John Frum is actually not a person, but a band, named after a group of natives in the South Pacific islands, known as the Cargo Cult, and comprised of former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, John Zorn, and others. Though labeled as 'psychedelic death metal', I'm hard pressed to hear anything remotely psychedelic about A Stirring in the Noos, but an intriguing slice of technical extreme metal it certainly is. Manic openers "Presage of Emptiness" and "Pining Light" create an aural assault that will instantly open your eyes and smash your skull in, the twisting riffs and jackhammer rhythms giving a clear indication of the members time spent with DEP & The Faceless, while the pulverizing "Memory Palace" is 9+ minutes of doomy death metal and a touch of atmospherics. Those creepy atmospherics again pop up on "Lacustrine Divination" (possibly where they are getting the 'psych' tag from), in what is otherwise a groove laden masher, and "Assumption of Form" is a must hear for tech-death fans, the off-kilter rhythms, djent styled riffs, deep growls, and acrobatic guitar work going in all different directions.
Some brutal moments and intriguing arrangements to be found on A Stirring in the Noos, an album that is a little schizophrenic at times and feels like a band who are still trying to find their way, but enough good things happening here to easily recommend.
Track Listing
1. Presage of Emptiness 04:48
2. Pining Light 03:46
3. Memory Palace 09:19
4. Through Sand and Spirit 03:22
5. Lacustrine Divination 06:08
6. He Come 04:00
7. Assumption of Form 08:29
8. Wasting Subtle Body
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