Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Biolith is the second full-length from this Canadian prog metal outfit, and their first to feature former Annihilator frontman Dave Padden at the mic. (Also in the band are former Devin Townsend Band bassist Mike Young and ex Into Eternity guitarist Justin Bender. Drummer Aaron Edgar is a columnist for the magazine Modern Drummer, among other things.) Their sound is quite intricate, with lots of tempo changes and tricky time signatures. Unlike a lot of other stuff in this vein, however, Third Ion manage to make these elements fairly accessible and potentially enjoyable for non-musos. For a perfect example of this check out "Cosmic Delusion," which manages to cram all of this plus a super catchy main riff and video game-like sounds into five minutes. Even the ten minute title track remains pretty damn engaging throughout. Padden's vocals are mostly clean and clear, with the odd growl. Not sure what all of the lyrics are, given that I can't find them printed anywhere, but they generally seem intelligent and thoughtful. Pretty much everything you like about prog metal and almost nothing you don't. Highly recommended!