Dysrhythmia Defy Expectations on “Terminal Threshold”

This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who’s ever heard a Dysrhythmia record, but the trio’s latest album, Terminal Threshold, is a mind-bending journey into prog, shred and dissonance. In spite of the fact that guitarist and bandleader Kevin Hufnagel (Gorguts) wasn’t sure he had anything left in the tankTerminal Threshold feels like one of the best records of Dysrhythmia’s career.

For the first time, bassist Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts, Behold the Arctopus) plays second guitar on three tracks (“Nuclear Twilight,” “Power Symmetry” and “Twin Stalkers”) while Hufnagel handles bass duties. The change up works beautifully, especially on “Twin Stalkers,” the album’s high point driven by galloping riffs, dissonant melodies and a ferocious performance by drummer Jeff Eber.

Terminal Threshold was recorded mostly live, according to Hufnagel’s most-recent Decibel interview, which adds a layer of intensity and controlled chaos to the album.

“I think that live energy and aggression in the playing translated to the recording,” Hufnagel told Decibel regular Shawn Macomber in August. “What you’re hearing is how we really sound. Sometimes you can hear us almost losing it on a take or Jeff going for a drum fill that might land at a strange place in the riff. I think that tension keeps it exciting. There isn’t really any ‘fixing’ things in the computer, which can often make things too ‘perfect’ and clean, and thus sterile. We leave some dirt on it.”

Terminal Threshold is out now on Translation Loss, so check it out below and score a copy through Bandcamp or the Translation Loss webstore.