Metal Underground.com

After two albums worth of comedy-laden technical metal, the humorously named Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza decided to kick things up a notch in the serious department. The band’s latest effort, “Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events” captures the group at a new found level of aggression and intensity that fans have yet to see. The music is still insanely technical, hectic and at times headache inducing – which is what fans have come to expect – but gone are the comical interludes and pointless moments of juvenile antics.

“Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events” is a career defining statement from the band that now allows it to stand together with the best acts in the technical metal genre. “Yippie-Kay-Yay Mother!@#$%^,” while comically titled, is a furious composition that combines the absolute best elements of bands like Meshuggah, Psyopus, and at times Cannibal Corpse. The guitars provide a wall of noise that is almost orchestral in its nature, utilizing sharp sweep picking sections and complex bass lines. While the title may be a bit silly, “Yippie-Kay-Yay Mother!@#$%^” is a beast of an extreme metal track and is a high point of the album.

The only thing lacking on “Danza III,” when held in comparison to the band’s earlier work, is the more streamlined approach to the vocals. They aren’t as chaotic and frantic and usually stay at one pitch for the majority of the album. Some guttural growls are employed sparingly but the high-pitch shrieks are almost non-existent. While the vocals may not be as adventurous this time around it really is just a minor flaw in the grand scheme of things. “Danza III” is a still a far superior album in every other aspect.

It happens eventually for most bands who form during their teen years; maturing as they progress. “Danza III” is a prime example of this, as the band having formed in 2004 has now gone on to become a far more focused and determined extreme metal act. Intense songs like “There's a Time and a Place for Everything” and “A Trail Of Tears” offer up a new found hope for the band and finds it moving in the right direction towards the throne of technical metal.