ALBUM REVIEW: Vonals – Titan To Tachyons

Instrumental experimental jazz-metal is a bit of a tongue twister, yet serves as an adequate description for TITAN TO TACHYONS, as the space themed Vonals, their sophomore release, easily attests to. It can be hard to know quite what to expect from that kind of genre listing, paired with the band’s name, though rather than too many of the HAWKWIND images they may invoke, they sound a lot closer to the likes of prog masters KING CRIMSON than the aforementioned space lords, for the main part.

The inclusion of lifelong experimentalist Trevor Dunn is a very good aspect given his ongoing works with like of MR BUNGLE and PHANTOMAS, among others, and the manner he has consistently looked to push at boundaries and take explorative leaps with other acts, yet pairing him up for a twin bass attack with John Hollenberg to both combine and duel against feels like a very good decision. Sally Gates and Kenny Grohowski are also highly accomplished artists in their own right and the combined expertise of the quartet serves them very well in terms of Robert Fripp or Frank Zappa-esque writing patterns. It is also interesting to hear that Scott Hull mastered this record, given his previous jazz work with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis et al, as it definitely fits with his calibre of work, despite this leaning much heavier on the scale than other artists he has worked with.

With one track just under two minutes and the other five being eight minutes plus, it’s a clear indication of how expressive TITAN TO TACHYONS are letting themselves be, fully testing out each idea and allowing it to form. The last couple of minutes of mid-release track Wax Hypnotic is actually very reminiscent of the ending of the late Tom Petty‘s track Good Enough, both in terms of the backing bass and lead guitar, though whether this is intentional or not is entirely another matter. There is a definite overall feel of a somewhat traumatic space journey, told sonically rather than verbally, from opener Neutron Wrangler right through the full release, as the at times highly challenging approach skews heavily towards that overall feel.

There is a tendency at times to rely heavily on polyrhythms and an almost cacophonous wall of sound, which can be off putting and/or overwhelming for some, yet this challenging approach to writing makes for a highly rewarding listen once it hits you properly – though it would be a lie to claim that this is an immediate eureka moment with their sound. While mentioning the above, there are also moments of absolute harmony and the stark difference between the two is at times jarring, but somehow in a way that adds to the depth of writing, despite sitting at quite a hefty juxtaposition to itself.

Vonals is overall something that is very much worth your time, if you can withstand the initial shock that you get from it. It will challenge a lot of musical preconceptions that you have, but the trade off once you get there is well worth the – at times – painful journey.

Rating: 8/10

Vonals is out now via Tzadik Records (CD only).

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