Editor’s Note: This post is guest written by Calder Hannan, who is a PhD student in music theory at Columbia University.
One of the most enjoyable things about a lot of metal, for me, is the way that it often forces me to think about and experience time in new and challenging ways. While I and others have written a fair amount about bands that obviously play with rhythm and meter, such as Meshuggah, Dream Theater, Car Bomb, and The Dillinger Escape Plan, I’ve been thinking recently about a song from a less obviously technical or experimental band: “The Atavist’s Meridian,” from Inter Arma’s excellent recent album Sulphur English.
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