way that this much power, talent, m years eaning, and motion could be fit into a mere four. 40 years, maybe, but not a meager few circles of the sun. These six guys are some of the smartest and most clever musicians around. They've got an understanding of history, literature, and art that is on par with the likes of John Darnielle, or Belle and Sebastian. And you don't have to be in possession of a MENSA level IQ to be into Artifex Pereo because besides being intelligent they are also all talented musicians who know how to rock hard as hell when called upon to do so. Their name even comes from the purported last words of the Roman emperor Nero, that roughly translates as “artist's death.” Having a six-member band is great for when you invariably need to throw out cacophonous walls of force or weave complex sonic tapestries, both things that these guys do a lot of and do really well. I get the feeling that if you called any of these guys a nerd, they would most likely beat your sorry ass with one of their thick ass books that they read for leisure.

 

I've only heard them live in support of their previous and only other LP, Ailments & Antidotes. As I've heard both their older songs and now their newest stuff, I can safely say it is bound to be looked upon as 1000% better. These are the kind of songs that legends are built upon. Seriously. If any of you have read my reviews in the past, you will know that I occasionally find and love albums where the tracks appear to have been laid out with a deliberate purpose by true craftsmen and artists. Not only has Artifex done this, they have done this better than any band I’ve heard in a good long while. The 13 tracks on Time In Place are the musical equivalent of a Swiss Army knife; just when you've seen all its cool tricks you end up saying to yourself, “Oh shit. I didn't see this toothpick last time!”

 

A couple songs serve you small sampler platter of their entire range. They can play fast and hard, but even when they slow it down a notch, and they don't sacrifice an ounce of power or bravado. Besides their individual talents, much of their ability stems from their very configuration and their almost “jam band” ability to play off of and to each other. You will have a hard time convincing me that the members of Artifex Pereo weren't all childhood friends who went on Goonie-esq adventures together. They have Eugene Barker on Bass, Cory Eaves on drums, Jordan Haynes on lead guitar and they still got three musicians left to go, and that's where it gets really interesting. They have both Jamie Davis and Lucas Worley splitting the vocals, but Jamie is also on guitar, and that means they get Jeremiah Brinkworth on keyboard. OF COURSE, KEYBOARD! That's the best way to coax more emotion from a song when you have already invested three guitars, drums, and perfect complementary vocals.

 

The richness and true depth of their sound is most evident in tracks like “Tied To The Sun” or “Liable For Tragedy,” songs with drastic tempo swings and an operatic scale to the vocals. If what you are in the mood for is raw power than “Annica” and “Cut Sign” have a frenzied guitar and drum paired with higher register vocals that if you close your eyes, I swear to god you will think you must be playing the end credits of some crazy-violent anime that has robots and space tentacles. They are catchy tunes that have a good lot of staying power and are great for driving fast, working out, and of course battling sexy, large eyed schoolgirl assassins. Artifex Pereo can seriously slow down too, thanks to the power that Jeremiah uses on his piano and the lighter touch on the drums. Seriously, the song “Overview” sounds like it's from a different band altogether. Then there’s “Weep and You Weep Alone,” which is a slow and somber, but short, instrumental that sounds like they used a baby grand and a stand up bass.

 

Artifex Pereo are currently touring around Kentucky in preparation for their hometown album release show on May 27th. I hope that after their official album release their south eastern tour expands out our way again because with as much as I enjoyed them last year, I'll be even more stoked to hear these new songs performed live.  I'm also not usually into keeping up with most bands blogs but both their Tumblr account and their official Facebook page are very interesting reads and contain nice tour photos, poetry, and thoughts of their life on the road. I was a huge fan of Henry Rollins' “Get In The Van” and Artifex Pereo's sites are very much a 21st century version of his classics.