DIMESLAND is an Abstract Metal band based out of Oakland, California, United States. Following the release of an EP in 2012, this is the band's first full-length album on Vendlust Records, and contains eight tracks. "Are They Cannibals?" is the opening track. Stylistically, this is quite unique. The instrumentation is all over the place, yet skillfully composed and performed in tight, bombastic attacks. The vocals are almost industrial in their delivery; every note sung in nearly the same range, and sounding cold and disconnected. "Dying Foretold" carries a similar vibe. If the song had a little more traditional melody, you could almost label it as progressive or even technical. Vocals take a back seat to the complicated musical forging. The instrumental "Institutional Gears" has a heavy but pleasing dissonance, like trying to turn away when you see something disturbing. The sound is foreboding and mysterious at the same time.

It just sucks you in. "Xenolith" kicks up the transcendence to another level. If you aren't listening closely, you might dismiss the track for little more than pure noise. But there is brilliance lying there for those who dare. The song is about imparting a feeling. Like a clown walking you home from the carnival as a youth, you don't know if he is going to do magic tricks for you the entire way home while smiling through his oversized painted grin, or slit your throat with a boning knife and carve you up like a holiday turkey. "That Cold Moment" hears vocals return following the two previous instrumentals. Rocking with a bit of a swing here at times, a cacophony of seemingly pasted together meter and key changes that make sense only when you have digested the entire track. I have to say that I am both beleaguered and impressed at how this material is composed, and the depth of complexity. I appreciate the song title, "Malfunctioning Gears", because that is exactly what it sounds like you are listening to. It's a veritable buffet of about every sound that Metal has to offer. "Bound in Stone" might have a little more of a traditional song structure than earlier tracks, but is still pretty far off the map. The guitars and bass really melt hard together with a furious energy here, fueled by the varied intense drumming. Closing the album is the song "Odd Feats are Bid and Won," which is the album's longest track, clocking in just over six minutes. As strange as the title suggests, the song does a nice job of building suspense but remaining just at the fray of what you can tangibly reach. I think the picture of the twisted little girl on the cover is about the start of what you can expect on this album. I find it to be enjoyable in a way that is difficult to describe. One thing is certain, and that is the label of this being "Abstract Metal."

Open minded head-bangers and people who appreciate theory and science would find this plate of food from another planet to be both intriguing and truly a first time listening experience. Performed with vigor and impressive musicianship, there is simply a magnetism to the sound that is hard to put into words. The elements of brutality are still here, but delivered in a way that only this band can deliver. Hearing this from an American band has renewed some of my excitement about what this country can offer in today's underground Metal community.
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