Outlier isn’t just the name of a Twelve Foot Ninja album (and an excellent one at that); it also sums up the core philosophy steering the band’s deeply unusual music. Formed in Melbourne in 2008, the Aussie group subvert convention at every turn. Progressive metal and djent, while key elements, are constantly punctured with bursts of funk, lounge music, reggae, classical and other styles. Parallels to weirdos like Mr. Bungle and System Of A Down are fitting, especially in the way Twelve Foot Ninja balance seriously brainy songwriting with grooves and riffs that jerk, explode and sputter with a wildly visceral intensity.