Q: Your records are incredibly cohesive throughout, with plenty of motifs and well-thought-out track flow. How do you balance “writing for the song” versus “writing for the album”?

Duran: The composition of the album always starts with a couple of riffs. Once we have a first song structure, we try to clarify the vision we have for the album as a whole. Will it be a single block? Will all the tracks flow into one another? Will it be a “Side A / Side B” format? Will it be a collection of singles? We always aim to explore something we haven’t done yet. Then, we look at the songs themselves. Each track has to stand on its own. We don’t want to have fillers on the album. Once we have the songs, we have to choose an order that works as well. We want to provide contrast and keep the listening experience interesting enough. Sometimes this contrast comes in the tonality of the songs, sometimes in the varying intensities, time signatures, and different layers.
Johan: The most interesting and crucial part for me is turning a collection of riffs into a fully formed song. Writing variations, progressions, and transitions, shaping the structure and musical narrative of each track, it can be pure chaos. It can drive you insane! It often feels like I’m searching for a missing piece of a giant puzzle, and the process can take months. It’s as much intellectual work as it is heartfelt expression. And personally, I love that! Also figuring out the connections between songs, whether it’s a rhythmic or melodic motif, a tempo, etc, it’s very fun. You realise that everything is linked somehow.

Q: For nearly a decade, Stortregn were a melodic black metal band heavily inspired by Dissection! What happened to spur the transition into the melodic blackened proggy tech death band you are now? Was it a natural evolution? Do you see the band drastically evolving again, or do you plan on tinkering with the current style for longer?

Johan: Dissection was one of the first extreme metal bands I listened to when I was younger. I was deeply moved and impressed by the emotional power of their first two albums. That impact led me to co-found the band, in an attempt to reach that same emotional intensity. In hindsight, that era felt like a great learning experience for me. Anyway, we quickly wanted to move away from being seen as a “tribute” band because we felt we had so much more to offer, and we were tired of being boxed into that label. The arrival of Duran, and later Manu, also significantly broadened our musical horizons, since they come from different backgrounds and have diverse musical aspirations. Nowadays, we’re pushing our own limits, and we don’t know where that might take us!
Duran: Believe it or not, I had never listened to Dissection before I joined the band! I can’t claim to have been influenced by them. But we continue to evolve as musicians and have different musical backgrounds, so I think it is safe to say that our style is not set in stone. You might hear bluegrass influences in the future. Who knows?

Q: Franck, you’re a new face in the band, welcome! What has touring with the band been like? In person, you mentioned that Stortregn’s extensive use of high screams was a new hurdle in your vocal career. Were there any adjustments you made to your technique?

Franck: Thanks for the welcome! Lots of things to say. Actually I never toured before and I thought touring would remain a boy’s dream. But it finally happened. So touring as the vocalist of Stortregn, a band I’ve been a fan of for years, opening for Virvum, whose album I’ve listened to so many times, was a unique experience in my life as you can imagine. I was really nervous about being up to the task, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to meet Stortregn’s live performances level. But I felt very well with the two bands, I could express how I felt anytime and they all helped me to relax and have a lot of fun. And I was surprised that my voice held on for the 12 shows!
As for the technique, in my previous and other bands I am more used to use the low voice as the main vocals. So for Stortregn, I had to switch in my head to make the high screams as the main vocals, and to use them as high as I could. It was a challenge because the high screams of the previous singer had this strength that, for me, was so characteristic of Stortregn’s sound. It sounds more black metal than what I have done with my other bands. So I had to train myself a lot to reach a balance between keeping the sound of the band and bringing something new with my voice. The composition and recording of the One Eternal EP really helped me in that way, and the advice and feedback of the members of the band were precious.

Q: Samuel, I know you have a background in jazz drumming, and that’s clear in your playing which is some of the most creative and original I’ve ever heard in metal. Who are some of your major influences, metal or otherwise? 

Samuel: Thanks for this question and the kind words. I definitely love some bands from both music styles metal and jazz, bands like Gorod, Leprous, Opeth, The Bad Plus, and also Jazz pianists like Hiromi, Brad Mehldau, or Tigran Hamasyan. If we talk about drummers, guys like Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Jimmy Cobb, Tony Williams, Bill Stewart, Nate Smith, Stéphane Galland, and in metal music Sebastian Lanser, Baard Kolstad and Kai Hahto. I took some drum lessons with them and they’re part of my musical journey.

Q: Johan and Duran, you three have such complex, interweaving guitar/bass lines and dueling solos that it begs the question: how do you decide who plays which part? Also, do you two have any classical training? Your sound demonstrates a seeming mastery of counterpoint.

Johan: Thanks for the compliment! I’m a professional classical guitarist–I did all my studies in Switzerland and won several competitions back in the day. I’m very active in the classical world, performing recitals internationally and playing as a soloist with orchestras. My classical studies drastically changed the way I approach writing for the band, especially from Emptiness Fills the Void onwards, and that influence continues to shape our sound today.
Duran: I think there are so many possibilities with our formation and we don’t want to limit ourselves to pigeonhole our roles. We have Johan’s classical background which brings the sharpness and the strong compositional cohesion and music theory. Then, Manu and I could switch from guitar to bass / bass to guitar at any time. So sometimes Manu plays the bass like a guitarist and I will play guitar like a bassist, if that makes any sense. We want to take on more than just the traditional double lead-rhythm-bass combo. I think this contributes to and expands our sound. It’s all in the optic of getting the right sound for the right part. Then for the decision of who plays what line, it will depend on the vision of the main composer of the song.

Q: Of course, you are a band from Francophone Switzerland, yet you write lyrics in English except for a few on Impermanence and Finitude. Have you considered writing more songs in French?

Duran: “Nénie” was the first song that we recorded in French, although there might be some obscure early demos somewhere with French lyrics, but I can’t confirm that. Then, in Finitude, we have the title track and “De Inferno Solis” which are  in French as well. Once again, it depends on the vibe of the writer. Romain had very interesting lyrics in French and he delivered them brutally and it worked seamlessly on the track. Why should we limit ourselves to English if we can push an idea in a more personal manner? Then again, it has to sound good with the track. I’m hoping one day to get a track out in Finnish, but it has to be justified with the theme of the song or the story. We’ll see how that will turn out.
Johan: French language and pronunciation adds a lot to the music! It’s so much more brutal and crisp. English, on the other hand, tends to sound more polished and ’round’. It’s cool to be able to use them both to serve your musical purpose.

Q: Do you typically do songwriting sessions in person together? Few bands seem to have as much synergy as you in the studio—and live as I was lucky enough to see. Every piece clicks into place.

Duran: Thanks for the compliment. We just started trying to schedule songwriting sessions, but with each of our timetables it’s almost impossible to find a time and place that works for everyone. Otherwise until now, it was very much Guitar Pro based, tabbing out our ideas, uploading them on a shared cloud drive, modifying others’ ideas, hating other people’s edits and trying to find a compromise somewhere. We’ve had a couple of heated discussions. You can sometimes hear the tension in the compositions but the end result has always justified them. 
Johan: In my experience, in-person writing sessions have never really worked for us. Personally, I need to sit down alone, like a craftsman in his workshop who carefully refines and polishes the material.

Q: With the sad news of Ozzy’s death, Stortregn’s new cover of “Mr. Crowley” hits all the harder. What made you pick that song to cover from his discography? Have you considered covering other artists/songs? It always seems like a great way to give tribute to your influence, and it sounds like you guys had a blast performing the Ozzy cover.

Duran: On a personal level, I am extremely sad that Ozzy has passed on. I mean it was bound to happen, but nobody expected it to happen so suddenly. His music has been so influential and has had such an impact on so many different artists and I am no exception. May his music live on forever and may he rest in peace.
On the subject of our cover, we have been discussing a potential cover of “Mr. Crowley” for years. It fits everything: it’s a dark song, a classic, it has epic riffs and solos, an amazing story behind the whole original album, and it has enough space for us to interpret it in our way. We are very happy with the result and can only hope that Ozzy had the chance to give it a listen and approve it!
There might have been other covers in discussion. Nothing recorded, though….yet!

Q: Do any of you have any personal favorite Stortregn songs/albums?

Duran: The next album is my favorite! I can’t wait to finish the writing process to get it recorded and release it! 
Franck : My personal favorite song to play live is “Through the Dark Gates,” especially at the end of the set–it’s just insane. Now, among songs we didn’t play during the last tour, I always tell the guys I really love “Cold Void” from Finitude. I also love “Timeless Splendor,” “Children of the Obsidian Light,” or “Inner Black Flame.” But still, the next album will obviously be the best.
Johan : The next one, indeed!

Q: If you could tour with any band, who would it be?

Johan : Bands that are on the same wavelength as us, but also know how to party!
Duran: It’s a tough question. We just completed our Canada Takeover tour with Virvum which was an absolute blast. I would tour with them again any day!

Q: What bands were most influential in getting you all into music—and as listeners, how has your taste progressed over the years? 

Duran: The scene has never been as big and varied as it is today. So I can always find something new that scratches an itch I never knew I had! My biggest influences would be Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath (Ozzy / Dio / Tony Martin), B.B. King, Pantera, Dream Theater, Slayer, early-In Flames, and so on.
Johan : I’m still returning to my old classics sometimes, but the latest Dordeduh and Sühnopfer were amazing. 

Q: Any favorite albums of 2025 so far, or any local or underground bands you want to shout out?

Duran: I have a huge backlog of albums I have to listen to. I think I still have to finish 2019. But shout out to our good friends: Virvum, Burn Down Eden, Conjonctive, Calcined, The Scalar Process, and Skaphos!

Thank you again to Stortregn for the interview and make sure to check out their new EP One Eternal on Bandcamp and wherever else good music is streamable!

Links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives Page

The post Interview: Stortregn appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Deathcore, Technical Death Metal (Harsh Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fallujah, Rivers of Nihil, Black Crown Initiate, An Abstract Illusion, The Contortionist (early)
Country: USA (Nebraska)
Release date: 25 July 2025

Ben’s Raincoat is a legendary item that prevents one debuff and instead grants a temporary barrier for ten percent of maximum heal-oh shit, wrong review. Ahem. 

Named after an item from indie rogue-like game Risk of Rain 2 (great game by the way), Ben’s Raincoat is an American progressive death metal/deathcore band who describe themselves as a “Rogue-Like band with permadeath”. Well, that’s not a very helpful description, but suffice to say, Ben’s Raincoat obviously has a passion for gaming and music, so they’re alright dudes in my book. Radiant Cliffs is the debut EP from the five-piece tech death startup, and right off the bat, some comparisons are readily apparent. 

Perhaps the simplest way to sum up Ben’s Raincoat’s style is by saying that it sounds like half of the band’s favorite Fallujah album is Empyrean—abundant with modern technical rhythm guitar work and atmospheric lead guitar/synth textures—and the other half’s favorite is Leper Colony, with its crushing breakdowns and a more chug oriented approach to riffing. Radiant Cliffs’s riffing style consists mainly of arpeggiated melodic structures, and is often accompanied by soaring leads, blast beats, and double bass, forging ahead until they are inevitably interrupted by some form of deathcore breakdown. “Plunder” acts as a compelling thesis for such an approach: a swelling synth intro blooms into the main theme of the song—a 16th note tremolo that outlines the central chord progression—which returns later in expanded form for the chorus. I enjoy how each chorus is composed of straight 16th notes while every other part of “Plunder” has more of a cantering triplet feel, giving the song an engaging and satisfying structure. Ben’s Raincoat’s riffs are at their best when they focus on outlining and enhancing a song’s structure and melodic progression, or when straying further into galloping metalcore territory (“Material Possessions”, “Chorus of Flies”), and “Plunder” has both sides in spades. 

As with many a debut EP though, there are questionable exploratory moments that sound like Ben’s Raincoat didn’t quite know how to flesh out an idea, or otherwise fit certain parts together cohesively. Riffs will sometimes stray into odd deathcore-infused djent territory that feels at odds with the rest of a song’s structure. Take the intro riff to “Material Possessions” as an example: a stilted 16th note pattern jumps over awkward intervals that compose a melody which sounds more akin to an early 2010’s solo bedroom djent project than a modern tech death group. One of my favorite riffs of the EP follows immediately afterward—a shimmering downward cascade of 16th note groupings of three—giving a slight whiplash effect to a high point due to the somewhat clumsy pacing. Similarly, “Ignition” opens with an out of place hardcore riff bereft of any form of lead guitar or synth texture, leaving the track sounding like an unfinished soundscape in the context of the rest of Radiant Cliffs when the obvious intent was to be a firestarting thrasher.. Deathcore breakdowns occur on nearly every track, ranging from climactic (“Chorus of Flies”) to derivative Lorna Shore ripoffs (“Horticulture”), another symptom of the inexperience and inconsistency common on debut releases.

Besides Fallujah’s dreamy riff-laden atmosphere and Lorna Shore’s formulaic breakdowns, the other main point of reference to be found on Radiant Cliffs comes—somewhat surprisingly—in the form of vocalist Dominik English’s uncanny resemblance at times to Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan. English has a massive range which he fully utilizes, and is able to pull off the same form of half-distorted “goblin” singing that Ryan is so well known for. At times, the vocal performance verges on the stereotype of deathcore vocal olympics, but English has a great sense of pacing, injecting his performance with plenty of layering and variety in an intelligent and natural manner, fully justifying his utilization of the tropes. While such a performance goes hand in hand with the core tech death and deathcore conceit of Ben’s Raincoat, it also has the unfortunate side effect of further illuminating the neophytic qualities of Radiant Cliffs. 

Fear not though, Ben’s Raincoat. You were raised in the crucible of rogue-like gaming. Sure, there are plenty of weak moments to go along with the strong, but the strong has great potential to be refined into something unique and compelling. You have the opportunity to take everything you’ve learned from your debut EP and do even better on your next playthrou-errr, release. There are a number of small details that shine through the tropes—such as the spectral piano over the chugging riff in “Chorus of Flies”, or the nostril inhale before the track’s climactic final breakdown—that blow the winds favorably in your direction. All that’s left is to continue working, exploring, and respawning until you’ve perfected your build. Something something meta progression.

Recommended tracks: Plunder, Material Possessions, Chorus of Flies
You may also like: Abiotic, Krosis, Ovid’s Withering, Serein
Final verdict: 5.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Independent

Ben’s Raincoat is:
– Jared LeGier (Bass)
-Geddy Johnson (Drums)
-Jace Krajicek (Lead Guitars)
-Nick Jordan (Rhythm Guitars)
-Dominik English (Vocals)

The post Review: Ben’s Raincoat – Radiant Cliffs appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: technical death metal (mixed vocals, mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soreption, Gorod, Rivers of Nihil
Country: Russia
Release date: 18 July 2025

Every band name ever is stupid, so as long as you aren’t a common noun/verb/adjective (Need, Oak, X) or utter nonsense that’s hard to look up or type (OU, Lyxætherivminthraxas, Xavlegbmaofff…X), you’re doing ok for yourself. And I’ll add an honorable mention for the category of band names “___ and the ____s,” my personal least favorite. Even the most legendary of bands have stupid names: Megadeth sounds like a dyslexic fifth grader named a band, and The Beatles is a cheesy pun. Every year, I find more bands to add to the “terrible band names” pile. Only halfway through this year, and I’ve already stumbled across acts like Professor Emeritus, Wyatt E., Frogg, Pissectomy, and Toughness for the first time. Next on the endless list of hilariously terrible Noun band names is Anthill. Surely they make up for the terrible title with a decent working album title, right? …Right?

Well, Russian tech death outfit Anthill have shafted themselves a little by calling their second LP Volume III (Climbing the Bone Mountain), adorned with (I believe) unintentionally phallic cover art. No matter how serious the music is—and the record has a fully fleshed out story in the lyrics telling a fantasy tale full of blood, bones, war, self-actualization, and pus—I will giggle like a seventh grader every time I think about Anthill clambering up boner mountain. But alas, this is supposed to be a music review and not an album title one, so I’m happy to report Anthill‘s music is miles better than their christening abilities.

Anthilov’s guitar playing is incredibly intricate in contorted patterns and odd rhythms, with full-bodied basslines weaving their way into the heart of the riffs and dynamic drumming underneath it all. All in all, Volume III (Climbing the Bone Mountain) is everything you can ask for as far as working man’s tech death goes. He shows off elite skill with his fretboard, the riffs hammering away with little disregard for anything but virile technicality with Soreption-esque groove. He incorporates many techniques like the sleek trem-picking at the end of “At the Foothill” to fast alternate picking at 3:40 in “III Trail (Withered Trees),” one of the strongest riffs on the album. The real star of Anthilov’s riff-writing capabilities is the manner in which the guitar and bass interact, switching between who carries the melody and who the harmony repeatedly, the interplay consistently reminding me of “Lay Your Ghosts to Rest” by Between the Buried and Me throughout the album.

As a tech death album, I’d hope the performances are killer, though, so how are the other aspects of the music? Riding… er, Climbing the Bone Mountain is produced with a DIY charm, and Anthill avoids pretty much all tech death production pitfalls; Anthilov’s tones are dirty enough to not be sterile yet they remain also crisp, and the bass fills out the bottom of the mix without being lost. Unfortunately, Anthill run into several problems with songwriting—namely, they cannot naturally transition between riffs or ideas, often due to awkward time signature changes. The songs therefore quickly devolve into an endless string of spaffed out notes at rapid speed, and after a couple dozen riffs without creating any sort of theme, the guitar parts completely lose me in their knottiness, compounded by a lack of any cohesion in the songwriting. Everything blurs together. The brief moments that change up the speedy, tech death pace are the record’s most mediocre parts, too, including inoffensive but bland spoken word (“I Trail (Smoldering Torches),” unrefined clean vocals (“II Trail (Magic Mirrors)”), and a wholly disappointing cello solo from Orgone’s cellist that just doesn’t fit the vibe of the track (“III Trail (Withered Trees)”), seeming supplanted on top of the riff rather than being actually integrated into the meat of the song. The only change in pace that really works is the brief interlude/intro track “Crossroads. Intro,” a lovely solo piano piece setting the stage for the second half of the album. 

Despite demonstrating promising talent with their fingers, I don’t think Anthill will be the cause for many bone mountains yet. Thankfully, headbanging is more of a guarantee, and digging into the more intricate riffs has proved enjoyable even if forty-four minutes of them straight has my eyes glazing over, metaphorically. In a scene with competition as stiff as tech death, Anthill needs to keep at it if he wants any chance of mounting the tip, the zenith of the genre. And remember, kids: don’t use an Anthill as a fleshlight, even if you can’t get someone to summit your bone mountain.

Recommended tracks: At the Foothill, Crossroads, V Trail (Apogee of Enmity)
You may also like: Sentiment Dissolve, Carnosus, Inanimate Existence, Coexistence
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: independent

Anthill is:
– Artem Anthilov (guitars, vocals, bass)
– Evgeny Nesterov (bass)
– Andrey Litvinenko, Alexander Kasiarum, Ivan Korniienko (bass)
With guests:
Stephen Jarrett (Orgone) – backing vocals in I, II and V Trail, Intro to Crossroads.
Chris Bradley (Beneath the massacre) – guest guitar solo in Crossroads.
Denis Shvarts (Dark Matter Secret) – guest guitar solo in IV Trail.
Andrey Matchtevelov – guest cello solo in III Trail.

The post Review: Anthill – Volume III (Climbing the Bone Mountain) appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: technical death metal, progressive death metal, flamenco nuevo (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Beyond Creation, Allegaeon, Gorod, Ne Obliviscaris, Camarón de la Isla, Paco de Lucia, Nile
Country: France
Release date: 11 July 2025

The Romani gitanos in Andalusia were onto something ascendant with their flamenco music. Incorporating aspects from a plethora of musical traditions for their guitar playing and vocals—North Indian, Arabic and North African, Spanish, and Sephardic—the aggressive style of finger-picked acoustic guitars is practically synonymous with Spanish music. Flamenco is extremely distinct, too, with its own canonical melodies (heavily characterized by descending notes), modes, and rhythms, along with microtonal portamento and improvisation courtesy of the singer. Since flamenco is such a rigid system, folding metal into the mix is certainly a difficult task, although an incredibly intriguing one. Since 2010, France’s Impureza have wanted to be the face of the blend, and now on their third album, Alcázares, they continue making a strong case that they are.

Spanish guitar playing and flamenco have made their way into the technical death metal scene before with icons like First Fragment and Allegaeon, but both of them isolate the style from their core metal sound. On paper, (more on that later) Impureza bring the flamenco front and center. Largely taking their metal sound from modern fretless luminaries Beyond Creation, Impureza rely on frantically blasting drums, racing guitar lines, raspy harshes, and, of course, the voluptuous fretless bass. From there, the wild Frenchmen add on their distinct mix of conquistadorial, belted clean vocals, acoustic flamenco guitar lines, and Latin percussion. When it all comes together, the sound is glorious. Prime examples of Impureza firing on all cylinders come after the fully acoustic intro track bedecked with flourishes of Latin percussion and lush strings—such as during first song, “Bajo las Tizonas de Toledo,” which brings the Andalusian elements into the picture around the halfway point, weaving them in and out of the muscly riffs. “Castigos Eclesiástico” starts at a less furious tech pace but opens with the acoustic guitars in tandem with the death metal riffs; the closer “Santa Inquisición” has the most consistent mix of the disparate styles; and “Pestilencia” even brings some trumpet into the mix for another layer of Hispanic flair. 

“Bajo las Tizonas de Toledo” and “Reconquistar” both have a dramatic grand pause after a long tech death section, from which they turn into purely acoustic guitars with fretless bass and cleans. Impureza clearly know what they’re doing on the flamenco front, both as performers and writers, so it’s extremely frustrating that the band doesn’t integrate the acoustic guitars for the majority of the riffs. Impureza need to lean even harder into the flamenco death metal gimmick; yes, they’ve gone further with it than their peers, but they haven’t explored the style nearly as much as they could. 

Although nowhere near as satisfying as the acoustic flamenco sections, the style of playing seeps into the electric riffs, so not all is lost. Impureza’s riffs gallop in tight, marching staccatos, the melodies descending in furious bouts of Nile-esque guitar flurries; additionally, the riffs are in flamenco’s distinctive altered Phrygian mode. Most of the time when I have problems with a gimmick in progressive metal, I dislike that the artist is a “genre tourist” and don’t know the scene they’re imitating well enough to compose anything more than the basic stereotypes. But Impureza are masters of flamenco, and their problem is that they could push the envelope even further. The baroque ornamentation on their chuggy riffs and the wild chromatic solos are more proof that both the metal and flamenco influences are solid, so I just wish they’d use the acoustic more during the metal bits. 

In the eight long years since Impureza’s last album, flamenco metal really hasn’t progressed much (except for First Fragment’s 10/10 Gloire Éternelle), so I pray that Alcázares begins an invigoration for the style. Even though this record hasn’t fully lived up to Impureza’s lofty potential, the sick flamenco parts and killer riffs should keep me satisfied until the next release of the rare fusion.

Recommended tracks: Covadonga, Castigos Eclesiásticos, Santa Inquisición
You may also like: First Fragment, Equipoise, Augury, Kalaveraztekah, Triana, Curanderos, Ash of Necrossus, Ade
Final Verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Season of Mist – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Impureza is:
– Esteban Martín – All Vocals
– Lionel Cano Muñoz – Rhythm, Lead & Spanish Guitars
– Florian Saillard – Fretless Bass
– Guilhem Auge – Drums
With guests:
– Xavier Hamon – Percussion
– Louis Viallet – Orchestration

The post Review: Impureza – Alcázares appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Technical death metal, brutal death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Gorguts, Nile, Immolation
Country: Canada
Release date: 20 June 2025

Of all the technical death metal OGs, Cryptopsy remain at the top of my favorites list. Blasphemy Made Flesh and None So Vile—hell, I’ll even add Whisper Supremacy to this list—are ‘90s death metal essentials with one overarching ethos: uncompromising technicality fused with unyielding brutality. After those releases, however, things get… controversial. By the mid ‘00s the group began to introduce other genre flavors into their sound—Once Was Not’s brash guitar work and syncopation left a distinct mathcore aftertaste, and The Unspoken King’s embrace of melody and breakdowns gave a deathcore-tinged aroma. Fans lost it. Cries of “sellout!” echoed across various and sundry forums and comment sections.² Amid the backlash came several changes in the lineup—which the band was never immune to—but in 2012, they stabilized. Their self-titled album that year, with just one founding member left, was widely regarded (somewhat ironically) as a return to form. And since then? They’ve clung to that sound like a lifeline.

An Insatiable Violence continues to hang on for dear life. Or at least it wants you to do so. This is a continuation of Cryptopsy’s post-2012 era sound: intensely technical rhythms, breakneck tempo changes, and Flo Mounier’s hyper-complex drumming are all here. Right out of the gate, vocalist Matt McGachy lets loose his signature howl (which will never get old) and we’re off, tumbling through a hellscape of rhythmic contortions, dissonant melodies, and blast-beaten obliteration. For better or worse, the intensity rarely lets up. Across its eight tracks, Violence stays pedal-to-the-fucking-death-metal: all gas, no brakes, nor breaks. It’s Cryptopsy, after all.

Still, on every track Cryptopsy provides a moment of clarity when the band lets a groovy bridge or tempo change shine by taking a swinging, half-time riff and using it to transition between two scorching sections. “Dead Eyes Replete” and “Embrace the Nihility” are probably my favorites in this regard. Other tracks, like “Until There’s Nothing Left” and “The Nimis Adoration,” have moments where they bring Olivier Pinard’s bass forward in the mix to showcase a sickly melody, letting the bass come up for air to do more than just keep the songs heavy on the low end. I wish Cryptopsy leaned into that consistently, because it works. These reprieves don’t mean I’m trying to make a case for less brutality. On the contrary, a showstopper on this LP is the blistering vocal work. I’ve always been a fan of McGachy’s voice (and his flowing locks), and he delivers another fantastic performance on Violence. “Fools Last Acclaim” showcases McGachy’s inhuman prowess, letting his vocals run the gamut from demonically low gutturals to wraith-like raspy high shrieks. Likewise, the ferocious drumming on this LP is top tier. Flo is a bit of an icon in the genre, and his combination of brute intensity and flawless precision is present in all thirty-four minutes of the album’s runtime.

But, despite the clear technical brilliance that An Insatiable Violence puts on display, the lack of variety might be the biggest criticism here. And that sucks to say, because as mentioned earlier, fans revolted when Cryptopsy even peeked outside of their wheelhouse. I don’t mean to say that the songs blend together—nobody is going to confuse Christian Donaldson’s groaning riffs in “Malicious Needs” with his fiery assault in “The Art of Emptiness”—but rather that few, if any, moments step outside the tightly constructed box the band has kept to in this era. That’s the price of consistency, I suppose. No filler, but few surprises. The production on the album is also tight and clear—perhaps to a fault. Every note is crisp; every kick of the bass drum surgically accurate. The polish really helps showcase Cryptopsy’s technical prowess, but it also scrubs away that filthy feeling that helped form the appeal of those early albums. It’s a fair trade-off, and one that fits their current mode well, even though it risks coming off as clinical.

A certain paradox exists with being an establishing act in extreme metal. When you break new ground early on, many metal fans expect you to stay rooted in the foundation you laid, resisting changes in design or renovations over the years. Cryptopsy have weathered the backlash that often comes with defying those expectations, enduring lineup shifts and stylistic detours along the way. But they’ve emerged with a sound that feels both true to their roots and sustainable in the long term. For longtime fans, that might be enough. For those looking for more innovation in tech-death, An Insatiable Violence will seem a bit rote. As for me, I’ll keep coming back to it—because I love this band, and because even when they’re not reinventing the wheel, they’re burning rubber like few can.

Recommended tracks: Malicious Needs, Fools Last Acclaim, The Nimis Adoration, Embrace the Nihility
You may also like: Malignancy, Brodequin, Serocs, Hideous Divinity
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Season of Mist – Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Cryptopsy is:
– Christian Donaldson (guitar)
– Matt McGachy (vocals)
– Flo Mounier (drums)
– Olivier Pinard (bass)

1. Ex-vocalist of Cryptopsy from 2001-2003, who passed away in 2024 ︎
2. Which is just silly. Moving from one extreme metal genre to a variation on another extreme metal genre isn’t “selling out” by any stretch of the imagination, folks. ︎

The post Review: Cryptopsy – An Insatiable Violence appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Artwork by: Peter Mohrbacher

Style: Progressive Technical Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, Death Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Rivers of Nihil, Kardashev, The Zenith Passage, Allegaeon, Vale of Pnath
Country: California, United States
Release date: 13 June 2025

The intersection of death metal and science-fiction has always felt a tad strange when viewed from on high. When most people hear “death metal,” they undoubtedly think of aggressive music centered on viscera, violence, and, well… death. Knuckle-dragging riffs, blast beats, and Cookie Monster vocals. The genre hardly feels like it would pair well with the grand and often philosophical aims of the science-fiction genre. Yet, thanks to early pioneers like Atheist with 1991’s Unquestionable Presence and Cynic with 1993’s Focus, death metal showed its capacity for expansion, its ability to adopt an ethos closer in proximity to sci-fi’s. Nowadays, progressive death metal is nothing new, with acts like An Abstract Illusion, Blood Incantation, Horrendous, and Kardashev offering grand and expansive material focused on far more than simple blood and guts.

Lurking among this galactic pantheon of heady prog-deathers is California’s Fallujah. Blending together clean vocals and introspective synth-baked passages with space-bending guitar acrobatics, monstrous growls, and warp-capable drumming, Fallujah carved out their nexus in this strange interstitial space between death metal’s brutality and sci-fi’s “thinking man’s” ideals starting with 2014’s celebrated The Flesh Prevails. Subsequent releases only strengthened this position, the band undiminished despite numerous lineup changes across the years. Having last left us with 2022’s spellbinding codex, Empyrean, Fallujah have emerged from the void once more to impart on us their sixth full-length. Does Xenotaph represent a continuing ascension into the stars, or have the thrusters begun to fail?

I don’t think we need to alert Earth of any imminent impacts; after clearing the semi-intro track, we get hit with “Kaleidoscopic Waves,” a ripping piece of progressive technical death metal that erupts against the ears like a star gone supernova. The band unleash a fusilade of computational guitar work and hull-cracking percussion against soft beds of atmospheric synths while vocalist Kyle Schaefer shreds reality and soothes the celestial wounds alike with his arsenal of growls and cleans. The rest of Xenotaph plays out similarly across the forty-two minute runtime, though that’s not to say every track is simple repetition. Cuts like “The Crystalline Veil” see Schaefer bringing in metalcore-coded cleans atop stitches of jazzy death drumming, while follow-up “Step Through the Portal and Breathe” includes several grooved-out sections (including an extended bass solo) as the track vents the death metal-heat sinks to exude The Contortionist vibes. Then there’s penultimate track “The Obsidian Architect,” whose production crushing drops bring to mind acts like Humanity’s Last Breath, before offering some of Schaefer’s most melodic cleans and punk-y screams. They also throw on the vocoder for some especially alien spoken word-style bits.

Anyone familiar with Fallujah’s past works will ultimately find little of surprise here, but there’s something breathtaking about their approach on Xenotaph nonetheless—like watching a star collapse in horror before marveling at the painterly sight of the cosmic aftermath, colorful gases tracing esoteric frameworks against the deep-black of space. For my money, they’ve stayed a largely consistent act since The Flesh Prevails¹—no mean feat for any band, but especially one as technically-minded as Fallujah. Of course, there’s a capacity for sameness in progressive music that I think sometimes goes overlooked, and “consistent” can veer dangerously close to that. Xenotaph finds ways to keep things interesting—the heightened use (and more varied style) of cleans from Schaefer, along with some of the aforementioned flourishes populating several of the tracks. But by and large this is another Fallujah record; spacey, ferociously technical, whiplashing from moment to moment like a spacecraft caught between multiple gravitational pulls. If you like your songs to be identifiable, whether by riff or some semblance of easy-to-recognize structure, Xenotaph may struggle to meet your measure with its ever-shifting, mercurial forms. Also, the album can come across as fairly loud, bordering on wall of sound at times, though the mix is dynamic enough that nothing ever really gets drowned out.

There’s little Xenotaph will do to alienate fans, I think—unless for some reason you’ve become sick of metalcore vocals, but then I would argue Fallujah haven’t been the band for you since 2014. That said, I could see listeners sitting on both sides of the proverbial galactic fence: those who welcome the album’s consistency, happy to have more of a band they appreciate, and those who have perhaps grown a bit weary with the band’s direction. I fall more towards the former camp. A Fallujah record always feels like a pretty big deal to me, and Xenotaph is no exception. Though the album does little to tread any truly new sonic ground for the band, sometimes a journey needn’t be new to still be exciting. Fallujah have cultivated a strong identity for themselves, wreathed in atmospheres of celestial splendor and terrestrial violence alike. Maybe someday down the line, the adventure will wane, but that time hasn’t come yet. Xenotaph is a trip worth taking.

Recommended tracks: Step Through the Portal and Breathe, Xenotaph, Kaleidoscopic Waves, The Obsidian Architect
You may also like: Eccentric Pendulum, Cosmitorium, Cognizance, Irreversible Mechanism, Virvum, Freedom of Fear
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Nuclear Blast Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Fallujah is:
– Scott Carstairs (guitars)
– Evan Brewer (bass)
– Kyle Schaefer (vocals)
– Sam Mooradian (guitars)
With guests:
– Kevin Alexander La Palerma (drums)

1. A controversial opinion given the critical reception to Fallujah’s 2019 LP The Undying Light. ︎

The post Review: Fallujah – Xenotaph appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: technical death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soreption, The Zenith Passage, Psycroptic, Vale of Pnath
Country: California, United States
Release date: 9 May 2025

Let’s do some estimating, shall we? According to my meticulous book-keeping, I’ve heard 596 technical death metal records. Rateyourmusic claims there have been 4399 tech death releases since the first one in 1988, but their count includes various music videos, compilations, and singles, while my count is restricted to LPs and EPs. Of course, RYM is an incomplete resource, so I’ll hand-wavily assume their archives miss about as many tech death records as they extra count miscellaneous, non-album releases. Thus, I’ve heard about 14% of all the tech death ever released. At this point, a band has to carve out their own niche if they want to stick around my listening rotation—it’s a numbers game. 

Ominous Ruin are just another tech death band, and I could name a hundred bands that sound like them; however, against the odds, Requiem stands out from the crowd because of its quality alone, and I will avoid using any comparisons in this review as a sign of respect for the band. Intricate, groovy patterns manifesting in staccato flurries of notes coalesce from the fretboards of guitarists Alex Bacey (Odious Mortem) and Joel Guernsey (Axial). Their winding riffs move concentrically due to the combination of scale climbing and frantic shifting of audio channels. The two shredders often break free from their groovy staccato rhythms into furious bouts of synchronized trem picking, exciting phrygian leads handed off like a hot potato between the two (“Eternal”), or blazing fretboard fireworks (aka solos, my favorites of which are in “Architect of Undoing” and “Requiem”).

Drummer Harley Blandford is the true star of the show, however, his indefatigable blast beats and shifting rhythms providing Ominous Ruin with all the momentum necessary to push those spiraling guitar parts forward at their sporty tech pace. Blandford pounds away with endless verve and in an impressively metronomic performance for Requiem’s speed—and he nails the difficult balance of groove and uber-velocity. Vocalist Crystal Rose doesn’t have the most range with her harshes, but they’re sufficient; meanwhile, bassist Mitch Yoesle (ex-Inanimate Existence) can hardly be heard—a damn shame. From what little I can hear of his playing, like at the beginning of “Fractal Abhorrence,” it’s wicked, but alas, this oversight is Requiem’s greatest misstep. 

Impressively, the album flows from track to track seamlessly. Pacing is historically a weak point for tech death bands in my mind, so Requiem is a breath of fresh air in this regard. Ominous Ruin realize the importance of rest, too, implementing a couple well-placed interludes (“Bane of Syzygial Triality,” “Staring into the Abysm”) as well as calmer sections (intro of “Architect of Undoing”), helping to stave off any possible hints of monotony. The band even spread out the strongest cuts to be beginning (“Eternal”), middle (“Architect of Undoing”), and end (“Requiem”), so the forty minutes fly by with bangers all over the place.

So is Requiem a unique record? No, definitely not. But the album shows that Ominous Ruin are a serious tech death force with the superb songwriting and pacing skills to prove it. Ominous Ruin are only on their sophomore album, too, so they’ve still got plenty of time to find something that better makes them stand out from the crowded scene—and time to hire an outside producer (Bacey handles production and writing in addition to guitar) so that we can hear the bass in all its glory. You can trust me that this one is worth checking out, even for the most jaded tech fans among you.

Recommended tracks: Eternal, Architect of Undoing, Requiem
You may also like: Inanimate Existence, Deeds of Flesh, Stortregn, Aronious, Shadow in the Darkness, Deviant Process, Axial, Aethereus, Anachronism
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Willowtip Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Ominous Ruin is:
– Mitch Yoesle (bass)
– Alex Bacey (guitars)
– Harley Blandford (drums)
– Joel Guernsey (guitars)
– Crystal Rose (vocals)

The post Review: Ominous Ruin – Requiem appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Artwork by: Mohammed Khoirul Anam

Style: Deathgrind, Grindcore, Technical Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal (Harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Cattle Decapitation, The Red Chord, The Number Twelve Looks Like You
Country: Finland
Release date: 20 April 2025

The first time I heard saxophone in metal was “The Silent Life”, off Rivers of Nihil’s masterwork album, Where Owls Know My Name (2018), and needless to say I was hooked on those sultry tones and how they fed deliciously into the song’s thunderous grandiosity. Since then, I’ve heard it more and more, utilized by diverse acts like Operation Mindcrime, The Anchoret, The Faceless, White Ward, and Sleep Token, each time popping up like a reward; a tasty treat for my musical palate. But, I am admittedly, on occasion, a gluttonous being, not always well-known for regulating my sweet-tooth. I want saxophone to be more than a gimmicky addition, but it often feels like a dream, one never to be realized.

Color me shocked when I discovered dreams can come true in the form of Blastanus, a DIY deathgrind/epicsaxgrind act hailing from Finland. They dropped two loads in the late aughts / early 2010s (Odd and Collapse) then promptly vanished to a changing room before returning a decade later to squat out a single “Agathusia” and full-length Beyond in 2022. Now in 2025, the ass-blasting trio of Antti Oksanen (vocals, guitars, bass), Henri Fredriksson (drums), and Kari Vakiparta (vocals) have returned freshly-britched and with longtime session brasskicker Jussi Hurskainen (saxophone) in tow for another toilet-terrorizer in Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave. Can these Finnish flatulators convince me of the saxiness of their particular brand? Or will I need to break out the Febreze?

I’m not one to normally pledge to the cause of grindcore, though I do find its compact stylings and breakneck insanity an occasional source of catharsis when the sadboi-core just ain’t cutting it. There’s an artistry to crafting bite-sized vectors of songcraft from which genuine listening value can be excised. The genre also lends itself to heightened levels of emotion (usually aggression, angst, pain, etc.), with acts like Closet Witch unloading dark matter heaps of suffering in a minute or less, leading to a hyper-injection of feelings that my instant-gratification lizard brain sometimes craves. Blastanus are certainly poised to scratch that scaly itch. On the (w)hole, Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave rips through its thirty-five minute runtime with all the jarring lethality of a post-McChicken bathroom break after clearing the obligatory mid-paced sampler platter that is opener “Inauguration”—a roller-coaster climb before the cheek-clenching freefall into the corkscrew riffage, machine-gun drumming, shredding roars and porcine squeals, and decadent saxophone to follow.

Oh, the saxophone. I wasn’t prepared for just how entrenched Mr. Hurskainen is on the album: he appears on twelve of the fifteen tracks, and in various configurations: Smooth n’ sexy (“Mephitic,” “Drones”), moody and accentual (“Bloodlines,” “Justice System,” “Janedoe”), and as a Weapon of Jazz Destruction (“Cencorship” [sic]). The way he weaves and saunters around the general chaos of his bandmates’ sonic slaughter is, quite honestly, impressive and a genuine highlight of the record. It’s nice to hear the instrument included in a full capacity rather than clinched to a particular moment or style, to be shaken down for its prog-points and then discarded.

Sadly, the rest of Blastanus’ ripping and tearing feels rote and unfortunately forgettable when stacked against the brass. Most of Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave whips through one ear and out the other; few things in its thirty-five minutes generate the staying power necessary to achieve the kind of earworm constipation I seek from music. There’s an entertainment factor here, for sure, but the realization I came to as I spun the record again and again was this: Hurskainen is the not-so-secret saxy sauce. Take him out of the mix and what remains is admittedly fun, but mostly forgettable technical deathgrind. The guitars rip like a renegade chainsaw. Fredriksson’s drumming would make The Flash quake. There are inspired moments where Blastanus clench up on the aural chaos to drop some interesting nuggets: a power metal-flavored solo on “Class Warfare,” the neo-noir bass-and-saxophone chill of “Drones,” “Justice System’s” knuckle-dragging slam, or the weirdly epic ten-minute closer “Don’t Vote,” which serves as a sort of super-cut of what the album offers across its more bite-sized morsels. But despite all the flavoring, there’s little that holds me beyond the simple dopamine hit that ridiculously brutal music can provide—not even Oksanen’s railing against our corrupt governments and generally trash society. His vocals are fun and fit the style, but lack the kind of soul-flensing evocations a’la Mollie Piatetsky (Closet Witch) capable of transporting me to states of emotional extremes. Also, why is “Jane Doe” so loud? It hits like a jump scare, feeling at odds with how the preceding tracks had been mixed.

While discussing Blastanus with my fellow Subway riders, a colleague referred to the inclusion of saxophone as a “dumb gimmick.” I didn’t necessarily agree, but repeat exposure has revealed a kernel of truth here: The biggest reason to recommend Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave is the novelty of Hurskainen’s saxophone. Without him, there’s little staying power in Blastanus’ latest gas. That’s a shame, too, because I love how fully they’ve incorporated the saxophone into the totality of the album. However, by making the sax less of a feature it’s oddly become something of a bug, breaking the album by revealing the relative banality of what surrounds it. If brutal noise and sultry tones is your jam, then you’ll probably have fun with Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave. I sure did. Like SpongeBob ripping his pants, though, there’s only so many times you can do something before the schtick starts to get old and it’s time to look elsewhere for entertainment.

Recommended tracks: Bloodlines, Drones, Justice System, Don’t Vote
You may also like: Closet Witch, Nightmare Unit, Infiltration, Replicant, Brain Stem
Final verdict: 4/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Independent

Blastanus is:
– Antti Oksanen (bass, vocals, guitars, songwriting, lyrics)
– Henri Fredriksson (drums)
– Kari Vakiparta (vocals)
– Jussi Hurskainen (saxophone)

The post Review: Blastanus – Land of the Weak, Home of the Slave appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: technical death metal, death metal, progressive death metal (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Allegaeon, Psycroptic, Gorod, Soreption
Country: Mexico
Release date: 2 May 2025

We all love our Viking and pirate metal¹, but there are other badass peoples with awesome aesthetics just begging for albums to be made about them. The Aztecs were a metal people. The Sun god Huitzilopochtli (also the war god) demanded human sacrifice, which priests performed by the thousands in massive rituals, tearing out the still-beating hearts of the victims atop ceremonial pyramids. To obtain so many slaves to sacrifice, warfare was a constant in their society, driving the Aztecs to conquer their neighbors as an expansionist empire, all to satiate their god’s desire for blood. Kalaveraztekah, an up-and-coming death metal band from Aguascalientes, Mexico, tap into the Aztec aesthetic² on their sophomore album Nikan Axkan. Do Kalaveraztekah have Huitzilopochtli favor?

To set the stage for Aztec slaughter, Nikan Axkan sees Kalaveraztekah incorporate a healthy dose of regional folk music into their muscly tech death—pre-Hispanic indigenous instruments and percussion including ocarinas, flutes, conch shell horns, the ehecachichtli (Aztec death whistle), and the huehuetl (type of hand drum)³. With such ambitious syncretisms, the fear is always that the traditional instruments will be a gimmick, detached from the metallic core. Thankfully, Kalaveraztekah nail the stylistic clash, Óscar Dávila’s percussion specifically; beating away in tandem with Kalaveraztekah’s metal drummer, Julio C. Rivera, Dávila brings a polyrhythmic swagger to Nikan Axkan, as well as a ceremonial vibe. Besides the occasional, isolated folk section (to start the album on “Nikan Axkan – El Aquí y el Ahora,” at the end of “Tlazolteotl – La Devoradora de Inmundicia”), the whistles, flutes, and ocarinas merely take on a background role, providing ominous atmosphere behind the riffs with haunting, muted screams. The indigenous Mesoamericans weren’t messing around creating instruments ideal for metal.

While Kalaveraztekah manage to meld their folk and metal instruments impressively, the metal is woefully bland, especially when compared with the only other prominent Aztec-themed tech death band, Impureza, who sound like Beyond Creation with added flamenco and traditional percussion. Kalaveraztekah are death metal, mostly sticking to a mid-paced groove which works well with the exotic percussive elements but doesn’t create engaging riffs. The tones are all pretty standard, cookie-cutter death metal, not taking advantage of having both a lead and rhythm guitarist; lead guitarist Luigi V. Ponce’s (Indepth) “techy” parts are relegated to regrettably predictable arpeggios; and the bass playing of René Alpízar gets lost in an overly loud drum master. The production does no favors to Kalaveraztekah, making their music sound much more one-dimensional than it is—I want to hear those layers of folk and metal in their glory. 

Nikan Axkan works best at its strangest and spookiest—the centerpiece for me is clearly “Yowaltekuhtli – Un Sueño en la Oscuridad.” Ponce’s techy arpeggiation is at its best to start the track, and he even includes a slick clean guitar solo reminiscent of Stortregn. Yet what differentiates the track from the rest of Nikan Axkan is a dramatic spoken word performance, the female performer’s fright coming through even though it’s difficult to understand the lyrics. The extended noodly soloing to finish out the track also has much more energy than the more blah death metal Kalaveraztekah write on the rest of the album. I’m left wishing the band wrote more tracks with such flair.

Although birthed in the industrial hellhole of Birmingham, United Kingdom, metal is a global music like few others, and hearing bands put their local touch on the genre is a wonderful thing, especially when done well. And Nikan Axkan is a compelling fusion of metal with the traditions of Aguascalientes; that’s the hard part, and the band has nailed it. With a couple adjustments to the death metal side of the band, Kalaveraztekah can release something great while paving the way for more Aztecian death metal. So while I probably wouldn’t stage my next human sacrifice with Nikan Axkan as the soundtrack, the album sure inspired me to consider following Huitzilopochtli and to sacrifice my enemies to keep the Sun happy.

Recommended tracks: Tonalli Nawalli – La Esencia y el Espíritu, Yowaltekuhtli – Un Sueño en la Oscuridad, Xiuhmolpilli – El Amanecer del Nuevo Sol
You may also like: Impureza, First Fragment, Indepth, The Chasm, Moral Collapse, Acrania, Stortregn
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: independent

Kalaveraztekah is:
– Julio C. Rivera (vocals)
– Luigi V. Ponce (guitars)
– Julio Alpízar (guitars)
– Óscar Dávila (pre-Hispanic instruments, percussion)
– René Alpízar (vocals, bass)

1. Ok, I certainly do not love my pirate metal. ︎
2. Interestingly, Aguascalientes was never under Aztec rule but rather the Chichimeca tribes whom the Aztecs considered equally as badass as themselves, although primitive culturally. Read about the tribes here. ︎
3. This is not confirmed, but from my research and listening, I believe that it is a mix of these instruments. ︎

The post Review: Kalaveraztekah – Nikan Axkan appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: deathgaze, progressive death metal, technical death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fallujah, Rivers of Nihil, Devin Townsend, Ne Obliviscaris
Country: Arizona, United States
Release date: 25 April 2025

I’ve been a regular listener of Kardashev since discovering The Almanac back in 2018, when my taste for progressive death metal was still in its fetal stage. The band’s unique blend of deathcore-adjacent breakdowns and effervescent atmospherics that they dubbed “deathgaze” was something new to my ears, and in the time since that release I’ve yet to hear another group achieve a mixture quite so potent. Since that landmark EP, Kardashev has been busy, releasing The Baring of Shadows in 2020 and Liminal Rite in 2022—the latter of which, especially the track “Compost Grave-Song,” became a mainstay in my listening. Now, Kardashev returns with Alunea, a supposed sequel to The Almanac. Do the Arizonans deliver the goods, or is Alunea a deathgaze dud?

If there’s one thing you can always trust Kardashev to nail, it’s their atmosphere. Thanks to the band’s combination of cinematic riffage, heavy-handed production, and the seemingly endless array of guttural techniques at the disposal of vocalist Mark Garrett, each build-up feels like an event. From the symphonic-tinged intro of “A Precipice. A Door.” that begins the album to the reverb and delay-laden climaxes of tracks like “Reunion” and “Below Sun & Soil,” the album delivers frisson-inducing peak after peak. While this is standard fare for any Kardashev release, Alunea continues the trend that began on Liminal Rite and sees the band add even more  technical death metal elements to their already vast sonic territory. Tracks like “Truth to Form” and “We Could Fold the Stars” each have moments that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Fallujah record, and these moments go a long way in diversifying the album’s pacing.

Within the context of progressive death metal, and especially compared to its predecessor Liminal Rite, Alunea is a lean record. Clocking in at forty-two minutes, the album forgoes the genre-typical trappings of atmospheric track transitions and lengthy intro buildups, instead getting right to the meat of each track with next to no downtime. In fact, the only transitional element to be found occurs at the end of “Truth to Form,” but even that only serves to amplify the pounding intro of follow-up track “Edge of Forever.” This no-frills approach is a double-edged sword for Alunea, as I find myself engaging with each new track but struggling to engage with the album’s concept or get invested in the album’s flow. For any normal metal release, this would scarcely be criticism, but I can’t help but want a little more concept in a sequel to a conceptual progressive death metal EP from a band as consistent as Kardashev.

Unfortunately, like many of the inter-track transitions, many of the transitions found within individual tracks on this album are too jarring for me to reconcile as a listener, even after multiple listens. While the reasons for my distaste are undoubtedly multitudinous, I can’t help but see one primary culprit: Mark Garrett’s vocals are too varied. That may seem ridiculous, but before you call bullshit, listen to any track off this album and count how many distinct guttural and clean vocal timbres hit your ears; you’ll need two hands at least. This is almost certainly due to a combination of Kardashev‘s beginnings as a pure deathcore act and the recent push from -core adjacent bands towards what has come to be known as “vocal olympics.” (Thank you, Lorna Shore!) The end result is the same as if the guitarists were dancing on their pedalboard for the entire track, constantly switching distortion sounds in what seems to be the middle of a riff. It’s that kind of thing that once you hear it, cannot be unheard.

If you are already a fan of Kardashev, you will like Alunea; I know I do. But I don’t see this album converting too many new fans. Where Kardashev’s previous releases were just as heavy and atmospheric as Alunea, they also had a much more coherent vibe. I understand that some may have called those previous releases bloated, but Alunea is an overcorrection in my eyes. In trimming the fat, Kardashev may have lost a bit of their soul. Here’s to hoping that this is just a blip in their discography and that the Arizonans once again find their footing on the next release.

Recommended tracks: Reunion, Seed of the Night
You may also like: An Abstract Illusion, Slice the Cake, Iotunn, Caelestra
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives

Label: Metal Blade Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Kardashev is:
– Nico Mirolla (guitars)
– Mark Garrett (vocals)
– Alex Rieth (bass)
– Sean Lang (drums)
With guests:
– Erin Dawson (vocals)
– Pawel JJ Przybysz (duduk)

The post Review: Kardashev – Alunea appeared first on The Progressive Subway.