From Bandcamp, “To the three of us, PARAGNOSIS means knowledge obtained through an external source. Through our mutual understanding of this, we sought to connect through music, thus forming PARAGNOSIS.” The self-titled album has six songs, and “Learned Behavior” is first. There is a heavy backbone but melody rises out of the thickness, and there are also some psychedelic qualities to the song. Because it’s instrumental music, the band is free to Jam a bit, and jam they do, darting in and out of various structures and passages with their fingers still affixed to the trigger.

“Ataraxy” breathes a bit more, but those weighted elements can still crush your picnic and ruin your day. The guitar leads are trippy at times, and although the song seems loose, it is actually quite tight, and the musicians are deft. “Inverted Rehabilitation” flows forward with nimble and meaty bass notes under dark and explorative leads. When they let loose, it’s like a fast ride in a convertible through a thunderstorm. “Zodiac Wheel” features more thick bass notes to lead off the song. When the guitar leads enters, it seems to lift off the ground and fly straight up. They have a very controlled sense of songwriting, but it also breathes sufficiently.

“Primeval” is a shorter, very tightly packed song not for the faint of heart. It has a hasty speed and complication structure that are also very easy for the listener to assimilate. “Shoot the Moon” closes the album, and it’s seven-minute romp where the bassist is especially noteworthy. He climbs up, down, and all around, in unison with the riffs and the drums. It settles into a dangerous groove, one where the next swell is just around the corner, and the next swell is powerful. The band rides it out all the way to the end of the song, skillfully adapting along the way.

What impresses me most about the band and the album is the careful songwriting. I mentioned this before, it is tightly wound, but at the same time, it takes a breath when it needs to find the fuel to keep going. More than anything else, the band just sounds like they have fun working together as a trio, and it shows in their craft.