There seems to be a colossal army of post metal bands releasing stuff in early 2013, so for one to stand out they better be different. Birmingham’s io do just that, they take a softer and experimental approach and is a refreshing little listen. The opening track ‘The Lost Cosmonaut’ has a very strong intro, sounds like Russian Circles, which will always put a smile on the face of anyone with taste. The vocals kick in and everything becomes punky and heavy, not a million miles away from At the Drive In. Fortunately this constant mixture of styles is the blueprint to Our Disintegrating Museum.
There’s ambition in abundance. Multiple layers that are seamlessly exposed by a band that comes across as a well-oiled machine. One moment you are listening to heavy punk with sludge like vocals and the next dreamy post-rock and not just for the sake of it, most of it seems to fit very well. There is a gang vocals part, which I find a little cheesy and off putting but it seems to be trendy right now and people are diggin it.
‘Cisco Kid’ goes from doom-like riffs, into vibrant math metal that would make Between the Buried and Me proud! There’s even a few groovy beats which kind of make you want to get up and dance, this record always keeps you guessing.
Having said all this, sadly the album can come across as a little boring at times. ‘Vultures of the Arctic’, which takes up a whopping 8.5 minutes right in middle comes across as a little indie and twee. This is where their determination to do something different is maybe to their detriment. Slightly dull moments like this can be found from time to time throughout the whole thing. However, by the time you finish the last track ‘Voyage of the Alecton’ you realise you have been on quite some ride which is encapsulated by the powerful yet emotive final chorus and the closing 20 seconds which features nothing more than an earth shattering riff! Nice.
