IMMINENENT SONIC DESTRUCTION, a Progressive Metal band began life as MELLOTRON in Detroit Michigan and in the fall of the year 2010 the band changed the name to its present moniker. The band was conceived by Tony Picolli and they count bands like STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, MESHUGGAH , PANTERA as well as Prog bands like DREAM THEATRE and GENESIS as their influences. The band then set upon working in earnest on their demo which fell into the lap of one Roy Z, who has worked with bands like SEPULTURA and artists like Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford and he agreed to produce their debut album. Nick Morris, who has worked with bands like BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AS THEY SLEEP and WALLS OF JERRICO came onboard to mix the album and it eventually released as "Recurring Theme" and it garnered favorable responses. Based on the buzz the album created, the band set about on a tour with PAIN OF SALVATION and KING CROW in the U.S and Canada. The band set about writing demos for their second album "Triumphia" in between touring and managed to rope in Luxor Records to release and distribute the album worldwide.

The album opens out with "The Crashing waves" and the track begins with a voice on the radio telling people that the world is facing a catastrophe. The melody then is built up to a crescendo by piano music and once it reaches the top, it explodes in a riff backed by keyboards. The track brags of dual guitar attack as well as casually placed arpeggios and odd timings in its melody that is a mainstay of Progressive Metal music. An 11-minute song, it is only after the 6-minute mark that the vocals come to life. The song oscillates between soft gentle parts and abrupt heavy Metalcore breakdowns that struggle to fit. "Something In The Way" is almost half the duration of the first song and starts off with a simple guitar melody. The song employs female backing vocals and is a ballad for the first 2 minutes. After which the vocalist launches into a hardcore guttural scream that makes the song immediately heavier. Halfway during the song the band decides to play unusually timed melody that is a bit jarring. Twin guitar solos backed by a crunching riff in the middle section is the best bit of the song for me. "Sleepless" is a 6-minute track and starts out again with a gentle drumbeat and a piano before guttural vocals join the party. This track also employs female backing vocals and it gains speed after a sluggish start. The verse of the track is clean singing and is piano backed while the chorus is more in line with Metalcore. "Arborous Calm", the last track on the album is also the lengthiest track clocking just over 22 minutes in duration. The track begins with a delicious arrangement of acoustic guitars backed by violins and piano work before an unwelcome breakdown changes its pace. The melody is carried forward by heavy power chords and some excellent lead guitar work. This track defines in a nutshell what Progressive Metal is about. It changes texture and moods at will, all the while building on the melody. Excellent end to a technical album.

My main grouse with Technical/Progressive metal is the fact that some songs are so long and meanders about erratically. This band put out a track that is more than 22 minutes in length and it was anything but aimless. This band is innovative and the production on this album is excellent. The main drawback of this would be that in some places the vocals are not strong enough to carry powerful, atmospheric melodies and some of the breakdowns is just unnecessary really. The songs are well composed and the arrangement is spot-on. The grungy, chunky guitar riffs add a heavy feel to the melody as well as well placed lead guitar solos take the melody forward. A brilliant album and people who dig the Progressive Metal genre will be happy to lap this up in a flash.<