After hearing The Dillinger Escape Plan's Calculating Infinity, I had no idea that this style of weird timing technical metal influenced chaos could become a trend, mostly due to the fact that creating this music requires a lot of talent. It took a few years, but to my surprise, this sound has begun to rise from a few bands, such as The End, The Sawtooth Grin, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Ion Dissonance, The Human Timebomb, and tons more I've never heard of. I'm not saying these bands are copying DEP, but there is definitely an influence that can be heard in the music. What's interesting is how all of these bands are using these elements but adding in other influences so that their final products don't end up sounding very alike. Into The Moat is no exception to this new wave of musical mayhem.
Not once is there a part that is repeated on this twenty minute six song EP. It's hard to comprehend how they can remember so many parts with such weird timings, and play them together so tightly, while still being under the legal drinking age. The guitars move so fast sometimes it reminds me of fast paced Nintendo game, but they still contain this heavy sound that keeps them grounded and reminiscent of medieval metal. And then out of left field comes mosh breakdowns, but these aren't your usual "chug chug" ones, they are all very innovative. One such breakdown in particular is in "Demise Of Nourishment" at around 1:30. It's especially odd because there is one normal sounding heavy one with one of the guitars, while the other guitar is doing a fancy "jazz" part. These two parts go back and forth creating a more powerful one. The situation is similar to the Power Rangers when all of their robots combine to create the Megazord.
If Mexican shoot out battle scenes excite you, then the song "A Settling Of Ways" might be just the song for you. Half way through, all the dust settles and all that remains is a lone guitarist. The sun begins to drop and his girlfriend, being held hostage, is nearly shot. Why didn't she actually die at the moment of sunset? Because of his amazing ability to thwart the bosses henchman with his robofingers moving up and down that wooden neck. How exciting! Very nicely, the play by play vocals are not whispered or whined, but rather smash you directly in the nose with a thousand bee stings. Out of all the bands I've heard that do this style of metal, these vocals are the most accessible.
But in the end, does it really matter how much jacking off the guitarists do if the rhythm section isn't equally as horny? Like the unbreakable condom, the drumming, or "the beating of 'it'," contains a huge load of juicy fluids that are flexible enough to hold it all together. He is able to contain the speed of grind bands at times, but able to them in a way where it's more than just fast playing. How is he able to do this? Probably wooly mammoth tranquilizers, but that's beside the point. His technical "beat" making is just as technical as the guitars, if not more. Most of these recordings are done in a way where the bass is almost impossible to hear, thankfully that is not so here. The bass is in your face, and you'll pray that its departure will never happen. While this four stringed madness isn't used as much and fully as the bassist from The End, it does its job very well, just not as fancy as the pants of that dude from that show.
Into The Moat is a band that will one day rule the night sky, battling constellations for supreme dictatorship over who gets to be the wallpaper to our romantic evenings. Keep this band on tip of your tongue, because before you know it, they'll be on the tip of everybody's tongues. Except for the tongues of those that don't like crazy music like this, which happens to be most people. Main point: this rules like a town in the land of Zelda and Link. And don't forget it.
