Style: post sludge (mixed vocals)
Review by: Dylan
Country: US-MD
Release date: 12-09-2018
NOTE: This album was originally included in the 2018 missed albums issue of The Progressive Subway
Potmos Hetoimos is a weird example when talking about underground. It seems everyone is at least aware he exists, but out of everyone, 30% have given him a chance. Then you realize ‘’everyone’’ is actually 200 progmetal discord members, so you reduce that percentage to 1%. I myself used to fit on the 70% that was aware of his existence, but never got around to giving him a shot, and oh boy, do I regret it. This may be one of the best experimental albums I’ve ever heard.
Vox Medusae is a concept album about a Man addicted to pornography, with various thoughts on his mind being represented as different voices, one being Medusa, the personification of lustful attraction and obsession, or something like that. Thanks to that, this album can be described as ‘’fucked up Ayreon’’. And the sound fits that description perfectly well.
Upon finishing this album, I knew writing this review was gonna be a challenge, because there is so much going on, that I could barely keep up giving the album 100% of my attention. Potmos Hetoimos is a one man project, which is already impressive on it’s own, but when you take into account that the playing is top notch on every instrument, it becomes astonishing. The sound he sets out to do is very dissonant, yet jazzy and funky. As he himself said it, he described the album as ‘’what if Prince played bass in Kayo Dot?’’, and this is pretty much what happens. The sound is fucked up, gritty and ugly, and then, a piano and bass interlude happens out of nowhere. Even on the uglier parts of the album, a sax can be driving the lead instead of a guitar. Depending on what character the music is representing, the intensity of the instrumentation and his voice varies on an unique scale. These curveballs are present throughout the whole album to make the story we’re listening ever weirder and harder to depict part by part, yet surprisingly it somehow all fits. All this dissonance, grittiness, ugliness, funkyness, jazziness, punkyness, rawness, all of it just works. It’s extremely challenging to sit through, but extremely rewarding when you do.
There’s not more I can tell you about this album, because if I had to go in depth for every track, this review would make the site collapse. Just stop whatever you’re doing and listen to this. It’s a modern masterpiece, that actually takes prog metal to new horizons.
PS: If you’re interested in how the scale works for each character, this piece is a great read: https://canthisevenbecalledmusic.com/not-music-sludge-titan-potmos-hetoimos-premieres-new-song-goes-in-depth-on-songwriting-process/.
Recommended tracks: ALL OF IT
Recommended for fans of: Good music (?????????????????)
Final verdict: 10/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Potmos Hetoimos is:
– Matt M. (all instruments)
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