Our Top 50 Underground Prog Albums of 2020 – 2024: 50-26
Welcome to a rather special post! Last year we published a two part Top 50 of the best underground prog albums of the 2010s as voted for by our wise and moderately attractive writers which you can check out here (50-26) and here (25-1). And so this year, we present to you the Top 50 underground prog albums of the first half of this new decade, 2020-2024! Twelve of our esteemed writers listened for most of a year to 130 albums that we collectively nominated as the best of the underground and voted in order to whittle those releases down to a Top 50 for your auditory pleasure.
Some methodological notes that you can skip if you just want to get into it: our metric for a band being included in this ranking was either that we had reviewed them at the time of release or that they had fewer than 20,000 Spotify monthly listeners at the time we put the list together (which was our historic benchmark for undergroundness back before we sold out!). Each of our writers voted for a top 20 and we aggregated the results.
So, without any further ado, here come the first twenty-five of our Top 50 Underground Prog Albums of 2020 – 2024!
50. Meer – Playing House (2021)
Genres: Art rock, symphonic rock, progressive rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Bent Knee, The Dear Hunter, Leprous
Our list begins in the grim, frostbitten landscapes of Norway with Meer’s sophomore record, Playing House. However, the collective’s sound is far and away from the Land of the Midnight Sun’s black metal exports. Meer instead opt for ultra-lush symphonics in a hefty and theatrical art rock framework. Opening track “Picking Up the Pieces” establishes a tone that balances pensiveness and dramatics through arpeggiating pianos and swelling strings; the piece is further lifted up by rolling drumwork and an urgent vocal delivery from Johanne Nesdal. “Beehive” feels like a cut from a James Bond movie, as seedy and smoky verses explode into choruses with grand string orchestration and a forceful performance from Nesdal. The vocal duets on “All At Sea” and “Songs of Us” feature Johanne’s vocals in tandem with brother Knut, reaching for ascendant harmonies somehow more grand than the already huge instrumentals.
Playing House’s pieces feature loads of variety yet still live in the same sonic world. The infinitesimal plucking of “Child” sits in stark contrast to the almost bellicose strings of “She Goes” and the rollicking-yet-understated rhythms of “You Were a Drum”, but all pull from a similar vocabulary of sounds and ideas. The record’s cohesion is further cemented by the lyricism, as many tracks share through-lines in their stories. “Honey” and “Beehive”, for example, borrow musical and thematic ideas from each other to create an overlapping fuzzy vignette of love and betrayal told from two perspectives. Playing House sets the gold standard for symphonic art rock, weaving compositions into a brilliant latticework guaranteed to move anyone with a pulse.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Dave
49. Parius – The Signal Heard Throughout Space (2022)
Genres: Progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Haken, Dream Theater, Native Construct
Nothing in prog frustrates me more than Between the Buried and Me and their sound-alikes. For all the technical and compositional brilliance those bands display, their manic need for unpredictability and hyper-stimulation thoroughly fries my brain, pulling me out of the music without fail. Yet somehow, I found myself not just liking, but actively adoring the clearly BTBAM-inspired group Parius. The Signal Heard Throughout Space is a delightfully campy, dazzlingly proggy concept album that manages to capture the excess and unpredictability that BTBAM is known for in a way that is far more grounded and easy to digest. Parius anchor the listener amidst a maelstrom of mood and tempo changes by carefully modulating their songs’ central thematic ideas around an emotional core, and providing a truckload of catchy vocal hooks. They also tastefully combine old and new, showing both thrash and -core inspired guitar work, and letting equal parts Dream Theater and Opeth-isms shine through in their transition and time signature wizardry.
What really sets The Signal Heard Throughout Space apart, though, is its strong sense of narrative flow. Each track feels like a self-contained chapter in a larger story, moving in unexpected directions, yet landing in a satisfying place emotionally, giving a real sense of not just lyrical but also musical storytelling. Parius don’t need guitar solos to wow you—as the kids like to say, their mastery of tension and release provides plenty of peak cinema. The Signal may be exceedingly campy, but this underlying sincere emotional depth and compelling songwriting make sure the album will be Heard Throughout Space for quite some time.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Sam
48. Vulkan – Technatura (2020)
Genres: Progressive rock, alternative metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Tool, Haken, Karnivool, Wheel
“Reality is not quite as it seems.” The theme that entwines Technatura, the third and potentially final Vulkan album, bewitched the hearts and minds of many of the listeners in 2020. Technatura subsequently catapulted Vulkan from an underground gem to an acclaimed mainstay which is testament to the timelessness of a record that seeks to obscure the aesthetic boundary between the archaic and the futuristic. Experiencing Technatura’s impressively layered instrumentation, oscillating between harmonized synths, theramins, textured electric guitars, and ghostly choral embellishments, it would be easy for one to get lost in the manifold ingredients if it weren’t for the careful songwriting arrangements and focus on hook and melody. “This Visual Hex,” “Redemption Simulations,” “Rekviem,” and the unpredictable epic “The Royal Fallacy” all demonstrate the fine craftsmanship of Vulkan. Years after the album’s release, I find myself going back to these tracks a ton because they just have so much personality and liveliness to them. The overarching juxtaposition between the known and unknown, familiar and foreign, melodic and complex is what makes Technatura such an excellent album for both new and experienced fans of progressive music.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Sabrina
47. Finsterforst – Jenseits (2023)
Genres: Progressive metal, folk metal, viking metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Moonsorrow, Enslaved, Borknagar, Wilderun
As much as I usually preach about the value of restraint in prog, sometimes I want music that’s just goddamn epic; something that allows me to turn off my critical brain and simply let myself be amazed by its grandiosity and unabashed maximalism. Finsterforst’s Jenseits is exactly that. Steeped in the tradition of Moonsorrow, Jenseits is a sprawling giant of a song exploring nature in its most awe-inspiring states—from ever-expanding stillness and serenity to seemingly all-encompassing natural disasters, and everything in between. The record is drenched in reverb, yet allocates a clear place to each instrument in the mix, creating a vast, open soundstage where each element can tower without collapsing under its own weight. Midpaced, earth-shaking riffs, a warm, hefty bass, and marching drums thundering away form the base upon which gargantuan, swelling horns, mighty Viking choirs, accordion, flute, and occasional duduk can excel in full cinematic glory. Jenseits sweeps you along for the ride from one epic moment to the next somehow even more grandiose climax. Yet, for all their bombast, Finsterforst manage to keep things grounded by sticking to a consistent marching pace that even swells of intensity cannot break, and by timely placing beautiful sections of respite, making those enormous crescendos even more meaningful. You might never become a Viking warrior, but if you want to know what it feels like to enter Valhalla, look no further than this.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Sam
46. Aeon Zen – Transversal (2021)
Genres: Progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Circus Maximus, Pagan’s Mind
Aeon Zen flew under my radar until I ended up joining the Subway early last year, and even though I’ve only had around a year to spend with Transversal, I’m confident in its status as one of the best progressive albums of the decade so far. Transversal is the final Aeon Zen album, a career retrospective and a love letter to progressive metal, joyfully worshipping those seminal Dream Theater records alongside many other influences it wears on its sleeve with pride.
What really sets Transversal apart for my tastes, though, is that Aeon Zen don’t just leave it as a “simply well done” Dream Theater worship album. Presented as a single song, the thirty-minute runtime is split up over ten tracks, and smartly recontextualizes recurring motifs that act as anchor points for all of the prog goodness in between. Ever-present symphonic and synth textures add another layer to the sound, ranging from epic Symphony X orchestral swells accompanying badass riffs to familiar dueling keyboard and guitar solos. Whether you’re a Change of Seasons old-head purist, or a member of the squeaky clean cult of Haken technicalities, Transversal has something for every flavor of prog fan.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Justin
45. Sweven – The Eternal Resonance (2020)
Genres: Progressive death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Morbus Chron, Bedsore, Horrendous
In 2015, Morbus Chron released their final album, Sweven, which injected a healthy dose of psychedelic rock into the group’s already quickly developing progressive metal palate. Five years later, the band’s mastermind, Robert Andersson, would form Sweven—named after the final Morbus Chron album—as a direct spiritual successor with the intent to continue exploring down the path forged on Sweven.
The Eternal Resonance fuses progressive death metal and psychedelic rock together more tightly than ever, to the point where finding where one begins and the other ends is practically an exercise in futility. Death metal textures and techniques clash with a softer progressive rock pacing and psychedelic longform structures, while acoustic guitar and rich synth pads add depth to the traditional distortion-oriented focus of death metal. Andersson’s vocal performance is simultaneously raw, calm, and fiercely emotional, utilizing a wide range of textures and pitches that are impressively controlled and intentionally applied to convey exactly what Andersson wants in each moment. Even if death metal isn’t quite your thing, The Eternal Resonance is far enough removed from the genre’s more alienating qualities that there is a good chance the strong songwriting, unique performances, and emotional heft will win you over in the end.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | original review
Write up by: Justin
44. Papangu – Holoceno (2021)
Genres: Avant-garde metal, sludge metal, zeuhl, progressive metal, progressive rock (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Magma, Vauruvã, Yeti, King Crimson
One often wonders how bizarre, eldritch stories can come so easily from the minds of creatures whose lives are limited to that of the mundane realm. On debut record Holoceno, sludge metallers Papangu effortlessly sit in a sonic space defined by curves and angles not native to this plane, seemingly pulling inspiration from something external to the human experience. The peculiar jazz-infused rhythms of Magma might sound alien to the innocent ear, but even more alien is Holoceno’s marriage of these zeuhl-inspired song structures to hooky, riffy sludge metal dappled with shades of Brazilian tribal grooves.
Sinister percussions set the stage for oozy-yet-catchy sludge metal riffs and avant-garde chords on opener “Ave-Bala”; visceral gutturals later emerge on “São Francisco”, contrasted with colorful keyboards reminiscent of 70s prog layer the foreground. Holoceno’s theme chronicles a story about humanity’s fate in polemic ecological collapse. As the record proceeds, the natural world begins to fall to chaos, obliterated as occult curses are unleashed upon the world. Meanwhile, the soundscapes slowly melt away, becoming more cacophonous and horrific as squawking saxophones, angular riffs, and shrieking frys prowl in time signatures born from the gates of hell. Holoceno brilliantly constitutes a holistic experience that blends the celestial and the infernal with our otherwise mundane lived experience.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Sabrina
43. Black Yet Full of Stars – Dark Wing Gospel (2024)
Genres: Symphonic metal, death metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haggard, Opera Magna, Fleshgod Apocalypse
Black Yet Full of Stars’ sophomore album Dark Wing Gospel is the astounding solo symphonic metal work from mastermind Carlo Dini, showcasing expert composition and scoring as he makes his background in harmony and classical literature plainly evident. The Italian artist deftly eschewing the common trope of half-baked-MIDI-symphonies-over-mediocre-power-metal that permeates the symphonic metal genre, Dark Wing Gospel instead combines influences of 90s dark fantasy film scores and death metal with the complicated structuring of progressive metal to create a standout album in only six exceptional tracks. Highlighted moments include the opener “Halom Shacor”’s unsettling atmosphere and nervous tension which crescendos with sharp, sinister strings, and the furious tremolo licks in “King of Salt” that buzz like hornets inside cathedral walls. A true Renaissance moment in what’s become an uninspired and oversaturated genre, Dark Wing Gospel is for any lover of complex riffing, heavy drumming, and dramatic bombastic orchestration in their metal—the prima materia that make up this Great Work.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Francesco
42. Scarcity – Aveilut (2022)
Genres: Avant-garde metal, black metal, totalism (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Krallice, Jute Gyte, Pyrrhon, Blut Aus Nord, Liturgy
Aveilut (Hebrew for “mourning”) is an album permeated by a profound sense of grief, birthed by sole composer and multi-instrumentalist Brendon Randall-Myers during a period of immense personal loss, and tracked right as COVID lockdowns were entering their most isolating iterations. Scarcity is singular in focus, structuring Aveilut to be listened to as a single piece of music and scarcely giving the listener a chance for reprieve from its intense wailing lamentations.
The majority of Aveilut is composed of grating microtonal 72 note octave abuse, each pitch grinding against the other within a slowly emerging perversion of harmonic consensus. A lurching midtempo pace lends a hypnotic quality to each performance, though the result is a furthering of the eerie mood rather than any sort of calming effect. Doug Moore’s (Pyrrhon) pained vocal performance pushes Aveilut over the edge, providing a necessary relatable human entry point to the abrasive soundscape, and cementing Scarcity as one of the most novel and exciting groups of the 2020s.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Justin
41. Bent Knee – Twenty Pills Without Water (2024)
Genres: Art rock, progressive rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Radiohead, Steven Wilson, The Dear Hunter, Björk
Grief is far more ubiquitous and multifaceted an emotion than many see it as. Sure, we grieve after the deaths of those close to us, but life is full of smaller deaths, tiny tragedies that all hit in their own way. We grieve the loss of loves we once felt, lives we once lived, places we once called home. When existence is defined by permanent change, living life becomes one big coping mechanism, and such is the driving concept behind art-rock innovators Bent Knee‘s shockingly genius comeback.
Recorded after the band went through their own permanent change with the departure of two of their founding members, Twenty Pills Without Water shows the group’s signature quirky-yet-heartwrenching songcraft maturing from the discordant wail of youthful angst to the resigned sigh of adult regret. Yet despite all this, Twenty Pills manages to be the most tuneful, accessible, and just plain fun record the band have ever put out, laden with just as many playful, danceable bops as somber, lush ballads. Change is inevitable, but we keep on going, dammit, and Bent Knee ain’t dead yet.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Ian
40. Green Carnation – Leaves of Yesteryear (2020)
Genres: Progressive metal, gothic metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Katatonia, Pain of Salvation, Anathema, Opeth, Paradise Lost, In the Woods…
Since joining The Progressive Subway team in January, I’ve been on the Green Carnation beat: I’ve written a Lost in Time retrospective of their masterpiece Light of Day, Day of Darkness as well as a review of their new album A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia. Emerging from the shadows of a lengthy hiatus, Leaves of Yesteryear, Green Carnation’s first new album in fourteen years, sees the band thoughtfully synthesizing the genre-fluid influences from previous albums into a luminous lodestone of gothic progressive metal. The sorrow and melancholy which prevail over the album are evoked through unhurried, graceful riffs that roll across expansive track lengths. There is no instant gratification here, but this self-assured patience only makes the climactic moments all the more transcendent.
Sitting in the middle of Leaves of Yesteryear, the fifteen-minute “My Dark Reflections of Life and Death” stands as the album’s defining statement. A re-recording of a song from 2000’s Journey to the End of the Night, it exchanges the original’s raw earnestness for a smoother, more poised sense of elegant sadness, and Kjetil Nordhus’ vocal performance conveys the perfect understated balance of grace and gravitas. With a spacious mix that grants every instrument its own breath, Leaves of Yesteryear achieves both the vision and the execution of a formidable, long-awaited comeback.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram
Write up by: Claire
39. Sermon – Of Golden Verse (2023)
Genres: Progressive metal, alternative metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soen, Tool, Katatonia, Wheel
Few albums are so atmospherically rich and musically hypnotic that you become fully immersed in the experience—where the sonic waves wrap around you in a tangible embrace. The darkly regal aura of Sermon’s sophomore effort, Of Golden Verse, takes hold immediately and doesn’t let go across the album’s ten tracks. Synths bounce in “Golden” and riffs roll in “Light the Witch,” ever dynamic but always cohesive. The vocals delivered by the anonymous frontman, known simply as “Him,” move from the commanding chants in “Royal” to the impassioned croons in “The Distance,” supplying an incredibly potent combination of power and expression. Meanwhile, the kitwork of James Stewart (Decapitated, Obscura, and many others) decorates the entire album in ornate fashion, adorning every available space with rhythmic gold. His performance in “Departure” is truly something to behold, adding immense detail while providing an endless stream of entrancing, driving rhythms. Sermon combine these elements in an aural alchemy that’s bold and progressive while also wholly engrossing. Three years after Of Golden Verse’s release, I can still get lost in it at the drop of a needle.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Cory
38. Aeternam – Al Qassam (2020)
Genres: Melodic death metal, symphonic metal, folk metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Septicflesh, Orphaned Land, Myrath
Al Qassam is folky melodeath done to perfection. Every element is crisp and performed with precision: punishing Akerfeldtian growls, candied clean vocals and sing-along choruses, lush orchestration, varied folk instrumentation, lyrics in several languages, and crunchy riffs. The masterclass of folk metal performance unsurprisingly has an incredible and varied track list, too. “The Bringer of Rain” is an energetic melodeath headbanger reminiscent of Septicflesh; “Palmyra Scriptures” stands on its own as a gorgeously arranged folk interlude; and the bombastic buildup and energy of epic closer “Poena Universai” brings to mind Fleshgod Apocalypse. The record is short and sweet with nary a moment wasted, and with the layering of folk, symphonic, and metal instrumentation underpinning every track, each spin of Al Qassam brings something new to the table. Even half a decade after its release, I still can’t pick a favorite track; it’s one of those records.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram
Write up by: Andy
37. Bagdadski Vor – Колхида (2020)
Genres: Mathcore, blackgaze (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Pageninetynine, Vendetta Red, Thursday, City of Caterpillar, Funeral Diner
During a year that was largely dark and grim, Bagdadski Vor‘s 2020 album, Колхида, brought us a much needed 25-minute dose of “hope-core.” While mathcore in its foundation, mixed in are the major key moments you’d expect to find in releases from modern blackgaze artists like Deafheaven. You’ll get the most positive-sounding riff of all time, see it change time signatures 12 times within 30 seconds, and then be greeted by the classical blackgaze wall of sound—a blissful soundscape to wash your anguish away. Колхида’s brevity allows Bagdadski Vor to consistently give the listener everything they’ve got, in successfully maximalist fashion. The post-hardcore style screams in Russian add that extra bit of flair; the language’s percussive nature adds an extra textural element to the overall composition rather than a focal point.
Like a light at the end of the tunnel, Колхида is a beautifully positive musical landscape like resembles overcoming an overwhelming sadness. It never fails to make me smile, and that light should attract far more listeners to this deeply underrated band.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram
Write up by: Dylan
36. Orso – Caffè? (2024)
Genres: Post-metal, sludge metal, progressive metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Cult of Luna, The Ocean, If These Trees Could Talk, Pijn
Coffee: the most metal of beverages. Except maybe ale. Or mead. Or Irn Bru. But it’s up there, right? Every morning, a billion people pour piping hot bean juice down their sleepy throats, suppressing their body’s natural aversion to the intense bitterness through either sheer force of will or an inundation of cream, sugar, and/or pumpkin spice flavoring. In the same way, listening to metal music is often an act of finding joy in the joyless; we push on through the intense, abrasive sounds of distortion and blast beats to fuel our depraved emotional states with the dark revelry within. Orso’s coffee-themed Caffè? offers a delicious instrumental taste of sludgey post-metal like that of Cult of Luna, with impenetrable clouds of hazy distortion surrounding emotive, frenetic percussion. Although the lack of vocals leaves the conceptual connection mostly implied, the four caffeinated tracks provide their own aesthetically fitting interpretations of the classic dark brown brewed beverage we all know and tolerate to varying degrees. Orso’s instrumental songwriting is top notch, with rich, prominent melodies atop thickly rhythmic backing parts and compelling song structures that pay off their slow development with stirring, cathartic resolutions. Although quality post-metal sometimes seems to be released by a drip feed, don’t filter this one out. Let the harsh sounds pour over you and feel your interest start to percolate.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Doug
35. Frost* – Life in the Wires (2024)
Genres: Neo-prog, progressive rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Rush, Dream Theater, Yes, Porcupine Tree, Arena
Imagine releasing so infrequently that any new release is hailed by your body of loyal listeners with the fanfare of a rare meteor shower. Frost’s fifth album in their nineteen-year career, Life in the Wires is a conceptual double album set in a techno-pessimistic dystopia where the panoptical Eye watches over all. Throwing back to their iconic debut, Milliontown, Life in the Wires is, once again, a furious display of melody and technicality, as the dream line-up—Godfrey, Mitchell, King, Blundell—blister their way through a hefty eighty-six minutes of neo-progressive perfection. Impressively, there’s not an ounce of fat to be trimmed on a record as anthemic and nostalgic as it is forward-thinking and intrepid. Piano and keys take centre stage as Godfrey takes the lead more than ever before, but that’s not to discount some fantastic riffs and gorgeous soloing from Mitchell, while Blundell and King continue to be a rhythm section made in heaven. From paean to escape “Evaporator” to throwback epic “Life in the Wires Pt. 2”, Frost demonstrate why they’re still one of the most talented and emotionally authentic bands in the genre.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Instagram
Write up by: Christopher
34. Fires in the Distance – Air Not Meant For Us (2023)
Genres: Melodic death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Insomnium, Shylmagaghnor, Be’Lakor, Swallow the Sun, Countless Skies
Imagine, if you will, soaring over a vast, broken landscape, its surface cracking and shifting under the strain of incalculable tectonic forces. Lava erupts forth from the earth’s wounds, glowing with a deadly yet entrancing beauty. Wind rushes past as you fly past the coast over the frigid ocean, waves cresting and crashing chaotically into one another as a tempest howls and wails above. You take a sharp turn upwards, lashing raindrops turning into gentle snowflakes as you approach the cloud barrier. Up there, amidst a tranquil sea of white, you watch the gentle light of a sunrise softly bloom over the horizon, and suddenly the primordial violence you witnessed upon the surface seems a world away.
Such is the experience of listening to Air Not Meant For Us, the sophomore album from melodeath maestros Fires in the Distance. Few albums manage to strike such an expert balance between the crushingly heavy and the weepingly gorgeous quite like this. The weighty, glacier-like guitars crunch inexorably onward with a sense of stately majesty that reflects the increased influence of doom metal on the band’s sound, while ever-present layers of icy, sparkling piano and orchestration provide gentle, melodic beauty and heart-seizing melancholy in equal measure. Each of its six tracks is a stunning journey through impeccably composed, sprawling vistas of sound, sure to leave listeners breathless by their conclusion.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Ian
33. Orgone – Pleroma (2024)
Genres: Dissonant death metal, chamber folk (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Gorguts, Hypno5e, Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris
As much as I believe that progressive death metal is the music genre with the widest range of sounds at its disposal, I’d be lying if I said it never got a little predictable. With every track I hear, the patterns become more clear, and eventually it’s obvious when a switch to clean vocals or an acoustic passage is on deck. There are of course bands that buck these trends, but there are none in recent memory more shocking to me in its subversion of genre norms than Orgone’s Pleroma. By combining the riffing style of early dissodeath like Gorguts and Demilich with a heavily classically-influenced chamber folk disposition, Orgone have concocted a brew wholly unique to themselves. Despite my now countless listens, I still find myself surprised by the turns the album takes across its runtime, and I’m more shocked that each twist of the sound feels warranted by the music. Pleroma is a masterclass in composition, staking claim on legions of uncharted musical territory and elegant in the discoveries it finds there.
Links: Bandcamp | Facebook | original review
Write up by: Cooper
32. Acolyte – Entropy (2021)
Genres: Progressive metal, progressive rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Vanden Plas, Cellar Darling
Entropy is a hidden gem that blends modern progressive rock ambition with ‘70s analog warmth and swagger. Morgan Leigh-Brown’s stunning vocals soar over riffy, organ-laced grooves that deliver a sound that is both nostalgically familiar and freshly invigorating. Vintage keyboards, rocking riffs, and a conceptual throughline about processing loss all meld together into a single, resonant statement. A lesser band would be tempted to drown the concept in overwrought theatrics and technical showboating, but Acolyte avoids overcooked excess with well-crafted songs that balance prog’s heady and lengthier structures with rock ‘n’ roll’s visceral punch. The analog ethos of the album gives it a lived-in quality, elevating the excellent songwriting and performances. It may be too underground to make waves beyond niche circles like ours, but Entropy feels like a modern classic in miniature that understands its lineage while carving a space within it.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Daniel
31. Sikasa – Matter Earth (2022)
Genres: Post-metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Opeth, Gojira
Running the gamut from prog death to post-metal and with folk flavours in between, upstart Croatian group Sikasa impressed us with their debut full-length Matter Earth. Boasting a mountainous vocal performance from frontman Bruno Longfield—who alternates between vituperative, Akerfeldtian harshes, plaintive keening and gravel-mouthed harmonies—and bolstered by a thunderous instrumental section who can tackle Klone-esque post-rock in one moment, Gojira grooves the next, and with occasional forays into Opethian death or Orphaned Land style folk, Sikasa are an ever-versatile outfit. “Where Giants Walk” gives us lamentory post-metal as Bruno Longfield opines ‘no reason to stay and no reason to go, when every moment I stay here I fall below’ while the riffs that quake through “Of Sulphur” are positively seismic. Meanwhile, the undiluted European folk melody “Mokosh” is an unlikely but apparent Subway favourite. Across its runtime, Matter Earth demonstrates a deft balance between genre diversity and a conceptually holistic vision. All of which means that, despite their apparent youth as a group, Sikasa are absolutely a band to watch.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Christopher
30. Hạc San – Hồn – Trăng – Máu (2020)
Genres: Progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Rush, IQ
Hon Trang Mau, much like Aeon Zen’s aforementioned Transversal, might seem like a mere half-hour slab of Dream Theater worship, but there’s much more to it than meets the eye. With infusions of cinematic power metal that bestow an endearingly sappy 80s sensibility, something about the warmth of the synth and lead guitar tones, as well as the major key focus and sweetness of the vocal melodies, bestows a romanticism on the whole project. But this romanticism never undercuts the instrumentation, for Hac San know how to deliver melodic solo after melodic solo, and bolster the record with a recurring motif that never grows tiresome. Indeed, its main theme contains one of the most memorable melodies of the decade, and you’ll be surprised just how many times you can hear different variations of it without it growing stale. It took time for Hồn – Trăng – Máu to reveal its depths to me, but patient listeners will be rewarded with an experience that becomes all the more fulfilling the more you listen. Could Dream Theater could write a 30-minute long prog epic power ballad? Sure. But it wouldn’t have anywhere near the sincerity or power of this one-track release from a Vietnamese group most people have never heard of.
Links: Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Dylan
29. Kaatayra – Inpariquipê (2021)
Genres: Avant-folk, atmospheric black metal, post-minimalism (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Wolves in the Throne Room, Panopticon, Bríi, Mare Cognitum
In many cases, less is more in music—such is the ethos of the minimalists and post-minimalists of the late twentieth century. Beloved Subway solo artist Caio Lemos takes hefty inspiration from this school of thought on Inpariquipê, his latest LP under the moniker Kaatayra (stylised as Kaataíra for this record). Kaatayra is notable as a wholly acoustic take on atmospheric black metal; Lemos pushes this experimentation further on Inpariquipê by joining it with post-minimalist compositional techniques and ethereal folk music. The hypnotic repetition of opener “Tiquinde” is like a soothing balm enveloped in sunshine when paired with its gentle shaking percussion, delicate keyboard effects, and whimsical string melodies. From these elements emerges a gradual, almost imperceptible evolution that opens up to the gentle blast beats of the title track. Flute takes melodic lead later on as the foundation of myriad micro-evolutions, and the rest of Inpariquipê follows suit, whether it be shining a spotlight on the percussion, the strings, or keyboards. Despite an insistence on repetition, the record never reaches stasis or stagnance; its subtlety makes changes feel even more pronounced and impactful. Inpariquipê’s groundbreaking combination of black metal, post-minimalism, and Brazilian folk demonstrates Lemos’ wholesale command over his craft and the importance of his work to the greater black metal mythology.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Instagram
Write up by: Dave
28. Obsidious – Iconic (2022)
Genres: Technical death metal, progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Obscura, Scar Symmetry, Persefone
Iconic still hits just as hard for me as it did dozens of listens ago, when I first discovered it on a 2022 “best of the year” list. Comprising three former Obscura members (the Diluvium lineup), plus vocalist Javi Perera, Obsidious met the lofty expectations set by their own tech-death pedigree to deliver a debut album that is, dare I say, iconic. It’s grand, epic, skillfully performed and cleanly mixed, and we’re just going to ignore the fact that one of the songs is about BDSM.
The ex-Obscura boys are on fire: Rafael Trujillo whips dauntlessly across scorching guitar arpeggios, chugs, and solos that burst with aerodynamic precision; Sebastian Lanser navigates the album’s whiplash tempo shifts and genre crosscurrents with unrelenting momentum on the drums; and Linus Klausenitzer’s fretless bass is so delectably snappy and prominent that it inevitably makes me miss the bass in whatever I listen to after Iconic. And not to be outdone, Javi Perera delivers a sublime vocal performance, from piercing clean vocals that soar to impressively high notes without ever losing a shred of their power, to the gnashing, low snarl of his growls. Obsidious burst onto the scene fully-formed, offering in Iconic an album that’s destined to be remembered as one of the decade’s great debuts.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Claire
27. Coevality – Multiple Personalities (2021)
Genres: Progressive rock, jazz fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Cynic, Plini, The Omnific, Chon
A punchy, slick drum fill leads into smooth fretless bass in the very first seconds of “Light Bikes”, the opener to Coevality’s Multiple Personalities. Coevality are not interested in wasting the listener’s time: Multiple Personalities is jam-packed with curiosities and lightning flashes of technicality, balanced with cool guitars (“Cryptic Creek”) and climactic fretless bass solos (“MPD”). Much of the record exudes the fun, bright timbral language of the likes of Plini and David Maxim Micic. “Oceania” begins with a tightly knit arpeggio and a touching fretless bass solo, carefully building to celestial soundscaping and placid guitar work. The track then takes a cheeky left turn in its concluding moments with a fun, jaunty swing rooted in 90s smooth jazz. “Carnival Minivan” features brushed drumhits reminiscent of a sputtering car that positively takes off in an explosion of lively guitar and exciting bass lines.
Where Multiple Personalities is at its most exciting, though, is when Coevality completely let loose: “MPD” dips its toes into Cynicism, beginning with a series of smooth guitar licks accompanied by groovy drums, but the center of the track opens up for an extended fretless bass solo that builds to a furious climax, utterly smooth yet ridiculously groovy and bursting with energy. “MPD” is endlessly addictive, among the best instruprog tracks released this decade. A mix of balanced songwriting, absurdly lush production, and a Carnival Minivan full of fun establish Multiple Personalities as a landmark of modern instrumental music.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | Instagram | original review
Write up by: Dave
26. Triton Project – Messenger’s Quest (2024)
Genres: Progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Seventh Wonder, Darkwater, Circus Maximus
The underground scene for traditional progressive metal is rife with lackluster concept albums overburdened by lofty ambitions. Messenger’s Quest, despite being Triton Project’s debut, is not one of them. The scope is so perfectly defined it would bring a project manager to tears, combining precise, high-quality musicianship with adventurous songwriting and an epic fantasy feel. Despite the intimidating length of both the album (almost eighty minutes) and its longest track (almost thirty!), the pacing never feels slow or overextended, but moves along at a satisfying, well-developed clip. The storytelling of the titular Quest conveys a simple narrative, but a moving one nonetheless, following a lone messenger on his journey through a fantasy land to deliver a crucial message. The simplicity also works in Triton Project’s favor—where other concept albums fall short of conveying their vastly overwrought stories, a simple concept provides a more fertile seed for both music and narrative. Sean Thompson’s vocals breathe life into the story, wide-ranging in both pitch and emotional expression. Extended instrumental sections filled with dark, icy guitars and sparkling keyboards paint a mystical snowy backdrop for the epic setting, an enchanting landscape to draw the bewitched listener even deeper. Veteran proggers beware: there’s a newcomer in town, and you may need to step up your game if you want to keep pace.
Links: Bandcamp | Apple Music | Facebook | original review
Write up by: Doug
There we have it! The first 25 of our top 50. Any surprises? What are you expecting to see in the top 25 and who do you think will take the top spot? Come and harass us (nicely)!
0 Comments