Style: Progressive Jazz Fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Thank You Scientist, Weather Report
Review by: Nick
Country: USA
Release dates: 27 September 2022 (Spotify), 1 June 2022 (Bandcamp)

Ever since Thank You Scientist went more metal on their last release, I’ve been yearning for some more traditional jazz fusion in the prog sphere. We Used to Cut the Grass scratched that itch a little bit, but nobody seemed to come close to the absolute masterful songcrafting that appeared in songs like “Rube Goldberg Variations”. As such you can imagine my surprise when I turned on this new release by Marbin, a band I had never previously heard of. Dirty Horse scratches that progressive jazz fusion itch and then some.

The album comes out swinging with “The Freeman Massacre”, a funky jam that bobs into high energy passages and weaves out to more restrained quiet jamming. One thing you’ll immediately notice about this album from this song alone is how absolutely insane Everette Benton Jr. is on the drums. This dude is a BEAST, jumping between complex almost solo-like fills and calmer, straight forward sections. The dynamics he portrays are good examples of the dynamics displayed by the entire band.

I don’t think there’s any other pairing of songs that so well displays this dynamic variation as “Sid Yiddish Pt 1” and “Sid Yiddish Pt 2”. The former is essentially an 8 minute long sax solo that is swiftly followed by the latter which is a more intense play on a lot of melodies from said former. The ability to have these two seemingly diametrically opposed parts combine so well into each other to not feel jarring and out of place cannot be understated. Really masterful songwriting on all members’ parts.

I’m really straining to find any downsides to this album. Every single song is progressive jazz perfection with a number of styles taken from all corners of the musical world. From the funky jam band feeling of “Midnight Squirrel” to almost metal leanings in “Headless Chicken” to the baroque waltz of “Dirty Horse Pt 1”, this band keeps the styles dipping and diving so constantly that it’s almost impossible to get bored. The production is also stellar with every single instrument being not only easy to make out, but natural to do so as well. I rarely call out those who work on the production side of the musical world, but Brian Schwab and Nate Wood deserve special shout outs for their mixing and mastering respectively. All of the members honestly deserve shout outs. The playing is so tight and the songwriting is so fluid that the album’s length of roughly 74 minutes flies by like absolutely nothing.

All in all, this album is great for a multitude of occasions. Want some background jazz to do the dishes to? This’ll work. Want something to take you on a musical journey? This’ll work too. How about an album for a nice drive? You get my point. Nothing about this album is too avant-garde to be overwhelming, but it isn’t so simple as to be boring and, because of this, Dirty Horse lends itself to working in a multitude of environments that other jazz fusion albums may not shine as well. It really is a one size fits all.

So, are you a fan of jazz fusion legends like Mahivishnu Orchestra? How about newer bands like the aforementioned Thank You Scientist? If you fuck with them, you’ll fuck with Marbin. You’ll fuck with Marbin hardcore. This is for any and all progressive jazz fans out there. Check. This. Album. Out. I know I’ll personally be listening to this one for years to come.

Recommended tracks: Dirty Horse Pt II, Headless Chicken
You may also like: The Comet is Coming, Odd Circus
Final verdict: 9.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook

Marbin is:
– Dani Rabin (guitar)
– Danny Markovitch (sax)
– Jon Nadel (bass)
– Everette Benton Jr. (drums)

The post Review: Marbin – Dirty Horse appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Traditional prog metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Contortionist, Dream Theater
Review by: Nick
Country: USA
Release date: 26 August, 2022

Hailing from Rochester, New York comes one of the latest traditional prog metal releases of the year. Speaking to Stones, originally formed in 2004, has blessed us with what I find to be one of the most interesting releases of the year so far. I may be biased as I live about an hour away from these guys so there is a bit of local pride that comes from finding this release, but that aside, this is a seriously solid record. It’s rare that traditional prog metal can remain gripping nowadays with how reliant bands are on the sounds of their predecessors, but this group blew my expectations out of the water.

To speak of inspirations with this band, one would be remiss to not mention Haken and The Contortionist. The combination of influence from these two is a trend that has been largely dominating the sound of modern traditional progressive metal lately. Bands like Ebonivory, Chaosbay, and Soulsplitter have twisted that sound into their own style. I’m happy to say that Speaking to Stones is a new addition to that list. A prime example is “I’ll Be Your Ocean” which sounds very VERY inspired by Language-era The Contortionist at first, but kicks into a sound that leans more bombastic than it does ethereal like Language tends to be. All this talk of djent may make some people worry, but there’s really no reason in this case. Speaking to Stones cleverly uses it as a vehicle for killer riff after killer riff as opposed to being a chug fest like so many bands can fall into.

As cliche as it is for a reviewer to say, this album really does have something for everyone. The best example of this may be “The Drowned and the Saved”. Within the first minute and a half we go from a powerful intro complete with a soaring orchestra to a riff-tastic transition into a very Dream Theater style with some sick keyboard work and then, finally, into a very beautiful piano driven section. And as chaotic as this sounds, none of it feels forced. Each moment feels like a natural evolution of the next. The lyrics also shine through pretty well, with my favorite line being the titular “How do we know if we’re the drowned or the saved?”. About three minutes of riffing later we finally get into a kickass guitar solo with some jaw dropping techniques and writing akin to established masters of the instrument like Plini.

In the end, (In)Human Error manages to achieve exactly what it set out to and then some. It’s a fantastic listen if you want some djenty traditional prog metal along the aforementioned veins of The Contortionist and recent Haken. It may not be an all-time classic, but it’s an absolute blast to listen to and will leave you coming back for more. Definitely worth the time to check out.

Recommended tracks: The Drowned and the Saved, The Last Word
You may also like: Ebonivory, Chaosbay, Soulsplitter
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Animated Insanity Records – Website | Facebook

Speaking to Stones is:
Tony M. Vinci – (Guitars, Synths, and Lyrics)
Mike Malyan – (Drums)
Maxi Curnow – (Vocals)

The post Review: Speaking to Stones – (In)Human Error appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive metal/post metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: David Maxum Micic, Plini, Scale the Summit
Review by: Nick
Country: The Czech Republic
Release date: 29 July, 2022

It’s funny, last year I was all over the post rock scene. I was zeroed in and knew of any and every release that dropped and this year I sort of just…stopped caring? I think I just got fatigued because, let’s be real, it’s an easy genre to do. This leads to a torrent of albums coming out which leads to a torrent of disinterest, so to say I’ve been out of touch this year would be an understatement. 

Keep this in mind when I call Jakub Tirco’s Alaska my post rock album of the year thus far. Has there been a better release? Maybe. Have I heard it? Not yet. Coming from the Czech Republic, Jakub seems to have made a name for himself with just a couple EPs, and from listening back through them I get why! Even from his first release, Introspection, he clearly has a strong talent for the post metal leaning side of prog. A couple of his collaborators are familiar names (namely Adam Janzi of VOLA and Baard Kolstad of Leprous) which is really what tipped me off to the fact that this dude may be something special. And something special he is. This debut full length is, while not an absolute masterpiece, a very solid and worthy entry into the world of post-influenced instrumental prog.

There have been way too many occasions during my time on this blog where I will say that a band has put forth a good effort, but has yet to realize their potential. Thankfully this isn’t the case here, Tirco has learned a lot throughout his last six years publishing material. The production is very clear and makes it easy to focus on any given instrument to really hear what they’re doing. The pacing is very pleasantly done in a way that never gets boring. The melodies, oh my GOD the melodies are just fan-fucking-tastic.

If you’ve noticed anything overall about my review so far, I hope you notice that it’s pretty shallow. Normally people would absolutely not say that, but I have a point to make. Just like with a review, you can fill in as many blanks as you want with pretty adjectives, describing the sound or whatever may come to mind, but a good review will really go into the meat of the album. I’m not here because, while I still wholeheartedly claim this is my post rock album of the year (thus far), I’m going to have to call a spade a spade and a shallow album a shallow album.

Perhaps it’s the very “digital” feel. Everything seems neat and intricately organized, almost algorithmically designed to be ear candy. And it is ear candy. It’s very pleasant to listen to and lose yourself in, but very VERY difficult to do so. To put it bluntly: beautiful melodies and instrumentation alone don’t make a memorable post rock album, at least in my opinion. It’s just a flashy songwriting showcase that has little to no emotional impact. There’s no playing with tension and release, there’s no playing with dynamics and morphing tracks, it’s just very straightforward noodling with an overly polished feel. Think more the aesthetic of Scale the Summit than traditional post metal.

I will lampshade my criticism by saying it could very well be the more shallow headspace I’ve been in in terms of music lately, with more of a focus on lyricism and emotion than anything else. This album may be absolutely killer if you’re looking for some cool songwriting and rad noodling, because this has those two in spades. Overall if you’re a fan of artists like David Maxim Micic or Plini and want more of that exact sound except maybe more lifeless than the former, then for sure give this a listen. Hell, even if you just like post metal in general give this one a shot. Maybe something will leave an impression on you, maybe you’ll just get a quick rush of serotonin and move on. Regardless of what happens, big ups to Jakub Tirco on this fine release.

Recommended tracks: The End of All Things, Mixed Signals
You may also like: Outrun the Sunlight, The Elephant in the Room, Hecla
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent

Jakub Tirco is:
– Jakub Tirco (most everything)
– Palo Balcak (drums)

The post Review: Jakub Tirco – Alaska appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Psychonaut, Cult of Luna
Review by: Nick
Country: Croatia
Release date: 5 July, 2022

Coming from a low-effort Dream Theater knockoff in my last review, I know that nearly anything I picked was gonna impress me. I just didn’t think I’d be as impressed as I have been by SIKASA. This Croatia based group comes in with a beautiful blend of progressive metal and post metal in a matter that I haven’t really seen before. Songs like “The Edge of Event” and “Mokosh” bring in some international elements from various worldwide genres (reggae and throat singing respectively). “Where Giants Walk” is another example that starts with a beautiful orchestral piece almost reminiscent of moments in The Ocean‘s Pelagial.

While these interesting stylings keep the listening engaging, they don’t at all aid in the development of the tracks. One of the key features of the whole post rock/metal genre is that the songs grow and evolve naturally throughout. Every single change, bob, and weave in each track play into each other. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that SIKASA manages to achieve. Perhaps it’s the result of someone genuinely having a new take on the genre and it’s just growing pains, but the fact that the songs feel underdone is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.

A prime example of an undercooked song would be the aforementioned “Mokosh”. The throat singing and jawdropping use of percussion makes for a cool little track, but it ends so abruptly without having this badass soundscape evolve into something truly memorable. It may have worked as an interlude into a track that plays on the melodies and style, but instead it just kinda fizzles out and that’s just the end of the album. No development or anything, just an awesome possibility not fully realized.

Overall, I would recommend this album to anybody who is a fan of post metal, given you are okay with vocals. This one is for the completionists and the curious, not the newcomers. Keep in mind that this is absolutely not an insult, rather a compliment. They have a unique style, I just don’t think it’s been fully utilized yet. With subsequent releases we could see this group hit a stride and fully realize their potential. For now, however, it isn’t a bad start at all.

Recommended tracks: The Edge of Event, Where Giants Walk
You may also like: Hippotraktor, Dordeduh
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

SIKASA is:
– Bruno Longfield (guitars/vocals/additional instruments)
– Toma Cukrov (keyboards)
– Ante Juričev-Martinčev (bass)

The post Review: SIKASA – Matter Earth appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Traditional prog metal (clean vocals)
Review by: Nick
Country: Germany
Release date: 24 June, 2022

Look man, nobody wants to be the one to say that 15 years worth of writing added up to a pile of trash. Maybe that’s why the reviews for this album have been so absurdly positive. Or maybe the traditional prog metal sound has stagnated to the extent that this really is some of the best the genre has to offer, but either way somebody’s gonna have to come right out and say that this album is a hardcore miss.

The genesis (heh) of Philosophobia begins 15 years ago when two friends, Andreas Ballnus and Alex Landenburg, worked up some rough demos. They parted ways into various credible acts only to get back together 13 years later to work on this album with Kristoffer Gildenlöw, Tobias Weißgerber, and Domenik Papaemmanouil. So while this album continued production in 2020, the bulk of it was apparently written in 2007.

This can come across as a cool fun fact, but as someone who browsed prog archives religiously in high school and has listened to countless Dream Theater clones from around that time, let me just say that having prog written in that time period does not automatically equate to being good. There was a particular fad going on around back then that was just “Do what Dream Theater does”. Some fantastic albums came out of this fad such as Seventh Wonder’s The Great Escape, Circus Maximus’s Isolate, and even Haken’s Aquarius; but there were also massive clunkers. Then you have the middle ground between the two extremes, a middle ground inhabited by bands like Dreamscape and Mind’s Eye, bands that are decent enough for a cursory listen but are nothing you’d ever come back to.

This context is important because Philosophobia’s self-titled is 100% a 2007 style Dream Theater rip-off. I don’t even mean that as an insult, it just is a Dream Theater rip-off. The most egregious moment occurs in “Thirteen Years of Silence” at the time of 1:59 which almost identically mimics 1:13 in “Erotomania”. It mimics the sound, but with much looser playing, sloppy drum beats, and annoying repetition. And then bizarrely, it goes from that moment to basically being an entirely different song after a bit of silence. I can see what they were going for, but my god did they not pull it off. I actually laughed when I first heard it because I thought it was an entirely different song.

Aside from the consistently sloppy playing, the singing is also extremely weak. He has a great voice, he just doesn’t use it to his advantage. Honestly, none of them use their talents to their advantage at all. The riffs, the songwriting, the lyrics, everything about this album feels computer generated. I’m sure the production is doing this album a great disservice, but it’s hard to imagine someone sitting up at night tweaking the lyrics to get them just right or to be pulling their hair out over perfecting riffs. It really feels like some vague demos from 2007 and not the polished, meticulously crafted work we’ve come to expect from modern prog bands.

Is this album really that bad? No, not really. Is it boring as all hell and just a bunch of generic cliches and bland tropes scotch-taped into the form of an album? Absolutely. Had this been released in 2007 it would have faded into the noise of similar acts to middling reviews, but instead it’s getting 9/10s and 10/10s. This feels like a testament to the current state of the traditional prog metal scene and, as someone who grew up with Dream Theater/Queensryche/so on, that just bums me out. Here’s hoping they do better if they make another album, which I hope they do. They’ve got insane potential, they just haven’t tapped it properly yet.

Recommended tracks: Thorn In Your Pride
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Queensryche, Headspace, Threshold
You may also like: Redshift, Mind’s Eye, Soul Secret
Final verdict: 2/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Sensory Records – Bandcamp | Website

Philosophobia is:
Domenic Papaemmanouil (vocals)
Andreas Ballnus (guitars)
Kristoffer Gildenlöw (bass)
Alex Landenburg (drums)
Tobias Weißgerber (keyboards)

The post Review: Philosophobia – Philosophobia appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive rock/psychedelic rock (clean vocals)
Review by: Nick
Country: Norway
Release date: 1 October, 2021

I’ve had some crazy luck with my albums lately. I’ve had a number of killer releases in a few different genres, but none of them have struck me quite like Himmellegeme has. They’re a band out of Norway playing largely typical 2000s style prog rock. Think Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief, and so on.

This isn’t to say they don’t have their own sound because they very much do. From the first track alone it’s evident that this is something special. There’s the obvious Pink Floyd/Steven Wilson influences, but there’s just such a unique and personal touch that they bring to one of the most copied sounds in prog. They have a much dreamier atmosphere than their contemporaries do. Their guitars are laden with reverb. The vocals are ethereal and almost other worldly. The solos scream and soar above the other instruments in a way that makes it feel like the guitar itself is singing. The drums and further orchestration make the songs feel epic and almost cinematic. Even if I can barely understand what he’s saying, the songs conjure such vivid imagery by the songwriting alone.

Each song also brings in a taste of variety. From super psychedelic (“Heart Listening”) to borderline disco (“Blowing Raspberries”) to ambient acoustic (“Variola Vera”), you’ll never be bored. This is a much appreciated improvement from their debut which, while featuring the same jaw dropping cinematic sound, was very focused on the Floydian psychedelic style that I mentioned. It makes me almost proud to see the growth of a band from ripping off their inspirations to using them as a base for a completely unique sound. 

One of my favorites may be on the track “Let the Mother Burn”. There’s a solo almost two minutes in that’s Gilmour levels of beauty and the simple lines during the verses are so strong emotionally that it feels like each string plucked is personally jabbing your heart. Another favorite track is “Caligula” which starts with a rhythmically creative riff that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Leprous or Bent Knee track. The chorus though feels like it belongs in a Tame Impala or Arctic Monkeys song. I love the way they pick up the tempo for the chorus and solo, how the drums are just banging away. Big shout out for the changed pattern at the end. I love that sort of stuff especially when it’s done as well as it is here.

After having sat on this album for a couple weeks now and listened and relistened, I just have to say that this is easily the best straight progressive rock album that I’ve heard this year if not the 2020s so far (however young the decade may be). They are up there with their labelmates Airbag who have themselves been proven to be a psychedelic prog powerhouse. If want to hear what it would sound like for a legendary 70s prog band to have started their career in 2017, this is the band for you. Creative, original, and fun. I really hope it doesn’t take another four years for the next entry in their discography to emerge, but if it takes that long to make something of this quality then so be it.

Recommended tracks: Let the Mother Burn, Heart Listening, Caligula
Recommended for fans of: Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, post-Fish Marillion
You may also like: Meer, Airbag, Glass Kites
Final verdict: 10/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

Label: Karisma Records – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Himmellegeme is:
– Aleksander Vormestrand (guitar and vocals)
– Hein Alexander Olson (guitar)
– Lauritz Isaksen (keyboards)
– Erik Alfredsen (bass)
– Thord Nordli (drums)

The post Review: Himmellegeme – Variola Vera appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Post rock (instrumental)
Review by: Nick
Country: US-TX
Release date: 17 September, 2021

Something I covered in my post rock highlights is that there are countless up and coming bands putting out an album every single week. The majority of them, sadly, fall short in whatever way. Whether it’s them being melodically bland, structurally cliché, poorly produced, or just boring to listen to, many post rock releases have some problem holding them back. This is something I absolutely cannot say about Driving Slow Motion‘s new release.

Everything you want from a post rock band is here. The production is slick, the songwriting is smooth, and most importantly the melodies are beautiful. Sure you may not have these songs stuck in your head, but when you listen to them you’ll feel the full brunt of whatever emotions you’re keeping deep within. The clever trick of good post rock is that it can be either happy or sad based on what you yourself are feeling. This is something I really believe Driving Slow Motion accomplishes here. And while their melodies and overall songwriting may not be quite up to par with the greats, there’s still plenty of spine tingling moments.

The meat of the songs themselves focus the most on building an atmosphere with tight melodies and compositions rather than meandering and jamming. There are no 15 minute tracks made of the same 5 melodies (as fulfilling as those can be). They don’t risk each song overstaying their welcome. While there is the sort of improvisational flair that’s big with the genre, you can tell each note is carefully considered.

Adrift:Abyss‘s tightness is most notably helped by its runtime. The album clocks in at a brief 31 minutes through 6 songs, almost fitting into the category of an EP rather than an album. While many shorter albums often feel more incomplete, that is certainly not the case here. The band accomplishes a bite-sized post rock masterpiece with each song acting as both a stand alone track as well as a fluid part of a greater work.

They manage this neat flow by playing in different styles of the genre. “Leaves” and “Cathedral Dreams” for example, which play very deep into the traditional sound laid out by bands like Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You, are separated by a largely ambient piece called “Reflection”. “The Fall (The Deep Pt. II)” plays with a more post metal sound with a chugging palm mute build to a distorted climax. Meanwhile “Mariana” keeps that toying with distortion as a central focus, but changes the structure so the explosive part happens early on and largely deals with the aftermath. Then you have the wonderful “Another World” beautifully combining all of these sections into one bombastic closer.

All in all this is a truly solid bite size chunk of post rock bliss. It’s an album I can see myself coming to time and time again from an artist I happily call myself a fan of. It might not be genre defining, but it’s fantastic and will very readily fulfill any need for great post rock you may have.

Recommended tracks: Cathedral Dreams, Leaves
Recommended for fans of: Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, Man Mountain
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Post. Recordings – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

The post Review: Driving Slow Motion – Adrift:Abyss appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: traditional prog metal/neo-prog rock (clean vocals)
Review by: Nick
Country: US
Release date: 27 August, 2021

The Neal Morse Band is a supergroup made up of Mike Portnoy formerly of Dream Theater and a million other projects on drums, Randy George on bass, Bill Hauber on keyboards, and Eric Gillette on guitar. The last three may have been relatively unknown prior to TNMB, but believe me when I say that they are anything but ordinary musicians. While they each have clear influence from various legends on their respective instruments, they still each carve out their own sound and style and are true masters of the craft. And these musicians are used to their fullest potential on these albums. See, The Neal Morse Band isn’t just Neal Morse despite what its name may make you think. I know I covered this already, but I specifically mean that each other member has plenty of say in the songwriting and their respective parts. The project is extremely collaborative which is something you can see in their documentary that covers the making of their previous album The Similitude of a Dream. 

It’s actually super important to mention The Similitude of a Dream, because that’s one of my all time favorite albums and has really impacted the way I’ve seen a lot of the projects that Neal and the other members put out. The Similitude of a Dream was a double disc concept album based on the classic story Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory of religious discovery that has long been applicable to any personal challenge or turmoil. So while there is the religious aspect it was still applicable to a variety of situations. They played well into this strength and kept the hardcore religious lyrics from Neal’s other projects on the backburner in place of exploring the allegory itself. They then followed this up with The Great Adventure drastically disappointed me. The general metaphors were turned into something far more overtly religious, the prog excitement was bogged down by ballad after ballad, and the prog bits that were there felt forced. It was disappointing and far thicker with the preachiness that turns me off of Neal’s solo work. Beyond the work in TNMB alone, I was also super disappointed in Transatlantic’s new release (yet another supergroup prominently featuring Morse and Portnoy). Between The Great Adventure, the new Transatlantic, and the two fairly generic double disc concept albums that he put out himself in the last year, I was very skeptical about what their newest release would bring to the table. 

Innocence & Danger was announced in early 2021 with an interesting approach. Rather than being a story-based concept album, it would be a normal album split up into two halves. The first half of the album consists of a number of shorter cuts that are focused more as bite sized chunks of prog rather than the two larger compositions that make up the second half. I thought that this is actually a really neat idea and my interest was definitely piqued. Say what you will about their execution, but these guys never lack ambition and I think that alone is worth giving them the time of day.

Musically it calls back a lot to older prog especially to the sounds of Genesis. Not only is there an extremely Steve Hackett-esque acoustic interlude track (“Emergence”), but the legendary piano melody from Genesis’s “Firth of Fifth” is copied and pasted to be the meat of the intro of “Bridge over Troubled Water”. This isn’t the first homage that’s made an appearance in a Neal Morse Band album, but I’d say it’s probably the biggest and most overt I’ve seen. Even if there are plenty of times where they definitely root themselves firmly into the sounds of neo-prog as done by contemporaries like The Flower Kings, Big Big Train, and IQ, they still have managed to bring their own sound to the table which really does feel like the culmination of five different careers worth of growth. Their verses are filled with attitude, their choruses are bombastic and epic, their solo sections are bright and energetic, the slower solos are soulful, and their ever-evolving compositions manage to remain fresh and engaging. There’s nothing especially new, but there’s so many cool little sections and creative sounds that they toy with to keep it interesting.

The real highlight of this album comes with the final two tracks, two tracks which make up nearly half of the album’s runtime mind you. The first, “Not Afraid Pt 2” clocks in at around 18 minutes. Meanwhile the second, “Beyond the Years”, absolutely dwarfs that coming in at a massive 32 minutes. This is a LOT of music to say the least which is impressive alone, but as always the big question is if the length is justified. In this case? I think absolutely. Each track is a long winding road of different sections built to create a sort of emotional rollercoaster and, while there’s nothing super new, the songs are put together in such an engaging way that it honestly makes no difference. I especially had such a blast listening to “Beyond the Years” that I didn’t even noticed its over half hour long runtime on my first listen. Top notch stuff.

Lyrically there isn’t anything at all different here than on anything else Neal has ever put out. It’s all the same hyper inspirational madlibs that you’ll be accustomed to if you’ve heard anything he’s written since Spock’s Beard. There is no story unlike the last two albums which I actually kind of like. It’s hard to maintain good storytelling while still delivering solid songwriting, so in this case he (and whoever else contributes) can write about the usual overcoming of challenges and love of friends and stuff that’s all over the lighter side of prog, sticking some solid lines here and there alongside some fucking solid songwriting.

With a lot of Neal Morse’s output and honestly all of the neo-prog side of the scene as a whole, it’s all too common that some albums will come out feeling forced. It’s not due to a lack of talent or inspiration, this is just a corner of the genre that has been existing and thriving for nearly 50 years at this point. Hell, both Morse and Portnoy’s careers have been thriving themselves for well over half that. This longevity makes this album feel kinda paradoxical in that it both feels like a young band full of energy and creativity as well as a group of seasoned veterans with years of refined experience. For all of the highs and lows of each member’s discography, any band would be lucky to have an album this good at any point in their career.

Recommended tracks: Beyond the Years, Your Place in the Sun
Recommended for fans of: Genesis, Big Big Train, Spock’s Beard
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Spotify | Facebook

Label: Radiant Records – Website | Facebook

The Neal Morse Band is:
– Neal Morse (vocals, guitars, keys)
– Eric Gillette (guitars)
– Randy George (bass, vocals)
– Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals)
– Bill Hauber (keyboard, vocals)

The post Review: The Neal Morse Band – Innocence & Danger appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

The world of post-rock is vast and ever expanding. It seems like there’s a dozen new groups emerging every day. The genre’s relative simplicity makes it so the entry level is low and as a result, fans of the genre have more bands than they know what to do with. As a way of kicking off one of our new periodic columns, I wanted to highlight three of my favorite unknown post-rock groups. There are so many more bands that I want to gush about, and many other genres that some of my fellow Subway members want to tackle; so be sure to keep an eye out for future installments!

S/T by We All Die! What A Circus!

We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing.

Charles Bukowski

That’s the quote from which this band derived its name. Knowing the full quote gives a sort of extra life to the beautiful yet melancholy music.

One of my favorite things about post-rock is that most songs rely on only a title to tell a story. It gives each listener a unique experience and a chance to make up their own imagery to go along with the artist’s suggestion. There’s few other bands that I’ve seen accomplish this as well as We All Die. A song like “Emil Cioran’s Nightwalk”, which makes reference to the Romanian philosopher known for his cynicism, paints a perfect picture and lends itself to beautiful imagery specific to whoever is listening.

The centerpiece of the album, in my opinion, is the stunning “Bluebird”. The first seven minutes alone are emotional enough to bring anyone to their knees, but it’s at the end that the track really hammers the point home. The final couple minutes are capped off with a poem by Charles Bukowski (the same one they got their name from) which is about a rugged man who buries his emotions in the depths of his soul. This last part gives a whole new context for the tear jerking song that precedes it and heightens the raw emotion in a way no traditional lyrics ever could.

The cynicism and melancholy portrayed by this album make it a perfect winter listen, although I find myself regularly returning year-round whenever I’m feeling down and need some comfort. It’s a great album. And it’s so unfortunate that the band officially hung up the towel last year, but at least they left us with this masterpiece.

Infinity Mirror by Man Mountain

One of the most promising acts emerging right now hails from my own home state of Michigan. Their debut album Infinity Mirror snuck onto the scene around three years ago, and despite having released no follow up since, the album is still a fairly common mention within discussions for obscure releases. Musically, it’s very inspired by Explosions in the Sky and that sort of ‘traditional’ post rock. While they play with crescendos a lot, as most modern post-rock bands do (especially those inspired by EitS), their melodies and subtly technical playing are enough to make them stand tall above their contemporaries.

Songs like “Elysian” have especially notable complexities in the drums, almost adding a sort of mathy or progressive feel to the track. Normally in post-rock, drums are relegated to basic rhythms. This makes Jacob Goins’s drum work on this album especially stand out. Pair that with the throbbing chorus-filtered bass and the beautiful echoing guitars and you have a strong base to carry their spine-chilling guitar-driven melodies!

They’re currently working on a second LP, so I recommend checking them out so you’re prepared when that comes! Also, be sure sure to catch them live if you get the chance. They put on a hell of a show.

S/T by Beast, Please Be Still!

There’s a certain aesthetic to 2000s indie. It’s that Portland-esque hipster aesthetic that leans strongly into folk, the type of aesthetic perpetuated by bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and early Arcade Fire. It’s an aesthetic that I haven’t been able to really find in post-rock, so any band who has it is boosted up among my favorites almost immediately.

Beast, Please Be Still grabs hold of this aesthetic and never lets go. Through a winding album filled with absolute bangers, you’ll be presented with a strong attention to atmosphere and emotion rather than just reverbed guitar loops. Strings, horns, winds, musical box type keys, accordions, and so much more are used for extra layers. This is obviously a sound and aesthetic that was first really perfected in the genre by Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky, but the album never feels bogged down by their influences.

As for what song I recommend, I’m gonna have to be cliché and pick the longest track, which would be “Clouds”. This thirteen-minute long epic is best listened to with headphones in a dark room, possibly with your favorite scent of incense going if that’s your sort of thing, and a window open to a nice breeze. It starts slow yet emotional with occasional bleeps and bloops peaking in through the thick layers of guitar and accordion. From this intro, the track goes on to hit pretty much every emotional note you can think of all while evolving completely naturally. If you listen to one song from this article, make it this one.

Out of the innumerable one-and-done artists in the genre, Beast, Please Be Still may just be my favorite. It’s a tragedy that we never got to see where they could go and I’ve never found anyone since who does it quite like they did.

To start a post-rock band is to pit yourself against the odds. With an ever-expanding world of bands and artists all entering any of the hundreds of local scenes daily, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever truly ‘make it’. This overall acceptance of obscurity makes post rock a genre almost purely based on love for the music. Each album is a passion project made for the sake of the music itself and the emotion it brings. This is why post-rock is possibly my personal favorite genre overall.

If you’re new to the genre I hope this article intrigued you enough to dig in deeper and if you’re already a fan, I hope that at least one of these bands was new to you! I’ve put links for each band so you can send some love their way. I’ve also embedded my massive Spotify playlist of obscure post-rock albums for those foaming at the teeth for more.

Related links for We All Die! What a Circus!: Bandcamp | Spotify

Related links for Man Mountain: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Related links for Beast, Please Be Still!: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

The post Genre Spotlight: Three Fantastic Post-Rock Albums appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Neo-Classical Prog Metal (intstumental)
Review by: Nick
Country: California, United States
Release date: 24 June, 2021

So, looks like I’m doing two landmark reviews in TPS’s history in a row. The first was an indie folk album last week and the second is this week’s album, which is by far the most popular album we’ve reviewed. See, we recently upped the limit of monthly listeners for bands we review from 10k to 15k. When I initially picked this album up for review Syncatto was pretty snuggly at 15k listeners, but at the time of publishing the review it is nearly over 22k. This bump of listeners absolutely does not surprise me because this album is something truly special.

Being possibly the first band I caught right at their start, I grew a pretty strong attachment to Charlie Robbin’s other group, Artificial Language, since shortly before their first album dropped. Their heavy use of a classical style was both familiar yet completely foreign. I fell in love instantly and grew a strong attachment to them thinking I was finding these great musicians right at the start of their career. Little did I know, Robbins had already established himself in the scene with his solo project under the name Syncatto.

The sound among his two full lengths released prior to Artificial Language‘s debut is pretty along the lines of Plini and David Maxim Micic. Just large guitar and keys playing over a much more standard progressive metal soundscape with occasional dips into more atmospheric sections that one would find in post metal. Although the production may have been relatively muddy in these first two releases and the songwriting less unique than his future releases, there’s an undeniable charm to these first two albums. His sense of melody and composition makes for music that’s just a blast to listen to.

A Place to Dream came out in 2016 which makes A Place to Breathe is the first full-length solo album in 5 years. Although he has put out two EPs that help bridge the gap between the older sound and the newer sound that’s far more akin to his work in Artificial Language, this is the first release in a second to feel really coherent rather than a collection of tracks. It’s a pretty worthy display of the progress he’s made as a songwriter. He presses on even further with the Latin inspired elements you can find in the last EP as well as the beautiful classical style he’s built into a signature sound.

All this is to say that fans of Artificial Language as well as his previous couple solo EPs will feel right at home. Heavily produced noodley riffs and crazy time signatures abound, fusions of classical, Latin, djent, and traditional prog metal, everything that’s become his staple on his releases. There’s the same heavily produced hectic neoclassical metal, just this time without vocals. Luckily Robbin manages to avoid the all-too-common pitfall of instrumental prog which would be songs sounding samey or generic. From the very first track (“Let Us Dance”) on, each song takes various dips and dives that keeps it from being boring. Peppered in guest spots also help keep the album engaging, but the main star is easily Robbin’s songwriting.

One of my favorite tracks is probably “Red Velvet” which opens with a beautiful violin piece done by Coen Strouken (who does most of, if not all of, the strings on the album). The base of the track however is a cool blend of tango and djent-infused prog metal. While combinations of various Latin/classical styles with prog metal are common throughout the album as I established before, I think this track is the best execution and shows what Robbin can accomplish at his peak.

Overall, it’s an extremely solid release. If you like the idea of neo-classical/Latin infused prog, you’ll absolutely love this release. If you like complicated riffs that hop time signatures, you’ll love this as well. Same if you love the idea of solo after solo after solo. After listening to most of the big instrumental prog releases of the year so far, this easily stands above the rest as the best. It’s a perfect soundtrack to kick off the second half of 2021 and beyond.

Recommended tracks: Red Velvet
Recommended for fans of: Polyphia, Plini, David Maxim Micic, Artificial Language (obviously)
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

Label: Independent

Syncatto is:
– Charlie Robbins (everything but guest spots)
etc.

The post Review: Syncatto – A Place to Breathe appeared first on The Progressive Subway.