Artery

Those familiar with Battles, with Russian Circles, will identify parallels of appeal on this second studio set - the band's first properly focused album statement after a 2011 debut of more arbitrarily collected cuts. But Brontide's approach to formulating a long-form record is more streamlined than several peers. Peaks come in hard and dips to more introspective passages rightfully balance these leaps of tempo - but core structures avoid the unnecessary fiddliness synonymous with acts plying a line in lyrics-shorn, dynamic instrumental music.