ntro paragraph: If it didn’t come in at a relatively short forty minutes, one supposes there would be more outrage over the fact that Buried Inside’s third album is constructed as one track, broken up into ten parts. Each part is certainly distinct from the other (and easily stands on its own), but the whole thing suffers miserably if you don’t bother to listen to it all at once. Which shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

Kicker paragraph: When it’s this good, probably not.

Further facts of note paragraph: Canadian five-piece that has two independent releases to their credit. Current release produced by Matt Bayles (previous work tellingly includes: Isis and Mastodon, previous work also includes, although not tellingly: Soundgarden). Band uses a variety of instruments denoting depth (including piano, strings, brass, and electric organ). Concept is concerned with "…how time is perceived, controlled, exploited, manipulated, institutionalized, and internalized…" Liner notes contain extended mentions of said concept in text form and accompanying visual aids.

Making up issues so that reviewer doesn’t have to give it a perfect grade paragraph: Aforementioned length. Aforementioned stringing together of songs into one long piece. The fact that it’s a genre not covered on here enough minimizes effect of grade that I give it anyway (who will believe the new guy that raves about everything?). Lack of complete aping of crossover favorites Isis and Neurosis. Can a genre so laughable have a perfect grade, anyway (for those scoring at home, Slayer and Black Sabbath don’t count)? Possible similarities in places to bands like Yes, especially in change between “Time as Automation” and “Time as Commodity” too frightening to completely ignore.

Intro to pat ending paragraph: But all of those issues are ignorable when you take the totality of Chronoclast into account.

Pat ending paragraph: Because while the group doesn’t exactly echo what seems to be the prevailing metal orthodoxy when it comes to these sorts of song structures, it has struck out on its own and after three years of work it has paid off handsomely. Chronoclast might be fated to slip through the cracks of the Relapse machine because of the simple fact of their name (they still have Dillinger Escape Plan occupying the top of their label page nearly six months after its release), but the proof is in the pudding: Buried Inside have released one of 2005’s best metal releases.

Qualifier paragraph: So far.