction.

Verdict: Win [7.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/anomalousmetal