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OHMphrey: Posthaste

Magna Carta

Attention Umphrey’s fans who always wished that the band would stop noodling around so much and get more brutal—your wish has been granted. What else do you expect when you combine OHM/former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland with the power trio of Jake Cinninger, Joel Cummins and Kris Myers? The album bursts open with “Devil’s in the Details,” a track that begins with speed metal guitar dueling, weaves into a funk groove reminiscent of “Nothing Too Fancy’s” past, takes a brief stop into trippy electronic territory, and then, climaxes in a guitar battle—all in the course of seven minutes. The group is all over the place on this album and, for once, this is a good thing. There’s something for everyone on Posthaste, whether you’re into reggae (the creatively titled psych-reggae tune “Reggaelic”), ‘80s synth-pop (“Tom Bombadil”) or improvisation that lasts for exactly twenty minutes and twenty seconds (“20/20”). Overall, Posthaste soars, showing a beautiful glimpse into a fantasy world where jamband fans and metalheads coexist in peace.