Hello there, and welcome to another monthly edition of The Progressive Subway! In this we take a look at the March albums we reviewed that we liked the most. What do you mean that doesn’t say anything more than the title? What do you mean I have nothing to say (great Angra song btw)? Think Sam, think (what’s up with this meme anyway?). You surely have something to say, don’t you? Something about how these albums featured here are good and readers should listen to them because they are good in other ways than all previous other good albums were good and that this introduction will be good in other ways than your previous introductions were good because obviously we can’t have too much repetition this is not post-metal or funeral doom WHY ARE YOU SO SAD??? Speaking of post-metal and funeral doom though, we actually don’t feature any of that on this edition, so sorry for getting your hopes up (but hey being disappointed and sad is in line with funeral doom right?). If you want to kill me at this point for my lame, nonsense introduction, I wouldn’t blame you, because for some reason most of what we feature this time is death metal in some shape or form. When did we turn so kvlt? No that’s black metal we don’t feature any of that either this time around (April looks to be promising for that though, so keep an eye out on that!).
ANYWAY……….. I think I fed enough brown beans to bulls so I could collect their crap (wtf?). Errr… I mean, enough bullshit for now. Here are March albums of the month. Dey gud, u listen, u happy, we happy. Goodbye.
Empire Bathtub – 2 Looney 2 Moons (US-TX/FL)
Style: comedy rock/prog (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page
Pick by: Sam
Haha you though you were done with the BS? Guess what, we’re back! This time around though, it’s not my BS, but two of my friends who created the BS. In a totally non-nepotistic fashion, I want to talk to you about this album made by two (retired) authors of this blog Stephen and Jonah. 2 Loony 2 Moons is a hilarious concept album full of tacky high school humor about things like the number 69, dick-shaped roses, and Mount Whiskey Dick. They did their best to make everything sound as immature as possible, and they absolutely succeeded, because this album is also a great journey musically. It’s a very groovy, atmospheric album with lots of groovy bass lines, spacey scifi synths, and pretty lead play. And the excellent vocal performances really sell the different characters in the story. I wouldn’t call this an amazing album in the traditional sense, but its sheer uniqueness and great sense of humor make it a very worthwhile experience for any prog metal fan. Do yourself a favor, open Bandcamp, and listen to this album with the lyrics in front of you. It’s amazing.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: best listened to in its entirety tbh, but otherwise try King TARS, Hits from the Gong, Deconstruction
Recommended for fans of: any prog metal tbh, but specifically I suppose Tool and Fates Warning‘s A Pleasant Shade of Gray album could work
The Beast of Nod – Multiversal (USA)
Style: intergalactic death metal (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Dan
The Beast of Nod has crafted a unique breed of fun, techy progressive death metal, full of shredtastic guitars, gnarly snarls, dense synth layers, and a backstory so rich there’s a whole encyclopedia about it. The note-heavy riffs are playful and engaging with melodic grooves and tappy fretboard wizardry. The songwriting is excellent, and the star-studded guest list is just icing on this already tasty cake. Do yourself a favor and give it a spin, and learn a bit about the history of the Multiverse and its many characters while you’re at it.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Flight of the Quetzalcoatlus, Contemporary Calamity, The Plan for Multiversal Creation, The Latent Threat, Shredding of the Cosmos
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Parius, Slugdge, Inferi, Equipoise, Nerdy sci-fi
Exanimis – Marionnettiste (France)
Style: orchestral death metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sebastian
At the surface, Marionnettiste is a concept album about mechanical puppets coming alive as unholy abominations and chasing you around a medieval cathedral. But when one looks deeper into the themes of this album, it is actually about how the mind is mechanical in nature like clockwork, and its presence can be greatly deceiving. This album creates incredibly cinematic orchestral soundscapes in the vein of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh, however, it is delivered through progressive songwriting not seen by most traditional orchestral death metal bands. This makes Marionettiste one of the few of its kind and would be most appreciated for fans of Deconstruction by Devin Townsend, except it has a very gothic aesthetic rather than in science fiction.
What I enjoy on this album most are its long and complex song compositions, ranging from 2 to 16 minutes, and its exceptional mix of grand orchestral compositions with those of extreme metal. Additionally, since my original review, I had realized more how technical and creative the metal-based instrumental work on the album was. The drums, guitar solos, and riffs are some of the album’s highlights amongst its other qualities. This debut shows that the members are incredibly trained and talented musicians, as they have released an incredibly grand, ambitious, and well-crafted album. The sky’s the limit for where the band can go from here.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Stampede of the 10-000; Cogs, Gears & Clockworks; Cathedral
Recommended for fans of: Fleshgod Apocalypse, Septicflesh, Devin Townsend Project, Danny Elfman
Turbulence – Frontal (Lebanon)
Style: traditional prog metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Nick
Turbulence really hit the ground running with their debut album. Inspired by the true story of Phineas Gage who had his personality permanently altered after a construction accident, this album rips through 65 minutes of some of the most intriguing traditional prog metal released so far this year. Each track is as engaging as the last and you’ll only be left wanting more. Super solid especially for a debut. I can’t wait to see where they go from here. Check this out if you’re looking for a Haken inspired concept album, you won’t be disappointed.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Inside the Gage, A Place I Go to Hide
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Dream Theater, Circus Maximus
Sleep Terror – Above Snakes (US-WA)
Style: tech death/surf rock/country rock (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page | RYM
Pick by: Sebastian
Sleep Terror has always been an oddball in the technical death metal scene. They are known for making odd genre fusions, such as surf music, funk, blues rock, and inAbove Snakes they are bringing southwestern folk/country music into the mix. This is an album that oozes that over-the-top cowboy aesthetic, something that one might think of in a spaghetti western. This is presented through the lens of tech-death musicians as they deliver it through really dense and intense metal. The drummer on this album has experience in bands such as Vital Remains, Brain Drill, and Rings of Saturn, and the drumming in the album is definitely the killer highlight.
Above Snakes breaks new ground in the field of innovative metal fusions. Additionally, the music itself is very excellent, filled with tons of memorable, catchy, and intriguing moments. I can almost guarantee that this is an album unlike anything you might have heard before, and I would implore everyone here to check this album out because the songwriting fusion that this band has assembled is truly remarkable.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Above Snakes, Tabula Rasa, Trail of Fears, At Wit’s End
Recommended for fans of: Ennio Morricone, Necrophagist, The Faceless, (early) Black Crown Initiate
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