Ion Dissonance - Minus the Herd
I needed a good two weeks or so — past the two weeks that I wasn’t even aware this album was out — to fully get a grip on it. However, I knew from the very first track (’The Surge’) that this was different, a lot different, from the previous two Ion Dissonance albums. I had even called up a friend of mine, whom I had also gotten into the band a year or two beforehand, before the first track was even finished to tell him about it.
While at one moment I’m really excited about this album still (after listening to it constantly for two weeks), I can’t help but feel a little disappointed at the same time. It’s definitely Ion Dissonance, but it’s just a bit too much of a jump from the previous two albums (Breathing is Irrelevant, Solace). I was expecting the same math metal chaos as before, but instead got something that I might even be more inclined to compare to Meshuggah. That’s certainly not a bad thing, it’s just… different.
Instead of mind-blowing riffs in bizarre time signatures… I got mind-blowing rhythmic breakdowns in bizarre time signatures. Both are very excellent things, but the latter was the reason I got into Ion Dissonance in the first place. I may sound a little harsh here, and I’m sure I’ll take some heat from that over the random blog-stumblers that decide to comment. However, the other week I did a bit of marathon, going through the 3 albums in reverse order, and although there is certainly change between them, it’s change I can enjoy.
Where with Breathing is Irrelevant I would listen over and over and find new licks and riffs that I didn’t notice before, with Minus the Herd I listen over and over and am still blown away by nothing but the little things. For me it’s been these little things that have kept me coming back… especially drum fills and the perfect mixing job.
I did find out that they released a video for ‘Kneel’, it didn’t do much for me, but it’s definitely great to see Ion Dissonance getting enough from both the fans and the record company that they’re entitled to a music video this time around. The stand-out track for me on this one is unquestionably ‘Scorn Haven’, which I simply cannot get out of my head, and ‘The Surge’ is also up there.
Overall this is a fantastic album, one of the better ones I’ve heard in a long time, and it definitely has proven itself as one that I can listen to over and over again. It’ll take more time before I can decide whether or not this is something that I can keep coming back to, or if I’ll get tired of it after listening to it so much.