If you've got it, flaunt it. In this case, it's all about musical talent, and Ohio's Keelhaul has plenty to show off. The Cleveland-based band bests its peers, pounding out a unique brand of hardcore cum metal -- but unlike the band's first two releases, Subject to Change Without Notice relies less on brutish vocals and more on each member's dazzling displays of musical talent. Keelhaul has analyzed its style, made the appropriate adjustments and birthed a magnificent monster of an album.

The group's musical maturation is immediately apparent. They've shaken off much of their sludgecore riffing, replacing it with spontaneous tempo changes, technically challenging chops and jagged rhythms. Opener "The Gooch"'s initial foot-stomping and chugga-chugga riffs could be mistaken for a cleaned-up Melvins tune, but Keelhaul doesn't get caught up in music that has already been mastered by other bands. "The Gooch" sidesteps the colossal riffage, instead favoring an arsenal of discordant guitar, maniacally complex drumming and utterly challenging changes. "Cruel Shoes" gives you a chance to catch your breath, with a driving guitar and a full-bodied bass that fills the room. Raspy vocals inject an additional layer of sonic violence, but they're sparse; they let the music to do most of the talking. Vacillating harmonics and a stark percussive breakdown end it all, but the band picks the pace back up on the ever-changing "Driver's Bread", a tune so complex that it could be considered avant-garde for the choosiest mathcore buff. You only wish your guitar could do these sorts of things.

It's not all ultra-violence and menacing mathcore; "Mash the Sandwich" and "Tits of War" show off the band's sense of humor without sacrificing the music. "Sandwich" begins with a false sense of tranquility, calmly playing off a series of gated notes. Halfway through the track, Keelhaul cranks its engine, steamrolling through some familiar metallic mayhem. The ninety-second "Tits" is a slowly grinding stoner-rock riff-fest, littered with guitar solos -- an unusual offering from Keelhaul.

Keelhaul stumbles a bit near the end of the disc. "Two Twinkies Deep" is a painfully unfunny answering machine clip that isn't even worth playing twice, and the threadbare "Burlinolinol" is drastically different than the album's other tunes. Here, an unidentifiable low-end rumbling lays the foundation for a hypnotic guitar line. It has potential, but Keelhaul never fully develops the tune, leaving it to languish in tiresome repetition.

With the majority of the album's raw-throated vocals buried deep in the mix, it's up to the music to keep you entertained, and Keelhaul's guitar-infused histrionics do the job. Subject to Change Without Notice will wow the lot of you with its crafty changes, bludgeoning riffs and occasional groove-laden bliss. The band makes a few missteps, but overall, this is a roaring release full of profound depth and passion, and a must-have for any math-metal enthusiast.