Style: Progressive metal, progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, Meshuggah, Karnivool, Opeth
Country: United States
Release date: 26 June 2026

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In the mere six months since I joined this site, I’ve been treated to an absolute feast of musical discovery. I started with a very strong passion for prog, but my knowledge of the extended progressive universe was limited compared to my veteran colleagues. Thanks to them, I’ve gorged myself on a myriad of underappreciated proggy-post metal¹, atmospheric black metal², and progressive death metal³. My journey is still beginning, yet I’ve already come to learn that consuming tons of new music won’t satiate my rhythmic hunger—in fact, it’s only left me ravenous for more. 

My craving for something outside of my comfort zone led me to The Vision. It took Entropist, a five-piece from Denver, an entire decade to write and produce their humble debut, working through distance, life changes, and even COVID to bring their music to life. The Vision reflects this bumpy journey, exploring concepts of resilience, loneliness, and triumph, with Entropist themselves describing the album as “A powerful and visionary progressive metal odyssey”. Musically, the band supports their statement with an impressive show of abilities and themes taken from all across the progressive metal world. 

Those who find comfort in prog’s heavier elements will relish in the security of high-speed, dissonant guitar riffs, distorted tapped solos, and deathcore screams written throughout The Vision. “I Hunger” growls in Meshuggah-isms alongside beefy downtuned guitars that chip away at Matt Gleason’s full-bodied drumming with every jagged strum. Vocalists Solomon Smith and Parker Kitching elevate the track’s sound by adding a dash of blackened screams to already thunderous growls that warn of ‘DE-SO-LA-TION’ and ‘PRO-FOUND RUIN’—all before an impending tritone⁴ modulation that creates a severely tense atmosphere. Progressive death elements continue to be the bread and butter of The Vision’s heavy sound throughout; “The Ritual” shows off techy melodic lines played by Solomon Smith and Will Vinson bouncing off of each other over a thrash-like drum pattern. With Jamie King’s production help (BTBAM, The Contortionist), these musical lines come to life, moving in and out of the soundscape to ensnare the listener. Both opening track “Intense Warmth” and closer “Revelation” share a motif of serrated guitars and bass dueling with the metronomic drums. In the former track, the harsh, crushing musical lines still groove; in the prolonged breakdowns of the final track, these lines become severely abrasive and commanding. 

Not everyone needs a heavy dose of riffing, and, of course, Entropist have created many harmonious melodies to accommodate different tastes. “Desert in Limbo” opens with gentle harmonic guitars that tempt out a duet between clean vocals and tasteful drums. The track’s momentum only grows as the music expands into a multi-layered harmony of reverbed vocals, not unlike Haken’s⁵ use of experimental vocals. “Creation”, the penultimate track, is the conceptual climax of The Vision, as the narrator finds hope within their own world. The music grows in dramatic fashion as massive major chords shine through the guitars and bass, supporting the belting out of ‘We see all you are’ and bathes the melodies in a victorious warmth. There’s just as much enrichment in the soaring, shimmery melodies as there are in the heavier sections of The Vision; this unique balance shines in the hands of bassist Jeremy Smith, who shows off uniquely bouncy, melodious, and technically appealing bass solos (The whole album but notedly “Creation”, “Intense Warmth”, and “The Ritual”). 

What sets The Vision apart from other dense progressive albums are the quiet, intricate details that elevate the listening experience. Transitions between melodies and chunky riffing are written with careful intention, never deflating the album’s momentum (“Creation”, “Intense Warmth”). “Devour Us” showcases a particularly hypnotic transition, with distorted glissandos and heavy-set arpeggiation guaranteed to lure the listener in. The same track also features a robust, chromatically guided violin solo accompanied by acoustic guitar, acting as a palate cleanser before diving into a fast-paced BTBAM-like structure—meaning there’s a lack of stable musical structure. “The Wandering” showcases the band’s technical skills in an instrumental track, but Entropist know when to draw the line in composition to keep the instrumental from becoming a slog. Entropist’s ability to fine-tune the most minute details makes the album enticing for those who enjoy parsing through a dense record. 

While I don’t see myself getting tired of musical discovery anytime soon, I’ve found something special to give attention to in The Vision. It’s a love letter dedicated to progressive audiences, written with progressive musical ideas that aren’t just recycled: they’re given a new life in Entropist’s creative hands. The Vision is densely packed, but its fresh identity won’t wear a listener out on repeated listens. If Entropist can consistently release well-done compositions with the creative potential showcased in The Vision, there’s no doubt they’ll find a passionate following among progressive fans all over the world.

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Recommended tracks: Devour Us, I Hunger, The Ritual, Desert of Limbo, Creation
You may also like: Luna’s Call, Psyclops, Resuscitate
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Entropist is:
– Solomon Smith (Guitar, Vocals)
– Will Vinson (Guitar)
– Jeremy Smith (Bass)
– Matt Gleason (Drums)
– Parker Kitching (Vocals)
– Cecily Meade (Violin)
With guests:
– Jamie King (Mixing, Mastering, Production)

1. My favorite subgenre. Check out Sikasa, Electric Sun Defence, and Obscure Sphinx. ↩︎
2. The genre of my first high-scoring review. Also see Ashbringer and Olhava. ↩︎
3. I never imagined I’d enjoy Changeling, Iotunn, or Gorod so much. ↩︎
4. If you didn’t know, the use of tritones (chord progression of three whole tones) was avoided in early renaissance and religious musical writing (not banned, contrary to popular belief) due to its extreme dissonance and association with “evil”. Great for writing tense moments in metal, though! ↩︎
5. If you haven’t already, please check out the Subway’s totally not divisive or rage-inducing ranking of Haken’s discography. ↩︎