Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Dysrhythmia were first, playing a quick set befitting their spastic music. Listeners journeyed through labyrinths of dissonance, riffing, melody and time-signature changes, emerging with jaws dropped and minds blown. Though awesome in terms of musical ability, the band's instrumental attack left something lacking in the emotional department. The talented three piece tried offsetting this deficiency with lots of energy on stage, but even the most talented of musicians cannot play the heartstrings on skill alone.

The tension and catharsis of Los Angeles, California's Intronaut thus provided a welcome counter balance. Watching them play, one got the sense their sprawling compositions held back an immense pressure. When it broke, the result was sludge metal of staggering quality. "The Literal Black Cloud," for example, churned like boiling tar, only to cool under the twinkling melody and gargantuan bass grooves of "Australopithecus." Closing with "Any Port," Intronaut let its seismic rhythmic section overwhelm it, half the band playing drums while the others left the stage one by one in a neat stage trick.

All this prepared the way for Cynic, a band who single-handedly helped start technical death metal and made it into the ongoing contest of skill it is today. The Miami, Florida outfit played a comprehensive set of its scant but influential material, kicking off with a flurry of cuts from 1993's Focus. "Veil of Maya" unwound like a ball of yarn, the song's intricacy revealed by spiraling, ethereal guitars. "Uroboric Forms," for its part, combined serpentine rhythms with ghostly vocals and rattling double-bass drums.

Newer songs off 2008's Traced in Air held their own, most proving equal parts catchy and complicated. When played live, "The Space for This" grew to cinematic scope, taking listeners on a voyage through pummeling progressive metal and hypnotic sing-songs. An acoustic version of "Integral Birth," meanwhile, gave the tune new vulnerability. Last but not least, "Evolutionary Sleeper," ricocheted from quiet to loud and back again, mastering the dynamics of sound in the same way the band dominates their instruments.

Cynic may have a tendency towards lyrics about outer space, but the talent their music contains is among the best on this planet. The other bands on offer were no exception, and the Carrboro crowd went home exhausted after displays of technicality simply out of this world.

Check 'em out at:

Dysrhythmia - http://www.myspace.com/dysrhythmiaband

Intronaut - http://www.myspace.com/intronaut