There’s something about the cover art for Jonbar Hinge’s debut album that gives me the shivers. Maybe it’s the fact that the eyes look like shivered panes of glass, with no one home behind them — or at least no one you might really want to meet. This Swiss band’s name is equally fascinating. It appears to refer to a concept (derived from science fiction) for “a crucial point of divergence between two outcomes” — a “forking place” in time where a choice must be made that will lead to a lasting and dramatic change in the unfolding of the future. Or at least that’s what The Font of All Human Knowledge tells us. Between the artwork and the band’s name, I was very intrigued by what the album might hold in store.

This self-titled record, which will be released by Division Records on November 20, consists of five tracks. At the end of this post you’ll have the chance to stream all of them. I’ll warn you up-front that the album is often an exception to our “rule” (the one about singing), and it’s not quite as extreme as most of the vicious monsters to which we devote most of our time. But you’re seeing the premiere here for a reason — Jonbar Hinge will get your head moving, and repeatedly slug you in the spine while it does that. Continue reading »