I know plenty of people who genuinely think that all music that qualifies as “stoner” is the same, even if they like said music.  Sure, there’s a lot of commonalities among projects, musically and, of course, lyrically, but there are also plenty of forward thinking, wildly creative projects that are inspired by the Electric Lettuce.  For those who think all stoner metal is the same, have you considered REZN, and if not, why not?  Chicago’s own have been on a meteoric rise in trajectory of late, and Cycles in the Infinite Dream is perhaps the peak of what the quartet have been working towards all this time.

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m a chump when it comes to stoner metal; a lightweight, if you will.  I enjoy it, but it’s not my go-to unless I’m really in the mood.  It’s my wife [Borat voice] who undyingly loves and usually gets me to listen to bands like REZN, but since I flashed her my signature puppy dog eyes and said “pwease” in an anime voice, I’m the one who gets to review Cycles in the Infinite Dream.  I jumped at the chance because, frankly, as they’re local to me, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing REZN live more than once, and they put on a much more righteous show than they have any right to, especially recently.  If you can imagine, the music is bottom-heavy metallic crunch mixed with psychedelia in the lead work and vocals (all courtesy of frontman Rob McWilliams), but the analog synths and saxophone of multi-instrumentalist Spencer Ouellette send these songs over the top, and they occupy a space in my brain that few other stoner bands do.  Hence, when a new REZN album is imminent, I’m pretty damn stoked, and this one is an absolute doozy.  Lyrically, the songs deal with dreams, the subconscious and those liminal spaces between waking and…well, not waking, and this time you really get a sense of the impact the lyrics have because the songs were written with vocal melodies in mind first, even going so far as to rewrite entire songs if the vocals didn’t pop.  Of course, the rest of the instruments aren’t slouching either; Cycles in the Infinite Dream might contain some of the heaviest songs REZN have ever written, all while being backed up and spaced out by wicked synth work and a driving rhythm section.  It sounds amazing as well, courtesy of production work at the one and only Electric Audio; I’d like to think that from somewhere beyond the realm of time and consciousness, Steve Albini reached out and touched the board for this one.

To listen to REZN is to know, as the kids say, “a vibe”, and Cycles in the Infinite Dream is a whole vibe, from start to finish.  Opener “Rites of Passage” showcases both McWilliams’ signature clean vocal prowess as well as his way around an off-kilter but effortlessly cool tapped riff.  It all blends together in a way that perfectly facilitates dropping in and tuning the fuck out.  If you want a little more pulse-pounding energy, how about the monster 7/4 riff that kicks off “Transient,” or Ouellette’s glorious saxophone solo at the end, or ass-beater breakdown that closes “Primal Thread”?  Heavy, this thing most certainly is, but what REZN do expertly well and what they continue to get better at is finding a way to meld together the subtly progressive and psychedelic elements into the heavy metal without disturbing the natural flow of these songs.  Jesus Christ, how did we even get this far without mentioning that there’s LAP STEEL (also courtesy of Ouellette) all over this album, and not only is it downright gorgeous in spots, it also supports the heavy riffing just as well as anything else REZN does.  Listen, if lap steel in metal becomes the new saxophone in metal, consider me already on the trend train; this shit is cool as fuck.

What more can you say about a band like REZN?  They’ve pretty quickly blossomed from hometown homies to taking their rightful place on the main stage of the metal world, and Cycles in the Infinite Dream is perhaps their finest stroke of genius yet.  Rest assured, as of reading this piece, yours truly will be celebrating the release of this album the true and rightful way.  If you are willing, able and it’s not too illegal where you are, you should join me.

-Ian

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Cycles in the Infinite Dream is available now on Sargent House.  For more information on REZN, visit their official website.