Style: Black metal, atmospheric black metal, post-black metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Emperor, The Black Dahlia Murder, Carach Angren
Country: Washington, United States
Release date: 18 July 2025

This year has seen no shortage of post-black metal releases. So many, in fact, that I’m overwhelmed with pings from Andy to check out this or that release in one of my favorite genres. I can’t keep up. But, as I let my Release Radar play the other day at my real job¹, a vaguely post-black track piqued my interest. I opened my Spotify window to see a track called “No Less Than Death” by… Abigail Williams? Damn. Truth be told, they are a band that fell off my radar ages ago for whatever reason. I remember them having a vaguely symphonic black metal sound—with a metalcore oomph. What I was listening to at that moment, however, reminded me of Numenorean more than anything: moody, resonant, and full of rich vocal harmonies before the raspy black metal vocals took hold. Strange to open up a review of an album by talking about the closer, but it’s how I was introduced to A Void Within Existence. Would the rest of the LP sink its teeth into me in a similar fashion?

To find out, I hit rewind. The first thing to grab my attention as A Void Within Existence opened was the bass work of John Porada. “Life, Disconnected” starts the LP off with a slow, dissonant crawl in which the bass is almost front-and-center. I love a black metal album where you not only feel the bass, but hear it audibly in the mix as well. “Nonexistence” commences in similar fashion, but opting for sadness over angry dissonance. The track wanders through a murky melancholy, and ends with a guitar solo full of breathing bends that twist your insides in David Gilmour fashion. My only gripe here is that it ends too soon, leaving you wanting more. But honestly, that might be my only real complaint about any of these songs: I just want more. And when a seven, eight, or nine minute track ends and feels like it flew by in half the time, is that even a complaint? Or just a sign something special is happening?

Though many tracks are emotive—and boy howdy, take your pick among despair, grief, wonder, or almost any other plaintive feeling—the beating heart within this …Existence is a tech-laden strain of black metal that is as varied as it is heavy. Much of that impact is owed to the drumwork of Mike Heller. You may know him from his contributions to about a million different projects and bands, including Fear Factory and Malignancy, but most notably for a handful of us at the Subway from his recent work in Changeling. He is credited here as a session musician, which makes me pity the poor soul that Abigail Williams find to play these blistering, hyper-technical drum parts on tour. “Void Within,” a furious and scraping black metal odyssey, showcases Heller’s prowess. His brute intensity and technical precision are cranked to eleven throughout the track. Lightning-fast double-bass, relentless blast beats, varied use of every cymbal at his disposal, and a flurry of whimsical fills on all of the toms come together in a performance that is both dazzling and tasteful—never showy for its own sake, but always exactly what the song demands (and then some).

A Void Within Existence would be a strong black metal release even if it were made up solely of songs like the aforementioned “Void Within,” or another glass-eating black metal track like “Still Nights.” But the veteran musicians that currently comprise Abigail Williams turn …Existence into something much more ambitious. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you listen to the whole of “Talk To Your Sleep,” which starts with the stankiest of down-tuned riffs. If I ever get a job hammering railroad spikes, this is the track I’m listening to for my rhythm and pace. What takes “Talk To Your Sleep” to another level, though, is the melodic bridge it eases into halfway through its runtime. It’s one of those elevating moments on A Void Within Existence that confirms you’re listening to songwriting that’s as emotionally intelligent as it is heavy.

From the fleeting strings and drifting keys that haunt its margins, to the earthquaking heaviness at its core, that emotional intelligence is woven into the compositional choices that comprise A Void Within Existence. Abigail Williams don’t simply stack riffs or pile on atmosphere for the hell of it. Rather, a keen sense of pacing and a dollop of emotive contrast provide the hooks that have kept me spinning this album repeatedly. Just when you think you’ve mapped the territory, the ground shifts beneath you—come for the nihility, stay for the empathy.

Take “Embrace the Chasm,” for instance. The song opens with a familiar black metal snarl—solid stuff, I think to myself. But almost on cue, as if Ken Sorceron (the everpresent frontman of Abbie Dubs) had heard my thoughts, the track pivots. Suddenly, gloomy arpeggios drift in, shadowed by echoing piano, pulling the song into a more introspective space. “We’re not aiming for ‘solid,’ here,” he seems to say—and the song isn’t done shapeshifting yet. In its final third, the track unfurls into something strangely serene, and almost hopeful. The melodies lift upward, carrying you into something both heavy and soothing. A black metal lullaby, drifting towards peace. In that shift from fury to beauty I feel the nuance that has kept me tethered to this genre: a rage giving way to release.

If you told me that Abigail Williams were going to drop one of my favorite releases of the year (and the cover art is taking my top spot in that regard), I would have been surprised. Not because I ever held any dislike for the band, but because I hadn’t thought about them in so long. They’d quietly drifted out of rotation. But A Void Within Existence has pulled me right back in. The album is moody, technical, surprising, and—like my favorite extreme metal releases—bridges brutality with beauty in a way all its own. Consider this my belated apology for ever letting them slip off my radar, and a nudge to make sure they don’t fall off yours.

Recommended tracks: No Less Than Death, Embrace the Chasm, Talk to Your Sleep, Void Within
You may also like: Valdrin, Illyria, …And Oceans
Final verdict: 8.5/10

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

Label: Agonia Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Abigail Williams is:
– John Porada (bass)
– Ken Sorceron (vocals, guitars)
– Vance Valenzuela (guitars)
With guests:
– Mike Heller (drums)

1. This will probably come as a shock to our readers, but working solely at The Progressive Subway wouldn’t pay the bills. Or even a bill. ︎

The post Review: Abigail Williams – A Void Within Existence appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

No cover artist credited

Style: progressive rock, indie rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Coheed and Cambria, Closure in Moscow, The Reign of Kindo, Bear Ghost
Country: Washington, USA
Release date: 6 June 2025

There are few bands out there doing it quite like The Dear Hunter. Ever since that fateful day in the mid-2000s when Casey Crescenzo left his post-hardcore band behind in order to tell the tragic tale of a young man who journeyed too far from the riverside, they’ve been quite possibly the gold standard in crafting intricate, multi-album conceptual prog sagas¹. And yet, for all their sprawling, ambitious tales of pimps-turned-priests and dystopian ringed cities, TDH have also had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate their song-crafting fundamentals outside the confines of conceptuality, from the more straightforward indie rock of Migrant to the partially fan-sourced experimentations of All Is as All Shall Be. While the band’s latest EP continues in this vein, both it and its companion documentary offer a glimpse into another, heretofore underappreciated facet of the band: namely, that these guys are a very silly bunch of dorks.

For those unfamiliar, the “documentary” of the band’s 2023 North American tour only pretends to be a documentary for roughly its first fifteen minutes. From there, it morphs into a bizarre, surrealist horror-comedy about the band hiring an eccentric writer named Gleeb (basically Borat if he were a bearded homeless guy that yelled at seagulls) to chronicle the tour, and all of the strange goings-on that follow. In short, it absolutely does not take itself seriously, and looking at the titles of the five new tunes spawned forth from its soundtrack, including “Shlammin’ Salmon” and “Burritokyo”, one would logically consider that the North American EP would be a similarly absurd bit of goofing off, an inessential throwaway recorded on a whim to tide fans over while waiting for their next proper opus, Sunya. And while that’s not entirely false, such blithe dismissal forgets that The Dear Hunter are still just a damn talented rock band at their core, and they make better music goofing off than most bands do when they’re trying their hardest.

In terms of genre, the North American EP is fairly consistent with the band’s recent projects, mixing the spacey “future funk” synths and snappy rhythms of Antimai with the looser, more psychedelic rock vibes of Casey’s solo work as Honorary Astronaut. It’s still a decidedly singular sound, but nothing too strange given the sizable spectrum of style that TDH have covered over the course of their career. The arrangements are as lush and gorgeously maximalist as ever, with Rob Parr and Max Tousseau joining Casey in adding in layer after layer of guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals that show the continued influence of Queen and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys². This fullness of sound elevates the otherwise straightforward (albeit kickass) rock and roll of “Four Amigos” with walls of organ and tight vocal harmonies and enables floaty, spacey closer “Burritokyo” to fully envelop the listener like a warm tortilla. A cosmic tortilla, made of, uh… stardust. And dreams.

Beneath all of that signature flash, of course, the fundamentals of the band’s songcraft are as strong as ever, delivering eminently memorable melodic moments one after the other while the rhythm section of the two Nicks (Sollecito and Crescenzo on bass and drums, respectively) pulls the music inexorably forward with a technical tightness that never slips into self-indulgence³. This especially shows on the more ambitious, Antimai-esque tracks, namely “Classic Wrock” and album highlight “Shlammin’ Salmon”. The former dances through intricate rhythms and switchups, including an excellent prechorus that recalls “Ring 6- LoTown” from the last album, on its way to a powerhouse conclusion that shows Casey’s signature tenor rasp in fine form. The latter, meanwhile, is an absolute masterclass in developing melodic and dynamic peaks and valleys over a single, rock-solid groove – that is, until said groove drops out from under the listener in its final minute, shifting into an absolute banger half-time finale laden with massive big-band horns, killer guitar work, and enough raw swagger to make me want to dance around my room despite still not being quite sure what its time signature is in spots.

So far as flaws go, there really isn’t much here I can point to as actively disappointing. I suppose “Magic Beans” gets the EP off to a somewhat shaky start with its weird vocoder-and-synth intro, and though the song proper is a solidly psychedelic tune with great guitar work and some shockingly beefy low notes from Casey, it’s probably the least strong of the five. I’d also say that, while the lyrics (particularly “Four Amigos”) are as lexically dense and packed with alliteration and consonance as ever, I find myself missing that certain clarity of conceptual concreteness that comes from Casey creating something that’s, well, conceptual. Without a storyline or setting, a lot of the words on here come off as fuzzy gestures toward vague vibe and metaphor – not surprising given that most of these songs were designed to also feature as instrumental soundtrack pieces, but it does mean that nothing here hits with the emotional force of, say, “Black Sandy Beaches” or “Light” off the Acts. 

Is the North American EP a must-listen entry into The Dear Hunter‘s discography capable of standing alongside the masterpieces of their existing catalog? Of course not, and it’s not trying to be. What it’s trying to be is a fun little collection of five enjoyable songs for fans of the band to rock out to, and in that regard, it succeeds admirably. I wouldn’t recommend it as anyone’s jumping-in point to start with the band’s music in earnest, but being inessential is a far cry from being low in quality. Casey has called this EP “a group of songs that exist in a pretty narrow context that we decided to share”, a straightforward snapshot of where the band was at rather than any statement about where they’re headed, and based on that I eagerly anticipate Sunya absolutely blindsiding us all. Let’s just hope they don’t give ten euro to any more suspicious-looking bearded fellows in the meantime.

Recommended tracks: Shlammin’ Salmon, Burritokyo
You may also like: Meer, Dim Gray, The Circle of Wonders, Good NightOwl
Final verdict: 8/10

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

Label: Cave and Canary Goods – Bandcamp | Official Website

The Dear Hunter is:
– Casey Crescenzo (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Rob Parr (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals)
– Max Tousseau (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals)
– Nick Sollecito (bass)
– Nick Crescenzo (drums, percussion)

1. One could argue that Ayreon and eventual tour partners Coheed and Cambria did the multi-album opus thing beforehand, but neither has come close to the density of leitmotif nor the narrative clarity that The Acts display. Nobody’s ever needed to wait for a graphic novel to release in order to make heads or tails of a TDH album’s plot, just saying. ︎
2. RIP Brian Wilson ︎
3. Big Nick does not get a drum solo on this EP. Tragic, I know. ︎

The post Review: The Dear Hunter – North American EP appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Thrash Metal, Technical Blackened Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Revocation, Slugdge, Blood Incantation
Review by: Cooper
Country: US-WA
Release date: 3 November, 2023

Here at the Progressive Subway, we only review releases from bands with less than 20,000 Spotify listeners. And while it isn’t a perfect metric, it’s the best method we have for determining what constitutes an “underground” band. When I first became a reviewer here, I chafed against the limit, constantly wanting to review bands with listener counts far greater, but as I continued writing and listening to underground music, I developed something of a sixth sense for knowing if a band would exceed our limit; be it by actually listening to a song or just by simply viewing cover artwork or the band’s social media output, it’s often quite obvious whether I’ll be able to review an album. This, however, was not the case with Exogalactic, the newest album from technical thrashers Xoth.

Before the album was released and as I listened to its singles, I would have bet large sums of money on Xoth being much more popular than they are; after all, their last album Interdimensional Invocations was more than worthy of praise in thrash, technical death metal, and prog circles. In fact, I only checked their Spotify to see just how popular they must be, so imagine my surprise when I found them to be not only beneath 20,000 monthly listeners but well beneath 10,000. Immediately, I claimed this album to review, much to the chagrin of my fellow reviewer Andy who had also assumed they were out of our reviewing range, and now you get to listen to me tell you how Exogalactic may finally be the album to bring Xoth the esteem they deserve.

The flavor of technical thrashing blackened death metal that Xoth deals will be familiar to fans of Slugdge’s 2018 masterpiece Esoteric Malacology, but where that album’s domain was djent-tinged psychedelia with a healthy dose of slug puns, Exogalactic sits squarely in the realm of dense, thrashy riffage and utterly pyrotechnical lead guitar work. These elements, combined with the album’s breakneck pace and sleek runtime, make Exogalactic one of the most thrilling albums I’ve heard all year. Take “Saga of the Blade,” for instance, one of the songs with the highest “riff-to-runtime ratios” on this album. From its electric intro and utterly vibrant, syncopated guitar and drum transition into the first verse to its final solo that makes me feel as though I’ve ascended into space, the sheer quantity of ideas on display within just a single song on this album is astounding; on first listen, it was damn near disorienting, but on repeat listens, I clued into the songwriting techniques Xoth employs to make this such an addicting record.

For one, when they are in fact repeating a riff instead of throwing something completely new at the listener, they are sure to never play it exactly the same way twice. This idea is embodied by the back half of “Manuscripts of Madness” where we see the song deliver two subtly infused breakdowns in a row that rely not upon complete changes in the music but upon more subtle tradings of tension and release. Whether it’s due to a slight change in the melody or a simple rhythmic shift, a riff never comes back again the way it did initially, making the moment when it does in fact shift into some new all the more natural. This technique is then aided by the album’s use of strophic song structures that, while usually something I try to avoid in my progressive metal, ensure the songs are immediately memorable, as though they have an inherently “classic” quality about them.

The cynical parts of me insist that I tell y’all that the songs all kinda sound the same and that just maybe Xoth is held back by their use of some of thrash metals lamer tropes, such as gang vocals and the barked half-clean vocals found on tracks like “Reptilian Bloodsport,” but the rest of me is having too much fun head banging to the intro of “Battlesphere.” All that is to say, Exogalactic is, without a doubt, the best thrash metal you’ll hear all year.

Recommended tracks: Saga of the Blade, Battlesphere
You may also like: Hath, Carnosus
Final verdict: 8.5/10

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

Label: independent

Xoth is:
– Ben Bennett (bass)
– Jeremy Salvo (drums)
– Tyler Splurgis (guitars, vocals)
– Woody Adler (guitars, vocals)

The post Review: Xoth – Exogalactic appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Death Metal, Black Metal, Progressive Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Insomnium, Kardashev, Ne Obliviscaris
Review by: Christopher
Country: Washington, USA
Release date: 24 October, 2023

Sickened Seed is the second full-length from the Seattle progressive blackened death metal trio A Flourishing Scourge. On their self-titled debut, the band managed to get Samus “66 Samus” Paulicelli on drum duties. I don’t know if Samus was unavailable or what, but on this sophomore they’re having to make do with some dude called [checks notes] “Hannes Grossmann”… and the mix and master is handled by some guy called [checks again] “Jens Bogren”? Huh, well I hope they know what they’re doing!

Sickened Seed opens with pensive world percussion and some sort of lute before those croaking, blackened harshes kick in alongside thick riffs, cultivating a Kartikeya vibe. These folkier interspersions rear their head occasionally, alongside a string quartet who accompany on many tracks and some playing with ambient vocals which often recalls An Abstract Illusion. “Unfurled Spines” explodes into life like an old Opeth track, all growls and melancholic lead lines over nasty riffs, with a blackened quality. And the sudden break into backing chorals, soft piano interspersions leaves the metal behind and sees the rest of the song melodic and introspective yet still possessed of a heavy, crescendous quality. The two opening tracks set the tone for Sickened Seed.

“In Miasmic Despair” is another hefty blackened death track which soon finds itself breaking into a much calmer passage with alternative percussion and pretty harmonics before returning to a massive climax with swells of organ. Plenty of moments, such as the chaotic autotune section on “Serial Eyes” and the cleans that open “Lines in the Sand” remind me of some of An Abstract Illusion’s work on Woe, a more audacious stripe of prog death. Meanwhile, A Flourishing Scourge’s “Woe” centres the clean vocals, ballad-like almost, before exploding into the fastest, nastiest riffs on the album. Grossman seems intent on cracking the hi-hat with his blast beats, and a proper black metal solo bifurcates the song.  

A Flourishing Scourge have real confidence in their proggier forays, however, Sickened Seed sags somewhat in the middle, particularly in the heavier sections which feel as though the band have found every combination of those gnashing growls, blistering tremolo riffs and frantic drumming that they can think of. Fortunately, the rear of the album picks up again, with “Woe” perhaps proving their strongest offering. 

I know I’ve praised A Flourishing Scourge’s proggier aspirations but, oddly there’s also an issue here. Overall Sickened Seed amounts to slightly less than the sum of its parts and I think the reason for this is that the progressive forays are actually quite safe; all of the cool ideas A Flourishing Scourge throw at the wall are successful because they’re familiar; I’ve heard them elsewhere before (often on An Abstract Illusion’s Woe). Being a little less original than the genre’s elite is hardly a huge problem. Between their own promising musicianship, Bogren’s luscious production and Grossmann’s preternatural sticksmanship, A Flourishing Scourge have far too much going for them for this to be a serious worry, but I’d love to see them develop these proggy ideas further in future.

Sickened Seed is a bold, powerful record, one that proves a strong addition to this year’s blackened death releases. The raw talent on display is palpable and while I’d like A Flourishing Scourge to push beyond what their contemporaries are doing there’s nevertheless a hell of a lot to enjoy here from a band who are clearly well placed to make a name for themselves. 

Recommended tracks: Woe, Unfurled Spines, Serial Eyes
You may also like: The Circle, An Abstract Illusion, Lamentations
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Label: Begotten Records

A Flourishing Scourge is:
– Tye Jones (vocals, guitar, additional instruments)
– Kevin Carbrey (bass)
– Andrew Dennis (guitar)

The post Review: A Flourishing Scourge – Sickened Seed appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: deathcore, doom metal, thall (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Tongue, Humanity’s Last Breath, Vildhjarta
Review by: Andy
Country: United States-WA
Release date: 18 August 2023

Aesthetic maximalism makes for some of the most fascinating music: answering questions like how slow (Frowning), how fast (Archspire), and how over-the-top edgy (Infant Annihilator) make for both interesting and exciting experiments. Nott seek to answer perhaps the most archetypal of questions in metal… how heavy. And I’ll let you know right now the answer is REALLY GODDAMN HEAVY.

Playing a bastardized “doomcore,” Nott often move glacially, but if you’ve ever heard the noise coming from a glacier as it cracks and a sheet the size of a small island crashes into the sea, you know just how intimidating that can be. The shifting ambience and foreboding bass notes forewarn apocalypse–the first crushing riff isn’t exactly unexpected–but the ferocity streaming from Tyler Campbell’s venomous vocals are something else, an incantation to open the gates to a frozen hell. As the main chug is built upon, slammy little breakdowns slowly and angrily vanquish any thoughts I might’ve had before listening–Hiraeth is music to drown in. And since the band already plays at such a plodding doom pace, the even slower breakdowns are silly heavy. I can’t fully wrap my head around how they get heavier than the main riffs. The final section in “Torn” where Campbell unleashes layered screams of “FORSAKEN… CONDEMNED” is a neck crusher, really up there with the likes of Black Tongue for the sickest breakdown I’ve ever heard. 

The ambient tinges throughout the record really allow for some breathing room both compositionally and in the dynamic range, but they could be a bit more engaging. “Null,” for instance, is an acceptable interlude after the consecutive bruisers, yet the slightly dissonant electronica really lets the mind drift. Moreover, “Stasis” almost does a little tremolo thing before the final breakdown, but the band does Nott fully commit to the bit, and I wish they expanded the section to a more ferocious, biting level of black metal instead of relegating the technique to doing ambient dirty work. More shimmery, bright atmospheric tremolos would have just made the subsequent breakdown even sicker. 

While Nott have the occasional compositional hiccups, they certainly do Nott have many in their performances. Campbell uses clever layering on every vocal line in the album to amplify his power, and he’s a genuine monster with the likes of Will Ramos (Lorna Shore) or Alex Teyen (Black Tongue). The title drop in “Rend” is a particularly compelling roar from him, making me wanna call my mom and stop listening to metal out of fear. His guitar parts are less convincing, mostly generic thall chugs like Humanity’s Last Breath, but they work for the super stupid massive sound Nott want. Drummer Julia Geaman is incredibly talented as well, delicately changing up the tempo frequently to great effect, injecting a bit of nuance with her fills that Nott desperately need. She is the glue that holds Hiraeth together.

Largely, though, nuance is something Nott do Nott have. Their sound is monotonous: heavy and freaking monstrously huge, but also a bit repetitive. As all aesthetically maximalist acts have to contend with, Nott’s emphasis on heft can come off as a gimmick despite the immensity of the band’s sound and talent. After the dozenth breakdown in the same style, Hiraeth becomes excruciatingly predictable. Unlike the undisputed kings of the style, Black Tongue, Nott struggle with making super differentiated breakdowns. Campbell’s vocals do various disgusting things, but they’re nowhere near as versatile as Dickie Allen (Infant Annihilator) or Travis Ryan (Cattle Decapitation);I’d ideally want some more instrumental variety, maybe a guitar solo something (I would say “or bass” but Campbell’s bass is woefully inaudible), but Nott keep it heavy and predictable. Nott are Nott close to being your average deathcore–their doomier leanings and genuinely frighteningly heavy breakdowns are sure to be crowd pleasers–but they still need to refine their craft, especially with regards to structuring an album, Nott quite hitting the mark on Hiraeth.

Recommended tracks: Torn, Rend, Writhe
You may also like: Fractalize, Path of Giants, And Hell Followed With, Vodnik
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook

Label: Silent Pendulum Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Nott is:
– Tyler Campbell (vocals, guitars, bass)
– Julia Geaman (drums)

The post Review: Nott – Hiraeth appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Baroness, Dvne
Review by: Christopher
Country: US-WA
Release date: 3 March, 2023

I have a complicated relationship with sludge metal. Obviously, Mastodon remain the gold standard for the genre, but often the lo-fi production and lack of compositional originality repel me. The case is the same for most subgenre scenes, I suppose, but it strikes me as more of a problem with sludge—maybe because Mastodon spoilt me with their crystalline production and genre-leading talent, or maybe I’m just jaded. Let’s see if Seattle-based quartet Witch Ripper’s second full-length, The Flight After the Fall, can make me do a Frasier Crane and make me say “I’m listening!”

Witch Ripper’s main influence is undeniably Mastodon, and the gruff vocals and sludgy riffs which lumber along before exploding into long noodling sections are straight-up Crack the Skye. The cleans, too, are redolent of Brann Dailor with added power metal twang. Other stoner and sludge standards can be heard too within their style like the gruff harshes and heaviness of Neurosis, as well as some of Baroness’ heavy stoner metal inflections. Melodic sections vie against the sludgiest riffs you can imagine, all shored up by some absolutely masterful drumming from kit-bludgeoner-in-chief, Joe Eck.

Witch Ripper boast on their Bandcamp that they’ve incorporated the sounds of bands like Muse, Queen, and David Bowie into The Flight After the Fall. And on opening track “Enter the Loop” it’s all there: the arpeggiated synth underneath the clean chorus, the sense of theatre in some of the guitar riffs, and the closing guitar solo, which is pure Brian May to the point of explicitly referencing “Bohemian Rhapsody”. 

However, after the opening number showcase of their more eclectic classic rock influences, these all but disappear. “Madness and Ritual Solitude” is pure prog sludge, “The Obsidian Forge” contains a later riff which sounds like a besludgened Muse but is mostly lifted from the Mastodon crib sheet, and “Icarus Equation” features a climax that goes full David Bowie. Other than the above instances, these influences are somewhat absent; I’d actually like to hear more of this vibe, albeit done with a little more finesse than Witch Ripper have managed here. 

Which leads me to my main problem with Witch Ripper: their homages can be rather blatant. The main riff of “The Obsidian Forge” skirts a little too close to that of Mastodon’s “Crack the Skye”, the climax of “Icarus Equation” features a heavy-handed nod to Bowie’s “Space Oddity”; even the arpeggiated synth under the chorus of “Enter the Loop” instantly took me back to Muse’s “Stockholm Syndrome”. It’s fun to pick up on these little musical Easter eggs, but one fears they’ve miscalculated their own Icarus equation, because they’re flying damn close to the sun with these references. It’s not that I dislike the homages—far from it—it’s that these are basically the only instances in which they instantiate these influences on the entire album. Why not fold these influences into your style more subtly and consistently and make them truly your own?

The Flight After the Fall is a showcase of both Witch Ripper’s talent and their vinyl collection. While guessing which records they revere is easy, Witch Ripper nevertheless demonstrate their excellent compositional powers and that they’re having great fun with their referencing—I think I’m having fun with it too, but I would like to see the band transcend mere homage and incorporate these more unconventional influences into their sludgy style in order to fully own them. However, despite my misgivings, The Flight After the Fall is nevertheless one of the stronger releases among the prog sludge underground that I’ve heard, and if it has you doing the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing gif from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood a few times while listening then, well, what’s the harm in that?  

Recommended tracks: Enter the Loop, The Obsidian Forge, Icarus Equation
You may also like: Ashbreather, Anciients, Pull Down the Sun
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Magnetic Eye Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Witch Ripper is:
– Joe Eck (drums)
– Curtis Parker (vocals, guitars)
– Coltan Anderson (guitars)
– Brian Kim (bass)

The post Review: Witch Ripper – The Flight After the Fall appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Instrumental Prog Metal
Recommended for fans of: Buckethead, Rush, Pelican
Review by: Mark
Country: US-WA
Release date: July 22, 2022

In my very first review for the blog (which may as well have been a few days ago) I waffled on about the challenge of writing instrumental prog albums and that one of the primary pitfalls is an over-reliance on the foundational instruments of guitar, bass, and drums from a compositional perspective. All too often we see these albums throw as many riffs and ideas as they possibly can at the listener, while still needing to check off that 40+ minute runtime and pepper in enough virtuosic noodling to keep things interesting along the way. For comparison, consider post rock which arguably is the opposite side of this same coin, often letting a single, tranquilizing idea ring out for half an album. The issue between these approaches is essentially the same; memorability. How does a band stand out with a very limited set of tools in their belt?

Venomous Rhetoric is the fifth full-length outing by Washington’s Odyssey, and I must admit I was surprised to see their discography that deep. This band formed all the way back in the prehistoric year of 2007, and after a courteous tour through their previous releases it would seem that they’ve been at this specific flavour of riff-based, instrumental prog metal for a while, albeit with mild variations on the formula. After this many years, we should be good to expect a refined piece of work, so where are we now?

What this album is an almost 50/50 blend of Rush and Motorhead, lightly sprinkled with the tonalities and aesthetics of second wave black metal and psychedelia. Bear with me on that assessment. Both the guitar and the bass have a vintage, fuzzy tone that works very well in making the record sound vibrant and lively, and this combines well with the drums that are pleasantly natural sounding. Although rustic and homemade-feeling when compared to contemporary productions, the scale of the sound is much more akin to a few dudes in their garage and this is something that definitely works in the album’s favour. Overly compressed drums and guitars would have colluded with it’s shortcomings to make it a total dud, so I’m glad it sounds the way that it does.

What shortcomings you say? Well, let’s get into it. What undoubtedly stains Venomous Rhetoric the most is it’s composition. Every track across the album harbours some awesome sections; whether they be colossal sludge riffs, intensely dissonant black metal chord progressions, exotic guitar solos against crystalline cleans, the list goes on… However, it’s how all these parts are packaged and pieced together that is lackluster. This album fell hard into the trap of sneezing as much writing as possible at the listener, resulting in tracks that never succeed in maintaining a consistent tonal aesthetic throughout and, overall, feel regrettably disjointed. “Harsh Truths” is a prime example here. In the first thirty seconds we are treated to multiple variations on a single idea, which is engaging songwriting, but then it takes a hard turn and, before the first two minutes are up, we’ve gone through five or six unique and unrelated sections involving rhythm changes, modulations, and so on. Making this work in progressive songwriting isn’t easy. It requires a delicate hand to ensure these transitions between ideas are suave and the spirit of the song is maintained throughout. By itself, this blemish on the album would hardly be egregious, but unfortunately it is not alone.

The other issue marring Venomous Rhetoric is the complete absence of any additional layers beyond the three main instruments present. There are so many sections throughout this album that would have been greatly elevated by a synth pad, rhythmic patch, or some kind of keys filling in the space behind the band, and the compositional similarities to Rush just make this more apparent. This compounds heavily with the aforementioned problem of structure as making it all work with so few ingredients is incredibly difficult for anything that passes the average EP in runtime. Even a second guitar adding some texture, like a heavily reverberated trills or bends, would have mitigated things somewhat and overall this record would have struggled less with the problem of memorability that plagues this sub-genre.

I am by no means offended by Venomous Rhetoric, just disappointed. There is so many killer riffs and idea sprinkled throughout this album, but the whole package just fell well short of greatness by failing to piece them together coherently and asking these base ingredients to support a 42 minute runtime. After so many years of doing this, I would have expected more from Odyssey and it leaves me doubtful for the future.

Recommended tracks: Death Fixation, Cult Of The Word, Liturgy
You may also like: Snowblind, Achymer, Transitory
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Odyssey is:
– Jerrick Crites (guitars)
– Jordan Hilker (bass)
– Lukas Hilker (drums)

The post Review: Odyssey – Venomous Rhetoric appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Technical Death Metal (99% harsh vocals)
Review by: Zach
Country: US-WA
Release date: 14 January, 2022

What I’m about to tell you is probably going to come as a surprise to most of you, considering I’ve touted them as one of the greatest bands of all time. For the first year that I really delved into prog, I absolutely hated Between the Buried and Me. “What the actual hell does that have to do with Aethereus?” I hear you say. And in response: “We get there when we get there, okay?”. I thought the prog gods themselves were just a whole lot of noise and meaningless noodling. I didn’t get why Colors was thrown around so much as one of the GOATs until I turned off the shuffle button.

Yes, yes. Fake music fan, I know. But little dumb Zach didn’t quite get that albums weren’t just two hit singles and filler content. Once I considered Colors one big cohesive piece, which it kinda is, everything clicked. Songs began to improve within the context of the album itself and improved as singles once I could hum the album front to back. Aethereus’s (spoiler alert) magnificent sophomore album is a bit similar. I didn’t get any of the singles when they came out, and I was ready to call their previous endeavor far superior. Oh, how wrong I was.

Aethereus are equal parts Inferi and Artificial Brain. That may have been enough to sell some of you on the album already. But for those of you who haven’t closed this out to listen yet, allow me to elaborate. Aethereus, through the power of sheer technical magic, are smack dab in the middle of weedly-weedly shreddy riffs and scary, dissonant arpeggios. This is immediately apparent from the blistering opening track ‘Aberration’. It’s melodic, yes, but there’s something sinister about the guitar harmonies. Almost a foreshadowing for what’s to come Leider on (sorry).

‘Shrouded in Kaleidoscopic Skin’ is where things start to get downright scary. Between that off-kilter acoustic in the beginning, the breakdown heavier than a neutron star in the middle, and the strings at the end, it’s place on the album begins to solidify the slow metamorphosis Leiden is about to undergo.

Leiden gets heavier and more dissonant as the album goes on. Any semblance of melody is slowly getting further and further away, and instead, we’re going to be absolutely crushed by dissonance as the album goes on. Sure, there are still little twinges of melody here and there, but ‘Behold, The World Eaters’ is relentlessly brutal and shows that the album is headed straight off the cliff of melody. Not like that’s a bad thing.

But, not like the album abandons all beauty for crushing dissonance. One only needs to listen to the opening of SOTY contender ‘The Living Abyss’ to see what I mean. And while I’m at it, the use of symphonic elements on this album is another standout to me. They’re not prevalent by any means, but when they pop up, they really add so much to the tracks they’re on.

But make no mistake. Leiden keeps getting more dissonant, but that doesn’t mean the riffs aren’t there. It isn’t the kind that makes you want to tear your ears out, but the kind that makes you ask what dark spirit possessed these guitars to be able to make those noises. ‘Son of a Nameless Father’ is downright terrifying and headbang inducing all at the same time and the piano reprise leads us right into the album’s grand finale.

‘Upon Infinite Seas’ might be one of the most brilliant tech-death songs I’ve ever heard. From those terrifying woodwinds right at the get-go, to vocalist Vance Bratcher sounding scarier than ever. Coupled with an anxiety-inducing clean vocals section, I expected this song to end with a wall of harsh noise. But quite the opposite. It ends with the last bit of melody you’ll hear on the album. A beautiful sendoff to one of the most terrifying album’s I’ve heard in recent times.

But, like all the albums I enjoy, Leiden is meant to be enjoyed as a whole. It demands your time and attention, so give it to Aethereus. They’ve crafted something truly unique in a scene where bands are beginning to sound the same, and they’ve risen far above the standard tech-death shreddy-chugs. Can’t wait to see how they’ll top this next.

Recommended tracks: Aberration, Shrouded In Kaleidoscopic Skin, The Living Abyss, Behold, The World Eaters, Upon Infinite Seas
Recommended for fans of: Inferi, Virvum, Archspire, Vale of Pnath, Artificial Brain’s spooky arpeggios
You may also like: Virulent Depravity, Arkaik, Deviant Process
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: The Artisan Era – Bandcamp | Website | Facebook

Aethereus is:
– Benjamin Gassman (Guitars, Songwriting)
– Kyle Chapman (Guitars, Vocals, Songwriting)
– Matt Behner (Drums)
– Vance Bratcher (Vocals, Lyrics)
– Scott Hermanns (Bass, Songwriting)

The post Review: Aethereus – Leiden appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Tech Death/Country Rock/Surf Rock (instrumental)
Review by: Sabrina
Country: US-WA
Release date: March 26, 2021

It seems like every time I say “Oh man, this album is the shortest LP I’ve listened to” there always seems to be one around the corner to beat it. At a slim 27 minutes, Above Snakes manages to deliver something that leaves a deep impression on the listener (and without any lyrics which is an admirable feat). This album is brought to us by the progressive, fusion, and technical death metal band Sleep Terror, who have built themselves up a small, underground reputation of synergizing super chill and atmospheric surfer rock, blues, and 80s funk rock, with technical death metal. And boy, do they manage to deliver albums that make this unholy fusion of genres work well. It is really quite impressive.

On top of that, they do this in a way that (as far as I can tell) few other bands have attempted to do, breaking fresh new ground among progressive metal fusions. Opposed to the couple of beachy, surf rock albums that Sleep Terror released previously, Above Snakes takes a new stylistic approach. It’s country time! Yep, they manage to add another tool under their belt and combine the styles previously mentioned, with super over-the-top western country rock. No really, some of the peak moments in this album are like something out of a spaghetti western or Red Dead Redemption. You know an album manages to pull off a fusion well when the band makes it seem like the two genres were naturally meant to be together.

From beginning to end, this album oozes with a thick western atmosphere. From its gorgeous album artwork to the twang of the guitars, this is an album that takes you on a little detour into cowboy-land. But then again, this is still a tech death album. In most of the album, Sleep Terror alternates between soothing you with a western atmosphere and pummeling you with aggressive and crushing riffs. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that most of the tech death parts are mixed by the artists quite nicely, as the drums take up the forefront in the layers of instruments. The frankly amazing drumming on this album should be credited to Marco Pitruzzella, who has a stacked resume of drumming for bands like Rings of Saturn, Brain Drill, Vital Remains, and Beast of Nod. His drumming on this album delivers that “riding on a horseback in the middle of a stampede” kind of vibe. The song that particularly comes to mind is the title track that introduced you to some chill western guitar leads before erupting into absolute chaos with blastbeats, double bass drums, chuggy guitar riffs, and thick bass fills.

In Above Snakes, there are plenty of energetic, and fast-paced riffs that somehow still fit the overall vibe and sound of the album. This is a feat that can be accredited to skilled songwriting. Many of the songs have other unconventional instruments to add to the composition of the cinematic soundscape, such as the use of trumpets, castanets, whistling, and a panflute? The really cheesy western songs are some of my personal favorites, such as “Trail of Fears” and “Tabula Rasa” because of the way they build you up with a crescendo of many different sounds. It is also worth mentioning that some of the metal work on the technical parts also have hints of other genres, such as a couple of moments that lean toward deathcore and palm-muted riffs. These, however, are kept at a minimum but are present in a couple of sections of the album.

As cool as a concept that this album brings, it is not immune to criticism. There are no vocals on this album which will leave a lot of people who need that kind of thing underwhelmed. I personally really enjoy instrumental albums, and in general, am not usually much of a lyrics person, but I know a lot of people who need those kinds of things to get attached to. Additionally, this is a very compelling mix of sounds that are pulled off surprisingly well, but why is the album so short? If this album were able to maintain the consistency of quality in the instrumentation but diversified the song lengths a bit by pushing for some longer songs, and provided more content, this album could have been more valuable to the listeners who enjoy what it is. I think 27 minutes is somewhat pushing the lower boundary of what is considered an LP.

Overall, this is a very worthwhile effort from Sleep Terror. It is mixed fairly well, it’s technical, and again, this is very innovative. I would be surprised if any of the readers have ever heard an album like this one. It is truly a unique experience and I recommend everyone to check this thing out.

Recommended tracks: Above Snakes, Trail of Fears, Tabula Rasa, At Wits’ End
Recommended for fans of: Ennio Morricone, Necrophagist, The Faceless, (early) Black Crown Initiate
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Metal-Archives page | RYM

Label: Independent

Sleep Terror is:
– Luke Jaejer (guitars, bass)
– Marco Pitruzzella (drums)

The post Review: Sleep Terror – Above Snakes appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Blackened Death Metal (harsh vocals)
Review by: Callum
Country: US-WA
Release date: 14 February, 2022

NOTE: This album was originally included in the “Albums We Missed in 2020” Issue of The Progressive Subway

It always boggles my mind when a band’s debut album sounds as polished as a seasoned veteran’s, and even the vets can miss the mark despite their years of experience. The production, musicianship, and songwriting in The Arrows of Our Ways, Izthmi’s first release, are beyond impressive. The dual guitars flex on basically every track that isn’t an interlude with a blackened death style that doesn’t shy away from the odd virtuosic guitar solo. Vocalist, Jakob Keizer, also gives a masterful performance. The band as a whole shows that they have a command over several genre styles in atmospheric, death, and black metal but also the song crafting skill to deftly stitch them together in a cohesive and naturally flowing form. I’d dare to liken it to Orchid- or Morningrise-era Opeth in terms of the transitions between different styles.

Perhaps some artistic liberties were taken with the introduction and interludes. A little breathing room between >6 minute tracks is welcome, however, whether the content quite fits the context is another question. The intro track, “Chasm”, is just that; a chasm filled by whirrs and whooshes of a modular synthesizer. It certainly sets a tone, but not necessarily one that logically leads into the burst of neck-snapping melodeath in the following track, “To Traipse Alone”. The same could be said for the fourth track, “Interlude”, another modulated synth that doesn’t particularly lead anywhere. It’s literally more of an intermission where you can leave to grab some snacks and come back without missing anything. I do however like that at least the philosophical musings of Victor Frankl in “The Angels are Lost” finally contribute to a central theme of searching for meaning in life. 

Of the main tracks, “A Shout That Bursts Through the Silence of Unmeaning” stands out as solid encompassment of all that Izthmi do best. The relentless blast-beaten black metal sections are crushing, yet the melodic parts build to surprisingly uplifting and epic highs. Variances in vocal delivery between shrieks and strained, emotional cries add depth and feeling behind vibrant guitar riffs and tasteful pinch harmonic bends. Despite verging on a few clichés through the dull interludes and obscure vocal samples, The Arrows of Our Ways is an incredibly mature sounding album and promising for the future of Izthmi.

Recommended tracks: To Traipse Alone, A Shout That Bursts Through the Silence of Unmeaning, The Arrows of Our Ways
Recommended for fans of: Abigail Williams, Panopticon, (90s era) Opeth
Final verdict: 7.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page

Label: Independent

Izthmi is:
– Jakob Keizer (vocals, keyboards)
– Autumn Schibret (guitars, bass)
– Brett Tomsett (guitars, bass)
– Nolan Head (drums)

The post Review: Izthmi – The Arrows of Our Ways appeared first on The Progressive Subway.