The vagaries of the music world can be unpredictable. However, the almighty wind behind Atlanta metallers Irist’s debut album is as close to a banker as you can get, with labels falling over themselves to sign the band, and their name already being touted for a big future. On a purely musical level, they’ve earned comparisons to metal heavyweights like Gojira and Mastodon, and you can see why. There’s a similarity to the former band’s mainman Joe Duplantier’s taut screaming at times, and an expansive yet stupendously heavy groove. They rein in the urge to over-indulge their progressive side, though, with most of the tracks clocking in at less than four minutes. The result is a barrage of killer blows that frequently surprise and never outstay their welcome. There are floating mel...
