I'd only heard of the band Dysrhythmia in passing before I saw that they were scheduled to play the High Five's (quite the popular venue here in Columbus) on a Sunday night towards the end of June. I made a mental note to attend the show. When the 26th did roll around I had second thoughts about going. I didn't know anybody who would be interested in going with me and wasn't keen on going alone. But seeing as I would have had nothing better to do sitting at home, I ultimately drove out for the show. When I got there I was surprised to meet a friend of mine, along with his girlfriend. He had been out of town, and I wasn't expecting to see him so soon after he got back. 

So we sat down and waited for the show to get underway. There was some bad news: Behold -The Arctopus, who were providing main support on the tour, had to cancel. Their drummer Charlie's dad had passed away, and he understandably headed back to New York with the guitarist Mike. Their third member Colin Marston stayed on, as he plays bass for Dysrhthmia. 

The opening band took a long time to set-up, and they were quite bland. I don't even remember their name! They were trying to play the sort of drone metal that Sunn O))) seems to have popularized these days, but really didn't impress much. After a set that was longer than it should have been, they unloaded and allowed Dysrhythmia to set-up. The headliners played an impressive set. Their music being instrumental, it was hard to judge how much time they gave each of their albums, but I assume the majority of the material came from Barriers & Passages, the new release they have out on Relapse. Their prowess and skill was simply incredible, especially in the wake of the news they had received earlier. 

When they were done, I hung around the merch area and was checking out the shirts and CD's. After congratulating the members on a good show, I off-handedly asked if they needed a place to crash for the night. Since my parents were away, I was able to make that offer, and they gladly accepted. Once we got back to my place we talked about a lot of things, from labels (guitarist Kevin worked for Relapse for a bit) to moving (the band recently relocated to Brooklyn, NY where Colin, their new bassist, lives) to the surprise Brutal Truth reunion (as that band's drummer is their booking agent). I had a doctor's appointment followed by work the next day, so I could not join them for lunch, but they thanked me as they left, and gave me a CD and shirt for the hospitality.

In fact, it is now, much after that night that I've begun to gain even more respect for them. All of them have a plethora of side projects, with Kevin and Colin's other band Byla set to feature the vocal stylings of none other than Jarboe (of Swans fame) in the future. Colin has been earning a name for himself as a producer. He did the remastering at his Paincave studio, for the Atheist reissues put out by Relapse that I have been enjoying of late. Hats off to their talent!

Preview and Purchase Barriers & Passages CD Online

Visit the official Dysrhythmia Myspace

Visit the official Behold -The Arctopus Myspace

Visit the official Pain Cave Studio site
 
 

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