Rebreather — Chaos Patterns
Track one — “I Love You With Some Of My Heart” — opens on a guttural symphony of feedback, akin to the tuning of an about-to-be-headlining, Nyabinghi-booked sludge-noise-rock trio that really knows the room and they have done their homework — for sure!
If you are familiar at all with Youngstown, Ohio’s Rebreather, you know you’re in the right place at the right time once the full weight of the Chaos Patterns kicks in around the two-minute mark. Especially with mixing engineer Andrew Schneider involved — then layer Carl Saff as mastering engineer — these two gentlemen are legendary, and we now need to add Josh Roman, the recording engineer, to that top-tier class of audio alchemist. This record’s production is HUGE, and the dissonance married with the stark, melodic, tortured vocals and guitar of Barley Rantilla is totally THE WIN.
As you may know, Rebreather and Emissions from the Monolith are soul-mates — having witnessed Rebreather twice at Emissions IRL, I can definitively say this new album is a straight VEIN dose of Barley and bandmates in top form. And this record time travels from Nyabinghi, OG home of EFTM — in fact, from what I have now learned, Rebreather holds the throne of issuing the first note of the inaugural EFTM. DAMN.
Back to the point: this album is sonic time travel — straight heat and genius out of the gate, start to finish. I’m three spins deep now, this one straight into my skull via headphones. There are a lot of lyrical themes happening here that the world needs right now: chasing masterpiece, disconnect, grief, beauty, indifference, attempts at figuring out what the fu^k is going on with everyone and everything, sky, memories — and a huge amount of reclaiming ourselves and our space, with a middle finger at wasting the beauty of life.
On the lineup: I only go back with Barley, OG bassist Chad Fondak (rad human) and drummer Jeremy Koerber — so a serious nod is owed to Steve Wishnewski on bass and Steve Gardner on drums. They lay a stone-solid foundation and perfectly set the stage for Barley’s guitar and vocals to hit frantically and beautifully across all these compositions.
And the track “Landing” — that sonic time travel I mentioned? This song could be straight off their 2003 set, and yet the reclaimed vibe lands right now, in the final days of 2026. Or is it daze. Either way: we need this track, this album, this band. “Take all the chances you can, make this a masterpiece” — HELL YES. The entire community needs this record. When you get the chance, make the effort to be in the room for a Rebreather set — and leave your phone in the car. Alright: we are SO back, and Rebreather is responsible for one of the best albums you will hear and own in 2026. Timeless.
If you’re into KEN mode, Slint, Jesus Lizard, Touch and Go Records — a follower of HUGE HOOKS delivered via Ampeg SVTs maxing out your BASS speakers, JAGGED DISSONANT GUITAR, TIGHT UNDERSTATED MENACING DRUMS and VOLATILE ENERGY, all done masterfully through tension-built grooves exploding into heavy release — this is YOUR ride.
Hear it — the whole thing. ⚡
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As a long-time fan of Rebreather’s N.A.S.A. (Need Another Seven Astronauts) and Half Speed Ahead-era work, Chaos Patterns satisfies — with standout tracks being Anxious Attachments, Float, and Lost and Found. Nine tracks, thirty-seven minutes and nine seconds, not an ounce of fat on it.
FILE UNDER: KEN mode, Slint, The Jesus Lizard, the whole Touch and Go bloodline. And when you want the receipts on where this noise-rock-meets-sludge lineage runs — StonerRock.com has been logging the heavy underground since 1999. The receipts are in the Archive →
9.6. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Listen & own it ⚡
Official channels only. Every play and every copy pays the band and the label — not us.