iota (slc)

Nearly 16 years ago, Salt Lake City's Iota carved a place for themselves in the heavy underground with debut album, Tales. Released by Small Stone Records, recorded by drummer Andy Patterson (The Otolith, ex-SubRosa, etc.), with founding guitarist/vocalist Joey Toscano (who'd form Dwellers after) and bassist Oz Inglorious (ex-Bird Eater, Suffocater) drawing heavy rock impulses across space in a way that was innovative and engrossing. Marked by the 20-minute Dimensional Orbiter, it showed huge potential for Iota, who moved onto other outfits while the cult of those in the know steadily grew.

Pentasomnia marks a return for a project begun in 2001—a band that has been intermittently active, shelved, pushed, pulled and twisted, but whose sound shimmers with atmosphere and the resonant, bluesy emotionalism of Toscano's vocals. Rather than some slapdash decade-later follow-up to a record on its way to being a niche-classic, Pentasomnia is cohesive, and as much an unexpected step forward as an unexpected return. Iota revel in the groove and sway of these songs, from the boozy head-hang of opener The Intruder into the ambient push of The Returner, which feels like a manifestation of the meld between cosmic and desert rocks that was so much the heart of the band during their first run; the very essence of what they do, given new life and perspective.

There are going to be a lot of heavy rock records released in 2024. You sleep on Iota at your own risk.

- JJ Koczan