After more name changes than Prince (or “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” or whatever he’s going by these days) and a side-project that essentially became an alter ego for just about all of its members, East of the Wall finally decided to go all Tony Stark on us, effectively declaring, “We are Biclops; that band and us are one.” The merger wouldn’t have been so drastic if it hadn’t have added the one thing East of the Wall were missing on their 2008 debut full-length, Farmer’s Almanac: vocals. Yes, the New Jersey five-piece that dazzled prog heads only two years ago with its free flowing, instru-metal jams has crafted a concept album (about what they have not yet said) and added hardcore barks and emotive, high-register clean singing (to whom they have not credited on neither their MySpace nor their press release).

With bass virtuoso Brett Bamberger and guitarists Kevin Conway and Chris Alfano having all pulled vocal duties in Biclops, it’s tough to tell exactly who’s singing on Ressentiment, but the band’s considerable instrumental proficiency is unmistakable. Six and four stringed axes alike bend and fold around each other, noodling and doodling as they did so often on Famer’s Almanac, but the tom heavy batter and clang of drummer Mike Somers links with the increased distortion of the guitars for some surprisingly aggressive passages. Much as they were on the debut, many of the songs on this sophomore effort are amorphous entities, expanding and contracting with a simple cymbal crash or vocal note.

When they do go “out there,” though, East of the Wall can reach truly ethereal heights. “Fool’s Errand” and “Ocean of Water” meld shifting jazz meters with climbing basslines and good cop/bad cop vocals done right, eventually settling into stunningly gorgeous exchanges between Gavin Hayes-esque singing and Frippian arpeggios. Meanwhile, “Salleri” borrows label mates Rosetta’s fractured post-metal dynamics in the first half of its eight minutes before crunchy distortion is shattered by an all out shredathon.

The album’s goal is still slightly out of focus until “A Long Defeat” sharpens those blurry edges and brings the pieces together with serpentine guitarmonies slithering around textural drumming straight from Sean Reinert’s clinics. By the song’s three minute mark, its chorus (there’s actually a recurring section!) of soaring vocals has exploded into bouts of blast beats, creating damn near revelatory moments of counterpoint before the last two thirds of its runtime spirals into a whirlpool of dramatic snare rolls and rising distortion that is equal parts Oceanic and Oceansize. Other tracks like “Fleshmaker” and “The Latter” merge East of the Wall’s two identities to similar effect, the former for especially deep emotional impact with its desperate cries of “Bury, bury me” as shimmering guitar notes dot its reflective clean passages.

Knowing full well the average listener would be overwhelmed by the constant barrage of changes present throughout the album, the band mercifully inserted a few segue tracks for some (albeit brief) respite. The curiously titled “It’s Always Worthwhile Speaking to a Clever Man” and its brethren “Gordian Corridor” and “Don’t Stop Bereaving” (Engrish play on words of a Journey classic? Hilarious!) hearken back to the band’s instrumental days and set the mood for the tunes they preface. It’s this penchant for crafting not just individual songs but a full album that makes East of the Wall the most exciting coming of age story in progressive metal and their dauntingly massive second record a wholehearted recommendation for anyone who isn’t afraid of unpredictable music.

For fans of: Rosetta, Between the Buried and Me, Animals As Leaders.