Dysrhythmia/Rothko ~Fractures~
RaY RaY Pine | Philly | 11/03/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"There is no collaboration between these genre bending artists, just a mutual respect for the soundscapes that both have created in this split, Fractures.
The lone Dysrhythmia output is a single fourteen minute song taken from their debut self-released CD, Contradiction. Reworked and remastered, this song exemplifies the instrumental genius fans have come to expect; long winding passages of eerie note selection and rhythmic tension. The band creates a formidable landscape of densely layered sound that is both evocative and refreshing. I would have a hard time calling this metal as much as I would call it technical hard rock as they never feel like they push the envelope quite hard enough to be metal. With dashes of atmosphere, ambiance and, experimentation, "Earthquake"" wont make believers out of those who already hated the band. This is Dysrhythmia, tried and true.
The lesser known of the two artists, Rothko, features the duel bass playing of Mark Beazley and Michael Donnelly with Ben and Tom page on bass and drums respectively though in honesty, this is Mark Beazley's band now. Originally formed with three bass players, Beazley has expanded the sound to incorporate keyboards to fill out the atmosphere. The songs on here seem to lean towards the ambient moments of a Lateralus but stay strictly in the post-rock/experimental direction without picking up the pace to much. This could be great soundtrack music though it would be a stretch to call it tight song writing! "Tell your Story to the Winds" is nothing more then bass and cymbals with some slight keyboards to add some depth.
"Torch," has a tribal percussive drive to it that is surrounded by ambience. Another track fitting a soundtrack. Keyboard tones dance around in the background though nothing ever stands too far out save a slight mechanical wind and some buzzing. A prototypical post rock song.
This is an interesting release that wont make many new fans for either band though it might bring the two fan bases closer together.
"
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1
