Review: Avandra – Descender

Style: traditional progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Marillion, Haken
Review by: Jonah
Country: Puerto Rico
Release date: 26 April 2019

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the April 2019 issue of The Progressive Subway.]

I want to note before I progress through this review that I know one of the members of this band, and it won’t be impacting my review of this album in any way. That might be hard to sell, because you’re about to read me non-stop gushing about it for an entire review, but I’ll do my very best to convince you.

Avandra play a style of traditional progressive metal that borders ever so slightly on power-prog, but is very squarely in the traditional style. The songs are complex and sprawling, the instrumentation is incredibly tight, and the composition is intricate without ever sounding unnecessarily indulgent, like certain other bands whose names start with a “D” and end with a “ream Theater”.

I don’t often listen to traditional prog. I usually find it boring, meandering, and generally unnecessarily technical without any melodic pay-off. However, within seconds Avandra had me hooked. There’s a level of emotion just oozing from the guitars, the synths, and the vocals. And oh man, are there some killer vocals on this album. Volteau, the man in charge of the guitars, synths, and singing has just outdone himself with this album. His vocal tone is incredible warm and rich, feeling like it would belong in something much more gothic than this album actually is, but his performance is integral to how well this album succeeds. His somber, melodic vocals carry the heavy emotional weight that is further accentuated by some truly incredibly evocative lead guitar work. The leads manage to be both atmospheric and gorgeous and technical and progressive, and I just can’t stop listening to them. The usage of synths throughout the album is tasteful and really fills out the sound, and when keys are brought in, like in “The Narrowing of Meaning” it’s just absolutely divine.

I’m absolutely blown away by this album, and I think most fans of modern progressive metal will be too. Especially given this is only the band’s second release, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them. Just an excellent album, and everyone should absolutely listen.

Recommended tracks: A Decision Must Be Made, The Narrowing of Meaning, Adder’s Bite
You may also like: Venus in Fear, Karma Rassa, Tanagra
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Blood Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Avandra is:
– Volteau (vocals, guitars, synths)
– Luis Javier Rivera Guilbot (guitars)
– Gabriel Rodríguez Martinez (bass)
– Adrián Arroyo Schuck (drums)