Fractional Importance continue on the path that their previous efforts have led them, with this, their third release. But its quite clear this time around that the path they travel will continually evolve, as this disc finds them beginning to shed the aggro styled elements they once had for emocore like melody complete with progressive alternative metal tendencies. Chiseled with chunky guitar riffs, spiraling basslines and thundering drums, tuneful vocals take the reigns with pride and strap onto the engine of a band that are already well on their way to breaking into the big leagues.
Band frontman Douglas' vocals can bring to mind and odd contrast of perhaps Helmet's Page Hamilton merged with Failure's Ken Andrews. Saturating the songs with huge hooks and reinforcing them with walls of drawn out harmony that are crafted with odd vocal structures, each track also seems to come bookended by the occasional gut wrenching throaty scream. This spoken part is supported by chugging guitar riffs that easily morph into tranquil, soothing picks and plucks that are aided by the use of colorful effects to sculpt rich aural textures that are instantly shattered with punchy new metal grinds. Dynamic basslines with a touch of harmonics and pounding drum work that resonates through each track compose the rest of the groups artillery and though the bass tends to support the guitar for the most part, the drums are quite boisterous and inject the songs with a pleasing dynamic flair.
As a whole, this CD represents a large step for the band as they begin to utilize conventional song structures that they lacked on their other works. It's this coupled with the stepped up intensity and passion found in this release that make it an interesting listen and though the album is surely a step into a more digestible and commercial direction, there are still enough surprises and traces of the bands unique perspective here to keep any listener on their toes. One thing that could be seen as a problem though is that the release for the most part feels very neutral. There's not a lot of climactic buildup, mainly because the songs seem to inevitably shift back and forth all too often. A little more suspense and restraint could make the dynamic aspect of this CD increase tenfold, though the performance captured here is still nothing to scoff at. Fractional Importance do indeed have an interesting vision and its surprising that they are not more well known, because the talent and addictive sound they have excels past groups twice as popular as them by way more than a fraction.
