Barriers & Passages

May of 2006 saw the Relapse label issue not one, not two, but three entirely instrumental releases — Don Caballero's World Class Listening Problem, Zombi's Surface to Air, and Dysrhythmia's Barriers and Passages — each offering its own unique spin on prog rock. On the third release overall by Dysrhythmia, 2006's Barriers and Passages, it turns out that the Philadelphia trio has more in common with the prog metalloid Don Caballero than the prog electroid Zombi. Lots of stop-start riffing and other assorted tricky bits reside on Barriers and Passages — it takes little time to realize that Dysrhythmia's members have logged a serious amount of time together in their rehearsal space. While at times you can detect some similarities to King Crimson (especially "An Alley to Comprehension"), reference points are hard to pin down elsewhere, especially on tracks that touch upon fusion ("Appeared at First") and include Joe Satriani-esque guitar work ("Seal/Breaker/Void"). With riffs and complex song structures aplenty, Barriers and Passages should appeal to both metal heads and prog buffs alike.