[3/5]
As brutal as their namesake's acting chops, this Murfreesboro, Tennessee, quintet's second album thunders and rages with torrential tech-metal fury, the molten free-jazz arpeggios plinking and running down the face of a steely death-metal edifice. Chaotic hardcore rhythms prevent the sledgehammer bottom-end from getting stuck in a rut, as odd time signatures and face-shredding guitar spew sparks in every direction. An obvious acolyte of Converge and Meshuggah, the Extravaganza provide plenty of neck-snapping turns, though it doesn't match the Dillinger Escape Plan's roller coaster loops for finesse; instead, they go for a propulsive grind-groove, like busting figure eights in the concrete with a Transformer. There's nothing you can hum to your girlfriend, nor clever lyrics to quote your friends, but the trigo-metal rumble is more enveloping than a car wash-you get lost inside the surround-sound intensity. (BLACK MARKET ACTIVITIES/METAL BLADE; blackmarketactivities.com) Chris Parker
 Official Website: http://www.blackmarketactivities.com
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