Style: Progressive metal, progressive rock, alternative rock, heavy metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Queensryche, Rush
Country: United States
Release date: 25 November 2025

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Contrast is one of the defining features of progressive music. The juxtaposition of different dynamics, genres, and sounds that aren’t normally heard together forms the foundation of this forward-thinking and vibrant musical style. CrowsVsRavens are a New Jersey-based progressive metal project that allegedly “thrives on contrast”, and set out to display it on their sophomore record The Grey. This “global recording collective” features a rotating cast of eight musicians, and promises a musical journey that defies genre boundaries while remaining accessible. Can CrowsVsRavens keep this promise, or do they struggle under its weight and lose sight of their goal?

The Grey’s first impressions are honestly, stellar. Opener “Singularity” immediately kicks into speed metal mode and brings a pleasant surprise: a Mekong Delta inspired riff that sounds as if it were pulled right from Dances of Death, and anything that brings Delta’s urgent, melodic riffing to mind is an instant win for me. CrownVsRavens’s core sound revolves around a tight, versatile rhythm section, layered vocals that switch between soulful grunge singing and power metal highs, and guitar harmonies of the classic metal variety. The Grey filters this sound through different lenses, from the speed metal of “Singularity” to near funk on “Beyond Repair (Monday Mirror)”, and the Queensryche-style guitar harmonies of “They March Ever On”. While individual tracks hold up well on their own, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when approaching The Grey as a whole. CrowsVsRavens can’t always settle on a mood between the more solemn slow moments (“The Grey”, “Broken”), and the spirited, upbeat ones (“Singularity”, “Spears of Sennacherib”). Track sequencing also hampers The Grey‘s flow: the opening salvo of the first two tracks is matched almost nowhere else, and following them up with two slower tracks only adds a feeling of disjointedness, making the record seem misrepresented from the start.

Thankfully, a handful of moments showcase CrowsVsRavens‘s full potential, particularly on standout track “Rabb1t H0le”, which features engaging harmonized vocals, frantic rhythms, and spiralling guitar leads. The song not only flows like a story but generates a mystical atmosphere – it even ends with a snaky riff that calls to mind Rush‘s Hemispheres. “Sails and Sirens” is another excellent track, twisting from lighter, groovy verses to urgent unhinged prog with more Mekong Delta riffs (yes please), and even some borderline harsh vocals near the end, which inject a lot of momentum, showing how powerful and heavy CrowsVsRavens can be. In stark contrast, “Broken” could have been omitted: it’s a by-the-numbers power ballad that stalls momentum entirely and lacks everything interesting about the group’s sound, saved only by Rob Lundgren’s powerful vocal performance. For all the progressive aspirations, this feels like playing it safe on a project that is supposed to “defy musical boundaries”, and drags the experience down.

One final positive is how well CrowsVsRavens works together as a global collective. Chris Bohm (drums) and Rope Ganjee (bass) anchor every song and they drive The Grey with shifting rhythms and bouncy grooves. A rotating cast of at least three different guitarists and vocalists fill out the rest of the lineup, and while none of them stand out individually – save the aforementioned vocals of Lundgren – they are all competent and contribute strong, layered melodies across The Grey. I suspect one day there will be a time where CrowsVsRavens are able to tie together their classic metal template, solid harmonies, and musical atmosphere to release an excellent record. The Grey is a competent release with a handful of standout moments, particularly when their classic metal template takes advantage of their layered melodies and strong rhythms, but ultimately feels disjointed as a whole, and their proposed journey tends to stray off course in the process. For now, I guess we’ll have to see who wins: the crows or the ravens. Only time will tell, but their conflict is at least chaotic and fun to watch.

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Recommended tracks: Rabb1t H0le, Singularity, Sails and Sirens
You may also like: Mekong Delta, Anathema, Pharaoh, Incura
Final verdict: 6/10

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Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

CrowsVsRavens is:
– Rope Gangee (bass)
– Chris Bohm (drums)
– Rich Grabowsky (guitars on “Singularity”, “Broken”, “Beyond Repair”, “Epilogue”)
– Filippo Rosati (guitars and keyboards on “Spears of Sennacherib”, “They March Ever On”, “Rabb1t H0le”)
– Tom Wooley (keyboards)
– Rob Lundgren (vocals)
– Ged Cartwright (vocals)
– Trevor Laake (vocals)