Ion Dissonance

Minus The Herd

[3/5]

Didn’t Ion Dissonance used to be, well, not groundbreaking or anything, but at least good, in a second-tier sort of way? Well, no more. Even a cursory glance at their new album reveals the mistakes they’ve made. There 2005 release Solace had song titles like “Play Dead…And I’ll Play Along,” “Lecturing Raskolnikov (Or How To Properly Stab An Old Widow)” and “Shut Up, I’m Trying To Worry.” Yeah, they were a little Dillinger-damaged, but their music retained a visceral kick beneath the technicalities. This crapfest has songs called “Shunned Redeemer,” “Void Of Conscience” and “Kneel.” It seems they’re the ones kneeling before market research projection charts. Technical intricacy is out (along with vocalist Gabriel McCaughry); barking metalcore ape Kevin McCaughey (ex-Shaolin) is in his place, and the band is dumbing down their riffs and drum breaks in a craven attempt to get hooting, chest-pounding jocks to fill the pit and hump each other. What was that about a “herd” again? (ABACUS) Phil Freeman