Hello. Welcome to another edition of The Progressive Subway. I mentioned that April album of the month was huge in volume, and this one’s of similar size. It’s almost as if we’re back to our original format with how many albums we have, except this time I can promise you all of them are good! April, May, September. Those are usually the best months of the year in my experience. August and November also tend to have great releases, albeit less consistently. The next two months are probably gonna end up lesser in that regard. June and July are relatively quiet usually. Oh well. We’ll see when the time comes.
In other news, things have been shaken up quite a bit in Subway land. Jonah and Stephen have left the blog as they simply didn’t have the time anymore. Jonah was part of the OG trio together with me and Dylan, and Stephen has also been here for years, so we were all very sad to see them go. Stephen will still write a piece for an upcoming interview, but that’s it. We got in a bit of a slump writing-wise, so we had to straighten the ship. Both of them told me they didn’t have the time to commit consistently enough, so unfortunately they left. On a more positive note however, you can expect us to publish more consistently from now on, and we’ve got a couple of writers who have been out for long coming back to writing as well. So all in all things are heading in a good direction in the driving room.
Warning! Everything from here on out will contain some severe BS. Feel free to skip and hop straight into the music.
Those of you who’ve been following this blog for a while may know how after a while I started writing associative nonsense in the introductions out of boredom and a complete lack of inspiration. I’ve talked about the weirdest things. One time my sibling couldn’t sleep and starting spamming me, so I sent them a nice little BS-bedtime story. It was quite… something. Then somewhere this week I got supremely bored, so I started turning it into an actual full-fledged story. It’s nowhere near completion yet, but I thought as an experiment to post what I have written so far in here. Again, it’s completely non-essential and don’t feel obliged to read, but if you do, let me know what you think. Well then, here goes:
In the land of flying guinea pigs
Soaring through the sky one day was a guinea pig. Narita was a beautiful, elegant being. How she acquired wings is unknown. As far as she knows, she’s had them for as long as she could remember. She was wanted by guinea pig men, but the poor bastards didn’t have the ability to fly like she did so they could never catch her. She had a brilliant white fur, and red eyes like a shining ruby. Her wings were like those of an angel. Virtuous, elegant as she was, she soared through the skies of the Andes, looking for greener pastures to lead her guinea pig clan towards because the bastards ate so much they exhausted each spot they visited quite quickly.
However one day disaster struck. Fellow birds of the sky usually admired her from the side to admire her angelic presence, but from a different mountain unknowingly came a hungry eagle named Bob. As Narita caught his eye Bob focused his senses, abandoned all thought, and went in for the kill. He had never seen such a delicious looking creature. I mean, did you see those curves? The drool drove Bob into overdrive. Going ever faster in a straight line at his target, the wind blowing past his feathers, the sound of the air all faded from his conscious. All he could see was his target, and he was gonna eat it. Ever faster, sharper, he approached the target. Collision any second now! Beak open, fangs unleashed, and a final scream!
As consciousness returned, his surroundings came back to Bob. For a second he was still in a state of hunt, but something wasn’t right. There was no taste in his mouth, no delicious guinea pig flesh squishing between his teeth. Instead, his beak was shut, and his gaze at the heavens above instead of the earth below. Indeed, he was upside down. Narita was having none of his bullshit. She had evaded his beak, slammed it shut as she grabbed it, and now went in for the SUPLEX SMACK MADAFAKA! After a quick rotation to absorb his momentum, Narita was flying to the rocks on the ground at full speed to finish Bob off with the ultimate SUPLEX SMASH. Bob tried to free himself, but the grip was too tight, invalidating his struggle. “So much for the power of freedom, eh?” Narita shoddily remarked as she sped to the ground. Faster and faster, scorching the air like a meteor, the adrenaline, the FEAR in Bob spiked. But eventually, acceptance. In his final moments, as they were about to collide and Bob was sure he’d die, he gained a last visage of clarity: Narita had a surprisingly good booty, and he could have peace in death with that view, at last.
To be continued (???)
Vokonis – Odyssey (Sweden)
Style: progressive stoner metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
It grooves and riffs and grooves and smothers you in a nice layer of fuzz. That’s all you need to know about Vokonis’ latest album really. Odyssey is a blast to listen to and very easy to slap on. Add in nice little progressive twists and song structuring and you get a very fun album. It’s full with nice little Mastodon-isms and cool guitar solos as well. I don’t know what else to tell you, Odyssey slaps, and sometimes that’s all there is to it.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Odyssey, Blackened Wings, Through the Depths
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Elder, Kylesa, Astrakhan
Sketchshow – WAVES (United Kingdom)
Style: math rock (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Pick by: Nick
This band is a bit of an odd one out in the UK’s blooming math rock scene. Whereas bands like Black Midi and Black Country, New Road have been focusing on fusing in post-punk and avant-garde elements, Sketchshow brings in a fun blend of funk, jazz, pop punk, and emo to make a super awesome, super fun, super unique sonic blast. This is their debut full length, like a lot of bands I’ve covered so far, so be sure to check em out and give them some love!
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Delight, Smoke, Empty Without You
Recommended for fans of: Covet, Bent Knee, Thank You Scientist, CHON
Canvas Solaris – Chromosphere (US-PA)
Style: technical progressive metal (instrumental)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sebastian
Canvas Solaris returns after a long hiatus with no shortage of technical riffs, complex song structures, and impressive shredding. However, this time the band leans in a bit more of a focused approach, emphasizing strong songwriting and stand-out melodies. The band delivers Chromosphere with additional influences to the instrumental prog metal that they have built their career on, now with subtleties reminiscent of the 1990s technical thrash scene. Two of the 10+ minute songs are a couple of the high points on the album. If you are a fan of technical instrumental progressive metal along the vein of Spastic Ink and Liquid Tension Experiment, and don’t mind the “wanky” aspect of this field of metal, this album is a must listen.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Extrasolar Biosignature, Zero Point Field
Recommended for fans of: Spastic Ink, Liquid Tension Experiment, Exivious, Scale the Summit, Aghora, Watchtower, Coroner
Subterranean Masquerade – Mountain Fever (Israel)
Style: progressive folk rock/metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
It’s always a pleasure to review an album by someone you’ve talked to personally, especially when that band makes music as great as this. Mountain Fever is an amalgamation of folk, jazz, and prog blended into a very smooth upbeat package. With Vidi’s very expressive, slightly theatrical vocals this becomes a blast to listen to. All the songs are hooky enough to make an immediate impact, but complex enough to still be fulfilling 20 listens later. When it comes to “fun” in prog, this is certainly up there with the best of them.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Diaspora My Love, Ya Shema Evyonecha, For the Leader, With Strings Music; Mangata
Recommended for fans of: Orphaned Land, Pain of Salvation, Haken, OMB, Cheeto’s Magazine
Dordeduh – Har (Romania)
Style: progressive atmospheric black metal, folk (mixed, Romanian vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
Dordeduh is more or less a continuation of Negura Bunget, and in my opinion, the better band. They took NB’s formula of atmospheric folk black metal, and expanded greatly upon it by adding a more immediate emotional dimension to the music. Instead of NB’s completely unsettling atmosphere of vampires lurking around every corner to kill you in a horror film or a thriller, it now rather feels like a dreamy film house experience or an intense vision quest in a shamanic ritual. It still has the unsettling atmosphere, but less on an immediate physical level and more on a spiritual one, if that makes sense. Distant, yet no less real. The music is more cinematic than NB ever was. By bringing in more immediate elements like chant-like clean vocals and more visceral riffs, the music connects more emotionally. Whereas NB stayed like a painting, Dordeduh completely surrounds you and draws you in. A true slow burner, yet totally enveloping you from the get go. Har has new layers to unpack in each listen. Turn off the lights, light some candles and let this transport you to another dimension. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Descânt, Desferecat, De Neam Vergur
Recommended for fans of: Negura Bunget, Sur Austru, Enslaved, Agalloch, (late) Nokturnal Mortum (cries)
Impure Wilhelmina – Antidote (Switzerland)
Style: post-metal (mixed vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Pick by: Dylan
I already talked about this album less than a week ago so I’ll keep it short and sweet; Antidote is an album that thrives in its own tropes, with musicianship that’s both atmospheric and engaging and a particular singer who gives off that unique edge to it. Absolutely essential if you’re into the post-metal genre.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Midlife Hollow, Dismantling, Jasmines, Unpredicted Sky
Recommended for fans of: Katatonia, Russian Circles, The Smiths
Esoctrilihum – Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath (France)
Style: avant-garde black metal (harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Callum
One of the most prolific and consistent artists in the scene, with his sixth album in four years, Asthâghul has further expanded his command of other-wordly black and death metal with the inclusion of doom elements and a greater emphasis on non-traditional instrumentation. Similar to his back catalogue, this record is long, dense, psychedelic, and brimming with Lovecraftian horrors. Segmented in four sections of three tracks each, this structure, while not quite Ariadne’s thread, does help to give reference points to where you are in the labyrinth of chaos, along with semi-frequent periods of slow tempo funeral doom and orchestral respite.
While not exactly radio-friendly (to put it lightly), Dy’th Requiem for the Serpent Telepath contains some of the more accessible tracks that Esoctrilihum has produced. Tracks like the opener, “Ezkikur” and the single “Dy’th”, dare I say, even groove in places. If you had been turned off by the density and opaqueness of his previous work, new listeners could be more likely to find something that clicks for them here. Alternatively, long time fans may see this album as a significant change in direction from the old school blackened death of yore (literally only a year ago), but it is inarguably refreshing, boundary-pushing and progressive in every sense.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Baahl Duthur, Zhaïc Daemon, Xuiotg
Recommended for fans of: Blut Aus Nord, Paysage D’Hiver, Oranssi Pazuzu
The Flight of Sleipnir – Eventide (US-CO)
Style: atmospheric black metal, psych doom (mostly harsh vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
Winter it might not be, yet this piece of atmo black doesn’t feel out of place at all. Eventide is a lovely, warm piece of atmospheric metal. It’s a slick mixture of atmo-black, psych doom, and sometimes Viking folk as well. Thanks to their smooth songwriting it never feels like simply a product of genres either, The Flight of Sleipnir completely have their own sound that just happens to sound like these genres. It’s atmospheric and distant, yet also does weighty riffs and pretty lead play that keep it grounded. The songs on this album flow by as if it’s a 30 minute album, yet have enough depth to satisfy as if it was a full hour. Perfect both for in the background and for active listening, let this album sweep you along its tide to god-knows where.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: January, Bathe the Stone in Blood, Harvest
Recommended for fans of: Agalloch, Skyforest, Elder
Silver Talon – Decadence and Decay (US-OR)
Style: progressive heavy/power metal (clean vocals)
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sam
Are you perhaps sad that Nevermore will never make music anymore (pun intended)? Are you into the darker side of heavy metal? This is the band for you. Decadence and Decay is a dark, very aggressive slap of stellar modern heavy/power metal. Aside from the usual baseline of killer riffs, killer solos, and killer vocals, the strength of this release also lies in its variety and willingness to experiment. I certainly didn’t expect any Stratovarius-esque neoclassical runs or Spanish-tinged acoustic sections in a release like this, but they pulled it off. In a genre that’s not exactly known for innovation, minor additions like these come a long way. There’s no forced masculinity in this either. Everything feels completely natural. Decadence and Decay is a surprising, forward-thinking album that any fan of heavy and/or power metal should look into.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Next to the Sun, Kill All Kings, Touch the Void
Recommended for fans of: Nevermore, Sanctuary, Iced Earth, (US) power metal in general
Wine Guardian – Timescape (Italy)
Style: prog metal/rock (mostly clean vocals)
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Pick by: Sebastian
This band is what it would be like if an 80s prog rock band gained riffs from the 2000s and 2010s prog metal scene. And it is those riffs that are what drew me into this obscure Italian band as they seem to come in abundance. These three members in the band excel in a simplistic delivery of their music. The album is mixed to perfection and sounds akin to taking a breath in the fresh ocean breeze. The lead guitar is leveled nicely in the forefront, making their riffs really pop.
Additionally, the complex song structures in the album showcase the maturity and experience Wine Guardian has in progressive songwriting. There are a lot of moments on the album that would appeal to a variety of modern prog metal fans, particularly fans of Soen and recent Opeth as those are two bands that had a huge influence on the main songwriter of the Timescape. This really shows in the acoustic/distorted lead guitar dynamics, and in the main riffs. Anyone looking for an exceptional release from a more traditional prog metal band has got to give Wine Guardian a chance.
You can read the original review here.
Recommended tracks: Chemical Indulgence, Little Boy, The Astounding Journey
Recommended for fans of: Soen, Rush, Porcupine Tree, Savatage, Opeth, Queensryche
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