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Schemata Theory: Dry Lung Rhetoric
Schemata Theory - Dry Lung Rhetoric Review

Schemata Theory: Dry Lung Rhetoric

(Modern) Progressive Thrash Metal
4.0/5.0

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ABAF Records
by Craig Hartranft,  05.23.2013

To summarize at the start: Schemata Theory's Dry Lung Rhetoric offers some really good metal only to be damaged by it's vocals. More specifically, Schemata Theory delivers some engaging and technical progressive thrash metal, with dual vocalists, one singing weak clean vocals and the other mucking up things with everything hardcore and screamo vocals.

Schemata Theory Dry Lung Rhetoric Band Photo

Schemata Theory: what's with the gray shirt?

I normally take pass on most anything with dirty vocals, whether they also have clean vocals as well, simply because I don't like it and never have. At this point I apologize, for this momentary lapse of weakness, to every band, with some form of dirty vocals, who has pitched me their music for review and I did not. Perhaps, it was the PR persuasiveness of Lauren Archer over at Toxic Arrow Media that caused my to take a second listen.

Regardless, several songs, even some with vocals, show the strength of this band musicianship and metal. A Complex Slate has both the clean and dirty vocals, yet offers this driving melodic thrash metal with soaring guitars. Your Belief has only clean vocals, but it's strength is the classic piano line which propels the song; it's rather compelling, even beautiful. Perhaps the signature song that demonstrates the depth of Schemata Theory's metal is the instrumental Crisis Unveiled, a truly remarkable piece of progressive metal ingenuity. Listening to this makes me want to have machine that mutes the dirty vocals, so I don't get distracted by them. Examples of songs where the music is blistering and compelling but shot in the foot by the vocals is Drones and A Complex Slate.

Alternatively, speaking to the vocals specifically, the stronger, more versatile, vocals come from Myles Dyer's hardcore style. I may not like dirty vocals, but I know when they're done well. He gets it. Frankly, excepting Your Belief, Luke Wright struggles to keep up whether against the music or his counterpart. Again, for some rather impressive modern progressive thrash metal, Schemata Theory's Dry Lung Rhetoric is worth a listen.

Schemata Theory - A Complex Slate


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In Short

Excusing the dirty vocals, for some rather impressive modern progressive thrash metal, Schemata Theory's Dry Lung Rhetoric is worth a listen.

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