I don’t even really know what to say by way of introduction at this point. Hopefully, you’ve already been reading the lists from all of my compatriots, and if so, I doubt there’s much context I can give that they haven’t already. (If you haven’t, go check them out! I’ll wait. Or actually, you should read them after mine.) Instead, let me just thank all of you for reading! Whether you’ve been keeping up with us the whole year or only found your way to us thanks to these year-end posts, your attention is at least 90% of the reason we do this and it’s been truly a pleasure to be able to be involved in this endeavor for the past year (and a bit). Now, on with the show!
Honorable mentions:
- Bend the Future – Sounds So Wrong: A project from left field fusing prog, jazz, post-rock, electronica keyboards, chamber music strings, and who knows what else. A very eclectic and novel album full of surprises.
- DGM – Life: As Sam so eloquently put it in his review, just DGM doing DGM things. Nothing groundbreaking, but a solid album from an experienced yet surprisingly low-profile band.
- Karma Rassa – Khmel’: Another release from a many-year veteran with nevertheless a small following. Karma Rassa don’t quite repeat the lofty successes of their last LP, but they’ve put on a good show, and the unique texture of their music is worth experiencing if you’re not already familiar.
10. Noveria – The Gates of the Underworld
Style: Progressive Metal, Power Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Symphony X, Kamelot, Angra
Crank up your speakers and/or headphones, and let’s get rolling with some prog-power! This is not the first Subway rodeo for Noveria (not to be confused with Novena), and The Gates Of The Underworld absolutely justifies the revisit. Maybe it’s just my personal taste in music, but in some ways having this as the first album on the list summarizes the tone I found in the year’s releases as a whole. 2023 brought us the whole spectrum of traditional and power-prog, from fresh takes on old formulas (whether traditional prog and/or power metal) to several repeat performances from old standbys. In any case, in addition to Noveria’s own history, The Gates is everything you could need in a successor to Symphony X, and a fitting appetizer for courses to come: epic and hard-hitting, symphonic in its use of choral and keyboard elements, and powerful, massive vocals to drive home the musical impact.
Recommended tracks: Origins, Revenant, The Gates Of The Underworld, Overlord, Eternal
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
9. Enoch Root – Delusion
Style: Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Dear Hunter, Porcupine Tree
To say that the bar is set high for progressive concept albums would be an understatement. The long timeline of prog marks both the overshadowing legacies of goliaths such as of Metropolis or Pelagial (to name just a couple), but also countless efforts by brand new artists doomed to fall far short of those targets and fade into obscurity. Enoch Root land in the rare middle ground: not so groundbreaking as to become the next trendsetter to be mimicked for years to come, but strong enough to make themselves memorable, with standout songs like “Grey” leaving their own enduring impressions on the modern state of the scene. Infused with both the intensity of metal and the evocative atmosphere of heavier progressive rock acts like The Dear Hunter, Delusion takes its seat at the concept album table with earned confidence.
Recommended tracks: Delusion, Grey, Repose
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
8. Exploring Birdsong – Dancing in the Face of Danger
Style: Progressive Rock, Jazz Fusion (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ok Goodnight, The Reign of Kindo, Einar Solberg
Sometimes you’ve just gotta let loose and relax. This unassuming, essentially guitarless EP of joyful, keyboard-heavy prog is the perfect cure for your day-to-day woes as we step tentatively into 2024. Exploring Birdsong have branched out a little from their debut, this time showcasing a couple different approaches to their dominating keyboard parts, with soft piano accompaniment still winning out across most of the EP but occasionally going hard on the ‘80s pop-synth aesthetic (like in the choruses of “Ever the Optimist”), all of it studded with elements of jazz and singer-songwriter-esque pop singing. Thus matured, Dancing in the Face Of Danger shows a kind of depth and variety not quite present on The Thing with Feathers. Although their overall aesthetic comes across much the same, the Exploring Birdsong of 2023 provide even more stylistic meat to sink one’s teeth into.
Recommended tracks: Bear the Weight, Ever the Optimist
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
7. Shy, Low – Babylonica
Style: Post-Metal, Post-Rock (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Lost in Kiev, God Is An Astronaut, If These Trees Could Talk
Since joining the blog, I haven’t gotten to write much about post-metal (and especially not in a positive context), which is a damn shame. In the absence of a uniquely standout instrumental post-rock or -metal release this year (or last year, to be honest), I can at least use this slot to call attention to this strong EP from the punctuationally challenging band Shy, Low on the heels of their debut with Pelagic Records in 2021. In comparison to that outing (Snake Behind The Sun), this EP may not be quite so complex in composition and instrumentation, nor so progressive in nature, but the quality of musicianship remains undiminished. Despite the short runtime, Babylonica packs itself with emotive moments, expertly weaving the bleak yet expressive soundscapes of post-metal into memorable scenes that make the most of their brief time in the spotlight.
Recommended tracks: The Salix, Instinctual Estrangement
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
6. Anubis Gate – Interference
Style: Progressive Metal, Power Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vanden Plas, Seventh Wonder, Queensrÿche
Certain artists always take me some time to digest and process before I can form a proper opinion and judgment. Even Dream Theater didn’t click for me until after many listens through Images and Words (a revelation possibly also aided by a fever-addled brain). In many ways this is the promise of progressive music: enough depth that first impressions mean little, and building familiarity will reward you with new experiences of the music as you explore it. With Anubis Gate, maybe I’ve finally learned to not take my first impressions at face value; despite being initially disappointed, Interference has grown on me quite a lot in the time since its release. In this case, I’ll blame Anubis Gate’s insistence on long, low-energy intros, like the opening of “Number Stations” with its imitation of an enigmatic short-wave radio broadcast. Although potentially off-putting at first, these buildups contribute heavily to the feeling that each track goes through real development between start and finish. Once you know the route, though, it’s a treat to traverse these winding, intricate pathways and experience their rich scenery.
Recommended tracks: Ignorance Is Bliss, Number Stations, The Phoenix, Interference
Related links: original review | Spotify | Facebook
5. The Resonance Project – Ad Astra
Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Jazz Fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Arch Echo, Plini, Scale the Summit
I knew there was a reason we kept bands like this around! As the community grows ever more bored and less enamored with jazzy instrumental djent compositions, I appreciate the reminder that there are, in fact, good reasons why everyone felt the need to attempt their own approach at this kind of music to begin with. The Resonance Project happily offer all the reminders necessary. Ad Astra is bold, energetic, and gives listeners a host of reasons to tune in besides low tuning and heavy strumming: we’ve got brass, we’ve got woodwinds, and we’ve got great instrumental tracks filled with intense melodic development to keep even the most jaded prog fan listening intently.
Recommended tracks: Gem, Prophecy, Macrocosm
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
4. East of the Wall – A Neutral Second
Style: Progressive Metal, Post-Metal, Post-Hardcore (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Thrice, Eidola, Mastodon
One of the best musical gifts that any year can bring is the discovery of a previously-unknown band with an extensive discography. I had never explored East Of The Wall even though they’ve been around over a decade (basically forever), but prompted by their latest release, I’ve taken a deep dive this year and come out the other side with a hefty appreciation. A Neutral Second continues their trend towards a softer but no less edgy sound, mixing elements of post-hardcore, post-metal, and alternative metal under the broad prog umbrella. Admittedly, I mostly enjoy this album specifically for the recommended tracks listed below, but given how excellent those tracks are, and how deep of a rabbit hole they’ve sent me down, I would be remiss to not make appropriate mention here.
Recommended tracks: Detonator Gauntlet, Fawning, Unfamiliar Glass Ceiling, Hegemony’s Dilemma
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
3. Course of Fate – Somnium
Style: Progressive Metal, Power Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Circus Maximus, Kamelot, Serenity, Symphony X
Course of Fate earned my pick for favorite debut LP in 2020 with Mindweaver, and although they haven’t quite managed the top overall spot in this followup year, Somnium reinforces that their initial achievement was no fluke. The (relatively) compact song lengths and structures characteristic of Course of Fate’s music allow them to deliver highly concentrated musical greatness. For the songs which offer the highest highs (particularly “Vile at Heart” and “…Of Ruins”), this creates an unstoppable intensity, an in-your-face emotional character that demands your love. And who are you to refuse it?
Recommended tracks: Morpheus’ Dream, Vile at Heart, Valkyries, …Of Ruins
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
2. Ions – Counterintuitive
Style: Progressive Metal, Djent (mixed vocals, majority clean)
Recommended for fans of: VOLA, Haken, TesseracT
A latecomer to this ranking, Counterintuitive nevertheless settled itself in with grace and aplomb. Although I can take the credit for discovering them, Ions took the Subway by storm, I think catching all of us off guard with the quality of music on offer from this group none of us had previously heard of. With a compelling blend of djent, traditional prog, and some touches of electronica synth, Counterintuitive feels fresh and exciting despite combining mostly elements that individually represent the same styles and genres we see day in and day out. Throw in a great ear for composition and excellent performance talents, and you’ve got a recipe for a truly fantastic album.
Recommended tracks: True Friendship, Faith, Split Character, Birds of Reminiscence
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
1. Nospūn – Opus
Style: Progressive Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Haken, Seventh Wonder
Hey, you know all that stuff I said about Enoch Root’s debut concept album? Well a lot of that applies here as well. The main difference is, where Delusion demonstrated competence and promise, Opus has mastered the conventions of the genre and shows itself off constantly through the musicians’ composition and performance. The story perhaps suffers from the classic concept album pitfall of building a murky, high-concept narrative which is difficult to tell effectively through lyrics, but that’s easily forgiven in light of breakout tracks like “The Death of Simpson” and “Back, Yet Forward” which exceed the stratospheric standards set by the band’s predecessors, setting a new example for modern bands to follow. In truth, while Opus presents little that’s truly innovative – both in its concept and in its musical execution – it’s all just really darn well done, and the end product is a defining album for the year, especially among underground artists.
Recommended tracks: The Death of Simpson; …And Then There Was One; Within the Realm of Possibility; Back, Yet Forward
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
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