Hello everyone and welcome to the March 2024 Album of the Month post!
In the UK, we describe the weather of early spring with the pithy maxim “March winds, April showers”. Similarly, March was a bit of a wind up and we hope that April will shower us with musical riches (see what I did there!). Nevertheless, in a dry months we found some good picks and today we present you with the crème de la crème. Here goes!
Hannah Frances – Keeper of the Shepherd
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend & Ché Aimee Dorval’s Casualties of Cool, Iamthemorning, Joanna Newsom
Picked by: Christopher
What a piece of work March was. For great albums, I had to venture off the prog-beaten path to the world of folk. Hannah Frances put out the beautiful Keeper of the Shepherd which draws on progressive rock, chamber and jazz influences to create a probing exploration of grief that’s steeped in sincerity. Frances’ rich vocals provide a melodic anchor amid the often roiling, polyrhythmic guitar parts (“Bronwyn”, “Floodplain”) and moments of strident chamber-led noise (“Vacant Intimacies”, “Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave”), but there are more sombre, minimal moments in this turbid sea of emotions (“Woolgathering”, “Husk”). Inspired by the passing of her father and other traumas and travails in her life, Keeper of the Shepherd is an understandably emotional album, and yet there is something hopeful in here, a raw authenticity that cuts through the facades of artifice and reveals the truths hidden beneath.
You may also like: Mingjia, Lack the Low, Courtney Swain, Evan Carson
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Convulsing – Perdurance
Recommended for fans of: Ulcerate, Gorguts
Picked by: Andy (seconded by Zach)
Unlike Chris, I knew my record of the month for March on the first when Convulsing surprise dropped Perdurance, long-awaited followup to 2018’s magnificent Grievous. Convulsing’s strength is the precision of the dissonant riffs, yet the tone shifts across the album to become something entirely different—resplendently melodic, dare I say optimistic, prog death. A one man act, Brendan Sloan is limitlessly talented: I hope that we get the next Convulsing album in quicker than six years, but Perdurance was well worth the wait.
You may also like: Ad Nauseam, Heaving Earth, Dessiderium, Replicant
Related links: Bandcamp | original review
Hideous Divinity – Unextinct
Recommended for fans of: Nile, Hate Eternal, Rivers of Nihil
Picked by: Cooper
With Unextinct, Hideous Divinity’s fifth entry into their formidable discography, the Italian tech death band embraced their proggier side. Many songs did away with traditional structures and instead employed an unfolding approach replete with diverse sonic textures. Still the standout performance on this album came from vocalist Enrico Di Lorenzo whose vast toolbelt of guttural techniques ensured that no moment on Unextinct ever came close to dull. Combine that with the authoritative solo work that bedazzled each track and you’ve got a recipe for some great progressive-technical-brutal death metal.
You may also like: Vitriol, Arkaik, Hour of Penance
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Weston Super Maim – See You Tomorrow Baby
Recommended for fans of: Meshuggah, Car Bomb, Frontierer
Picked by: Dave
I’m gonna be honest: I listened to barely any new music in March. For the last few weeks, I have been wrestling with an overwhelming burnout on music and other things I enjoy doing. However, in the midst of my burnout, I was turned on to my co-writer Zach’s review for Weston Super Maim’s See You Tomorrow Baby and, for a brief moment, I had my ass kicked out of burnout. See You Tomorrow Baby is an aggressive and in-your-face mathcore outing a la genre darlings Car Bomb with a healthy infusion of Meshuggah. Weston distill everything great about these two bands into the music on See You Tomorrow Baby, bringing laserbeam guitar work, lopsided morphing tempos, and delicious jazz fusion breakdowns. There’s even a touch of Haken thrown in for good measure on the opener, but in a good way and not in the ALMO way.
You may also like: Ὁπλίτης, Frostbitt
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Turbulence – Binary Dream
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Haken, Caligula’s Horse
Picked by: Doug
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (just you try and stop me): traditional prog concept albums are hard to land. Every brand new band and their mother wants to create the next Metropolis, Pt. 2 or Christ 0, but few can actually achieve it. Whether or not Turbulence actively aspire to that successorship, this album—technically their third, but their debut is pretty much unknown to the internet so let’s say it’s sort of a functional sophomore—achieves what can only be called success, showcasing high-quality songwriting and filled with damn impressive instrumental work. Despite its more traditional roots, Binary Dream picks up some newer aesthetics which might be familiar from last year’s releases such as TEMIC and Ions, managing to stay relatively fresh and interesting while still incorporating clear elements of the band’s classic, dare I say nostalgic influences. Whether or not you’re familiar with Turbulence’s prior work, this represents a clear step forward for them, and it’s an outing both band and audience should be impressed with.
You may also like: TEMIC, Ions, Avandra, Maraton, Ostura
Related links: Spotify | original review
Wombat Supernova – Apewoman VS Turbo
Recommended for fans of: CHON, Standards, Strawberry Girls, The Aristocrats
Picked by: Ian
Okay, so it’s technically the only March album I reviewed, but this debut project from this dorky duo was still quite the positive surprise, an album that smashed any expectations I may have had from its goofy exterior to deliver an unironically great set of math-rock tunes. To be clear, this is still a rather silly album on the whole, with an assortment of off-kilter melodies, hilariously absurd genre shifts, and general messing about with the listener’s expectations, and those who turn up their noses at such shenanigans won’t find an exception here. But thanks to their top-notch musicianship and adept comedic pacing, Wombat Supernova make it easy for listeners to laugh with them instead of at them, carried along on their riotous, noodly, and sometimes genuinely beautiful sonic joyride. Just, uh… ignore the last track, and you’re golden.
You may also like: Invalids, Poly-Math, Feather
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Omnivide – A Tale of Fire
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Inferi, Falljuah, The Artisan Era, Obscura
Picked by: Zach
It’s becoming increasingly rare that a band can blow me away with a debut album. While A Tale of Fire isn’t perfect by any means, this could very easily be my favorite debut of the year. This combines all the acoustic acrobatics of Opeth and the cinematic grandeur of Obsidious, all packaged into one tightly-written, 48-minute delight. Omnivide have a ridiculous amount of songwriting prowess at such a young age, as evident by standout, ‘Cosmic Convergence’. These guys are already on the verge of something special, and there’s no telling what heights they’re gonna reach on the next one!
You may also like: Obsidious, Aepoch, Dessiderium
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Our non-underground picks
Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field (modern classical, minimalism): Playing gorgeous and delicate minimalism on a player-piano to straddle the line between perfect precision and emotion, Moves in the Field is proof that genuine experimentation need not be abstruse. [pick by: Andy]
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield (heavy metal): These guys are in their seventies and still kick as much (or more) ass as/than any other heavy metal band today. [pick by: Andy]
Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers (neo-traditionalist country, Appalachian folk music): On virtually the opposite side of the spectrum from Weston Super Maim, Sierra Ferrell’s Trail of Flowers is a gorgeous folk/country album with varied songwriting and killer vocals. This was a joy to put on, getting spun multiple times in a row and making great accompaniment while working in the garden. “Money Train” is one of the best country songs I’ve heard this year. [pick by: Dave]
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