There have been a great many bands to come out lately with a unique spin on progressive/math metal—from the 15-minute epics of Between the Buried and Me, to the chaotic screaming of Suicide Silence and Arsonists Get All the Girls, to the guitar freakouts of Psyopus and the melodic sensibilities of Dillinger Escape Plan.

It should come as no surprise that Minnesota’s The Crinn has toured with just about all of those bands. The Crinn’s sound is sort of an “all of the above” of those styles. Singer John Nelson’s screams reflect the brutality of Suicide Silence, while the guitar work by Cole Leonard features a good amount of sweep picking and high pitches. Probably the closest comparison would be BTBAM’s debut album—very chaotic and brutal but with some melodic patches, like on the seven-minute “Anaphylactic Shock.”

The band incorporates much of the jazz-type riffing of Psyopus but thankfully isn‘t as obsessed with technical virtuosity. “Cathartic Insurrection” gives Leonard the opportunity to show off his guitar skills as the rhythm section—bassist Chad White and drummer Chris Zugschwert—bashes out a sledgehammer groove behind him. The wonderfully titled “Voluptuous Eruptions” (if that’s not a porn title I don’t know what is) changes speeds more often than Jeff Gordon. Nelson’s lyrics touch on themes of space, machines and dreaming. OK, it makes sense in the context of the album.

Ultimately, Dreaming Saturn doesn’t become great for part of the same reason BTBAM’s first album wasn’t great—the band hasn’t quite figured out how to craft its technical skill into great songs. You can hear a band still trying to find its way. There’s promise here, though; you only have to hear the closer, “Down, In Waves,” to figure that out. With its slinky bass line and atmospheric guitar work, there is something to build on for the band’s follow-up. They don’t get it done here, but The Crinn has a great album in its future.