Abnormal Thought Patterns – Abnormal Thought Patterns EP [CynNormal Lab Recordings] (2011)

This new up coming project was just brought up to me just yesterday I heard the teaser for this album only yesterday and I my jaw dropped to the floor ! This is the work of Troy and Jasun Tipton brothers and Mike Guy of Zero Hour. This EP is a crazy 20 minute face melting technical shred-a-thon and by far the best work out of all 3 members of the band. The EP fuses Shred, some elements of extreme metal, Instrumental music, unheard of time signatures, and colorful melodies. My first thoughts upon hearing this EP was this was like if Bottled Science and Rusty Cooley snorted a line of coke and Dream Theater being the line of coke and then Bottled Science and Rusty Cooley picked up their instruments and started playing. The bass solos on this EP are fantastic nothing but sweep picking and crazy tapping patterns the first track The Machine Within is a good example of this. The epic four part song Velocity and Acceleration is a great show case for the members to show off their talents and upon listening to each part you can get a feel each songs ways of expressing the ways of technical playing and melodic phrasing working hand and hand. Ulnar Nerve Damage is 51 seconds of bass shred and listening to it for the first time Less Claypool came to mind. The final track Electric Sun is my favorite track on this album the drummer is riding on the cymbal while he plays a slightly off tempo quarter note hit on the high hat, and while the rhythm guitars beat along with the bass drum, the solo is on this album plays mostly through out the song it is a very simple lick hearing it Steve Vai came to mind, and also through out the track while each part is played this is a light atmosphere synth pad that acts as a filler. The production of the Ep is what one might come to find in a just about every Progressive Metal band as far as mixing and mastering go. The EP was mixed by Dino Alden who also plays in Zero Hour and works with Marty Friedman and mastered by Alan Douches who has worked with Between The Buried And Me, and The Dillinger Escape Plan. These project will not disappoint ANY fellow guitar player, drummer, or bass player or really I would think any one who listens to this because these guys have so much talent and they know how to use it. These guys really do deserve some mainstream success. If you are interested here the teaser for this EP give it a listen ! -Bjørn