Other artists I hear when listening to Irata: Jane’s Addiction, Helmet, Torche, Fugazi, Quicksand, I Mother Earth, Saigon Kick, Lo-Pan, Tool, My Diligence, and Miles Davis. OK, that last one is just for the first part of “Crawl to Corners,” where the soulful, forlorn trumpet plays. Even without Miles, that’s a diverse, eclectic list of bands.

Like My Diligence and a few of the others listed above, the drums take a forefront role in the sound on many of the songs, leading the rest of the band through the intricate steps, like moves in an complex dance.
Irata mess with time signatures, but keep things down to earth and head-nodding accessible. Whoever laid out the “Tower” album order was wise to kick things off with the title cut. The opening riff to that song immediately grabs you by the lapels, and doesn’t let up. This formula replays throughout the record; heavy, fascinating riffage, with Jon Case singing vocals that waver between Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction/Porno For Pyros) and Page Hamilton’s clean vocals (Helmet).
The two I’ve listed are among my favorites on “Tower,” but I also need to heap praise on “Weightless” - - another Jane’s-reminiscent one, and “Leviathan” - - which crams an epic journey into about 5 minutes. This is a heavy, deeply-likable record, that only improves with multiple listens.