On this, their seventh LP, the Canadian post-rock collective have their approach nailed. When opener War On Torpor gets into full swing, it’s like a dam bursting.
Unfortunately, it takes a long time before another moment as exciting rolls around. Extended track lengths, such as on the 10-minute-plus Horripilation, mean that every melodic and structural idea can be explored to its fullest, but this does result in a lack of focus at times. No matter for the fans, undoubtedly; DMST are at the jazzier, proggier end of the post-rock spectrum, and though newer waves of fusion bands like Three Trapped Tigers, Gallops and their ilk might have stolen the visceral initiative from their predecessors, there’s still a place for this more pensive form of the genre.There’s something of a Floyd vibe to the laid-back ambience of A Murder Of Thoughts, and the tail end of the album is brought to life by the frenetic ending to Her Eyes On The Horizon and album highlight Return, Return Again, with its saccharine-sweet jazzy guitar runs and anthemic chord progressions. DMST might not be the most accessible band, but their consistent flair for the melodramatic and cinematic makes them an enduringly interesting group to follow.