New Levels New Devils – Polyphia

Album: New Levels New Devils

Artist: Polyphia

Genre: Metal?

Sub-Genres: #Mathrock, #djent, #djazz, #instrumental

Label: Equal Vision Records

Non-Airable Tracks: NONE

Description:

This album is fucking dope. Polyphia have been an impressive band for years, and this album shows what they are capable of once again. This album kind of fits into the instrumental prog/math rock genre; it is definitely a weird amalgam of styles. The grooves and fast beats, shreds, and jams are decidedly metal but it is so smooth and funky that I might even say that this could be jazz. Kinda weird, but I think that it is still accessible enough for most people.

The production is super clean, all of the instruments sound great. The guitar and drums fit together well and the tone is perfect. The guitar is almost always clean, with plenty of compression and some occasional effects. The drums are tight and punchy and just seem to fit the style. Many of the style choices remind me of Animals as Leaders, and that is a good thing. Similar to AAL, many points in songs seem like they could just be groovy jams, but they are actually  precisely orchestrated and extremely well written. The instrumentals are often much more technical than they sound, but the songs are such bops that you sometimes don’t even realize how complex the parts are.

The band shows of their chops all over the album and recruits many other talented musicians all over the record (Jason Richardson on track 1!). They even bring in a vocalist for track 8 So Strange, which is a cool departure from their instrumental sound. This album contains many a jam, so check it out!

Overall, 8.7/10

Sounds Like: Animals as Leaders, Sarah Longfield

Recommended Tracks: 

1. 2. O.D. :super sick riffs 3:22

2. 4. Bad: once again, super sick riffs 3:55

Reviewer’s Name: Nate Smith

Date of Review: 10/22/18

#alt #Metal