The similarities to Russian Circles end here though. While these Chicago masterminds have always blurred the line between post-rock and metal, The Isosceles Project is most definitely a metal project with major progressive inclinations and technical tendencies. Album opener "March of the Obsolete" is a drum-packed and busy track with lots of triplets and chords put together for melodic effects. There's also a very nice bass pattern in its first half, but the bass really shines through on "Temporal Laceration". This one has a slight old-school thrash vibe to it in the beginning, which gives the bass ample space to pitch in; there's even an awesome bass solo a few minutes later. Being a fourteen minute monster, "Temporal Laceration" also includes some brilliant ghost snare strokes in the middle and has a climactic build-up near its end that really shows what this band is about.

_Bridges_ is not the kind of album that will make an instant impression. The short track count and extended song length are sure signs that this is an album that demands multiple listens. It should grow on you with a steady pace and eventually earn a place in your short term rotation list of prog/instrumental metal. This an album with lots of creativity, but I think a little differentiation between the identity of each track could have helped bump _Bridges_ a few notches up. Who knows what the future holds for _The Isosceles Project_.