Reports from the Underground: June 2020 prog reviewed (part 1)

Neptunian Maximalism – Éons (Italy)
Style: Jazz/Post/Drone/Experimental (mixed vocals)
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Review by: Josh

Neptunian Maximalism truly live up to their name. This is a two-hour-long, three-disc album of pure avant-jazz metal, with all vocals sung in a constructed language, with lyrics about an alternate version of Earth ruled by sentient elephants. I’ll be damned if that isn’t the most prog thing I’ve ever heard.

But what actually is this? Sure, those words mean things, but what the hell do they mean when put together like that? First and foremost, this is a jazz album. Everything else is layered on top of that core sound of sax, bass, and dual drummers, each absolutely massive. The first thing that the listener hears when putting on this album is the obese baritone sax, tone as fat as the one off of Charles Mingus’s rendition of Moanin’, blasting a simple but mesmerizing riff into their ears. From there we’re greeted with an all-out aural assault from the percussionists, hammering off a cacophonous soundscape that serves as the metaphorical army to the saxophone’s sultan. The track lurches back and forth, the sound swelling and swelling until it peaks, the sax letting out soaring, ear-piercing screeching over the Middle Eastern-esque drumming, and then it all stops, flowing into track two, which opens with an incredibly technical riff from the bassist, the perfect intro for the fourth member of the band. That sound alone, progressing onwards, is enough for a whole album by itself, but Neptunian Maximalism aren’t putting out just one album here, no, they’re doing three. As the album goes on, we’re greeted with a myriad of percussion instruments, tribal shouts, blood-curdling growls, synths, and all sorts of ambient noise. Truly, maximalism.

The songs embody that word as well, with most tracks lurching well over the six-minute mark, leaving themselves ample time to evolve and progress, and boy oh boy do Neptunian Maximalism take their time. Their drone influences are on full display here, as riffs and drum patterns repeat on and on, slowly but unsurely changing. Expect frequent, extended solos, often extending far beyond the minute mark. Again, this is a jazz album for the most part, and one going into this expecting headbangable riffs will be disappointed. To enjoy this album, one must take it all in and give it all the time it asks for.

But is there such a thing as overmaximalism? Potentially, yes. If you don’t have the patience to sit down for two entire hours or the patience to listen to extended drone tracks, this album probably isn’t for you. It is most definitely not a daily driver, and one who appreciates it will probably listen to it sparingly. I’ll be honest, it wore me out several times throughout my listening experience. It takes time to get through as well as attention, as putting it on as background music mutes the subtleties and makes it feel too repetitive. If you’re considering listening to Eons, keep this in mind.

I don’t feel comfortable rating this album. There’s just too much going on here for me to reasonably assign a score to it in the time I’ve had to review it.

Recommended tracks: You’re either in it for all two hours or you aren’t in it at all
Recommended for fans of: Swans, Sunn O))), Secret Chiefs III, Sun Ra
Final verdict: N/A

Pale Divine – Consequence of Time (US-PA)
Style: Doom (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Jonah

2020 has left me starving for good doom. Other than the Godthrymm release earlier this year and Mountaineer’s recent album very few things have really hit the spot for my constant doom cravings. Enter Pale Divine, a band I was casually familiar with but hadn’t really delved into. They’ve been around for nearly two decades and have a few solid albums under their belt, but none of them had really grabbed me. “Consequence of Time”, however, is a different animal entirely. This album fuses some of the proggy hard-rock muscle of bands like Deep Purple with that Sabbath and Saint Vitus gloomy goodness we all love from doom metal, and it’s a damn effective formula.

The guitars seamlessly flow between crunchy riffs right out of the best the old school doom scene had to offer, into these massive solos that I would expect in the best of 70s prog, and it’s just absolutely sublime. The drumming is rhythmic, almost tribal on occasion, and is very effect at providing a driving force for the songs. Finally the vocals have a very ethereal quality, and are a smidge far back in the mix for my liking, that lends itself nicely to the sound.

The production could have gotten a bit more love than it did, with the bass only being audible sometimes and the vocals feeling muffled, but the guitar tones are absolutely killer as are the drums. While not the best, I don’t think the mix detracts from the overall sonic success of the album, however.

All in all, this is a damn good album for fans of 70s prog and hard rock, and for fans of traditional doom. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the bands I’ve mentioned, or anything that enjoys either of these styles. This is some good stuff, and I’m going to have to do a deeper dive into Pale Divine’s discography after this to see if it’s all just as good.

Recommended tracks: Tyrants & Pawns, Broken Martyr, Consequence of Time
Recommended for fans of: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult
Final verdict: 7/10

Thætas – Shrines to Absurdity (US-NY)
Style: Brutal Death (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Chris

Are we getting a new rise of death metal in general? I feel like I’ve been hearing people say that for a couple years now and I’m still not quite sure if we have hit that point yet. If we have, Thætas is most certainly riding that wave. If we have not, I hope Thætas is the crest of it. This is most definitely a brutal death album in every sense of the meaning: you’ve got your practically inhuman growls, your crushing heaviness, and the strange high pitched raking and squealing. Beyond that, there are some really neat choices made to break from the mold that has seemed to be pushed really hard lately in terms of death metal.

This is one of those albums where the influences are pretty clear, and while I normally wouldn’t quote someone else, I feel this description they embedded on their Bandcamp succinctly says exactly what I think I would have in regards to influences: “The band combines the brutal elements of bands like Defeated Sanity with the angular and technical aspects of Gorguts and Suffocation”. Really that should be enough to get anyone into any of those bands to give this a real try. 

“Dearth” is definitely the standout track on Shrines to Absurdity, spinning you through meaty power chord riffing, relentless pinch harmonics, and those brief moments of respite from the barrage of angular noise that lull you into a sense of safety before blowing it up in your face. There are some more “straightforward” tracks such as “Blood Distillery”, but even those show the affinity to mix it up underneath, albeit slightly. “Greenhaven” shows their descent into truly ominous, noisy atmospheres which helps separate the track from the thrashing and wailing of the other tracks, and really gave a unique resting spot on the album.

This EP truly does a great job at pulling from a lot of places and weaving them in a way that can be called its own, which I hope allows this band to help be a sign of things to come for the Death Metal genre, since I found this way more interesting than a lot of recent offerings in the area and especially those leaning towards the caveman-smash style that seems to be all too prevalent. For you riffsters and brutality lovers out there, don’t miss this one. 

Recommended tracks: Dearth, Shrines to Absurdity, Greenhaven
Recommended for fans of: Defeated Sanity, Gorguts, Suffocation (early)
Final verdict: 8/10

Paul Wardingham – Day Zero I : Rise of the Horde (Australia)
Style: Instrudjental/Shred/Melodeath/Industrial (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Sanity Theorist* (guest review)

Paul Wardingham is the epitome of consistency. There’s not a single album from him I would consider less than an 8/10, including his obscure Planet-X-esque fusion album before publishing as a solo act. Gushing aside, I would still be glad to give this album a listen, because it has a lot to offer even people disenchanted by average virtuoso guitarist albums.

The first thing to note is that there are VERY heavy Jeff Loomis touches on these riffs. When you combine the dense grooves with the guitar frenetics, his influence can be felt as being kinda similar to Conquering Dystopia, with the huge downtuning giving a lot of chunk to the satisfying chord progressions. The busy rhythm section twists and winds with great attention to detail in the drums programming, never overbearing but always driving. This base gives the leads a LOT of drive and room to expand, sometimes in dramatic counterpoint, other times in lyrical, long-form emotive bursts. Harmonies are vast and carefully placed, sounding as grandiose as Scar Symmetry‘s choruses at their finest.

A lot of the album focuses on the metallic side of Wardingham‘s influences, and it can get pretty thrashy at parts, with tension and release very carefully balanced to add drama and life to grooves that would be drawn out by less inspired virtuoso guitarists. When the album slows down, the ballads showcase the harmony to great effect, with the chord progressions bypassing the cliches that usually make ballads on these kinds of albums a chore for me. What helps the ballads is a very, very good ear for synth patches. Synths aren’t super common across the album, but they always add a great, cyber metal vibe whenever they come in.

While I would comfortably give this album a djent tag, it is worth mentioning that at no point does it just feel like a chug-a-thon in drop Q tuning. The djent influences are mainly prominent for interesting phrasing and hyper precise, thick grooves above all else. The core of the riffing most resembles the playing of Per Nilsson, rather than Frederik Thorendal, so if you’re an unabashed fan of Dark Matter Dimensions, you’ll be right at home with this approach to riff writing.

Wardingham is also notable for making a few of his solo albums concept albums, so the man may become the next Mick Gordon someday (especially since he’s equally DIY.) I would welcome that development with open arms, because as a producer, he absolutely nails the industrial, mechanical production that gives his mixes such life and atmosphere. If you like this album, you’ll pretty much like everything he’s released so far, the consistency is spectacular!

Recommended tracks: Wirehead, Black Fire, The Fallen
Recommended for fans of: Scar Symmetry, Jeff Loomis, Angel Vivaldi, Sybreed
Final verdict: 8/10

Virtual Symmetry – Exoverse
Style: Traditional/Symphonic (clean vocals)
Related links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Review by: Matt

Being that you’re here, you already know this kind of album: a 75-minute Dream Theater-esque monument to excess. The musicians are all geniuses, everything is as long and complicated as possible, and Jordan Rudess even stops by to spew notes all over a couple tracks. Obviously, the skill and craftsmanship here are beyond reproach, and if you like big, epic, overblown prog, you should probably like this. To make things easier on ourselves, why don’t we just examine the usual pitfalls of these albums, or to coin a term, “proglems:”

FEELING: Yeah, this album has it. Honestly, I could go for more robotic shredding and less balladry if anything, but no one can accuse Exoverse of being passionless. Sometimes, the big romantic string sections and emotive vocals veer into Disney territory, which could be either powerful or eye-rolling depending on your mood. See: “Odyssey,” “Remember.” I think they overdid it a bit, trying to make it cinematic… Those Michael Bay booms at the end of “Exodus” are obnoxious.

VOCALS: Marco Pastorino is an amazing singer, so no problem here. Tonally, he sounds like Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus,) but he can get a lot more aggressive and shrieky when called for. Some of the stuff he has to sing is pretty cheesy, but it’s hardly his fault. I do miss some catchier chorus lines… They’re alright, but not really emphasized that much in the greater context of the songs. I can’t specifically remember any right now, with three listens under my belt.

RIFFS: There’s a couple solid ones, but it’s not really where their bread is buttered, so to speak. The guitars are at least active enough that I wouldn’t call Exoverse metal-deficient.

COHESION: The songs run long, but they’re crafted decently. I’m not consciously aware of them dragging, except a couple times when they drop everything for a piano solo or ballady part. While the pacing isn’t usually problematic, I don’t get a great sense of resolution most of the time either; a couple songs end rather suddenly, and none of them feel like they’re really “bringing it home” the way a tightly-planned epic does.

I suppose that about covers it. Exoverse passes “the test” by our experimental criteria here, but there’s a couple twists too many, and it loses the thread for me whenever things start getting sappy. The composition is interesting enough, but I don’t see any outright classics among these songs… The parts are all good, but don’t result in something more, despite all the emotional bravado. I thought they would be growers, but I have spent some 225 minutes listening to this album now… It’s okay. Give it a shot if you like time signatures ending in “/8.”

Recommended tracks: XI, Exodus
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Circus Maximus
Final verdict: 7/10