YURT ~ III-MOLLUSKKEPOKK

Yurt were formed in Dublin 2006, their name means "tent" in Turkish and are a trio consisting of three members,  Andrew Bushe - percussion, Steven Anderson - guitar, vocals, electronics and Boz Mugabe - bass, vocals, electronics and if you wish to know more than that... well good luck.
Yurt are a band who like to play their cards close to their chests, cloaking themselves in a veil of mysticism even going as far as to  referring to themselves as "The Sonic Elders".
The band have released two albums "Ege Artemis Yurtum" and "Archipelagog" and on May 28, 2016 will release their third album "III-Molluskkepokk".

"Prog" can and is often seen as a dirty word these days, recalling a time in the mid to late 70's when bands like YES and ELP  foisted on the world's rock audiences bloated, self-indulgent, overly produced and often mind-numbingly boring conceptual albums.
The bad news is Yurt, among other things, dabble in "prog", the good news is there is no way on earth you could call what they do as "boring".
From the electronic/synthesised intro of "Lesion In The Chrysalis" through to the galloping final seconds of "Testament To Zero" not a note is wasted in mindless meandering. Brutality, ambiance and complexity sit side by side in a mix of grooves that take in elements of both old school traditional and intricate progressive metal. Around these two extremes of the same genre Yurt weave threads of  spacey electronics and shimmering psych colouring to construct a tapestry of  immense sonic magnitude. Whether grooving around a series of riffs as on "Parasitic Cabal" or going off on occasional cosmic tangents as on the excellent "Ruptured By The Shrapnel" the intensity of  what Yurt do is never diluted. Tracks "Sjambok" and "Unknown Component" see the band keep the foot firmly on the pedal, the former and shorter of the two being a stunning instrumental workout.. Throughout the albums six tracks the levels of musicianship are nothing short of breathtaking. Anderson's guitar and Mugabe's bass coil around themselves like the threads of a Celtic knot, furious licks and solo's interchanging with booming jazzy bottom end while Bushe  pushes, steers and drives the groove from below with accomplished and dexterous percussion. Vocals are mostly shared and are delivered clean with a monotone gruffness that fits in perfectly with the bands sonic soundscapes. The previously mentioned "Testament To Zero" closes the album in a storm of swirling synthesisers, gnarly riffage and thundering percussion, the band jamming a groove that has them sounding as if they were the bastard offspring of a pairing between Hawkwind and Mastadon,,,,,, and if that don't get you hitting the repeat button ...nothing will.