The Integral hails from the wonderful city of Montreal, Canada and they deliver eleven “All killer, No filler” tracks on their album “002”. Their brand of progressive-tinged heavy yet very melodic rock sets them head and shoulders above the hordes of modern rock bands strutting their stuff on commercial radio and MTV. That’s not to say that The Integral wouldn’t fit right in, they’d just do so with a lot more edge and originality.

The Integral’s music is very dynamic yet concise, never letting the band’s offbeat twists and turns ever overtake “the song”. The vocals stream melodically over the music and the lyrics and hooks are impeccable. Heart-stopping heavier numbers like “Constant” and “Cycle” contrast more ambient and psychedelic inspired moments found in “Disassembled” and the instantly memorable “For Days on End” clearly demonstrating the band’s willingness to experiment. A mind-bending instrumental track is even included for good measure, displaying a superb mix of groove and technique jam-packed with breaks, off-time measures, and punches. The Integral’s approach works very well throughout and never grows tired.

This is a standout release and you will not want to skip through any songs, which is a hard find these days. Most Indie releases are plagued with murky production, but the sound quality on this disc is excellent. If you like your heavy rock served up with a generous amount of creativity and intelligence, “002” is what you crave.

www.theintegralband.com