An end-of-year report: our 2019 underground progressive metal albums of the year!

Tier 1: The Runner Ups

RUNNER-UPS? WHAT? THESE ARE NOT THE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR?! YOU LIED TO ME!!!!

That’s right I did. I’m a troll and like to mislead people. So now that you’ve fallen into my trap I’ll just churn out a big MUHAHAHAHA and you can continue with your day as if nothing happened. The point of this tier is that most of us felt like there were two albums we wanted to highlight in particular, above The Amazing. Not all reviewers encountered something good enough this year to be on here, sadly. There is no Spotify playlist this time, as that would contain spoilers about the next tier. These two tiers are relatively small, so we grouped the recommended tracks together in a playlist.

Clément Belio – Patience (France)
Style: Rock/Jazz/Djent (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | RYM page
Original review: Missed albums – first edition
Pick by: Stephen

Patience was an album I found through the great prog outlet, the Images and Words discord server. When I joined the review team earlier this year, this album was up for review and I jumped at the opportunity to review it. Patience is absolutely beautiful. It combines elements of djent, jazz, classical music, and much more. It truly is an experience. My only minor issue with the album is that I wish there were more vocals. With that said, this album is very close to flawless. If you enjoy artists like Tigran Hamasyan or Avishai Cohen Trio and also enjoy metal, you must check this album out. 

Recommended tracks: Chromatic Curtain, La Danse Macabre, Trampoline
Recommended for fans of: Native Construct & Tigran Hamasyan

Edge of Reality – In Static (US-TN)
Style: Jazz/Native Construct (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page
Original review: May
Pick by: Andrew

I am a lover of all things wacky and wild. Genre hopping, quickly-changing riffs, odd time signatures and syncopation – any of these is guaranteed to make me seek something out. Edge of Reality’s 2019 album In Static just so happens to have all three. It’s insanely fun and insanely musically good in a way that is near-impossible to find. In a way, Edge of Reality has filled the hole that Native Construct left after their sole masterpiece, Quiet World. Truth be told, I’d been anticipating a new Edge of Reality album since I first heard their 2016 album Vicious Circle. I wasn’t sure if they’d be able to produce something on the same level of wackiness and fun, but they did not disappoint with In Static. This album’s got it all. From an accordion solo in “Bed of Lies” to BTBAM-style riffage in the closer “Illegal Chord,” each song brings something completely new to the table. Edge of Reality has also managed to largely do away with my main complaint about Vicious Circle – unnecessary length and dragging in places. In Static has no filler and every piece of every single is part of a puzzle that when viewed as a whole, is a wonderful musical accomplishment. 

Recommended tracks: Puzzle Man, Bed of Lies, Illegal Chord
Recommended for fans of: Native Construct, Mr. Bungle, Haken

Mortanius – Till Death Do Us Part (US-PA)
Style: Neoclassical/Power (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Original review: Missed albums – first edition
Pick by: Matt

Probably the band whose career I’m most excited for right now, Mortanius are already writing power metal like the 90s greats. Everything feels so right, it’s hard to believe it was basically a couple unknown guys bootstrapping everything. The leads and vocal melodies sound alive and inspired, up there with bands like Helloween who are known for having an endless supply, and Lucas is one of the most unique vocalists to come around in a long time. The songs are dark and complex, but not difficult at all to get into. Just amazing writing. The 20 minute title track sort of blows away the other ones in my opinion, and those were already very good. Hopefully these guys get their lineup woes together – I’d join the shit out of this band if it weren’t a 15-hour drive separating us.

[Sam’s note: Personally this was my album of the year. I don’t really have much to add to what Matt said aside from that the cover of Last Christmas at the end is magnificent even if it was only for the sake of trolling people.]

Recommended tracks: Facing the Truth, Disengage, Jaded, Till Death Do Us Part
Recommended for fans of: Heavenly, King Diamond, Symphony X (Damnation Game era)

No One Knows What The Dead Think – No One Knows What The Dead Think (US-NJ)
Style: Grindcore (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Original review: September
Pick by: Jonah

I never expected to encounter something like No One Knows What The Dead Think. A new, exciting, and creative grindcore album you say? Impossible, Gridlink broke up ages ago! Well jokes on you, NOKWTDT has multiple former Gridlink members and their mastery of their craft shines through like a blazing star. The music is absolute insanity with riffs pounding away at the speed of light while the manic shrieks and machine gun drumming tear through your bones. The album isn’t even 30 minutes long and fits a ludicrous amount of music into that short time, and It’s just incredible stuff.

Recommended tracks: It’s 18 minutes long just listen to all of them
Recommended for fans of: Gridlink, Cloud Rat, Discordance Axis

Pangaea – Vespr (US-WI)
Style: Metalcore/Extreme (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page
Original review: September
Pick by: Tyler

This was the only album I reviewed this year that I was actually anticipating coming out. I’ve been well aware of Pangaea for a good while now, my band The World Is Quiet Here floated in the same Wisconsin circles for a bit. The only difference is that what Pangaea did on VESPR crested anything that we had ever done. Every instrument plays perfectly with every other. There are complex rhythms and melodies; it’s not uncommon to be hearing five separated parts being played yet not step over each other and it still sounds cohesive. Compliments to the band themselves, who self produced this thing, which is not an easy thing to do at all, it just adds to their already impressive resume. Wonderful aspects of metalcore, progressive metal, classical guitar, and everything in between are littered throughout, and it is all wonderful. I was waiting for this debut for a long time, and I am so happy that it lived up.

Recommended tracks: Survivor’s Guilt, Black Tower, The VESPR Sessions
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, The World Is Quiet Here

Redshift – Cataclysm (UK)
Style: Traditional/Metalcore/Thrash (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Original review: Missed albums – second edition
Pick by: Dylan

This is a ridiculously ambitious project. Redshift thought what many other bands have thought: ‘’Hey, we love Dream Theater and we love Between the Buried and Me, so let’s just fuse them together and see what happens!!’’. This approach usually brings out a very lackluster piece of music that goes nowhere. And as someone who does love DT and BTBAM, it’s obvious to say I gave every album described like that a chance. Each time I hope to find something truly amazing, only to be disappointed over and over again. That is until of course, Cataclysm happened, and like I said last issue, and I’ll say it now:

Holy shit. What a home run of an album. Being able to mix (and I quote from my review from 3 weeks ago, because my opinions hasn’t changed in that time) clean vocals in the vein of Karnivool‘s lower register stuff, harsh vocals that sound like a beefier Thomas Giles, melodic bits resembling the epicness of the grandest prog metal concept albums, riffs that melt your face off, a dystopian vibe, plenty of synths, reprises, amazing production, incredibly tight playing, interconnected songs, and TWO 15+ minute tracks that NEVER GET BORING!!!!!

Cataclysm is just an amazing album from start to finish, and at the same time it also manages to be revolutionary. For anyone to sleep out on this would be a huge crime. 

Recommended tracks: May Fate Rest Upon You, The Last Stand
Recommended for fans of: BTBAM, Dream Theater, Karnivool, Pain of Salvation, The World Is Quiet Here