Band:	Step In Fluid
Album:	One Step Beyond
Style:	Fusion, Instrumental, Progressive metal
Release date:	2011

01. One Step Beyond
02. Vicious Connection
03. Color
04. Dead End
05. Beat Hunter
06. The Bridge
07. Smooth
08. As We Dance

Christ almighty...guys...is metal allowed to be this funky? There's a buttload of talent going on here, is all I can say. This jazzy slab of prog has to be one of the most adventurous albums to come out in years.

One Step Beyond is one confusing ass album. One moment, you will be hearing some funky jazz album, the next, you'll be listening to some African style music fused into some funk along the lines of George Clinton & Parliament, maybe with a touch of some Prince. Right, so here I'm thinking "what the fuck, Season Of Mist? What have you?..." Before I can complete this thought, it breaks into some Primus-featuring-Zakk Wylde shit. Of course, there's some saxophone here and there, you can't have tr00 jazz-core without saxophone, duh! Also, turntables. Yes, turntables, yes they sound great, and no, neither Fred Durst nor Slipknot are part of this equation.

So you've got an idea of what the components are - how does it all pan out? Well, it's groovy as shit is what it is. Every instrument is played with mouth-watering precision and technical prowess, yet everything is tasteful. There's a certain emphasis on subtleties here that doesn't seem typical for a lot of prog. A certain respect is held toward the overall feel, rather than constant showing off, despite the fact all the members are fantastic musicians.

Here I thought I really didn't have a taste for prog, yet I'm blown away by this. Sure, Step In Fluid may not be for everyone. It's certainly not a "metal" record in your traditional sense, but it seems like something that would appeal to metal fans with a distinct taste for funky jazz. In fact, this seems like less of a jazz-influenced-metal album, but more of a jazz album played through (mostly) heavy metal instruments.