One of the more exciting developments in metal over the past few years is the willingness of bands to try anything and everything. Want to sing Ramones-y punk choruses coated with black metal washes? Sure. Incorporate genuine folk elements into a full-throated death metal attack? I mean, doesn't everyone?

Cthulhu Dreamt Precursor EP (self-released)

Cthulhu Dreamt tosses chant, electronics, doom, prog, samples and just about every metal style imaginable into this seven-track EP (plus a few brighteners). Yeah, I've heard bands wander through all of these styles, but not in such a convincingly coherent fashion. There are quite a few stitch-the-groove moments, but the transitions are logical. Each sound connects in a rational way.

Which is to say that this Minnesota band is much more cerebral than visceral. If your attraction to metal is raw blood lust, Cthulhu Dreamt will likely leave you cold. But if you like your mind pushed as hard as your heart rate, there's an awful lot of meat here.

Not so much innovative as simply ambitious, Cthulhu Dreamt brings plenty of fresh sounds into the metal fold. I can't wait to hear much, much more.

Jon Worley