As I enter this review, I begin to question the validity of the genre's scene. With instrumental progressive bands popping up like daisies, one must fear an oversaturation of the style. I have the utmost respect for artists who can use their instruments to both express and evoke emotions, yet simultaneously I must set a standard of quality for this genre as the bands and popularity are increasingly stacking. Alas, I think that would be the purpose of this review, besides a statistical number out of ten, but to determine if one's voiceless music truly can speak.
I also do feel it is blatant to make such comparisons, so I'll just get them out of the way. Animals as Leaders. Chon. Scale the Summit. Plini. Skyharbor. Ok, phew! All done. Throughout this one album of seven songs consisting of forty-two minutes, there was at least one moment where my musical memory went "hey, this sounds pretty darn like [insert aforementioned band listed above]." Now most critics could go on and on about plagiarism, ripping off, yadda yadda, but I think there's a difference between being a copycat and being creatively intelligent. Mammoth has used their knowledge of these artists mixed with their own talents to make a progressive mish-mash that is not only respectfully aware of their influences, yet also able to shape the music into something that isn't painfully cookie cutter.
A good chunk of these compositions contained the zany personality alike to the solo work of the very talented prog drummer Marco Minneman. If you're unfamiliar with his releases, I would best describe his palette as Mr. Bungle meets King Crimson. Besides such eccentricity, it becomes increasingly difficult to pigeonhole the band as their arrangements range from heavy bits on "Entanglements" to laughable wackiness of "The Hilarity of Singularity" or the combination of both in "Limited Access to the One." Normally the inclusion of two distinctly differing styles within one LP would come off as a divisive turn-off, but on Deviations, the band plays it off very well resulting in a diverse listen.
Comparing it to their previous release, Innate, which I so happened to stumble upon last year, I would say this record expands the horizon in regards to both technicalities and experimentation, but most of all, character. A significant key factor in this release's success is how the band kept it interesting through tasteful musical transitions. Many other acts within this scene have a bad habit of either over-repetition or the lack there of and Mammoth balances their compositions quite strongly. But overall, I think my biggest takeaway from this record is… saxophone solos work so damn nice with instrumental progressive music (example: the last minute of "Obscurements").
Bringing it full circle to the test of if an instrumental record could possess a voice, I'd settle on the conclusion that Mammoth is almost there. Like previously stated, there's a certain personality in this music and that aspect alone makes for a memorable piece. Although, I'd hate to overly play the comparison-game, I think it's important to understand how a band like Animals as Leaders has established a voice for themselves. Elements such as the inclusion of the modest solos and quirky electronics are exactly what I'd love to see more of in the future of this group as they had a tug at your heartstrings and imagination sort of effect.
Score: 8/10
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