siLLy puPPy CHAPAJUBY is the 2nd studio release by THEIR DOGS WERE ASTRONAUTS in the form of a 27:28 length EP which came out only a few months after their debut full-length. As far as i can tell this is a digital release only but can easily be found on YouTube and the band’s Bandcamp site. Once again this is the work of the two brothers from Austria, Denis (guitar, bass) and Leonard (guitar) Roth who handle all instrumental duties as well as all production and mixing and are only in their late teens.

I was pleasantly surprised by their debut “In Touch” by taking the Animals With Leaders approach of creating progressive instrumental metal that adds a healthy dose of the djent sound as one of the main ingredients. The mix of aggressive and mellow passages really allows the band to create some interesting sounds that are juxtaposed against one another.

CHAPAJUBY (EP) is actually quite another surprise as track one “VII” begins with some kind of Middle Eastern type clean guitar run accompanied by their trademark djent sound riffage. The progressive nature of their compositions are actually quite interesting as they create interesting time signatures and riffs with quirky percussive accompaniments. As with the debut release the melodies reign supreme here and all the musical ideas are designed to serve their master. This one seems to have more clean guitars and less djent at first but all elements present themselves dominantly at different places.

This EP is however a lot more atmospheric and less aggressive than “In Touch”. The guitar playing is extremely melodic, has a slight neoclassical edge but also has a somewhat bluesy approach. I keep thinking Eric Johnson but just when i feel the mellowness has gone on too long some crunchy grungy guitar riffs accompany the clean guitars. While the timbres of the instruments is limited, the way these guys change it up with different ideas including sudden start / stop riffs, weaving of clean guitar and highly distorted and oft inserted weirdness to the mix is pretty cool. I love how the two guitar lines often talk to each other and sound like they’re having a conversation.

While the drums do sound synthesized for the most part, these guys manage to keep it interesting by actually playing the percussion instead of programming it. I actually find this EP a bit more interesting than the full-length debut as the ideas are a bit more varied and the DOGS of experimentation have been let off their leashes. While the overall sound is pretty much the same as the debut LP, this EP gracefully builds upon that release and not only creates more varieties of melodic developments but more varieties of progressive touches and occasional electronic embellishments. Quite enjoyable i say.

siLLy puPPy Being a dog lover i am more willing to give bands with DOG in their title more than a fair wag of the tail so the Austrian progressive metal outfit THEIR DOGS WERE ASTRONAUTS sounded like something i just HAD to check out! This band is actually a team of two brothers Denis Roth and Leonard Roth coming out of Salzburg, Austria and delivering an all instrumental progressive post metal type of djent that is heavy in both aggressive guitar riffing and by atmospheric embellishments. IN TOUCH is their debut release and as far i can tell a digital release only. All instrument playing, recording and mixing duties are shared by both brothers. Denis handles guitar, bass while Leonard also covers guitar duties. I presume the drums are programmed because no credits are given.

The album begins with a 2:10 “Overture” that starts out as a nice unaccompanied piano that eventually gets joined in by a djentrified grungy guitar riff. The album cedes way to the crunchy metal “Plenary Spheres” that delivers serious riffing chops and a sludge metal type of punctuated drumming pattern that only outlines the overall scaffolding of the track providing an intermittent beat. The music on the album continues accordingly and blossoms into the longest wending wild ride of djentrified guitar riffage that twists and turns and changes it up and alternates the aggressive riffage with lush acoustic passages and atmospheric intermissions.

The music focuses on melodic developments that include all the full metal fury, guitar licks, bass lines and progressive percussion patterns. The band is most often compared to similar acts such as Animals As Leaders and there is a certain amount of merit to those comparisons however THEIR DOGS WERE ASTRONAUTS doesn’t delve into the world of jazz-fusion and stays in the realms of progressive metal with clean guitar licks playing around crunchy metal riffage and choppy proggy time signatures of the bass. The introductory piano runs do occasionally find their way into the mix of the album as well usually being overthrown by the crunchy distorted guitar riffs.

For the entirety of the album the melodic developments are very pleasing. There is an air of neoclassical underpinning to the whole thing which is established by the piano and the occasional shredding solos but for the most part this is obfuscated by the harder unrelenting riffage and more angular types of rhythms. I have to say that this is a pretty decent debut that will surely please any fans of bands like Animals As Leaders or Intervals. Expect a melodic soaked djentfest and you will surely love this. The album is quite pleasant in how it alternates both tempo and decibelage. All in all a decent highly enjoyable instrumental debut album despite it slightly dipping over the hour mark.