April showers bring May growers, as nobody has ever said, or ever should say again. When you intently listen and review month by month, you can’t help comparing them all to try and see which months bring the goods, which let you down, and how they affect the overall trajectory of the year. And goddamn, if May wasn’t a fantastic month for new releases! We’ve rounded up the greatest hidden gems of the month from the prog rock and metal world just for you, from bombastic symphonic black metal to punchy sludge to arty trip-hop rock to ritualistic doom. So grab a drink, relax in your favourite chair, peruse our write-ups, and sample our delectable May playlist. Summer’s just begun, and the prog scene is in full bloom.
Sunnata – Chasing Shadows
Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, Conjurer, Alice in Chains, Isis
Picked by: Dave
Sunnata’s Chasing Shadows had an ever-increasing magnetic pull on me over the course of May. On my first listen, I made it about ¾ of the way through and thought, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TURN THIS OFF,” but after giving it a couple more honest tries, I was completely won over by the ominous liminal desert it conjures through a unique mix of rumbling sludge metal riffs and hypnotic chants delivered with just the right amount of dissonance. Despite the extensive repetition and relatively limited chromatic palette, Chasing Shadows wildly succeeds in exploring a diverse array of moods and images in a well-paced and meticulous package.
You may also like: Hypno5e, The Salt Pale Collective, Nebulae Come Sweet
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
i Häxa – Part One & Part Two
Recommended for fans of: Chelsea Wolfe, Radiohead, Massive Attack; Steven Wilson’s arty/electronic works, Lunatic Soul, later Ulver
Picked by: Christopher
An audiovisual experience blending art rock, trip-hop, alternative folk, and dark ambient influences together with eerie narration, i Häxa aren’t Pelagic Records usual fare, but they are one of its boldest new signings. On Part One and Part Two, vocalist and visual artist Rebecca Need-Menear and instrumentalist and producer Peter Miles, concoct a dizzyingly immersive and impeccably conceived work of dark pagan strangeness, drawing on a range of influences and elevated further by some electrifying visual accompaniments. The two EPs collectively form the first half of a full album that will release in full some time around November. Addictive, moody, and immersive, i Häxa is an incredible project that grabs you by the soul and wrings the emotion out of you.
You may also like: Ophelia Sullivan, Meer, Exploring Birdsong
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Lamentari – Ex Umbra in Lucem
Recommended for fans of: Emperor, Ihsahn, Septicflesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Limbonic Art
Picked by: Christopher (seconded by: Andy, Zach)
The Danish symphonic black metal act finally released their debut full-length and it’s gloriously relentless, dramatic, and virtuosic. Recording with a real orchestra and choir, the symphonic textures—pulsating brass, swooping strings, and portentous choral—give vitality to the acerbic black metal and death metal riffs, Zimmerian swells and more contemplative ambience complementing and juxtaposing the intensity. Emil Holst Partsch’s guitar solos are especially ridiculous, some of the most skillful I’ve heard in some time, while Daniel Lønberg’s strident harshes grab you by the throat and never let up. Technical, thunderous, and effortlessly fun.
You may also like: Aquilus, Thy Shining Curse
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Resuscitate – Immortality Complex
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Periphery, Native Construct, Vildhjarta
Picked by: Cooper
Resuscitate’s foray out of the realms of metal/deathcore and into the realms of progressive metal on Immortality Complex was a mighty success. The riffs are vibrant and catchy much like early Periphery, the harsh vocals are powerful and varied (and always perfectly intelligible), and the clean vocals and lead guitar work trade melodic phrases like two tennis players returning the ball to each other again and again. If you liked last year’s Zon from The World is Quiet Here but maybe wished for a narrower focus and stronger attention to detail, this is the album for you: upbeat, adventurous, and contagiously melodic.
You may also like: The World is Quiet Here, Others by No One, Drewsif, Alustrium
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Marjana Semkina – Sirin
Recommended for fans of: Caspian, Kate Bush, Iamthemorning
Picked by: Andy
It’s no secret I’m an Iamthemorning fanboy, but Semkina’s fairytale voice has taken on a whole new mode of darkness on her new album, Sirin. Deep in the midst of geopolitics and stressful life circumstances, she has written one of the most gorgeous, complete prog folk albums I’ve ever heard. You can hear the cries of the sirin and the pain of a woman exiled from her homeland.
You may also like: Gleb Kolyadin, Musk Ox
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Haishen – Awaken the Endless Deep
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Dream Theater, Gojira, Tool
Picked by: Ian
Many a prog band have tried to encapsulate (and, in one case, are named after) the awe and majesty of the oceans that cover the majority of our planet, and this debut full-length from Haishen is a shining example of how to do it right. Alternately violent and placid, tempestuous and gorgeous, it spins its kickass, Chinese mythology-inflected tale of shipwrecks and sea serpents through equally kickass instrumental performances. With a stronger vocal performance, this would be a clear AOTY contender, but even as is, this album is a rip-roaring good time that’ll make you want to take up your blade and sail out to slay the tyrants of the briny deep.
You may also like: Pryne, Sermon, CrowsVsRavens
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Aquilus – Bellum II
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, Agalloch, Chopin, Debussy
Picked by: Zach (seconded by Andy, Sam)
Yeah, this was gonna be obvious. This is one of the most exciting releases of the year thus far for a black metal fan like myself, but I think that even the non-extreme metal lovers will find something exquisite within the Bellum duology. Expertly composed and effortlessly genre-bending, Aquilus are one of the most exciting and highly acclaimed projects in all of metal for a reason, and for what it’s worth, I’d say Bellum as a whole is Horace Rosenqvist’s best work yet. Go set aside two hours and let this masterpiece wash over you.
You may also like: Dessiderium, In Vain, Lamentari, Maladie
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Blasteroid – Crypts of Mind
Recommended for fans of: Sylosis, Revocation, Voivod, Vektor
Picked by: Zach
This is the exact opposite of Aquilus. Concise, tight songwriting and absolutely massive riffage. This doesn’t do anything to reinvent its genre or music as a whole, but instead, refines what already exists. With DNA existing in Revocation and Voivod, Blasteroid forge a techy, thrashy album in fire and pack every great riff inside. ‘Chaos God’ should put fans of The Outer Ones right at home, but every song on this album is pure, headbanging goodness.
You may also like: Carnosus, Anarchÿ, Quasarborn
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | original review
Our non-Subway picks:
At the end of every month, on top of what we have reviewed, we show what music we have been listening to that falls outside of the scope of this blog, either in terms of monthly listener count or being an unrelated genre (or both).
The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know (Sunshine Pop, Jangle Pop): Far away from the liminal desert of Chasing Shadows is The Lemon Twigs’ A Dream Is All We Know, a charming 60s pastiche pop record which strikes a balance between cheery day-to-day experience and the overbearing weight of mortality. Some of the band’s best songs find their way onto A Dream…, utilizing infectious harmonies in tight compositions to make for a lovely and fun listen. [pick by: Dave]
Vitalism – Anima (progressive metal, instrumental djent): Vitalism’s new EP maintains their glacial pace of new releases, finally dropping after seven years with nothing but a couple of singles, but it’s worth the wait. Anima is not a transformative outing for Vitalism or for instrumental djent in general, but it’s damn solid and filled with tight, high-energy guitar jams showcasing Vitalism’s signature latin-inspired style. [pick by: Doug]
Earthshine – Surrounded by Our Friends (indie rock, folk rock, pop rock): Earthshine’s debut full length–made in part by our resident metalhead turned indie rocker, Cooper–sees the band abandoning their pedalboards in favor of acoustic guitars and Jack Johnson inspired lyrics. Still, SbOF runs the gamut of folky fingerpicking and harmonica to searing solos and extended jam sections. If you want to hear what a metalhead does when dropped into an indie rock band, check out Earthshine. [pick by: Cooper]
Teramaze – Eli: A Wonderful Fall From Grace (trad prog metal): Teramaze are back with their sugar-coated melodic prog metal goodness and I’ve been utterly obsessed with it this past month. A bit less immediate than Flight of the Wounded but the emotional depth is even more profound and its vulnerable moments are absolutely magical. Also, it has a brilliant sax solo in the final track. I was supposed to review this but my ADD got the best of me so you’ll have to wait for missed albums for an in-depth treatise. [pick by: Sam]
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown (chamber folk): Yes, this is Beth Gibbons of Portishead fame, and the trip hopper keeps the moodiness of her main project, but the chamber folk instrumentation pushes it to a level far beyond the electronica beats. Pristine, produced fantastically, and unafraid to get a little weird, Lives Outgrown is a welcome surprise. [pick by: Andy]
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