Graviton - Massless

When I first saw the sci-fi cover of Graviton’s “Massless”, I immediately thought it was a bit Voivodian. Although I cannot say that both acts sound alike, the differences between the two are immeasurable, the philosophy and approach to song-writing is pretty much the same, to twist and bend the limits and rules of music to create songs that defy easy categorization and really stand out from a myriad of generic releases.

Graviton is a new side project from Sacha Dunable, guitarist and vocalist of prog metallers Intronaut, along with Darin Tambascio and Derek Donley, members of National Sunday Law and musically it is not a total departure from the innovative prog-metal he pens for Intronaut. I could say that Graviton leans heavily towards the more atmospheric and introspective side of Intronaut, focusing more on intricate and hypnotic guitar patterns and less on aggressive riffs, and more on soothing vocal melodies ditching the caveman growls altogether. There are also plenty of studio effects that help create moments of reflective tranquillity, perhaps Intronaut filtered through Boards of Canada may not be a wholly inaccurate description.

“Mu Lepton” sets the album up for a dreamlike and spacey journey that completely absorbs our intellect for the whole 45 minutes. A trip that veers from melodic and ambient sounds complete with acoustic guitars, piano melodies and Sasha’s omnipresent and ghostly vocals and more intricate and tense moments full of reverb-drenched, dissonant guitars and challenging drum patterns.

Put simply, this is a wonderful release, wholly recommended not only to fans of progressive metal or rock but to all people with a like for stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking music. (7.8/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.facebook.com/pages/Graviton

Label info: www.translationloss.com

For fans of: Intronaut, Isis, Jesu, Greymachine