Since the third offering from Boston heavy psych aggressors Ichabod was intended for release last year, one can only imagine they didn?t know it would wind up coming out the same month as a John Cusack movie of the same name. I looked back in the archives, and such a phenomenon is a first. No one was nearly as timely with a record called Better off Dead.

2012 follows four years behind 2005?s Reaching Empyrean, and the growth in the band is palpable. There?s still the roots of sludge aggression, but the band have progressed to the point of incorporating more clean vocals and more complex structures. Listening to ?Giving up the Ghost,? the verse riff is undeniably stoner, and the later bridge is straight out of Sabbath?s ?Iron Man? — though put to good use — but Ichabod encase these influences in a multifaceted context that?s bound to surprise more than a few listeners expecting something simple and straightforward.

The album was recorded at Mad Oak Studios by Devin Charette, and the production is crisp and sharp despite some issues with Phil MacKay?s snare drum, which sounds flat compared to what?s around it. Greg Dellaria?s bass is lively and present in the mix, adding much-appreciated thickness to the songs. Dave Iverson?s guitar, rarely appearing in a single layer, is rich and the root of many of 2012?s successes — not to take anything away from Ken MacKay?s vocals, which in their clean incarnation vary between a Facelift-era Layne Staley and a From Bliss to Devastation-style Tim Williams and when screamed come on with an intonation and cadence reminiscent of Devin Townsend?s work in Strapping Young Lad. MacKay?s ability to adjust his approach to the music is a tremendous asset to the band, as a track like their cover Pink Floyd?s ?Nile Song? simply would have been impossible to pull off otherwise.

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