Here you can read up on our reviewers, what their taste is, what they look like, etc. There’s no way of telling what we smell like though, so we’ll leave that up to your imagination.
Sam
Founder, Website Organizer, Music Reviewer, Editor, Profound Bullshitter
Last.fm: http://last.fm/user/sam1oq
Reddit: /u/sam1oq (formerly /u/genderlessperson but that’s been deleted)
Discord: @sam1oq#7358
Favorite Artists: Vanden Plas, Virgin Steele, Enslaved, Evergrey, Disillusion, Anathema, Adele, Orphaned Land, Marillion, Symphony X, Pain of Salvation, Kingcrow, (late) Sieges Even / Subsignal, Arkona (RUS), Manilla Road, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory, Gargoyle (JAP), Motorpsycho
Self-proclaimed prog metal boomer and hater of all things djent and (metal)core. My main occupation in life is studying math (doing a master-level stochastics track currently). Besides music listening, my hobbies are animanga (favorites are One Piece, Kingdom, and Jujutsu Kaisen), singing, Buddhism, and outdoor activities like cycling or hiking (or well, just walks since there are no mountains in The Netherlands :(((( ).
Christopher
Music Reviewer, Lead Editor, Label Liaison, Lapsed Guitarist
Discord: Munstopher#4158
Reddit: u/ifthisisausername
Favourite bands: Wilderun, Devin Townsend, The Ocean, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Steven Wilson, Opeth, Disillusion, Bent Knee, Haken, Leprous, Subterranean Masquerade, Mastodon, Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, Arcane Roots, Sylosis, Tremonti, Alter Bridge, Snarky Puppy, Pink Floyd, David Maxim Micic, Queens of the Stone Age, Avenged Sevenfold, Rise Against, Ulver, Finsterforst, Kyros, Wills Dissolve, Xanthochroid, Ludovico Einaudi, iamthemorning
Christopher is the second Chris to join the Subway so is cursed to use his full name. He is not bitter about it, honest. If you’re on reddit, he was the perpetrator of those “underrated prog artists” posts on r/progmetal during Covid. He enjoys music, literature and film, loves dogs, is mildly allergic to cats, doesn’t know much about eels, and when he grows up he’d like to be a dinosaur. Despite being from England, he doesn’t drink tea and is therefore a disgrace to his nation—he’s not particularly bothered about it.
Andy
Music Reviewer, Lead Editor, Hater; Math, Computer Science, and Writing Undergrad
Instagram: andy_parks_55
Reddit: u/notyourlandlord
Favorite Bands (in order, naturally (min. three albums)): Ne Obliviscaris, Dream Theater, Leprous, Blind Guardian, Wilderun, Opeth, Kaatayra/Bríi, Shadow Gallery, Imperial Triumphant, Midnight Odyssey, Obscura, Persefone, Rhapsody, Galneryus, Transatlantic/Neal Morse, Thank You Scientist, Wintersun, Be’Lakor, Archspire, Symphony X, Iamthemorning, Angra, The Dear Hunter
Ask any of Andy’s peers irl or on the Subway [editor’s note: he has an awful personality]… he consumes music at a frightening, unsustainable pace–yet he sustains. He always has his headphones on. Beyond listening to music in his limited free time outside of school, you can find Andy making/consuming coffee, writing poetry, running, playing ultimate frisbee, disc golfing, reading fantasy books, collecting CDs (somebody tell him it isn’t the 1990s), taking care of his aquariums and gecko, bullying discussing music with his friend Zach, playing Zelda, fishing, and (obviously) organizing his music spreadsheets and notes like a nerd.
Zach
Music Reviewer, Guitarist, Bassist, Vocalist, and SF/Fantasy Writer
Discord: gruncho#0417
Twitter: @gruncholio
Favorite Bands: Opeth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me, Rush, Yes, Cryptodira, Ne Obliviscaris, Hath, Blood Incantation, First Fragment, Gojira, Disillusion, Cynic, Spawn of Possession, Carcass, Wilderun, Strapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend, Death, Hands of Despair, Animals as Leaders, Sulphur Aeon, Gorguts, Rivers of Nihil, The Ocean, Katatonia, Edge of Sanity (and Dan Swanö in general), Native Construct, Archspire, Inferi, Beyond Creation, Meshuggah, Phendrana, Gwynbleidd, Firelink, Beyond Grace, Haken, Vildhjarta, Mastodon, Dyssidia, The Zenith Passage, Horrendous, Morrow, In Vain, Slugdge, Protest the Hero, Black Crown Initiate, Psycroptic, Coheed and Cambria, Wills Dissolve, Necrophagist, Pull Down the Sun, Radiohead, The Faceless, Abduction, Obscura, Artificial Brain, Shadow of Intent, Thornhill, Unexpect
A lover of all things weird, dark, and theatrical, Zach found his love for prog at a young age by being the son of a Dream Theater fan. In middle school, he heard Opeth’s “Ghost Reveries” and BTBAM’s “The Great Misdirect”, which would set the template for what he’d be listening to for years to come. When he’s not reviewing or at work, he spreads his time between reading and writing SF/fantasy (Joe Abercrombie, Pierce Brown, and Tamsyn Muir are his favorites), trying to find an anime that scratches the Mecha itch he always has, and trying his hardest to be good at guitar.
Doug
Music Reviewer, Software Engineer, Once-Upon-a-Time Clarinet and Saxophone Player
Reddit: /u/northos_
Favorite Bands: Elder, Dream Theater, Riverside, Ostura, Seventh Wonder, Symphony X, Anubis Gate, Vanden Plas, Kingcrow, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Plini, Intervals, StarSystems, Thank You Scientist, Protest the Hero, Children of Nova, Wheel (the Finnish one), DVNE, Anciients, Latitudes, Messa, Rishloo, Tides of Man, Final Fantasy OSTs
Doug awakened his love of prog metal in a fever dream while listening to Images & Words as a teenager. Although his tastes have expanded since the early days of Dream Theater-seeded Pandora stations, that traditional prog sound still forms the core of his listening preferences. When not sifting through new album releases or working as a web developer, he spends too much time playing video games and not enough time outdoors hiking and cross-country skiing.
Cooper
Music Reviewer, Electrical and Computer Engineering Undergrad, Multi-Instrumentalist
Insta: coopermeyers
Reddit: u/mrluciferious
Favorite Bands: Alkaloid, Alluvial, Alustrium, Archspire, Avenged Sevenfold, Baroness, Bell Witch, Between the Buried and Me, Black Country, New Road, Black Crown Initiate, Blood Incantation, Bon Iver, Burial in the Sky, Car Bomb, Chevelle, Conjurer, Death, Deftones, Dessiderium, Devenial Verdict, Dream Theater, Dyscarnate, Earthshine (my band!), Fit for an Autopsy, Gojira, Hath, Havok, The Human Abstract, Hypno5e, Intronaut, Iron Maiden, Kardashev, Lamb of God, LIVE, Lucid Planet, Mastodon, Meshuggah, Metallica, Ne Obliviscaris, The Ocean, Opeth, Others by No One, Pantera, Periphery, Pink Floyd, Primus, Psychonaut, Replicant, Rivers of Nihil, Skeletonwitch, Slice the Cake, Slugdge, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Tool, Unleash the Archers, Vildhjarta, Warforged, White Ward, The World is Quiet Here
Since before he can remember, Cooper has been obsessed with all things music, and ever since he heard bands like Tool, Dream Theater, and Mastodon, he’s been obsessed with all things progressive metal. When he’s not spending his time studying, Cooper can be found reading fantasy novels, playing video games, and writing music of his own.
Sabrina
Website Organizer, Music Reviewer, Editor
rateyourmusic
Last.fm
Spotify
Discord: @WattPheasant#1989
Reddit: /u/Doop1iss
Favorite Bands: Opeth, Dream Theater, Meshuggah, Haken, Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Riverside, Devin Townsend, Leprous, Fates Warning, Death, Caligula’s Horse, Soen, Enslaved, Pain of Salvation, Obscura, The Ocean, Symphony X, VOLA, Cynic, Rivers of Nihil, Disillusion, Atheist, Tool, Psychotic Waltz, Iron Maiden, Swallow the Sun, Wilderun, Gojira, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Thy Light, Baroness, Rhapsody, Ayreon, Thy Catafalque, Papangu, Epica, Their Dogs Were Astronauts, Anarchÿ, Green Carnation, Fen, Periphery, Dyssidia, The Reticent, The Offering, Altesia, Descend, Aghora, Vulkan, Lord Dying, and a bunch more.
Sabrina (formerly Sebastian) loved progressive metal before she knew it existed as a genre label of its own. Gateway bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica, and some of Avenged Sevenfold’s artsy, more involved songs had sparked a passion that drew her to more progressive bands. As the dominos of causation fell, she dug deeper into the obscure regions of the genre – to the point where Sabrina developed a lifelong love and dedication to the genre. Outside of the music world, she is currently a philosophy graduate student at the University of Arizona and is a ranked SSBM player. Sabrina has been co-organizing the blog with Sam since 2021.
Francesco
Music reviewer, Photographer, Cicerone, Italian
Discord: pgsix#5115
Favorite Bands: Blind Guardian, Firewind, Folkstone, Wind Rose, Rhapsody (all of them), Skyclad, Symphony X, Pentagram (TUR), Mägo de Oz, Wuthering Heights, Persuader, Savage Circus, Anubis Gate, Pyramid Theorem, Drakarium, Dream Theater, Rush, Iron Maiden, Coexistence, Archspire, Nile, The Absence, Saga, Evergrey, Quo Vadis, Annihilator… Et Al
Francesco is a Toronto music photographer who originally hails from Palermo, Italy. He can often be found silently judging opening acts at local shows and complaining about the venue’s stage lighting and beer selection. As a fan of classical literature, medieval history, and baroque music, power metal was his first beloved metal style. Francesco also has an interest in linguistics and speaks six Romance languages fluently. He is one half of a thrash metal project titled VIAM MORTIS, and an inconsistent synthwave artist.
Chris
Social Media Consultant, Vocals/Synth in Effuse, Drums in The Organ Machines, Drums in The Figurant, Man Who Trains Dogs
Last.fm
Discord: @Silads#5449
Reddit: /u/silads
Instagram: @cdeeseallday, @effuseband, @theorganmachines, @thefigurant
Favorite Artists: Coheed and Cambria, The Contortionist, Between the Buried and Me, Cynic, Circa Survive, Mood Rings, VOLA, Dance Gavin Dance, Chon, Deftones, The 1975, Ginger Root, Fallujah, Desired, Macross 82-99, At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta
Chris’s descent into the prog-sphere happened around the age of 11 when he sneakily bought a copy of Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Volume 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness at FYE without his parents knowing. He plays a lot of stuff in a lot of bands. He does studio drumming on the side for bands local to his area, in the region, and abroad. He has one dog with a very large head.
When not listening to music or playing music, he enjoys video games, film, manga, and works a lot with area animal shelters training dogs for jobs or for going to good homes.
Ian
Music Reviewer, Word Count Limit Tester, Bestower of Imposter Syndrome (Allegedly)
Discord: basssquared
Reddit: u/BassSquared
Favorite Artists: Rush, The Dear Hunter, Thank You Scientist, Wilderun, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Coheed and Cambria, The Decemberists, Symphony X, Toehider, The Wonder Years, Dirty Loops, CHVRCHES, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, Transatlantic, Mili, Blind Guardian, Bruce Springsteen, Adjy, Elvenking, Haken, Marianas Trench, Caligula’s Horse, The Crane Wives, Agent Fresco, Will Wood, Sleep Token, Minami, Iron Maiden, Spanish Love Songs, Dream Theater, Gregory Alan Isakov, Unleash the Archers, The Home Team, MUNA, Dance Gavin Dance, Dead Poet Society, Moron Police, Major Parkinson, Type O Negative
From his humble beginnings as a weird nerdy kid discovering Rush and Dream Theater through Guitar Hero and library CD rentals, to his current status as a weird nerdy adult with a massive Spotify library and a modicum of skill with actual real-life instruments, Ian has always been passionate about music. Though he focuses on the more progressive side of his music taste for his Subway gig, he’s a devoted genre omnivore and a big believer in there being no such things as guilty pleasures, only bangers. In addition to writing (occasional) reviews, he enjoys D&D and all other forms of tabletop games, hiking in the lovely mountains of his current town, and trying way too hard to impress people at karaoke bars.
Ryan
Music Reviewer, Craft Brewery Cellarman, Bartender, Husband, Trainwreck
Instagram: @ichorousart
Reddit: Schquonk
Discord: Schquonk
Favorite Bands: (in no particular order) Aviations, Rivers of Nihil, Closure in Moscow, Parius, The Dear Hunter, Others by No One, The Ocean, Sleep Token, Kyros, Slice the Cake, Haken, Devin Townsend, Toehider, Will Wood, Boss Keloid, Moon Tooth, Thank You Scientist, Bent Knee, Coheed and Cambria, Edge of Reality, Shagohod, Native Construct, Between the Buried and Me, Moron Police, A Notion of Silence, Psychonaut, Eidola, Ulver, Coyote Kid/Marah in the Mainsail, VOLA, Protest the Hero, Azure, Lucid Planet, Leprous, The Contortionist, Caligula’s Horse, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Alkaloid, The World is Quiet Here, Opeth, The Protomen, Zeal & Ardor, The Odious, OMB, Dissona, Disillusion, Ne Obliviscaris, The Mars Volta, Circa Survive and on and on and on….
Ryan’s love for prog began with Coheed and Cambria’s 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and was fully cemented in 2005 with Opeth’s Ghost Reveries. Since then, he’s been completely devoured by the genre and is constantly seeking more.
Ryan spends his free time creating what he considers “art”, playing complex board games with friends, or just generally spending time with his best friend/wife: maybe watching a new A24 horror film or just playing cozy video games together. During the day, he works at a craft brewery, either helping make the beer or selling it to customers at the bar.
Dave
Reviewer, Statistician, Brain Rot Connoisseur, Horse Girl but for Nature
Discord: chiquita_dave
last.fm: chiquita_dave
RateYourMusic: chiquita_dave
Favorite Artists: Agalloch, Alunah, The Contortionist, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Khemmis, The Mars Volta, Meshuggah, Rush, TesseracT, Thrawsunblat, Tool, Ulver, VOLA, Wardruna, Willi Carlisle, Yes
Dave has always been a fan of music, finally branching out into prog with his discovery and subsequent obsession with Rush in high school. Over the years, Dave developed a taste for odd and syncopated rhythms and likes to learn about all kinds of music. When Dave isn’t listening to music, he is learning to un-tame himself, engaging in hobbies like primitive camping, forestry, and gardening. When he’s not outside, Dave enjoys statistical programming, linguistics, and annoying his husband.