Reports from the (progressive metal) underground: April 2019

Good day readers! And welcome to another edition of highlighting the most obscure, sub-tectonic plates levels of underground progressive metal (and all things related)! It has been quite a long time since our last edition, but not without reason. We’ve had to select new reviewers, which took some time, and things are just generally slow during the holiday period. I have some rambles I’d like to share with you this time, but first let me introduce you to the latest additions to our reviewing staff: say hello to Matt Hodsdon and Tyler Dworak!

Wait, don’t those names sound familiar? Probably not, but they’re some pretty fabulous people. Matt is guitarist for progressive power metal bands Lance King and Chaos Frame, and Tyler is the bassist for progressive metalcore band The World Is Quiet Here. Matt’s bands we haven’t covered on this blog yet (they’re freaking good though, go check them out), but the latter band should be familiar to readers of this blog. Their 2018 album Prologue was Dylan’s runner-up album of the year. We were all thrilled to have such famous (relatively speaking I should say) people come write for our blog. And meanwhile the rest of us are just some unknown self-proclaimed plebs of little importance who can write semi-decently about music XD. No just kidding, there’s no hierarchy between us or anything lol. Anyway, hello Matt and Tyler!

However before I proceed to my ramble, we also have some bad news. Volarus has seemingly disappeared off the internet world and no one’s seen the dude anywhere. Not on Discord, not on Reddit, and not even on last.fm! So no reviews from him unfortunately. If you have any idea what happened to him, please let us know as we’re all worried sick. He goes by the name Archopin on the r/progmetal Discord if that helps.

…wew. So now it’s time for my ramble! When I started this blog I really wanted to catch up to the present, but after multiple delays in editions and an almost constant shift of personnel since our album of the year list, that wish has left me. If we ever do get caught up with the present, fine, but we’re not actively chasing after it anymore. Reason is that with the added time all the albums are just available and there are more reviews out there which make it easier to wade out the gems from the dirt. If you’re caught up to date you have to wait like a week after the month has happened to find everything that was released as it may not be on Metal-Archives yet otherwise, and from there on it’ll take two weeks or so before the edition can come out. That’d just take the pace out of the whole process. So we decided that being two-three months behind is not actually all that bad. And yes, that’ll likely mean our AOTY list from 2019 will again be out by April next year instead of February or so.

But speaking about April, I just remembered this edition is about April! Not 2020, but 2019. What can I say? Well, April is a really freaking great month. Last year April was hands-down my favorite month (with September being a close second). We had Hands of Despair, Venus in Fear, which were my album of the year and runner-up respectively, among a couple of other really great acts like Boss Keloid and Messa. This year it’s no different. A whopping four 9/10 albums! And plenty of 8s as well. I don’t know what gets into bands who release their shit in April, but all I know is that I like the effect it has on their music. I guess that in January and February everyone’s still asleep, in March the good things slowly pop out of the ground, but in April the flowers bloom in full color and the year for music really gets going.

…but hold on, this is Sam typing isn’t it? Didn’t you leave? Well, yes I did, and then I didn’t XD. No, the truth is, I’m only the logistics person now. I keep up the bookmarks for the albums we’re gonna review, make the post, etc. Don’t expect any reviews from me though in the coming time though unless there’s a major exception of some sort.

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So now, let’s get to my usual ramblings: practical information. What is this place? We use Metal-Archives’ advanced search engine to find all progressive/post/avantgarde metal releases in a month, then we select the best/most grabbing ones and write a (small) review on them. We go chronological with the months. We take releases from outside of metal-archives too, but that is generally limited to requests and recommendations from other prog fans as the other sites’ search engines aren’t as precise nor is their database as thorough as Metal-Archives. You can read more about us on our About page, which also includes some history. Do you want your band reviewed? Or do you want to send us a recommendation? Send an email to theprogressivesubway@gmail.com, send a PM to me (/u/genderlessperson) on Reddit or hit me up on Discord.

Also be sure to check out the Spotify playlist with all the recommended tracks!

So with all that said, let’s hop into the reviews!

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Waste of Space Orchestra – Syntheosis (Finland)
Style: sludge/doom/??? (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page
Review by: Matt Hodsdon

Here we have a serious contender for “best band name of all time.” Waste of Space Orchestra is a collaboration between two established bands, Oranssi Pazuzu and Dark Buddha Rising, neither of whom I was familiar with beforehand. The resulting album makes me want to fix that, though, as it’s a pretty fascinating piece of work.

At its heart, Syntheosis is basically a psychedelic sludge album, although it’s strange enough that the community has deemed it “avant-garde.” You can hear traces of doom metal, black metal, straight ambient parts, and even epic keyboard melodies that remain stubbornly un-diatonic. The drums alternate between plodding and Neurosis-esque tribal grooves, and the band isn’t afraid to play fast from time to time either. They strike a good balance between repetitive immersion and doing stuff; the one constant is that it always sounds discomforting.

This project sports 10 members, although the songs could mostly be replicated by a standard five-piece. There’s three singers, with the best by far being Marko Neuman (I was 100% sure it was a woman… Baffling.) He brings an incredible intensity to Wake up the Possessor, the album highlight for me. On the other hand, the guy on the first song sounds like a pissed-off villain from a Saturday morning cartoon. As for the other performances, there’s nothing technical to marvel at, but I appreciate how much lead work and keyboard texturing there is. It keeps the droning stuff from getting boring.

The only dull moment comes towards the end, where they stuck the weakest song (Vacuum Head) in the middle of twelve minutes of ambience. I actually like the ambient tracks – The Universal Eye sounds like it could’ve been done by Erik Wollo – but the sequencing is a slog.

You probably already know if you want to check this out – obviously, if you’re a fan of the composite bands, but also if you like sludge or general horrific noise. It works for me in particular because there’s just enough there to grab onto besides dissonance.

Recommended tracks: Journey to the Center of Mass, Wake up the Possessor
Recommended for fans of: Oranssi Pazuzu, Dark Buddha Rising
Final verdict: 7/10

Avandra – Descender (Puerto Rico)
Style: traditional (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Nostrebor68

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 Prog-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
Recommended for fans of: Porcupine Tree, Marillion, Haken, Dream Theater
Final verdict: 9/10

Tillian – Lotus Graveyard (Israel)
Style: folk/experimental (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | RYM page
Review by: Dylan

There’s something strangely beautiful about this album. While I’m still not sure how to define it, the closest I can think of is folk that has a big focus on vocals, so big that there’s a lot of moments that a simple acoustic guitar is the only thing accompanying this lady’s beautiful voice. 

Thanks to this, the atmosphere present on this record is super unique, vibrant and emotional. If an album like this had a shitty singer, it’d be unlistenable, but the vocals are so beautiful and soaring that they become the driving force of the entire album. Each song has its distinct elements; there’s unusual percussion, violins, acoustic guitars, distorted guitars, accordions, electronic drums, acoustic drums, and many more instruments. Yet even with all of those instruments, everything is still kept to a minimum, which is both the album’s best feature and it’s biggest drawback. There’s times where all I want to hear is this lady’s majestic voice, but at other times there’s a fantastic melody that goes away all too soon or it’s just too low in the mix. This hurts the most when the album starts to get heavy, but then pulls out and starts again with its folk shenanigans again.

I think that if the band made this an EP and kept the strongest tracks (mentioned below) the result would have been better. This doesn’t mean that Lotus Graveyard is unsalvageable, instead, the total opposite. There’s a lot to absorb and enjoy here, but it’s definitely a love it or hate it scenario. 

Recommended tracks: I’m Too Close, Monster, Black Holes
Recommended for fans of: Tarja Turnnen
Final verdict: 7/10

Carthagods – The Monster in Me (Tunisia)
Style: power (clean/mixed vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Dylan

Reviewing albums can sometimes be a heartbreaking experience thanks to what I call the first track syndrome. There are a lot of bands that, either on purpose knowing the rest of the album isn’t as good, or by accident, put the very best track of the album at the beginning. Thanks to this, you get that first ‘’wow this is promising!’’ moment, only to be extremely disappointed by what the band offers throughout the rest of the album. Surprisingly, this Carthagods don’t follow this trope, but rather do the exact opposite. The first track is by far the worst thing offered on this album, it kind of slogs through and you don’t remember much of it by the time it ends but, after that, it very quickly picks up, and only goes upwards. At first I thought that it could’ve been me getting used to this particular style of power metal, as I’ll describe in a bit, but nope, every time I pressed play on this album, I found the first track to be weak, the second to be an improvement, and the third one to be the point where it really gets good. And I’d much rather have that experience, than one amazing opening track and 7 shitty ones!

As I’ve already stated, Carthagods aren’t your standard prog power band. There’s no over the top wankery, blasting double bass at 750bpm, and major key choruses. The Monster in Me takes a very subtle approach to Power Metal, and the best example is the vocals present on the album. The singer has clearly got an extensive vocal range, but he chooses to deliver most of his line on low register notes. His voice is gritty, subtle, and powerful (think of it as if Lemmy from Motorhead actually sung and was in a power metal band), and his delivery is always spot on. Grand, but kept to a serious, not over the top/showman style.

Another element I did not expect to like about Cathargods was their symphonic elements. Now yes, symphonic elements in power metal is indeed, quite trope-y. But to my surprise, they pull of orchestral production way better than some symphonic giants like Epica, Fleshgod Apocalypse, or even Nightwish. This is how I like an orchestra to sound in metal, present, but in the background. It helps add an extra layer of melody to each song, without them overpowering the guitars, drums, bass and vocals. Plus, the arrangements are very tasteful and used accordingly instead of them being present throughout the entire song. 

This subtle approach to power metal makes the album stand out to many other options available on the genre. What you get here, is power metal written with thought, and seriousness without it resulting in a cheesy experience. They know when to pull out the double bass drumming, and when to keep it simple, when to throw in a guitar solo, and when to reserve themselves, when to give a soaring anthemic chorus, and when to hit you in the feels with beautiful heartfelt melodies. From heavy bangers like The Devil’s Doll, all the way to fantastic ballads like The Rebirth,The Monster in Me is an achievement in progressive power metal, and an album I’d recommend to anyone looking for something different in the gerne. 

Recommended tracks: The Devil’s Doll, The Rebirth, Memories of Never Ending Pains
Recommended for fans of: prog power without the cheese
Final verdict: 9/10

Release Hallucination – Imperfection of Imaginary Number (Japan)
Style: power (clean, Japanese, female vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Dylan

It’s hard to think of Japan without thinking about anime or manga. After all, it is Japan’s most important form of art, and it’s present in nearly every segment of their culture. Not only do Release Hallucination have anime styled characters on their album cover, but the first actual track, Deus Ex Machina, and the very last track, Death with Dignity, have huge anime intro/outro vibes. This band remind me of Yousei Teikoku, had they focused more on Power Metal, which is a compliment, because YT is indeed a fantastic band. 

Release Hallucination are the total opposite of what I’ve described about Cathargods. They’re in your face, wanky, double bass filled, bathed in solos prog power metal. Now, the way I’m describing said album may sound like a negative, but something being over the top doesn’t necessarily mean low quality. And certainly not here! It’s just…. very, very Japanese.

Allow me to explain; There are a couple Japanese tropes here. The first one is the type of vocal melodies and the (female) singer’s voice. Japanese is very different to any Western language, which means that the melodies are thought to fit said difference. And also, the voice of a Japanese woman is indeed quite different to what you’ve come to expect off of a Western voice, as anyone would expect. As someone who’s heard plenty of Japanese music before, I’m used to it, but it may be something that could catch you off guard if you’re not experienced with it. The second Japanese trope is the emphasis on piano and keyboard. The Japanese are very engrossed in classical music, so any music with a certain level of pretentiousness of Japan will have classical influences, and because of that, the keyboard and piano are very dominant in this album, so far to the point of it being the main melody behind a one note riff on I.F. As a keyboard slut, I’m very very happy this trope exists. The keyboardist on this album is absolutely amazing, he wrote fantastic melodies and solos for every song that absolutely steal the show from any other instrument. 

Now, aside from those tropes, there’s also a couple curveballs that are just the band being weird. For example, as Sam said it when recommending this band to me; ‘’there’s a freaking waltz in the middle of Deus ex Machina’’ There’s also a ragtime song present on the album, also including a ton of piano presence, and an insane solo section. Another example is the orchestral elements present in Memento Mori. Just like that, each song on this album feels pretty damn different to the last one, which adds a layer of memorability that a lot of albums fail to obtain. This however does not mean that every song strikes its landing. Some tunes, like The Executioner’s Eye, simply fail to deliver something interesting, not offering much more than a Groove Metal tune dragging the album and thus, making the 70 minute length unjustifiable. I’m however happy to inform that it’s more a rare than a common occurrence, but it’s left me wishing for a shorter album in exchange for less weaker tunes. Oh, and End of Summer is a very bland ballad that feels like it belongs in Clannad or something. That one definitely hurt to listen to.
All in all, Imperfection of Imaginary Number is a good album that could have easily been condensed to under one hour. This album shines at it’s best when it engrosses the best parts of classical music and experiments, and suffer when it tries to do chunky groovy metal songs, or anime like ballads.

Recommended tracks: Deus Ex Machina, Cure (Reprise), A Passing Point, Memento Mori
Recommended for fans of: Yousei Teikoku, Symphony X, Demetori
Final verdict: 7/10

Black Sites – Exile (US-IL)
Style: heavy (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Tyler

I did not dig this one that much. That is the tone for this review. I was drawn to Exile by the sight of a giant burning pig and I said to myself “You know what, me too.” and jumped in. I don’t want to say that I regret listening to this one, I’ll do anything once and not regret it. Maybe I feel more disappointed by this, rather than it being actually bad. Full disclosure, I didn’t know a single thing about Black Sites before listening to this. I didn’t know what they sounded like, so maybe I just had just had a different idea of their sound in my head, and that really is my fault. Anyway, what about the music?

The music is alright enough. There is definitely a classic 80’s metal inspiration that the band can’t seem to shake for the life of them. For most of the album it felt like I was listening to music I had already heard a million times and had heard better examples of. All of the tracks seemed very safe in terms of structure on songwriting. There is a lot of driving guitar chugging and big held out chords that should surprise absolutely nobody. The production if fine overall. Nothing stood out as being out of place, but there is also zero dynamics at all. Everything is the same volume as everything else which left me with a pretty bland feeling when it was all said and done.

And all of this is a shame because there are cool moments on this album. “Coal City” stands out in terms of performance and songwriting. It starts with a somber acoustic guitar lead and ominous vocal performance that does a great job of setting the tone for the rest of the song. The song has the real first great riff on the album immediately after the intro, it’s just too bad it took almost 15 minutes to show up. The next song “Feral Child” has another KILLER riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Mastodon album, but the rest of the song is another 80’s metal tribute that falls in the same vein as most of the rest of the album. Those are just a few examples, but there are more little moments of promise of something really unique that the band taps into all over the album, but then they fall back into their routine. It’s heartbreaking. 

It was wrong of me to go in with any sort of expectation, that is definitely not the band’s fault. It’s mine. And I will give the album credit, on subsequent listens, I was a lot nicer to it. The things that really threw me off at first, didn’t end up bothering me so much later, because I knew what to expect. This album is for somebody, I don’t know who, but it definitely is not me. Maybe if the next one tries to go in it’s own direction and has a better mix our paths will cross again. As for Exile, I went in expecting barbecue, and what I got was a pig on fire. There’s nothing wrong with a pig on fire, but knowing the band has potential for something great, left me wanting the other.

Recommended tracks: Coal City
Recommended for fans of: All of the 80s bands you loved before…
Final verdict: 5/10

Valence – Cognitive Dissidents (US-NY)
Style: traditional (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Madd Hodson

Scientific band/album name, overly cute and quirky song titles… Must be an instrumental prog album. For the record, the only instrumental metal albums I can recall caring about are from Exivious and Yngwie. It takes focused writing and a lot of instrumental intrigue to fill the role that vocals usually do. Are Valence up to the task? Find out literally two lines down…!

While the album is pleasantly bouncy and melodious, and the guys can play (especially that bassist,) Cognitive Dissidents went in one ear and out the other for me. After three listens, I was only able to retain the first riff, the funky part from Walrus, and the ending choir of Red Sky at Morning. The rest of it ran together like so many Dream Theater bridge sections. It’s probably not fair, as there is an audience for this, but I don’t feel that there’s much of note to latch onto in the absence of vocal lines. The midtempo prog riffs go on and on, and some of them are good, but there’s no particular structure to it, nor is there any full-on shredding insanity for entertainment value. It’s just a constant stream of decent riffs and decent melodic leads that don’t amount to more. The handful of times that they change tempo or go to clean guitars are promising, but they’re almost always content to stay in familiar territory.

I can’t fault the performances or the production, which are immaculate. The individual ideas aren’t bad at all, either. I feel bad trashing something so competently made, but I just can’t seem to remember any of it… If somewhat aimless prog metal jams are your thing, though, maybe this is the one for you.

Recommended tracks: Walrus
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater solo sections I guess???
Final verdict: 5/10

Tanagra – Meridiem (US-OR)
Style: power (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Matt Hodsdon

My inaugural review concerns a band that’s new to me, but apparently right in my wheelhouse. While much of American prog-dom has moved on to chuggier pastures, Portland’s Tanagra play something more akin to the European symphonic power metal of the 2000s. I’ve heard a ton of power-prog in my life, but there’s a couple things here that might help shake me from my stupor: baritone vocals, which are still somewhat unexplored in the genre, and ambitious song structures. When a tracklist is “oops, all long songs,” it’s often a good sign (see: Disillusion.)

My first impression was a good one – the production and performances are polished, and they managed to get a convincingly epic sound, if not a very heavy one. The guitars are solid, active but not really taking the spotlight – however, the orchestral embellishments really bring the album to life. This is a “big picture” sort of album, and although I can’t point to any particular great riffs, it’s made up for by the melodies and huge arrangements. The songs are difficult to retain on first listen, but most of them have at least one big highlight where the magic happens. I will say that the clean/symphonic parts are invariably more interesting than the metal parts, but there’s usually some of both going on.

Although the songs run long, for the most part they hold together and stay entertaining. I never noticed any excessive tangents, but there are some sections that start to drag. These are usually either extended solos, which are oddly awkward for guitarists who can clearly play, or attempts at time signature wankery – almost always 7/8, for some reason. This might be hypocritical of me, but I didn’t think those overt “prog parts” added much, coming off as more of a counting puzzle than a use of momentum (except that sweet outro blast on the first song.) The strongest parts are the straightforward melodic ones. And if you know me, that sentence sounds like madness.

The aforementioned baritone vocals land pretty well – nice timbre and tasteful harmonies. Unfortunately, they’re kind of sedate, not doing the already-subdued mix any favors with intensity in the “heavy” parts, but he certainly delivers when smoothness is called for. The obvious/lazy comparison would be Falconer. The lyrics are excellently done fantasy-themed tales with implied worldbuilding, not in your face like Rhapsody, but still discernably about something. They manage to sound eloquent without being flowery. This album actually taught me a new word!

Despite being overall positive, it wasn’t until the last track, Witness, that Meridiem really bypassed my brain and delivered something transcendent. Up until then, it was good simply for competently doing the things it does, but Witness went above and beyond. Where the rest of the album is a grower, this is instantly memorable; while the other songs sometimes ride on their highlights, this one is a complete package working in service of its massive climax. Certainly a worthy epic, one of those “worth-the-price-of-the-whole-album” songs.

I was ready to give Meridiem a more middling review going into this, maybe a cop-out 7/10, but then I realized that some of the songs were twice as good on repeat. I became sort of obsessed and eventually swung back the other way, admitting that the peaks of the songs covered for some weaknesses. But the fact of the matter is, Meridiem sounds fresh right now, it inspired me to get out of a creative rut, and I’m not going to complain too much when the heights are so incredibly high.

Recommended tracks: Meridiem, Etheric Alchemy, Witness
Recommended for fans of: Blind Guardian, Falconer, Symphony X
Final verdict: 8/10

Umpfel – As the Waters Cover the Sea (Norway)
Style: jazzy prog (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page
Review by: Tyler

The hardest part of reviewing anything is figuring out how to start the darn thing so I’m just gonna go ahead: This thing is pretty cool, but it took me a little while to realize that it was. On first listen, it seemed like a bit of a mish mash of everything that the cool kids are doing. Mixed vocals, weird time signatures, soaring guitars, and just a little bit of a lot of JAZZ. 

There are a lot of interesting song structure choices, even right from the first thing you hear on the album on Burning Water. The super cheesy old school party rock drum beat that opens the song with an unexpected left turn of the dirty vocals definitely grabbed my attention right from the beginning. And the whole album is filled with this little nuggets of odd song embellishments that kept me hooked in for the surprisingly lengthy run time. Another great moment like this was the entirety of the song What Else. The whole track has a real “just lay back and chill’ vibe about it. There is never a moment that really peaks, and it doesn’t need to, it’s a great breather between the tracks surrounding it. Obviously the Umpfeloids are some incredibly talented folks, as not treating these kinds of choices with finesse would just come off as goofy for goof’s sake.

Speaking of these guys’ talent, holy jeepers can these folks write an interesting tune or eleven. The guitar work on the entire album is sublime, as was the drumming and bass. A lot of care went into filling every gap with interesting melodies and textures. I’m not a huge wankery guitar solo guy, but all of the solos on this album were really tasteful. And the big roster of guest artists all did really well and blended great into the songs in a really cohesive way. The biggest showcase of the gorgeous songwriting being the title track As the Water Covers the Sea. The main melody is infectious, and the guest solo from Jakub Zytecki is might as well be the centerpiece of the whole album. The song is fantastic and everyone involved should be proud of it.

All of this is not to say that album is without its flaws. It’s clear that Umpfel has a really strong affinity for chromatic movement. A REALLY strong affinity. So much so that by the back half of the album I found myself thinking “Yeah, but what else you got?” a number of times. The vocals on the album as a whole seem a little quiet and pushed back. There weren’t any moments of real vocal triumph or intrigue aside from the moment in the very beginning that was mentioned before. There wasn’t anything wrong with the vocals at all, but compared to how lush the instrumentals were, they seemed like an afterthought for a majority of the album, though this could be due to the the actual mix itself.

Aside from a few other smaller, track specific things that I had mixed feelings on, such as the soft synth on Glass Score that didn’t blend super well with the other instruments featured, or only the left side guitar opening Omnia that made me think I was having a stroke, I had a lot of fun listening to this. The songwriting alone was enough to keep me entertained the whole time without me noticing how much time had actually passed. I have other nit picky things I could say, but putting them here would seem like me trying to convince myself that this isn’t as good as it is. At times it was a little toooooo jazzy for me (I usually like more thick in my tunes), but this was some good, clean prog that doesn’t hurt anybody. It might be similar to what all the cool kids are doing, but there is a reason the cool kids are cool. 

Recommended tracks: As the Water Covers the Sea, Tree
Recommended for fans of: Haken, David Maxim Micic, Native Construct
Final verdict: 7.5~8/10

Dead to a Dying World – Elegy (USA, Texas)
Style: post/doom (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: nostrebor68

It’s really rare that I fall in love with an album on my first listen. Unless something about the  music just immediately enraptures me, it tends to take a few spins for me to decide I really love something. So when this album opened with a track that sounded like Johnny Cash wanted to take his cover of Hurt and make it even sadder, and I was immediately in love, I was quite surprised. Dead to a Dying World play something that I’d call a combination of doomy post-metal and dark folk music. There are riffs, there are big roars and screams, and there’s a ton of metal, but layered over all of it there are various other instruments that take the spotlight. Mostly, it’s the viola, which is just absolutely gorgeous.

The trap that post-metal falls into more often than not is that it can sound very samey, and very repetitious. And to someone that isn’t necessarily looking for relaxation it can be pretty underwhelming. That’s not the case with this album. Although the 3 main metal tracks, which are split up by three short folk songs, are each long and sprawling, they never get at all bland. The soundscapes are diverse, interspersing clean and harsh vocals (provided by 5 vocalists across the album) with massive doom riffs, viola melodies, tremolo picked guitar leads, and the occasional hurdy-gurdy. All of this combines into some of the most legitimately beautiful music I’ve heard in quite a long time. The lyrics focus on apocalyptic themes, and there is a definite feeling of mourning and loss throughout the album, which only further increases the beauty of each individual song.

Although they definitely feel more like extended interludes than full songs, the 3 folk tracks on this album are some of my favorite moments on it. They feature some absolutely lovely vocal performances, and while the epics have moments of insane heaviness, these tracks are what really tie all the beauty together and make this the magical journey it is.

I can’t speak enough about how incredible I think this music is. While it definitely won’t be for everyone, and it does take it’s time getting to the point occasionally, the entire sound is so enrapturing that I don’t care for one second. Every song is just a swath of bliss washing over me, and I can’t get enough of it. This is an album to relax to, to headbang to, and to live and die to. I can’t recommend it enough.

Recommended tracks: Syzygy, Vernal Equinox, Empty Hands Hollow Hymns
Recommended for fans of: Panopticon, Swallow the Sun, Opeth
Final verdict: 9/10

Palehørse – Palehørse (Finland)
Style: alternative/post-hardcore (mixed vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal Storm page
Review by: Tyler

I have to say it took a bit of sleuthing to find this band online. Mostly because I don’t know how to do the ‘O’ with a slash through it the band uses on my keyboard. But I found it, and I’m glad I did. This Palehorse album is really good. 

The best anything seems to come from Scandinavia these days, these three Finns have tapped into something really special. There is a great bounciness that every track has that helps keep a really fun and consistent mood throughout the whole thing. The production is great, you can tell they really took their time to make sure everything sounded as best it could. The performances are all stellar here as well, specifically the guitars. There are a lot of creative guitar melodies and riffs that drive the songs forward but don’t distract from the rest of the performances. And that is something that is so easy to do with music like this. Too many cooks in the kitchen would be the death of a band like this, but 3 is the perfect number for them, they play beautifully together.

Talking specifically about the songs, the opening track Dead Wrong is a fantastic cut, and seems like something that you could find comfortably coming from a band like Destrage or Moon Tooth. The vocal delivery in the pre chorus and chorus are infectious and inventive, as is the same way with every song on the album, frankly. Frontman Lassi’s screams also very well done, and are at times really reminiscent of Devin Townsend, but by god you can actually hear him in the mix (take notes, Devy). The whole album builds to the closer Quicksand which seems to break away a bit from the bounding fun the rest of the album has and explore a slightly darker mood that I think was really needed. The band spent 30+ minutes showing that they can have a good time, they needed to show they have other sides and sounds that they can play with.

I only mentioned two songs in particular, but the songs in between showcase the same quality and care that those songs did. In terms of complaints, there isn’t much I can point out that wouldn’t seem like me being a scrooge. The cymbals could have been beefed up a little more, I guess. They sound pretty tinny compared to the thickness of everything else. I’d also like to hear what the band does with something more grandiose. All of the songs here are pretty quick to get in and out. I’d like to see what they can do with a song whose length starts with the number 8. Ending reviews is hard work, just listen to this and feel good that you did.

Recommended tracks: Dead Wrong, The Passenger, Quicksand
Recommended for fans of: Destrage, Moon Tooth
Final verdict: 9/10

Oceanwake – Lights Flashing in Mute Scenery (Finland)
Style: post death/doom (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: nostrebor68 (it’s doom what do you expect smh)

Everyone talks about how much they enjoy reviewing the really great albums, and the really bad ones. The great ones are fun because you get to share a really exciting find with the people reading, and the bad ones are fun because you get to flex your insult muscles a bit. The real hard part when reviewing music is writing about the stuff that’s just “fine”. Those albums that are competent enough to not be bad, but not engaging or innovative enough to be good. Lights Flashing in Mute Scenery is one of those albums and it’s annoying the shit out of me.

The thing with the slower breeds of metal (doom, post, etc) is that they need to be engaging despite the slower tempo. When done well this makes an emotional, atmospheric soundscape that should enrapture the listener despite its often massive length and plodding tempo. Thus I found myself consistently surprised by how damn bored I was with this album, despite the fact that the songs never extend past around six minutes, which is quite short for post-doom. However, I can’t for the life of me remember a single riff, a single vocal line, or anything else about this album.

The songwriting is incredibly adequate. I can’t fault it technically at all, but it’s just completely, utterly lacking in hooks, in memorable technicality, or anything that draws me back to music. The vocals are serviceable but not impressive, the drumming is fine, and the bass is mostly support for the merely acceptable riffs. I want to like this album more than I do because I can see the influence, but it’s just not doing it for me at all.

Give this one a spin if you really feel like it, but it’s going to be a no from me.

Recommended tracks: The Occult
Recommended for fans of: Swallow the Sun but much less interesting
Final verdict: 5/10

Holocaust – Elder Gods (United Kingdom)
Style: heavy/traditional (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Sam

You thought I disappeared from reviewing huh? Guess what, I didn’t!! Before you’re screaming “LIES, LIES EVERYWHERE!!!!!”, let me explain. Holocaust is an act I’ve been very fond of for quite some time (go ahead, quote me out of context, I dare you). It’s a very old band that dates back all the way to the 70s (though their first album was in ‘81). After a couple of NWOBHM albums they started to play progressive metal in the 90s, but never really got any success with any of it. However, thanks to the internet, later in time it was noticed just how good those progressive metal albums were. It was also thanks to the internet that I found this band, and their album Covenant slowly but steadily grew to be one of my favorite albums of all. So when I saw that they had released a new album this April, I just couldn’t resist some fresh Holocaust.

Holocaust is a band that play a style of progressive metal that has grown incredibly niche, and even within its own niche it’s a niche style. They are a traditional prog metal band, but not in the style of Dream Theater (which is still somewhat kept alive by Haken nowadays), nor that of Pain of Salvation, but rather that of Fates Warning. For the prog metal crowd it’s not modern or flashy enough, and for the metal crowd it’s often too weird and proggy. They still very much play like an 80s metal band, but then make it more progressive and less clearly defined. However beyond that it’s hard describing Holocaust as they have a very unique sound, which you’ve just gotta hear for yourself. Their album Covenant was a masterpiece in my book, so the question is how Elder Gods will live up to it.

For the first six songs the record is mostly promising. The title track opener is a tad repetitive, but from Children of the Great Central Sun onwards we’re greeted with some classic Holocaust (another great out-of-context quote right here). There are some absolutely gorgeous acoustic melodies, crisp thrash-inspired riffing and McGrath’s very unique, incisive vocals. The thick, almost fuzzy mix does a great job bringing out all the best elements of their sound. Ishtar is overlong, but mostly continues this formula and is great for its first 7 minutes. 

The next three songs however, Holocaust kick it up a notch (HAHAHA I’M SOO FUNNY…), with Astaroth being the absolute highlight of the album. Holy shit. That’s instantly one of my favorite songs from the band. From the first chords I was immediately transported to another dimension. Let alone when the chant-like singing and the drums come in. It actually reminds me a bit of Opeth on their softer moments. Just absolutely gorgeous songwriting. Then earlier Eon of Horus is also a really good song with a super catchy chorus and some really nice riffs throughout the song. 

Sadly though, Astaroth is where the good on the album ends. It’s a classic case of a formula running dry. Solaris is decent, but the same was done earlier and better on the album. It’s pretty, but nothing really happens, making it feel long even at five minutes. Benedictus brings in a nice epic metal-styled sea-themed guitar, but again too little happens to make it truly exciting. It’s a nice song on its own, but in the context of the album it achieves too little. Then finally Natural State is extremely boring Black Sabbath worship which just plods along with no real sense of direction.

So on the whole, Elder Gods is, unfortunately, nothing spectacular. Holocaust is incredibly niche, and this album will do exactly zero to change that. If you’re interested in this band, you’re better off listening to Covenant instead. However for me personally, I will cherish the few great songs that came out of this and add them to the shuffle. And also, if you’re wondering what’s up with the terrible band name, I really have no idea. I read some interviews, but I couldn’t find anything on why they decided to name themselves that way. Probably for the lulz (metal is evil amirite?).

Recommended tracks: Elder Gods, Eon of Horus, Astoroth
Recommended for fans of: Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz, Crimson Glory
Final verdict: 6/10