Hello Subway readers, long time no see! I have been mostly absent from reviewing this year due to some important external life circumstances: primarily finishing up my Master’s combined with a change in personal identity made this year extra cumbersome for me. The good news is you will be seeing more of my reviews this upcoming year and I will be back reviewing more regularly soon.
For now, I could not possibly bear to miss out on voting for The Progressive Subway‘s second annual Album of the Year election season. Especially with our increasingly numerous staff, I need to make sure I get the word out on these important prog-metal albums here.
Honorable mentions:
- Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed: An especially fun and creative progressive death metal album.
- Linus Klausenitzer – Tulpa: Excellent techy melodeath from an amazing bassist. Listen to this for some groovy riffs from both kinds of guitars.
- Omnerod – The Amensal Rise: An innovative and challenging release, I understand why people like this.
- Hammerhedd – Nonetheless: Best progressive groove metal album of the year made extra riffy.
- Lunar Chamber – Shambhallic Vibrations: My second favorite underground technical death metal album of the year.
Stuff we have not reviewed but should have:
- Victory Over the Sun – Dance You Monster to My Soft Song!: This avant-garde black metal project experiments a lot with sonic contrast and employs unique interludes.
- Vvon Dogma I – The Kvlt of Glitch: If Cynic was more science fiction sounding but a bit less progressive.
10. The World is Quiet Here – Zon
Style: Metalcore, Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Slice the Cake, Rototypical, Future Corpse
Within The Progressive Subway headquarters, this must be one of, if not the most divisive album to be argued about – causing friends to become enemies at a moment’s notice. I for one believe that this album has strong prog virtues, and has specific kinds of skills that the band wants to display here. I’m a fan of Zon, even though this is not as well-written as its more respectable predecessor Prologue. What one can immediately appreciate about this album upon first impression is how utterly technical it is – and how progressive the band’s riff-writing is. This is akin to Between the Buried and Me at their most indulgent. This perhaps is also their biggest weakness as a band at this point since it seems as though their focus on hooks (at least for most of the album), and coherent song structures have taken a backseat for more of a “stream of consciousness” style of writing. They succeed when they do spend time writing good melodies, like in parts one and two of “Heliacal Vessels.” The World is Quiet Here certainly have mad talent, so it is a bit disappointing to see that they did not let their potential fully blossom had they focused a bit more on writing with accessible song structures in mind. That being said, the complexity that this band takes and the leap of creativity that they endeavored is admirable.
Recommended tracks: Heliacal Vessels I: The Mothers of No Kin, Heliacal Vessels II: In the Unity of the Lake
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
9. NevBorn – Alkaios ● Part 1 ● The Eagle
Style: Prog Metal, Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dawnwalker, The Ocean, Humanotone, Khôrada, Rolo Tomassi
I was not at all expecting to enjoy this gorgeous album as much as I did, and if I’m going to be honest with myself, I still do not believe I have a full understanding of how good this is. This album is made up of four gargantuan tracks, all of which ebb and flow exquisitely – building up with solid alt-metal/post-metal riffs and tasteful synth tones that explode into powerful, distorted, and dense jams as you would expect from other progressive post-metal bands like The Ocean or Kayo Dot. What I most admire about this band is that they have an evident sense of musical harmony amongst each other, and you can tell how comfortable they are with each other’s styles because the piece as a whole has a natural sense of unification, where all of the components are built together like a cohesive sum. I also think that this album style is what I gravitate to more than the others in the Subway, and I have listened to many albums that go for the epic-post metal route that Nevborn does but with less success.
Recommended tracks: LERNI
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
8. The Resonance Project – Ad Astra
Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Jazz-Fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Plini, Intervals, Syncatto, Thrailkill
Ad Astra is in my top ten instrumental-ish djent albums to be released over the past few years. In a scene so cursed by templates and overused tropes, The Resonance Project comes out swinging with a debut album that has high points among the best of the best. A colorful mix of brass instruments adds a shiny trim to the album’s climaxes, and siren-like vocal harmonies and soothing synth chords contrast the tight, technical, and jazzy guitar passages. I lament that this album is inconsistent and admittedly front-loaded; hitting glistening peaks via “Ad Astra” and “Prophecy”, then slowly teetering off after the out-of-place intermission track that is “Void” breaks album continuity and reminds me that bands do still want to beat Meshuggah at their own game. Nonetheless, this album has good enough moments for it to always be a viable option for me to return to.
Recommended tracks: Ad Astra, Gem, Prophecy, Macrocosm
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
7. The Lion’s Daughter – Bath House
Style: Industrial Metal, Sludge metal, Black Metal, Prog Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Kvelertak, The Ocean, Inter Arma, Tribulation
I have been a fan of this band for quite some time now, but I never thought I’d see the day when they release an album this good. Before, they were just a guilty pleasure; now I see this as a band that cultured people listen to.
Well, for those who don’t know, The Lion’s Daughter make music that is essentially a wild, yet cohesive alloy of many metals (alternative, sludge, industrial, prog, and black metal). The “shtick” they have been known for is to make music inspired by 80s and 90s horror movies. They do this both by writing their concepts around themes from spooky to grotesque and by layering their metal compositions with creative horror-synth work (stuff that sounds like a mix of something between goth rock and dark-synth tones). I’m admittedly a sucker for creative synth work in prog metal and I love the dark aesthetic. Their overall songwriting, for having dark tones, is actually fairly accessible, even catchy. This is due to their well-written riffs and solid vocal hooks. Overall, I believe not only that this is their best album, but it will very likely stay the best because I think it will be very hard to top how successful this was. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope they prove me wrong here.
Recommended tracks: Your Pets Died on TV, 12-31-89, Liminal Blue, Bath House, Maximize Terror
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
6. Afterbirth – In But Not Of
Style: Technical Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devourment, Artificial Brain
This is another album I was not at all expecting to like but perhaps that made the surprise all the more sweet. From someone who usually does not like brutal death metal at all, this is the best brutal death metal album I have ever heard. I’m the kind of person who will feel icky from listening to Defeated Sanity and I cannot stand the existence of horrid bands like Effluence. This album is probably the most classy and tasteful a band can make brutal death metal without crossing the line into weenie-hut-junior or poser territory; I would say a lot of death metal purists probably already think that about this album – but maybe that’s why it’s good.
Afterbirth experiments with a lot of themes that I would only hear from djent bands, but this is not at all a djent album. Polyrhythms accompanied by gargling mouthwash galore, the fretboard worker strums his noodles as though his life depends on it before unexpected atmospheric passages take over. The band made a complex and sophisticated sound out of one of the most savage and primal metal genres and this dichotomy is something one can appreciate in itself. The album also generally tends to get more tech death and prog as it goes on, so there is a gradual shift in style to keep the album interesting and diverse. The way this album was made shows a lot of care to detail and exemplifies smart songwriting. It is for these reasons that In But Not Of is just a fantastically unique and admirable album.
Recommended tracks: Hovering Human Head Drones, Autoerotic Amputation, In But Not Of, Devils With Dead Eyes
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
5. Sermon – Of Golden Verse
Style: Alternative Metal, Prog Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soen, Tool, Katatonia
Sermon’s new album, Of Golden Verse is pretty great. It’s like Soen except you can listen to it without getting made fun of by your friends. As The Progressive Subway’s number one Soen advocate, I will, unfortunately, be the first to admit that Soen’s career has taken a turn for the worst as of late, putting out content that’s become increasingly described as chuggy anthemic crap. Luckily, Sermon took pity on the fallen fans of a once great band with a version of that sound that is more brooding and hardened – truly stuff that one can be proud of liking.
The rhythm section probably takes the MVP award for this album. The drums add a strong tribal groove to much of the album, and frantic fills to spike the impact of the album’s tense moments. The bass additionally goes quite well with the more ominous sound of the synths. The vocalist (who is also the guitarist, keyboardist, and main writer), known only as “Him” does sound a lot like Joel Ekelöf and sings many catchy choruses on this album but has a lot more of a subtle and serious tone fitting of the rest of the album. Maybe it is a perk that most of the sonic choices were done by one person because the elements here all go well together to form an ominous, catchy yet dark atmosphere.
Recommended tracks: Light the Witch. Royal, Departure, Senescence
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
4. Stortregn – Finitude
Style: Technical Death Metal, Prog Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Inferi, First Fragment, Ophidian I, Equipoise
This is one for the tech death fans in the audience. I hope there are a lot of them because I’ve noticed we’ve been doing a lot more of that this year. And of all the tech death albums we’ve reviewed, I believe this is the strongest out of the bunch. This is an incredibly polished, ultra-tight piece of metal songwriting, equipped with flamenco interludes reminiscent of First Fragment. Overall, the length of solos we get on here is generous but not over-indulgent and they are complimented with frankly fairly melody-driven riffs.
Like their last couple of albums, this has some blackened hints here and there in some of the vocal passages and the guitar tremolos. The bass also takes the forefront on plenty of occasions like a good tech death album should allow. Overall, this is Stortregn’s best album. And this should mean a lot since I have seen this band often praised as the best up-and-coming proggy tech death band.
Recommended tracks: Xeno Chaos, A Lost Battle Rages On, Omega Axiom
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
3. Alkaloid – Numen
Style: Prog Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Crown Initiate, Obsidious, Obscura
Imagine what it would have been like had Richard Henshall, after releasing Aquarius alongside his Haken band members, said: “You know what lads? I think this prog rock stuff isn’t cutting it for us, and those growls you did Ross were bloody riveting.” I wonder what interesting, zany death metal albums we could have gotten if such unlikely events transpired. Numen, Alkaloid’s third album carries that same wacky spirit from those counterfactual worlds into ours. This is heavy, groovy, progressive death metal on its more eclectic side; being written and performed mostly by former members of Obscura, you know you are going to be in for a treat of solos and headbanger riffs.
I’m still not sure why Andy does not like “Numen” the title track because I thought the electronics, riffs, and the way the cleans trade and alternate the song’s lyrics with the growls was a creative and fun listen. I like to think the wavy, flanger effects they do with the synths on the title track somehow resemble the noumena of the external world that will never be accessible to us mere mortals. “Qliphosis” and “Clusterfuck” also showcase a diverse set of sounds, technical solos, and clever songwriting.
Recommended tracks: Numen, Qliphosis, Clusterfuck, The Cambrian Explosion
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
2. Haralabos Stafylakis – Calibrating Friction
Style: Modern Classical, Prog Metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Lorem Ipsum, Carnatia, Gunter Wernö
Though I like the rest of the albums on my list, there is a big jump in how attached I am to the next two. Andy was the first person to recommend this to me, and because we very often do not see eye to eye regarding music opinions, I was a bit skeptical at first. However, I kept an open mind and let the album properly sink in, and when it hit, holy moly: I realized that this is incredible. This is one of the classiest prog metal albums I have heard – like the kind of stuff the prog metal elitists listen to in their ivory tower, above the common peasantry.
However, Calibrating Friction is not just an album that prog snobs could enjoy, this works well as a potential album to share with a general audience (aka. that annoying friend who claims to listen to “all genres”) This is a musical experience, driven by carefully composed strings and piano, and enhanced by the percussion and distorted guitar of metal. These songs are written as progressive pieces of music that travel along different concepts building up, exploding, and drifting off in varying directions. Some of the album’s climaxes like those in “Never the Same River” or “Flows Obsidian” are genuinely breathtaking. I think this is the perfect album for anyone who likes instrumental music, it does not matter if they listen to metal or not, this album has real potential to blow some minds.
Recommended tracks: Flows Obsidian, Never the Same River
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
1. Nospūn – Opus
Style: Prog Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Dream Theater, Altesia, Novena
In a slow year of prog metal, it was sad not to have the usually vast wealth of excellent releases competing for the front spot on people’s radar. This relative dearth is what made a debut album like Nospun’s Opus all the more cherished by me. Written in the classic style that experienced fans of the genre have grown to love, the prog metal concept album style of Haken and Dream Theater has been given new life here in 2023 by a band that has never released material before. I can understand why this is the most talked about album in the prog metal internet community.
The hooks in this album are some of the most catchy we’ve gotten in years, both regarding the guitar passages as well as the vocal choruses. The mixing and production on this is also absurdly high-level, to the point where one would only expect it from bands that have been established the money and resources to excel in this business. The back-to-back trio of songs “Earwyrm”, “…And Then There Was One”, and “4D Printing” is my favorite extended passage from any prog metal album that came out this year (Yes, I do mean my favorite passages from the new Tomb Mold and Ne Obliviscaris trail this section from Opus)
Of course, this album has some flaws. I especially do not like when bands explicitly use material from other artists and Nospun does this on a couple of occasions in this album. Additionally, their epic is not the best that I have heard, especially considering how good the first eight tracks on the album are. Criticism aside, this album is a gift made directly to prog metal fans young and old, and is a nod to the classics while providing their own flavor in a very successful way. The only debut albums that I can think of from bands that are better than this are either bands that only have a debut album or bands that are now famous. So, it looks like Nospun likely has a bright future ahead of them.
Recommended tracks: Earwyrm, …And Then There Was One, 4D Printing
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook
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The Progressive Subway's Official Top Ten Albums of 2023: A Report from the Underground - The Progressive Subway · January 11, 2024 at 17:00
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