Hella’s new album, “Tripper,” is full of instrumental and melodic surprises. Spencer Seim blends his unique guitar melodies with Zach Hill’s intense, complicated drum technique. The fast paced combination of the two sounds proves to be as challenging as it is exhilarating.

Hella’s sound somewhat resembles that of progressive rock band The Mars Volta in that the focus of the music is on the complex and off-center technicality of the instrumentals. Only with Hella, there are (usually) no melodic vocals to add poppy coherency to the bizarre package. Seim and Hill, who founded the band in 2001, have experimented with 8-bit synthesizers, expanded rosters, and solo ventures, but their undeniable strength lies in the core chemistry between their respective instrumental styles.

Upon embarking on a listen to “Tripper,” one may wonder how it is possible to create an entire album exclusively out of these virtuosically demented instrumentals, while still maintaining the listener’s interest. In some cases this could lead to a boring, inaccessible album, but “Tripper” fails to have a dull moment. Even though all the songs in the album are blisteringly paced and full of complicated riffs and runs, each song has its own sound and is completely distinguishable from the next.

The album’s introductory song, “Headless,” immediately introduces its listener to the complex instrumentals. The song opens with a blast of guitar and drum sound, completely throwing the listener into a whirlwind of Hella’s signature noisy math rock. At this point, the listener might start to feel intimidated and tempted to switch to something less insane. Luckily, the song pulls together and transitions into an ingenious combination of guitar runs and blasted double bass taps on the drums.

The aesthetic is no longer scary or intimidating but rather increasingly intriguing to listen to; the listener is drawn in out of curiosity. Something clicks, and the frenetic sound suddenly makes complete sense. The listener is actually able to follow the various melodies for every song on the album. The guitar playing and drumming come together in unexpected ways to create distinct ideas for each track. The album twists and turns throughout, changing shape and feeling on a consistent basis.

Seim’s guitar sound switches seamlessly from loud and rambling to tight and focused. Hill’s drums too can be completely perplexing and inscrutable, but in a moment flip over into something almost danceable and rhythmic. Indeed, the true talent of Hella’s founding fathers comes through in the transitions of “Tripper,” as they smoothly switch between melodies mid-song, all the while keeping true to the song’s overall original tone.

“Tripper” is bound to be a favorite for Hella fans everywhere. Combining their musical talent with a unique blend of melodies, the group has hollowed out a respectable niche in the world of instrumental rock music. Hella seemingly exhausts the possibilities in the realm of guitar and drum combinations as it fearlessly throws them all into their newest album. “Tripper” proves without a shadow of a doubt to be one of Hella’s best albums yet.

Jessica Trolland can be reached at [email protected].