Artwork by: Albert Bierstadt (1868); Layout by: Annick Giroux

Style: Epic Doom Metal, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Unleash the Archers, Cirith Ungol, Visigoth
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 27 June 2025

Growing up, I was all about fantasy, especially in my metal. Themes of wonder and romance, mythical beasts and steadfast warriors filled my imagination. Yet these days, I’ve found it harder and harder to connect with this formerly potent musical leyline. Call it a reflection of the times. I still love the bands I grew up with—the Kamelots, Symphony Xs, and Dios—and I’ve flirted with some newer makes and models (Unleash the Archers has done some fantastic work in the space). But, as we’ve marched closer towards dystopia, tales of adventure seem perhaps churlish compared to the angst and uncertainty permeating our modern world. Sauron is winning, and the Fellowship is splintered over a culture war.

Yet there’s a part of me that yearns to believe in heroes of might and magic once more. Which brings us to Chicagoan heavy metal warband, Fer de Lance (not to be confused with the Peruvian thrashers of the same name). Coming onto the scene only five years ago with their Colossus EP, and debut full-length The Hyperborean in 2022, the band have flown completely under my radar until now. They peddle in “epic doom”—basically, fantasy-fuelled, mid-paced heavy metal full of lurching, heroic riffs and deliberate kitwork, like a steadfast march towards glory and gold. Taken in by the gorgeous cover art of latest album, Fires on the Mountainside, and intrigued by the promise of the epic doom metal by which Fer de Lance mark their trade, I was eager to see if these mighty men of metal have what it takes to break the curse and return the fire to my fantasy-loving heart.

If ever there was a soundtrack to evoke the sword-and-sorcery, devil-may-care adventuring of Robert E. Howard’s brooding Cimmerian, Conan, and kindred ilk, Fires on the Mountainside makes a strong case for consideration. From minute one, opener (and title track) “Fires on the Mountainside” saunters forth with jaunty guitar and a bard-worthy chorus as frontman MP bellows “I seeee… fires on the mountainside,” tossing in some Woah-ohs for good measure. Flickers of black metal emerge in the bridge as trem-picking and rasped vocals create a sense of descent into danger, showcasing Fer de Lance’s ability to steer the material wherever the greatest adventure lies. At nearly thirteen minutes, “Fires on the Mountainside” is one hell of a way to kick off a record, as it twists and turns and climbs across subgenres, from rousing epic doom, black metal, and glints of folk in the acoustic-strummed guitars that underpin much of the proceedings. MP’s range is impressive as he plumbs the depths of rattling growls, tough-guy gravel, all the way to the high-fantasy heights of falsetto wails.

What follows across the album’s forty-nine minutes sees the band pull from much of the same arsenal—though like the aforementioned Conan, they’ve descended from their wind-swept kingdom well-versed in their chosen arts, as no two songs sound the same. Take “Fire & Gold” with its Western-infused musical gallop, hand tambourines and stomping drums heralding a lone stranger’s ride into the kind of town where violence and virtue may yet clash, the dusty road stained black with an enemy’s blood under the white-hot bake of high noon. The chorus of “Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide)” sees MP’s harshes hit a vicious cadence akin to Legion of the Damned frontman Maurice Swinkels, giving the song an extra dose of theatrical menace before shifting into Eastern-influenced guitar wizardry of a most fine kind. MP finds some Ronnie James Dio-adjacent power in the vocals on “The Feast of Echoes,” leaning into some fun “mhmmmhmms” that make me think of a testosterone-fueled version of Rainbow.¹

Elsewhere and everywhere, I’m reminded in small ways of Eternal Champion, mostly in the band’s full-fledged commitment to the material. Fires on the Mountainside is refreshing: Unlike some fantasy-themed bands who write with their tongues planted firmly through cheek (and thus dabbling in irony-poisoned cringe), Fer de Lance write and perform their music with an unabashed, shameless love for the fantasy genre—theatrical, yes, but taken seriously. The songs are rousing, with full-chested deliveries and a palpable energy, despite the more moderate pacing. My only real complaint about the album is that some of the songs drag on a tad too long, and after a while I tend to forget where I am on the record. This is the kind of album that would absolutely thrive on a playlist. The songs are replete with fun transitions showcasing the music’s textures, which provide each track with individual merit. Yet together, Fires on the Mountainside loses some of its energy, the blazing bonfire giving ground to the encroaching shadows of distraction. By the time we reach “Tempest Stele,” the storm has turned into more of a gust and my legs ache for want of resting.

All said, Fer de Lance have come out of (subjectively) nowhere to impart upon mine ears a winsome collection of epic tales. In a day and age where fantasy-themed metal has largely been relegated to my rearview, Fires on the Mountainside stands as a perfect reminder that there are still bands out there writing the kind of stuff I crave—and new ones, at that! Like my current reading experience with Robert E. Howard’s The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, Fires on the Mountainside offers a collection of well-crafted gems worthy of uncovering—perhaps best individually, rather than in one fell swoop. If you’ve been starved for metal of a steelier order, or just on the lookout for something new, then heed that yonder firelight in the distance, and let Fer de Lance take you on a glorious adventure.

Recommended tracks: Fires on the Mountainside, Death Thrives (Where Walls Divide), The Feast of Echoes
You may also like: Eternal Champion, Sumerlands, Conan
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Cruz de Sur Music Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Fer de Lance is:
– Rüst (bass, acoustic guitars, vocals, percussion)
– MP (vocals, guitars, keyboards)
– Scud (drums, vocals)
– J. Geist (guitars)

1.  I would love to hear Fer de Lance cover “Gates of Babylon.” ︎

The post Review: Fer de Lance – Fires on the Mountainside appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Neo-prog, bitpop, cybergrind (Mixed vocals, mostly clean)
Recommended for fans of: Sophie, iwrestledabearonce, Electric Callboy
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 20 June 2025

Optimism is often mistaken as a delusional kind of positivity, ignoring the negative and replacing it with a happier reality. In truth, optimism is more a mechanism of perseverance in the face of hardship: to the optimist, the nightmares faced are very real and often never-ending, but the inherent joy and excitement of life is too powerful to be weighed down permanently. Such is the perspective of artist Joey Meland, whose most recent release as Cocojoey, STARS, promises to focus on the good while living through inner and outer turmoil. Does STARS leave the listener in awe at its constellations of maximalist eclectic songwriting?

STARS is introduced with heartfelt neo-prog, immediately tapping into the 80s-tinged synth-cheese of Subway darlings Kyros; Meland pushes the euphoric synth work even further than the Brits, however, as opening track “TIME TO GO!” explodes into brilliant colors, charging forward at a manic clip. Japanese influences abound, whether it be the VGM aesthetic in many of the electronic elements (“MIDNIGHT LICKING HOURS”, “hearth<3”) or ultra-energetic j-pop that dances alongside dazzling jazz fusion snippets (“INFUSION BAbY”, “TIME TO GO!”, “COCOJOEY’S LACK OF REGRETS”). Stuttering drum’n’bass moments bubble to the surface on tracks like “THE I LIKE SONG” and “ANOTHER LIFE”, with beats cleverly slipping out of tandem with the rest of the instrumentation for an accented percussive flair. Underneath, a furious cybergrind underbelly occasionally roars to the forefront like an intrusive thought, sending these saccharine passages into abject chaos.

Meland’s approach to songwriting can most succinctly be described as the sound of tearing the absolute fuck out of a room covered in glitter, shattering glass in unbridled rage and admiring the iridescent refraction caused by the shrapnel. Ultra-melodic and ultra-intense ideas often exist within seconds of each other, inexorably locked together as a fundamental part of composition. Sometimes, the transitions from bitpop to cybergrind are effortless and smooth (“TIME TO GO!”) and sometimes they are a violent bass-heavy cudgel (“ANOTHER LIFE”). The experience is always fun and full of earworms, but can become overwhelming at times, like being fed a series of ultra-technicolor light shows Clockwork Orange-style only interrupted by abrupt visits to a human-sized centrifuge. “TIME TO SPARE”, for example, grafts shiny staccato fusion chords to impenetrable walls of abrasive blast beats, shrieking howls, and shrill synthesizers. To help balance the intensity, tracks like “TRUST IN EVENTS” temper their instrumental vigor, and two palate cleansers, “hearth<3” and “TINY SPRITE IN THE ORCHESTRA OF STARS”, help to imbue a sense of triumph and carefree placidity. Additionally, Meland will often telegraph central melodic ideas throughout a track to give the listener a compositional foothold.

Despite the almost inhuman level of effervescent melodicism, there is an utter sense of relatability to STARS’ compositions, the lyricism standing at their nexus. Meland lays bare their myriad frustrations with life and the challenges of staying optimistic in a world that constantly beats you down. Most immediately striking is “TRUST IN EVENTS”, which showcases the oxymoronic nature of desiring life despite being so absolutely tired of it: ‘Yet I wonder why my time alive is so intense / cause it’s been taking / It’s taking everything and everything and everything and everything and everything and everything and every effort now to / Keep looking ahead but living in a moment’. 

A delicate vulnerability shines through across STARS, making sure to balance the dread with an equal amount of optimism and love. “MIDNIGHT LICKING HOURS” is a contemplation of the inner life of Meland’s cat, Coco, and the value of a relaxed, carefree lifestyle; “THE I LIKE SONG” is a centering mantra that brings into perspective all the things that make life worth living, stating ‘I’ll recite this and I’ll remember all the times I thought it was worth / Sticking out through one more night’; and “TINY SPRITE IN THE ORCHESTRA OF STARS” is a heartfelt dedication to a loved one that gently guides the listener across a 16-bit galaxy.

The coalescence of lyrical duality and songwriting extremes exemplifies a singular focus in STARS’ point of view. “COCOJOEY’S LACK OF REGRETS” is a centerpiece of the record’s perspective: Meland gets personal about their experience with having Crohn’s Disease and how it affects their interactions with the world at large. 90s club-inspired piano beats deconstruct under the weight of glitchy electronics and frenetic cybergrind: ‘I already feel like shit / And I’m made to feel worse for it / Invasive thoughts, invisible illness’. The track cleverly juxtaposes an ineffable queerness with a roiling inner frustration—the digestive issues associated with Crohn’s have a profound impact and limitation on sexual expression, and its status as an ‘invisible illness’ often leads to invalidation at the hands of peers because ‘you don’t look sick’. And this is to mention nothing of the horrific mistreatment by healthcare companies who put disabled people through the wringer just so they have a basic chance at life, the track calling out Centene in particular as a predatory corporation that ‘takes advantage of sick people’. 

What the fuck is even up with that, anyway? Who decided it was okay to keep adding on to an impossibly complicated system that requires people who are already at a disadvantage to jump through inscrutable hoops for even the prospect of a life without debilitating challenges? On top of that, we are constantly put through stressors that our minds are SIMPLY. NOT. DESIGNED. FOR. DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S NORMAL FOR PEOPLE TO BE COGNIZANT EVERY SINGLE DAY TO THREATS THAT ARE COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL AND IMPOSSIBLE TO EVEN UNDERSTAND? OUR WORLD IS A MINEFIELD OF ANXIETY AND THREAT THAT IS SO FAR BEYOND ANYTHING THAT EVOLUTION COULD HAVE PREPARED US FOR. HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO FUNCTION AT FULL CAPACITY ALL DAY EVERY DAY WHEN EVERY WAKING MOMENT IS A REMINDER OF HOW EVERYTHING I CARE ABOUT CAN BE UNCEREMONIOUSLY RIPPED AWAY FROM ME BY FORCES I DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND BECAUSE I DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO NEUROTYPICAL AND HETERONORMATIVE IDEALS? I JUST WANT TO FUCKING EXIST WITHOUT HAVING TO ACTIVELY FIGHT AGAINST MY MIND AND AGAINST EVERYTHING ELSE TO FUNCTION IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY IN A WORLD NOT DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME.

…..

Suddenly, the hyper-melodic j-pop and technicolor excess feels much less cutesy, as if its main purpose is as a last bastion of idealism and escapism in a pervasive fight against forces out of our control. The glistening melodies hold back a volcanic fury that builds in pressure when we’re left to reflect on the injustices imposed on us. One also gets a sense of artistic expression as a means of exhaust, channeling life experience from the artist’s interior world into something with a life of its own—its placement outside of the mind both gives it less power over the artist and serves as a beacon to those who relate. In most cases, the catharsis is felt fully, but “ANOTHER LIFE” and “ODD EYE SLIDE” leave a bit to be desired compositionally, leaning into the record’s excess without giving enough focus to latch onto. The most successful example of artistic exhaust is “COCOJOEY’S LACK OF REGRETS”, where the theme is established early. Meland proclaims that they ‘got pissed and wrote this track’ in its opening moments, and across the piece’s runtime, they come to terms with their circumstances: ‘Didn’t choose this life, but now it’s mine / I’ll never give up, I do my best / Break it down with my kitty ‘til my final rest’. “REGRETS” ends with a powerful proclamation, spitting in the face of those who try to put them down: ‘you can’t make me regret my existence’.

STARS utilizes song structure, texture, melody, and intensity as a meta-commentary on the inner life of a disabled queer person, taking both the good and bad in stride; the end result is a glittering canvas designed to channel and purge the abject exhaust of life by any means necessary. In the closing seconds of “TIME TO SPARE”, all of the anger, glitz, and pretense that coalesces across STARS is flushed down the toilet as ideas are chopped and screwed into oblivion, rendered into an unrecognizable soup of wiggly air before suddenly cutting off. And at the end of the day, flushing out the overwhelm is often the best course of action—the human experience is too rich and full of excitement and love and happiness to forsake the things that bring us joy.

Recommended tracks: COCOJOEY’S LACK OF REGRETS, TIME TO GO!, THE I LIKE SONG, hearth<3
You may also like: Kyros, Bubblegum Octopus, Joey Frevola, PhonoPaths
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Label: Hausu Mountain Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Cocojoey is:
– Joey Meland (everything)
With guests:
– Stop Motion Plant Choir (vocals, track 2)
– Coco (meows, tracks 2, 3, 6)
– Floricane (vocals, track 6)
– Angel Marcloid (guitars, track 2)

The post Review: Cocojoey – STARS appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: dissonant sludge metal, noisecore (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Nails, Thou, Plebeian Grandstand, Black Tongue
Country: United States-IL
Release date: 2 February 2024

They say Catholic schools are atheist factories. It would have been had I not already disavowed my Catholic upbringing before high school. My dad still forced me through the Confirmation process—I held up my end of the deal that I wouldn’t fight my parents on it if they watched the entire seventy-two minute music video for Warforged’s instant classic I: Voice.¹ I largely despise the Church and most organized religion (although I’m a bit more private with it than an r/atheism subscriber), so I can strongly empathize with meth.’s vocalist Seb Alvarez on Shame. He screams in your face about residual harm from the Church in his adult life, namely alcoholism, Catholicism’s culture of guilt, and of humiliation—heavy stuff.

Each member of the five-piece is vital to the minimalist approach meth. takes to noisy, vitriolic sludge metal. Frontman and lyricist Seb Alvarez is a special talent and spits his vulnerable lyrics in a mix of scream and wail, throat-ripping and rather terrifying. Unlike a deathcore vocalist or Chip King (The Body), the monstrousness isn’t that his vocals sound inhuman; no, Alvarez sounds like he’s ripping his soul out of his body through his mouth with each line, like he’s sacrificing his larynx to force each word out in a display of raw emotion. His clean vocals, styled like Pyrrhon’s Doug Moore—in fact, the title track “Shame,” which has the majority of the clean vocals, sounds like it would be in place on Exhaust—also rip, chastising the Church and full of negative feelings.

Alvarez’s style of vitriolic hardcore vocals can only reach their emotional zenith when the lyrics match their intensity, and Shame’s lyrics are stunningly dark. I’m left haunted by several lines, but moments of repeated refrains like ‘I AM PRAYER’ in “Compulsion” and  ‘I AM SHAME’ in “Shame” hit hardest. There are a dozen such direct metaphors for the self, each one hard hitting and scathing. “Shame” features the heavy hitter ‘I am the weight of my hands, I am the knots in your voice… I am the guilt that feeds you,’ as well as the titular chant. Other tracks like “Blush” open up about Alvarez’s mental health problems like alcoholism. He truly spills his being onto this record. 

If anything, Shame is even more weighty musically than lyrically if such a thing is possible. From the first second of opener “Doubt,” Shame suffocates with a hugely oppressive opening chord—Meshuggah and Gojira wish they could be this heavy with their chugs. The open power chord repeats ad nauseam and while guitarists Zack Farrar and Michael McDonald do little on the track besides provide an absolute wall of sound, their performance is perfect. The tracklist is uniformly hypnotically repetitive and minimalist compositionally, but the destructive riffs are usually all the more powerful for it, creating a sense of claustrophobia as each repeated distortion presses down on your throat. Shame is monolithic, a fortress built of revilement. Nathan Spainhower on bass provides necessary opposition to the two guitarists, his instrument often taking the melodic lead of tracks—see “Blush,” “Shame,” and “Blackmail.” Similar to Alvarez’s Moore-like shouts, Spainhower also feels like he could be on a Pyrrhon album, although one significantly slowed down to a sludgy doom-crawl. Other riffs like the main riff of “Compulsion” which trembles and shivers down the scale with flurries of blast beats sound like they’d be at home on a Plebeian Grandstand album, disgusting and putrid yet coldly calculated. I am tempted to blow out my speakers and eardrums every time I spin Shame.

Finally, skin-beater (drummer) Andrew Smith completes the auditory assault with a stellar performance of his own. His cascading beats in “Compulsion” remind me of Sermon, and the tribalistic feel of the percussion on the slowest track “Give In” is fascinating although the minute-long drone fadeout on the song is superfluous. He fully dictates the pace of the album, and the varying tempos are often the most important differentiator on tracks (since unfortunately all seven can feel a bit too similar in their abrasive, dissonant assault). He never is too flashy for a song, but when he switches from sludgier sections to blast beats, he certainly stands out from the noise as well as helping create it.

Even at a reasonable forty-four minutes, Shame’s pure hatred and weightiness makes it feel longer, and that’s certainly exacerbated by lengthy sections of the same unremitting riff causing me to feel like I’m crammed into a small space cornered by a priest. I hardly even mentioned the glorious spinose dissonance: the album is ugly, too, profoundly uncomfortable to listen to. Shame is among the most grave records I’ve ever spun and achieves the highest recommendation to any lovers of music that makes you feel like you were force fed your own bile. I have become addicted to meth., and there’s no shame in that.

Recommended tracks: Doubt, Compulsion, Shame
You may also like: Knoll, Ken Mode, Glassing, Cave Sermon, Scarcity, LLNN, Pyrrhon
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Prosthetic Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

meth. is:
– Seb Alvarez (vocals)
–  Zack Farrar (guitars)
– Michael McDonald (guitars, vocals)
– Andrew Smith (drums)
– Nathan Spainhower (bass)

1. This really did happen and they really didn’t enjoy it. My dad doesn’t do much heavier than Dream Theater; my mom taps out around modern Leprous. ︎

The post Missed Album: Meth. – Shame appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: technical death metal, brutal death metal, progressive death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Archspire, Analepsy, Atheist, Devourment
Country: United States-IL
Release date: 13 December 2024

When December comes around and list-making season is upon us, album releases inevitably slow to a trickle. But in 2024’s dearth of Yuletide releases, Misanthropy are set to release their third full length album, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance; it is succulent manna from heaven in this dire time for a music fan. To hear this album in December overwhelms the senses like a rainfall in the Sahara, so plentiful the deluge of stellar riffs. It is my duty to caution every tech fan not to finalize their year end list yet: Misanthropy will be the best gift under the tree.

These Chicagoans aren’t subtle, from the most aggressive fretless bass tone I’ve ever heard to the solos which erupt out of the foundations of the song like bubbling magma with nowhere to escape, the pressure building up in a violent ejaculation of liquid stone. Within just the first song, “Of Sulking and the Wrathful,” the band has me asking several profound, life-altering questions… Is 2:30 what it would sound like if Devourment could gallop? Is the swing solo at 3:45 what First Fragment would sound like if their jubilance were turned into a deep hatred for mankind? Each moment is fresh and exciting because you know damn well whatever filth is imminent will pulverize you. The faster cuts are nonstop tech eargasms, but even slower cuts like “Descent” never relent their chokehold. “Descent” builds through slimy pinch harmonics and Ad Nauseamisms (you can’t tell me that little tremolo at 2:15 isn’t straight from III). And my goodness the riffs: I think “A Cure for the Pestilence” may contain my favorite since Horrendous’ Ontological Mysterium last year… until possibly only two tracks later at 4:00 into “Sepulcher.”

Keeping The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance engaging throughout its forty-four minutes is the band’s engagement with differing tempos. The album spans the gamut of death metal from the crawl of Worm’s death/doom to Archspire’s legendarily hyperactive pace, and, even more miraculously, Misanthropy keep the package coherent with well-composed, hyper-organized transitions between riffs—there’s a calculated chaos in their sound not unlike Aseitas’ very solid album from earlier this year. To keep Misanthropy’s cadence honest, Paul Reszczynski (drums) and Mark Bojkewycz’s (fretless) monitor the rhythm section like Scrooge keeping track of his pursestrings—that is to say, they’re tight. Just listen to how Reszczynski beats up the kit at 3:40 in “Sepulcher.” Like any good prog/tech band, the guitarists are no slouches either: Kevin Kovalsky and José Valles excel at filthy breakdowns just as much as they do at face-melting shred. The four-piece operate as a hulking beast, loping with as much momentum as a planet-sized asteroid. 

Kovalsky is also quite the vocalist with squalid belches, gutturals, and growls, a fitting collection of brutal techniques. He even switches to predominantly piercing highs in “Sepulcher,” and I wish he made that switch more. While the instrumentation is incredibly varied with unceasingly mutating riffs, Kovalsky’s vocals get left behind to only a touch above serviceability—despite showing off he has the ability to spew vitriol like a demon. But besides the desire to hear more of his throaty highs, Kovalsky is well-balanced in the mix as are the rest of Misanthropy, and despite the punishing nature of brutality on the old tympanic membranes, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance is incredibly easy to listen to and doesn’t revert to lame genre tropes like the slam snare or the hyper-clean mix that modern tech death bands succumb to.

Overall, the production is wonderfully organic, probably even Fair Trade. 
Misanthropy have channeled their hatred for humanity into a hydroid beast, rippling with muscle and bristling with energy. I name dropped a lot of fantastic tech bands in the review, but while Misanthropy draws from many, they never feel derivative; The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance transcends its influences to carve out its own niche in one of the most crowded scenes in the underground. Misanthropy is punishing and frenetic, a holiday gift that will uproot best-of lists and be on repeat well into 2025.

Recommended tracks: Of Sulking and the Wrathful, A Cure for the Pestilence, Descent, Sepulcher
You may also like: Carnosus, Replicant, Malignancy, First Fragment, Veilburner, Heaving Earth, VoidCeremony, Aseitas
Final verdict: 8.5/10

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

Label: Transcending Obscurity Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Misanthropy is:
Kevin Kovalsky – Guitar and Vocals
Paul Reszczynski – Drums
José Valles – Guitar
Mark Bojkewycz – Fretless Bass

The post Review: Misanthropy – The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: dissonant death metal, technical death metal, progressive death metal, brutal death metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Gorguts, Blood Incantation, Ulcerate, Devourment, Portal, Defeated Sanity
Country: United States-IL
Release date: 25 October 2024

Death metal’s evolution branches into two distinct paths: intelligent complexity or leaden heaviness. The boundaries are pushed from both of these sides. As far as complexity, bands try to one-up who can go fastest (it’s always Archspire) or create the most intricate compositions (Ad Nauseam, for my money), and for heaviness… well, it’s a steamrolling competition, punches thrown as various slams, breakdowns, and the like. Both sides are fun, and they often overlap (see Defeated Sanity, Nile); but that’s usually the tech/br00tal side, not the disso/brutal one. Chicago’s sci-fi death metal aliens Gigan, though, write music that’s firmly between Ulcerate and Devourment, an oppressive, monolithic blend of chaotic and crushing death metal. Is this the ideal blend of smart dissonance and smooth-brained heft? 

Like Ulcerate, Gigan are a three piece whose drummer is the hero: Nate Cotton of Gigan is an absolute monstrous presence behind the kit. While the other instrumentalist (guitar, bass, xylophone, theremin, synthesizers) Eric Hersemann makes a whole lot of noise to create a hazy labyrinth, Cotton goes ham atop it with relentless blast beats and often takes up the focus as a soloist of sorts. “Trans-Dimensional Crossing of the Alta-Tenuis” opens up with three minutes of atmospheric death metal guitars and bass while Cotton beats his drums in endlessly varied pitter-patters and explosive flurries of triplets. Other tracks like “The Strange Harvest of the Baganoids” start similarly, and the violent deluge of percussion is the highlight of Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus. In addition to the ridiculously sick drum fills that permeate the album, vocalist Jerry Kavouriaris complements Cotton well with his percussive barks, and the science fiction tales he recites are engaging and fun.

Speaking of the lyrics, they’re often rather prescient and meta; for example, “Square Wave Cognition” opens with the line, “madness, disorientation and confusion / upended cognition.” This album will cause all of these effects on the listener. The album is complex and shifty like Ulcerate, it also is produced like you’re inside of a cement mixer being thrown around in the pitch black with liquid concrete and is suffocatingly heavy like Devourment. Occasionally Gigan become recognizably tech death like in “Square Wave Subversion” and there are prog flourishes like how Afterbirth are prog—the sci-fi metal classics of theremin and vocoder, specifically—but overall it’s murky and enveloping noise. Gigan utilize all sorts of whooshing sounds, background synths, and distorted guitars to fill the space, and it’s a weighty experience that drowns you in sound.

I certainly want my death metal to be overwhelmingly heavy, but overall Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus is a collage of noise from which it’s almost impossible to extract melodies or memorable riffs, even the breakdowns being lost. The worst offender is the ten-minute centerpiece “Emerging Sects of Dagonic Acolytes” which takes a leap beyond the overwhelmingly chaotic death metal straight into several minutes of swirling noise—A LOT of swirling, disorienting, filthy noise. Noise can be good, creating chaos and the dramatic soundscapes this sort of music needs, but when it takes away from the death metal parts, it becomes a problem for me. Thus, while the inclusion of the sound effects and overly layered instruments are acceptable and would be a neat songwriting tactic to close out a track, the extended noise sections kill the album’s flow, making sections of the album drag on far too long (the doomy intro to closer “Ominous Silhouettes Cast Across Gulfs of Time” is another). This is Portal’s approach to extreme metal, especially on their most recent releases, so fans of the Aussies should love this, but I can’t count myself among them. Ironically, despite being so dense I can hardly figure out what’s going on at several points, I think Gigan suffer from repetitious bloat more than anything else. 

In theory, Gigan should hit me like two continental plates colliding and make me put on my thinking cap while I beg for more aural punishment, but Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus can’t decide to what degree to be mercurial. I lose the plot in the buzzsaw of the guitars and the elaborate compositions, but I never find myself bewildered and beaten—just mildly bored waiting for the next distinct solo or riff, really anything that rises out of the turbulent murk. This album is certainly an anomaly, but it won’t be my go-to for brutal dissonance.

Recommended tracks: Square Wave Subversion, Katabatic Windswept Landscapes, Erratic Pulsitivity and Horror
You may also like: Artificial Brain, Mithras, Flourishing, Wormed, Diskord, Fractal Generator, Mitochondrion, Ingurgitating Oblivion, Warforged, Anachronism, Infernal Coil, Afterbirth, Wormhole
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Label: Willowtip Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Gigan is:
Eric Hersemann – All electric, acoustic and bass guitars, theremin, otomatone, synths, lyrics, concepts and madness.

Nathan Cotton – Drums, percussion and Sunny weather.

Jerry Kavouriaris – Vocals and violence.

The post Review: Gigan – Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Cover art by Alexander Goulet

Style: Heavy metal, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Dio, Iron Maiden, Ningen Isu
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 6 September 2024

Ever since discovering progressive metal, it has been my number one favorite genre by a wide margin. However for a brief period around 2018, classic heavy metal came awfully close, particularly the US power metal style (don’t let the name fool you) which was nearly all I listened to for a while—Iron Maiden, early Mercyful Fate, and Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, too, had me in a chokehold. Going into the 2020s, the obsession has largely waned, but I still have a soft spot for the style. Sadly, crossovers with prog rarely work from what I’ve encountered for the blog (a “heavy/progressive metal” tag on Metallum is almost a guaranteed dud), yet amidst all the rubbish, there has been one band who has consistently made it work. Of course, this is none other than today’s Chicago based, pig-burning subject of review, Black Sites. 

Heavy metal over the years has developed a reputation for being the least heavy metal subgenre, which might very well be true, but that doesn’t stop guitarists Mark Sugar and Ryan Bruchert from penning yet another masterclass in riffology. Indeed, The Promised Riffs? delivers in spades—from the groovy thrashers of “Descent” or “Chasing Eternity”, to the speedy triplets galore that borders on power metal of “Dread Tomorrow”, to the occasional bursts of Sabbathian doom, to Maiden-esque harmonies—Black Sites are ever eager to show off their riffing credentials. But what makes Black Sites truly stand out in this regard is just how damn cool their riffs sound. I can easily imagine just about any of these songs featuring as a soundtrack to a car chase in an 80s or 90s American action film—“World on Fire”’s main riff being especially badass, and “Dread Tomorrow” just embodies adrenaline. 

But it’s not like Black Sites are one-trick ponies either with good riffs and nothing else: the guitar solos are a wonderful homage to all your favorite 80s heavy metal shredders, expertly combining melody, technicality, and feel while always staying in service of the song and keeping the length short but sweet. The drumming is excellent, too, new recruit Bradon White dictates the tempo and lays down some really tasty fills, his work in “World on Fire” being particularly strong. Band leader Mark Sugar’s voice is easily recognizable, his gruff yet operatic timbre somewhat sounding as if prime Matt Barlow (Iced Earth) smoked a joint before entering the studio, and he lays down a charismatic performance, showing a solid sense of melody and belting ability. Perhaps not every chorus is a major earworm (“Dread Tomorrow” being the major exception—what a banger), but given the album’s progressive song structures (more on that later), that hardly impedes his performance. As far as heavy metal is concerned, The Promised Land? is another major success from Sugar and co.

When it comes to the progressive department, however, I’m a bit mixed. Most of the album’s progressivisms lie in the adventurous song structures utilized, but on occasion Black Sites will also dabble into the genre of progressive metal by way of odd-time rhythms, drastic mood changes, and atmospheric arrangements. On “Descent” and “World on Fire” they incorporate these aspects really well, making the songs extra dynamic, but on other tracks I wished they committed more. The twelve minute title track for instance has a mesmerizing progressive opening act, but during the middle part they just revert to standard heavy metal fare. It’s good heavy metal, but given the progressive parts surrounding the section, it is also a bit of a letdown. Similarly, the melancholic power ballad “Gideon” has good vocal writing, but instrumentally the song screams for more atmospheric development, and closer “Many Turn to None” has a godly transition from guitar solo to acoustic, but instead of using that for an epic progressive finish, they go back to the riffage like nothing happened and eventually finish the album with an awkward fade-out. 

On the whole, though, The Promised Land? is another successful record. Sugar and co gave a masterclass in riff-writing, and continue to show that you don’t need to innovate to write great music. My only complaint is that I wished that Black Sites would lean harder into the prog aspect at times (we are on a prog blog, after all), but otherwise, The Promised Land? fulfilled all my needs for classic heavy metal, and I highly recommend any other fan of the genre to pick it up.

Recommended tracks: Dread Tomorrow, World on Fire
You may also like: Dead Kosmonaut, Hammers of Misfortune, Vicious Rumors
Final verdict: 7.5/10

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

Label: Independent

Black Sites is:
– Mark Sugar (vocals, guitar)
– Ryan Bruchert (guitars)
– Greg Bruchert (bass)
– Brandon White (drums)

The post Review: Black Sites – The Promised Land? appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive death metal, metalcore, djent (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Periphery, Native Construct, Vildhjarta
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 3 May 2024

Immortality Complex is the latest album from the Illinois based djent/deathcore turned prog metal band Resuscitate. Formed by multi-instrumentalist Evan Van Dyne in 2018, Resuscitate has now released three full length albums, but Immortality Complex promises to be the most dynamic and progressive thanks to the addition of Joshua McKenney as clean vocalist, although Van Dyne remains as the primary songwriter and instrumentalist.

From the very first note of opener “Quoque Distet (What Do You See?)” the scope that Resuscitate is striving for on Immortality Complex becomes apparent. McKenney’s sultry cleans introduce the album’s concept, a bleak future that has abandoned reason in search of immortality, as MIDI strings and other chiming keyboards introduce motifs that pave the way for heavier instruments to enter. The searing guitar solo that follows the first stanza is superbly placed, and its restraint speaks to a melodic sophistication that makes each line that much catchier. By the time the drums kicked in and the track fell into its BTBAM-esque syncopated breakdown, I was stuck hook, line, and sinker, and the continued use of catchy melodic guitars and aching clean vocals that followed only further enthralled me.

“Radiating the Disease” continues in much the same manner as the opening track, with an opening riff that could have been lifted directly from any late-era BTBAM track without anyone batting an eye. Thankfully, we don’t remain squarely planted in BTBAM-land for long; the beautifully enunciated harsh vocals, also performed by Van Dyne, have a deathcore edge that goes a long way towards making the zanier riffs seem heavier. Still, melody, fueled by McKenney’s stellar cleans and Van Dyne’s scorching leadwork, remains the driving force even when the track extends itself towards the realm of symphonic blackened death metal in its back half. When the two melodic elements briefly meet and harmonize at transition points, it’s as though entire universes are created in their friction. However, despite how deadset each element had seemed in its purpose, this track contains one truly questionable songwriting choice: there’s a waltz section. Right after the song’s first climactic solo, there’s an acoustic, half-time waltz in 3/4. To say it disrupts the song’s flow would be an understatement, although I’m sure that fans of Native Construct and BTBAM will eat it up. I, however, just find it plain silly and completely unnecessary when placed in the midst of what would otherwise be an absolute ripper.

Thankfully, Resuscitate follows with what is undoubtedly the best track on the album, “Immortality Complex.” From the beautifully dissonant intro that rivals the likes of Artificial Brain to the instantly catchy verse vocals and riffs and truly epic guitar solos in the back half, this track puts an ache in my chest quite unlike anything else recently. When the first solo hits, tingles run down my spine and when McKenney screams “We can start over!” I can’t help but scream along. Oh, and the Max Mobarry feature slaps if you’re into Others by No One. I can’t promise that you’ll be as emotionally responsive to this track as I was, but I must implore you to try. Songwriting-wise, the title track is also where Resuscitate really hits their stride. Quite reminiscent of last year’s Zon by The World is Quiet Here albeit a bit toned down in terms of complete insanity, the style is what I’d expect from a modern deathcore turned prog metal band.

So how do you follow up what I’d say is the best song of the year so far? Well according to Resuscitate, you abandon any and all ethos and emotional impact garnered by the previous track and lay down a lame swung piano diddy instead. Oh man, do I dislike “The Great Filter.” It has the same issues as the end of “Radiating the Disease,” just ten times more pronounced. It makes me see why some people say they can’t stand the genre switching of bands like BTBAM; and I love BTBAM! The album’s nineteen-minute epic closer “Reclamation” does a lot to wash the bad taste of the previous track out of my mouth with its decadent rhythmic interplay between the guitars and harsh vocals, a stellar djent section that finally pays off on all the rhythmic promises the album had been making thus far, and a thall-styled outro that rivals the likes of Vildhjarta on their best day. Although I’d argue that there are a few transitions that feel a bit padded for length, the track more than earns its run time.

So where does Immortality Complex fall scorewise? That’s a tricky question–one of the many reasons in fact why this review took so long for me to write. There are moments on this record that are magnificent, where a grand scope and a razor fine attention to detail meet and make magic. There are other moments such as large chunks of “Radiating the Disease” and “The Great Filter” where I can’t help but roll my eyes at some of the songwriting choices. If you’re a fan of bands like Native Construct and BTBAM and you loved last year’s Zon, I’m sure that you’ll find great enjoyment here. If you’re a person that needs a bit more motivation behind your zany songwriting choices, your mileage will vary; there’s still three utterly killer tracks to be found here. Anyways, when you see my score below you’ll realize that I fall into the first camp.

Recommended tracks: Immortality Complex, Reclamation, Radiating the Disease
You may also like: The World is Quiet Here, Others by No One, Drewsif, Alustrium
Final verdict: 8.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: independent

Resuscitate is:
– Evan Van Dyne (guitar, bass, vocals, drums, mixing, mastering)
– Joshua McKenney (vocals)
– DJ Martel (orchestral arrangement [track 1-4])
– Jake Farhang (orchestral arrangement [track 5])

The post Review: Resuscitate – Immortality Complex appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Genres: Avant-Folk, Progressive Rock, Chamber Jazz (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Joanna Newsom, Devin Townsend & Ché Aimee Dorval’s Casualties of Cool, Iamthemorning
Country: Illinois, USA
Review by: Christopher
Release date: 1 March 2024

I find myself more and more taken with folk, having got into some Joanna Newsom and David Crosby (and his various collaborators) recently, or going back to my ongoing flirtations with the vaguely folkish alterna-rock of City and Colour, as well as the more overtly prog and metal interpretations of the sound: the lilting flavours of blackened Borknagar, the manic fusion of Subterranean Masquerade, and the new age meets prog meets americana of Casualties of Cool. Something about the authentic grit of folk—its communion with the pastoral, its reckoning with the vicissitudes of life—always pulls me back. 

Hailing from Illinois, Hannah Frances is a solo folk artist working with a series of session musicians, and Keeper of the Shepherd, her sophomore album, resides on the folk side, not the prog side of the spectrum—drawing from Newsom and Joni Mitchell rather than from the likes of Orphaned Land. That’s right, I’m once again asking you – Bernie meme style – to step outside your comfort zones. With a rich timbre and precise vibrato, poetic lyrics that eschew stanza structures in favour of emotional streams-of-consciousness, a distinct fingerstyle rooted in the open tunings of folk (for those more unusual harmonic resonances) but embracing polyrhythmic complexities dazzling in their nuance and strangeness, Keeper of the Shepherd may not be your traditional prog rock, but it’s unabashedly progressive in outlook.

“Bronwyn”, for example, features characteristically gorgeous vocals, but underneath the guitar riff is impossibly intricate—I think there’s a lot of 6/4 and 5/4 being moved around in strange ways but trying to work it out gave me a headache; no wonder it took a year for Frances to write it. Distorted guitar moves in around the edges as the song pushes in post-rock fashion to its jangling latter reaches, sounding like the halfway point between Porcupine Tree and Mazzy Star in these moments. The somewhat jaunty mute-heavy rhythm of the title track, meanwhile, belies the fact that Frances is crooning about the death of her father, a grief that suffuses much of the record. Soft pedal steel laments in the background like a mournful train call in the night, and the vocal harmonies hit a layered crescendo, a dozen voices raised in pain, the instruments succumbing to grim resignation as the song doesn’t conclude so much as falls apart. 

At some junctures, Frances seems to tickle around the edges of homage: “Floodplain’s” main guitar motif is redolent of the progression in “Blackbird” by The Beatles, but Frances’ vocal melodies move in counterpoint, diverging and converging with the rhythm as brief battalions of strings attack at the edges before a sustained assault on the song’s mid-section. Meanwhile, the languid chords of “Husk” recall Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No.1”, as voice and violin perform to one another, driving to a complex layering of harmonies that build to a choral, funereal climax. 

Woodwinds, provided by Hunter Diamond, play around the margins on many of the tracks, as on “Vacant Intimacies” which crescendos post-rock style while saxophones noodle away above with jazzlike disregard for theoretical concerns, and closer “Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave” which, after the rhythmically distinct verses and choruses, explodes into a kaleidoscopic chamber jazz instrumental, capping off the album with a sense of fullness, as though the entire record had been leading to this more complete sound. A resolution of sorts, a new start, light at the end of mourning. These two may well be my favourite tracks, the more reserved and stripped back middle third of the album admittedly not really matching my more maximalist prog fancies, but I’d be hard pressed to find any real problems with Keeper of the Shepherd; Frances has her vision under perfect control. 

No, this isn’t your traditional prog rock, but Keeper of the Shepherd absolutely deserves the ear of the more folk-minded fans who lurk around our site. Composed with a perfect balance of complexity and melody, lovingly mixed, and with turbid emotions roiling freely, this is an album whose intricacies and excellent guest musicians are perfectly suited to evoke the record’s central spiritual burdens. As the evenings draw out and hope begins to eke out a place in the cold soil, let Hannah Frances shepherd you into the spring. 

Recommended tracks: Bronwyn; Vacant Intimacies; Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave
You may also like: Mingjia, Lack the Low, Courtney Swain, Evan Carson
Final verdict: 8/10

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

Label: Ruination Record Co. – Bandcamp

Hannah Frances is:
– Hannah Frances (music, lyrics, guitar, vocals, production)

The post Review: Hannah Frances – Keeper of the Shepherd appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Leprous, Opeth, Devin Townsend
Review by: Zach
Country: Illinois, United States
Release date: 10 November, 2023

Dissona are, without a doubt, one of the most underrated bands in the prog-sphere. a perfect storm of genre-blending, prog technicality, and eclectic theatricality. Each release of theirs has seen a steady increase of growth, with 2016’s Paleopneumatic being a favorite of mine. Then, as with all my favorite things (looking at you, GRRM, Rothfuss, and Togashi), complete silence. An opus seemed to be right around the corner with how good the last effort was. What happened?

One can only imagine my sheer joy in hearing not only was there a new Dissona right around the corner, but it was a concept album based off my favorite movie of all time, Blade Runner. Then, my subsequent, crushing disappointment when it was only a three track EP. Better than nothing, I suppose?

The good news is, all three tracks on here are good! ‘The Prodigal Son’ is a strong opener, giving us the electronic-infused sections Dissona are well known for before giving way to a Persefone-esque riff. Dissona have clearly been practicing, because everyone sounds better than ever here. The lyrics deserve a special shout out here. Upon hearing the iconic quote  “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe” sung in the typical Dissona way, I was practically in heaven. The lyrics here deserve a special shout out, seamlessly incorporating quotes from both the original movie and its sequel, 2049, without feeling like a forced reference.

Each track is from the point of view of a different character in the Blade Runner universe, and I could tell who it was from the title alone. ‘The Prodigal Son’ captures Roy Batty’s existential and contemplative nature, mixed with a hint of mania from the riffs. ‘Renaissance’ portrays the frantic nature of Deckard’s choice to run away with his Replicant lover, Rachael, with the climactic shout of “Take this fever!/You great deceiver!”  and “I curse this dream!” being one of the top musical moments of the year for me. ‘Renaissance’ really highlights everything I love about Dissona, and it’s so clear that they love Blade Runner as much as me. The rapid assault of riffs atop soaring vocals, all building to that incredible ending. Their brand of electronic infused metal fits so perfectly with the world of cyberpunk Los Angeles. Alas, the EP was over before I knew it. 

‘Skinjob’ is quite possibly the perfect interlude track, except it’s the end of the album. With the introduction of Officer K, I was nearly ready for the album to jump into an epic, telling the tragic story of the Replicant who just wants to be special. But, the EP’s over. ‘Skinjob’ feels like it’s building up to a much larger song that never comes, and if Dissona are planning a whole album centered around Blade Runner, I’ll rescind my score, but I can’t score nearly as high as I’d like to, if only for the fact it doesn’t feel like a complete EP, and rather a collection of three really great songs. 

Dissona is back, but I feel like they’ve given me half of something that should be really good. If they release these three songs with a full album, I’ll make amends to this review and re-post it, but for now, I can only be left with two really great songs, a cool interlude, and a bit of disappointment.

Recommended tracks: It’s just three songs
You may also like: Omnerod, Aperion Bound
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

Dissona is:
– Craig Hamburger (Bass)
– Drew Goddard (Drums)
– Matt Motto (Lead guitars)
– David Dubenic (Vocals)

The post Review: Dissona – Dreadfully Distinct [EP] appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, Unexpect, prog rock sections in your death metal
Review by: Zach
Country: US-IL
Release date: 28 July, 2023

I had a very long and lovely chat with a family member recently about why I like death metal. I didn’t specify “progressive death metal with influences from black metal, classical, and folk” because I didn’t want to be looked at funny. To the layman, death metal is screaming and banging on drums as hard as you possibly can, but to me, progressive death metal is a beautiful, sprawling genre full of creativity and musical genius. Death metal bands exist who take influence from everything under the musical umbrella, and (sometimes) execute it so well that I barely even realize the song just switched genres right under my nose.

See, I want a journey when I listen to prog-death. I want sprawling songs that are 10+ minutes long, have multiple musical interludes, and I need at least one cello part. I was relatively familiar with Fleshvessel from their one track EP, ‘Bile of Man Reborn’, which I enjoyed a fair amount. But I was far more excited when I saw their debut was coming from I, Voidhanger of all places. What furthered my hype was the track lengths. The shortest “real” track on this album is nearly 11 minutes long, and with the assortment of instruments these four play, I thought I had a match made in heaven.

I do… mostly. This, by all metrics, is an extremely well-done album with a few nitpicks here and there. Fleshvessel swim through four compositional journeys on this album, and three very small interlude tracks. This isn’t exactly the fun-sized endeavor that is Epiphanie’s L’aube, but it’s surprisingly well paced for what it is. The final track being seventeen minutes stretches slightly into overlong territory, but thankfully the album avoids that pitfall for most of its runtime. Of course, this is all helped by the fact that the four members of Fleshvessel may as well be a small orchestra with the amount of musical talent between them.

The album starts with real piano, not keyboard. Three minutes into the first song, it transitions into viola and piano before segueing straight into death metal. While the transitions aren’t the greatest, the sheer variety of instruments on this album is absolutely staggering. That’s not even getting into the three guest musicians who play things I’ve never even heard of. I have no idea what a “finger cymbal” is, nor do I have any idea where to find it on ‘The Void Chamber’, but I’m sure it’s cool.

This is the equivalent of shaking keys in front of a baby’s face for me. I really thought I’d get sick and tired of hearing all these instruments upon relisten, but that’s not the problem I have with this album. Transitional excellence comes with songwriting practice. However, I’m gonna hold those programmed drums over your heads, Fleshvessel. The drums don’t exactly sound programmed per se, but they really aren’t all that present in the mix. This is different from a Dessiderium case where I could only tell by some of the insane fills that they were programmed. That being said, they were written by an actual drummer.. The drums aren’t just there for backdrop, they’re a staple in the mix for a reason. However, seeing as this is their debut, once they get a real drummer (which probably won’t be too far away), they’ll be considered one of the greats.

This was a pleasant surprise for me, if I must be honest. ‘Bile of Man Reborn’ was good, but I never found myself itching to come back to it. Here, we hear a matured Fleshvessel, witha much more refined sound and a hell of a lot more ambition. I’d put them on the same plane of metal existence as Aquilus and Dordeduh, but yet to write an opus like Griseus or Har. With a drummer, and time to iron out songwriting kinks, I can see them releasing something as good as Har a few years down the line. But for now, I’m perfectly happy with this gem of a debut.

Recommended tracks: Winter Came Early, A Stain
You may also like: Aquilus, Dordeduh
Final verdict: 8.5/10

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

Label: I, Voidhanger – Bandcamp | Facebook

Fleshvessel is:
– Gwyn Hoetzer (Flute, woodwinds)
– Sadka Srikoetkhruen (Fretless bass, guitar, lute)
– Alexander Torres (Guitar, door harp, Puerto Rican cuarto, viola, drum programmig)
– Troll Hart (Vocals, piano, keyboard)

The post Review: Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed appeared first on The Progressive Subway.