If you absolutely needed to shove the members of Stochastic Mettle Union into a genre box, the closest you could find is the one marked "jazz." But even though the group plays tunes like "Ornette's Cage"—a reference to avant-bop icon Ornette Coleman—and exhibit a penchant for double bass and wind instruments, the tag still seems limiting. This ever-evolving project encompasses some free jazz ideals (amorphous rhythms, dissonance) and rends them asunder by way of laptop manipulations and scratchy post-punk guitars. And since they improvise every performance, they could zig into pure noise or play with delicate restraint. That's a recipe for avant-greatness in my book.Robert Ham Portland Mercury

They transformed the video lottery parlor into a spectral, Black Lodge like atmosphere with their mysterious, trance-inducing doom jazz. Josh Feinberg was holding down the pocket on a lovely, mahogany stand-up bass, while David Haverkampf drummed like Vishnu, keeping the music swooning, ducking and diving. William Hardy alternated between John McLaughlin-like atmospheric electric guitar and triggering samples and electronics, and it seemed like the ghost of Miles was summoned in this dive bar seance parlor. A baritone sax completed the ensemble, one of my all-time favorite instruments; warm and rich and full. The music swirled like a fiery hurricane, but this chaos was entirely contained, as 30-something bohemians twirled like dervishes in the cramped confines. The crowd, made up of all stripes of humanity, were warm, friendly, and inviting. I was absolutely floored that music of this caliber is being made in the city where I live. abridged review of sMu performance from St.Johns No Fest Jason Simpson -The Drainage.net

Stochastic Mettle Union local #35 has built a groundswell of approval and support throughout Portland, Ore., and the Willamette Valley. With descriptions of a guitar style alluding to the late great Sonny Sharrock, William Hardy mans a variety of electronics when joining bassist Josh Feinberg and drummer David Haverkampf, From this writer’s standpoint, SMU’s art has moved on from an earlier spot that could find their "aural sculptures” dense pieces. Their recent work shows a more confident embrace of dynamic nuance and the benefits of space. Kevin Lee - lagniappe

The meme-ification of all things Twin Peaks is fun and all, but it threatens to rob David Lynch's creation of its unsettling mystery. So let's hope tonight's showcase of Lynchian music—headed by local experimentalists WL and Stochastic Mettle Union, and timed to the premiere of the return season this Sunday—pursues the vital creepiness at the show's heart. Let's get spooked. For real this time. Again. by Pete Cottell....Willamette Week

As a combo, the four players build and recede together in slowly developing waves that remind me of some of the best BYG Actuel material from the late ’60s. A truly triumphal moment for this band and one that will hopefully push them forward as they ready their first vinyl release. abridged review of sMu Thought Adjuster by Robert Ham - Experimental Portland

While some of the music sounds Eno-Ambient in nature,other songs such as "Chrystallization "--incorporate a strong jazz influence. Some of the other songs have passages that remind me of Burzums electronic period.Very cool sounds indeed!! Im really looking forward to the cd release......................... The Rev.Keith A.Gordon Allmusic

In the continuing effort by the three-piece Stochastic Mettle Union to document most everything they do together (musically-speaking), this past weekend the group unfurled a pair of live recordings via their SoundCloud page. Both were recorded on September 13th, are just over 10 minutes in length, and find the trio working Pollock-like splashes of sonic color connected only by their own guile. I prefer the track above for its unhinged qualities but find some solace in knowing that the group can play things a little more straightforward so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of some folks that might run into their work without proper notification...review by Robert Ham ...Willamette Week

Electric-era Miles meets Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix in Indonesia in this fascinating, sprawling double album from Portland’s Stochastic Mettle Union. It’s a wild, wooly, sparking, lysergic drift that’s far more in-keeping with the anarchic anything-goes spirit of Miles’ fusion than most music you’ll hear in the 2020s. abridged review of Murmuration/Move In by J.Simpson @microgenremusic.com jan.2025

press

For anybody that digs adventurous guitar music, abstract instrumental hip-hop, and otherworldly sound sculptures, frequently at the same time, you need to check this one out! Jason Simpson - abridged review of Eaton Flowers American Abstraction@Forestpunk

Free, psychedelic free jazz/rock. Very cool guitar,especially. from review of Eaton Flowers Imaginary Latin by;Danny Muth@Sputnik Music

Laser whooshes, frantic drum beats and those horns 'a-blarin' bring us through this... It's not quite head-bobbing, and it's not quite toe-tapping, but when I listen to it I typically have to stand up to move and my head tends to wobble back and forth (left to right, not up and down) and the rest of my body seems to be dancing along with the rhythm. It's wild and unlike anything I've ever experienced before. abridged review of Eaton Flowers Epeke by Josh Mccalla @ Raised by Gypsies

Murmuration is @#$%^&* fantastic! Pure intensity which somehow remains soothing. A phenomenal fusion of jazz with a worldview and deep dives into layered sound that is both complex and simple to this listeners ears. Wildly creative sounds, the likes of which have rarely if ever been heard. Sound canvassing for unseen cinema.

Grammy Nominated producer Tim Ramenofsky aka Headfridge