Review: Arch Echo – 3X3: Catalyst

Style: progressive metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Liquid Tension Experiment, Syncatto, Plini, Intervals, David Maxim Micic
Country: Tennessee, United States
Release date: 27 June 2025

As the extremely on point EP title tells you, Arch Echo are embarking on a journey of releasing three EPs of three songs each, and this is the first of them. While I’d prefer an album of nine tracks, this concept does lend itself to splitting up the review, so I’m covering Catalyst, but you’ll get two other author’s opinions on the next installments of 3X3. Forged from Berklee College of Music’s progressive (metal) division—other notable alums include Dream Theater, Native Construct, Bent Knee, Sound Struggle, and Ok Goodnight—the Nashville-based quintet have endless instrumental capabilities and have been in the instrumental prog metal spotlight for the better part of a decade now. Does Catalyst act as the impetus for a new and exciting era for Arch Echo? 

Catalyst is nothing new for the band, but they reinforce their position as one of the instrumental powerhouses in progressive metal. Adam Rafowitz and Adam Bentley coax the most succulent and bright tones out of their guitars, with lead melodies expressive enough to completely replace a singer without it feeling like Arch Echo are missing something. The two guitarists write extremely hooky riffs like Syncatto; for instance, the lead ‘chorus’ on “Catalyst” is effortlessly technical yet smooth because of Rafowitz’s trademark legato providing excellent contrast atop Bentley’s tight, djent rhythms. The two guitarists also let shreddy solos rip, drawing from metal’s virtuosic lineage and mixing that with slick jazz technique à la Plini. All three tracks have highlight solos, but the techniques used around 1:45 in “Sprout Tower” are novel in their discography and stick out as particularly rad in context—it sounds like he uses a whammy pedal blending up an octave with the original sound, with the octave coming in and out from the whammy.

Of course, Arch Echo excels with the synergistic interplay between the dual guitarists and Joey Izzo’s keyboards. Izzo is omnipresent, either giving the songs a lush background with a variety of keys and synths or soloing in unison with one of the guitarists in a glorious display of the capabilities of human fingers. Deciding the color palette of each track, Izzo uses a wide variety of tones, ranging from delightful and decadent in the tastiest solos (“Catalyst,” “”MAGIC!”) to a-little-too-retro (“Sprout Tower” intro). At 2:45 in “MAGIC!,” he transitions to arpeggiating with a more traditional piano on top of a groovy, hip-dipping djent riff, and I adore the tasteful juxtaposition from the gentler timbre of the piano. 

Behind the kit, Richie Martinez is surely one of the most energetic drummers in metal, a master at making complex rhythms with jazzy intonations incredibly groovy. With Martinez always perfectly in sync with the main melodies, it’s easy to tell that this is Arch Echo’s first release with full group in-person writing in years. While he never gets a chance to take the spotlight as much as the other instruments, his brief drum fill to open the album and playful lead with Izzo near the end of “MAGIC!” demonstrate what a pivotal role Martinez plays. 

That bassist Joe Calderone is so left out of the mix is a huge surprise considering two-fifths of the band have music production degrees from Berklee. But when he gets a chance to shine, he runs away with it: on “Catalyst” he performs a lovely bass solo in the bridge, and he duets briefly with Martinez during “MAGIC!” as if he were a jazz upright bassist. Beyond Calderone being pushed out of the songs a bit too much, Arch Echo’s tour with VOLA corrupted them with a more djent-focused sound. I’ve pointed out places it worked, but just as often it doesn’t, particularly throughout “Sprout Tower.” The track is painfully slow by Arch Echo standards, leaving even Martinez unable to inject it with much energy for the most part. I always appreciate a change of pace, but the melodies are more djentrified with more emphasis on the low end of the guitarists’ range. 

Arch Echo are Arch Echo, though, and I don’t think they could write a bad song if they tried. At their nadir, they play relatively standard djent in a song which still had a highlight guitar solo. “Catalyst” and “MAGIC!” are both infectious pieces with energy, bombast, virtuosity, and memorability. As an EP, the release obviously feels short, but knowing we’ve got the remainder of 3X3 coming, I’m excited to hear more great tunes from one of the best prog bands of the last decade. Catalyst is a solid start.

Recommended tracks: Catalyst, MAGIC!
You may also like: Sound Struggle, Coevality, Soften the Glare, Poh Hock, Lux Terminus, Sam Mooradian
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: independent

Arch Echo is:
Keyboards: Joey Izzo
Guitar: Adam Rafowitz
Guitar: Adam Bentley
Bass: Joe Calderone
Drums: Richie Martinez