Style: Progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fates Warning, Symphony X, Opeth
Country: Israel
Release date: 25 July 2025

One of my favorite obscure albums to recommend to people is Orpheus Blade’s debut Wolf’s Cry. Its cinematic songwriting, dark atmosphere, grandiose production values, excellent guitarwork, and a charismatic female/male vocal duet from Adi Bitran and guest singer Henning Basse (Metalium, Legions of the Night) made for a uniquely compelling experience. Ever since I discovered the album, I’ve been eagerly waiting for a follow-up and have regularly harassed a friend of mine who knows the band personally about album no. 2’s status. For years, all he relayed to me was that “IT’S COMING, I SWEAR!”¹ despite absolute radio silence from their social media accounts. This continued until one day Christopher thoughtlessly said on my lunch break “oh btw Sam there’s a new Orpheus Blade out—you should probably review that.” DAMMIT SHACHAR WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING?! THEY ANNOUNCED THIS WEEKS AGO!

Orpheus Blade has undergone quite a transformation since Wolf’s Cry. The only original remaining member is Adi Bitran, who took up about half the vocal duties before. It’s especially a shame to have lost Henning Basse as the dude/dudette vocal duet was one of Wolf’s Cry’s main selling points—I didn’t even realize he was only a guest singer until researching for Obsessed in Red. Gal Ben Haim’s phenomenal guitarwork is also no more; he has been replaced by Yaron Gilad (ex-Tillian) and Danny Aram. Safe to say, the new cast has some very big shoes to fill. 

…they do not. As much as I hate to say it, Obsessed in Red is a step down in nearly every single facet from Wolf’s Cry. Let’s start with the production. Simply put, Obsessed in Red sounds like a demo: weak guitar tones, muffled drums, vocals being unnaturally forward, poor mastering, and just a general lack of any modern polish or sheen make the record sound unpleasantly amateurish and a slog to listen to before any thought is given to the music itself. If you told me that Obsessed in Red came out in 2010, I would have believed you, and even then I still would have called the production mediocre at best. Jacob Hansen, who mixed and mastered Wolf’s Cry, is nowhere to be seen, but it’s clear that he wasn’t adequately replaced and the result is unacceptable for this day and age. 

Still, as a reviewer I cannot let myself be shackled to a bad first impression based on production difficulties. Unfortunately, the songwriting doesn’t rescue Obsessed in Red. The dark cinematic style that made Wolf’s Cry so compelling has been replaced by a much more standard prog/power-ish metal base with some death metal and gothic elements sprinkled on top for garnish. What spark the record has generally comes from these darker components—gnarly tremolo picked riffs (“Unattained”), polyrhythmic double kick drum beats (“Anywhere But Here”, “Unattained”), melancholic guitar leads (“Those Who Cannot Speak”), and impressively monstrous harsh vocals throughout—but they are consistently undermined by the atrocious production and otherwise middling songwriting. The big issue is that the band’s foundational prog/power sound barely inspires. Whether it’s the bland heavy metal main riff from “Of Tales and Terrors”, the middling harmonies in “Anywhere but Here”, or the well-performed but structurally entirely predictable shredding of “My Red Obsessions”, when central components fail, the entire structure crumbles. 

Another central songwriting component that’s lacking is Bitran’s clean vocals, which seem to have deteriorated from Wolf’s Cry. Part of this might be due to the mix, which often makes her sound thin, but on a deeper level her delivery is just a bit meek. The vocal lines themselves are mostly fine and she hits every note cleanly, but she struggles to project her voice with the force and add the necessary grit for a metal band, leading to some particularly bad moments like the chorus of opener “My Arms for Those Wings” (speaking of bad first impressions), or the verses in “Of Tales and Terror”; Henning Basse’s contribution is sorely missed here. She’s much better when she’s not required to project as much, allowing her to showcase a breathy crooning style which works especially well in the softer sections (e.g. the opening of “Nicanor”). Still, her crooning over the band’s relatively straightforward style is a Wolf’s far cry from the debut, where the dark cinematic atmosphere gave her an ideal backdrop to shine. The one unambiguously positive development for the vocals, however, is with the harshes, which have improved in both presence and ferocity. Overall, it makes for a performance that’s competent but rarely commanding—serviceable in the softer or harsher extremes, but disappointingly middling everywhere in between.

If anything, Obsessed in Red feels phoned in, like the band had enough of sitting on this material for so long and said “fuck it, let’s just release the thing.” The uninspired way the album closes out feels emblematic of that—after “Nicanor” culminates in an underwhelming finale, “At Her Feet” concludes the record with nothing but Bitran crooning over a synth backdrop that receives little to no development. The production is equally careless, and technical skill and a few moments of inspiration cannot save the largely lifeless songwriting. It pains me to say, but next to nothing of the vigor and creativity that made Wolf’s Cry so compelling has survived this past decade. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

Recommended tracks: Unattained, Those Who Cannot Speak
You may also like: The Anchoret, Hunted, Terra Odium, Novembre
Final verdict: 4/10

1. Our WhatsApp communication is in all caps—don’t ask me why. ︎

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

Label: Independent

Orpheus Blade is:
– Adi Bitran (vocals)
– Yaron Gilad (guitars)
– Danny Aram (guitars)
– Ido Gal (bass)
– Stivie Salman (bass)
– Nitzan Ravhon (drums)
With guests:
– Davidavi Dolev (backig vocals)

The post Review: Orpheus Blade – Obsessed in Red appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Festival co-promoter Milton Mendonça, who’s currently in charge of Day 2 at the festival, sat down with Claire to chat about ProgPower USA, its legacy, and the challenges of bringing international bands to the United States in 2025.

Hi Milton, thanks for joining us in the underground tunnels of the Progressive Subway for this interview. To start off, in your own words, what is ProgPower USA?

ProgPower USA is a metal festival that takes place once a year in Atlanta here in the USA. It’s something that’s been near and dear to me since 2002. I started attending as a fan back then, and it is probably single-handedly the one event that has kickstarted those two particular genres of music, progressive and power metal, to become more popular and more accessible here in the States. It’s given some artists the first chance to come and play in the States, and now some of these artists come back and tour year after year. It’s a pretty special event.

You mentioned that you started attending the festival as a fan. How did you get involved in your current capacity as a co-promoter?

After 10 years of going as an attendee, I was invited to join the crew. I started working as a music journalist, from that I went into PR, and then I went into booking and management. Through booking some of the bands at ProgPower, I had already established a good relationship with [festival founder and current lead promoter] Glenn Harveston and he said, “Hey, we’re looking for somebody to do the Wednesday show, if you want to take a stab at it.” And I came on board as the Wednesday night promoter, and things progressed, and now I’m the heir apparent as Glenn gets ready to move into retirement.

Looking at the almost 25-year history of the festival, and its legacy up until this point, could you share some of the bands that hadn’t previously toured in the US, that you’re the most proud of having brought to ProgPower?

I can’t speak for the years that I wasn’t a promoter; that’s Glenn’s credit and he deserves all of it. But there’s definitely been some bands that I didn’t think I would ever be able to get in the States at all. Some bands that I was a fan of and never had a chance to work with up until then. The Blind Guardian special set was a pretty solid one. I was always a big fan of Stream of Passion, and I never thought they would come to the States, and we pulled that off. Galneryus was a big deal, bringing them from Japan. And I got to work as a promoter for one of my favorite bands, Angra.

I came with my little cheat sheet of some of the bands that I know are really beloved at the Progressive Subway, that had US debuts or one-off appearances at the festival. Nightwish, Blind Guardian, Green Carnation, Vanden Plas, Seventh Wonder, Orphaned Land, Angra. A lot of really great bands.

Sabaton is another one, Gamma Ray—their first shows in the States. I was still a booking agent at the time, but I also worked with Glenn to facilitate the Pain of Salvation Remedy Lane set, and the Angra Holy Land set. Those are two that I often pat myself on the back for. It’s such a hard question though, right? Because there’s some politics that play into it. I don’t want to forget anybody. I don’t want to get anybody mad at me.

Talking about the festival lineup for this year, we’ve seen a lot of turnover, a lot of bands getting swapped out due to issues with artist visas caused by the current US administration and their policies. Can you describe what has changed and how it has affected the festival?

Visa issues are not anything new. As far back as 2010, the festival lost a bunch of bands due to visas. This year, there were some changes that affected the time that it takes for a visa to be processed at the [US Customs and Immigration Services] office. Some changes were made that pulled people out of those offices, and it caused those processing times to become longer. Before you could have a visa applied for, processed, and approved within two to four months—sometimes a little more, sometimes as fast as a few weeks. Once that change happened in January, we had already applied for most of our visas [for 2025], and the time frame changed to up to 10 months. The only thing you can do in those cases is to pay an exorbitant extra fee to expedite the process. On top of that, there’s been added scrutiny to the visa applications. I would love to say that it’s not a political thing, but it sort of is, right? No matter how much we try to plan for it: we started all of our visa petitions early this year, played by the rules, and still kind of got screwed in the end. And there were a bunch of bands that were not approved, simply because our government didn’t think that they were relevant enough or worthy enough to get a visa. So, yeah, it’s a mess. I don’t know how else I can put it.

I’m curious, you don’t have to name any names, but have you approached any bands from abroad who aren’t interested in even trying to perform on US soil right now given the current situation?

More than ever, we’ve gotten answers like, “I think we’re going to wait a few years.” This year, we had to expedite every visa petition. And it’s not looking like it’s going to change anytime soon. The government’s website just says what the average estimated time is. That doesn’t really mean anything. It costs about $8,000 to do an expedited visa, just to get them permission to enter the country, let alone all of the other expenses. So, a lot of bands are saying, you know what, it’s just not worth it. And we’re a 1,000 cap festival. We can only afford so much. So, I can understand when bands say, “You know what, unless we get paid double of what you’re offering, we can’t make it happen”. And it’s not because we’re trying to be cheap and lowball the bands; we pay very competitive rates. You know, it’s the biggest market for metal bands in the world, and it’s still one of the hardest for the bands to come and break in.

We’ve seen other festivals and artists, whether it’s because of COVID or different issues, try to defray costs with crowdfunding campaigns. I know ProgPower USA also ran a t-shirt campaign to help with costs when the pandemic resulted in delays and unexpected expenses. What do you think about this kind of approach versus across the board ticket price increases?

COVID really did a number on the industry in general. I think the one good thing that came out of it was people’s creativity in terms of finding ways to earn some money—not even to make money, just to keep things afloat. I think it’s really cool when they’re offering something that’s new and different and unique. I think it can become stale very quickly; it can become, “oh, there is another one doing crowdfunding”. Glenn had to do [a crowdfunding campaign] this year for the visa expedites, because the increase was almost three times as much as we had in the budget. We’re very grateful that we have a core audience that’s willing to jump in and help. I think it says a lot about the festival, and I like to believe that we make up to them in terms of the experience that we offer. You cannot count on ticket sales all the time, unfortunately.

The festival always announces the lineup a year in advance. So, for example, when attending the 2024 festival, fans will see [a video announcing] which bands are coming in 2025. What do you think are the merits or challenges with this approach versus other festivals like 70,000 Tons of Metal, which is notorious for being slow to release its lineup?

The biggest challenge has to do with scheduling. A lot of bands just cannot plan ahead that far in advance. There are bands that we’ve been speaking to to bring to the festival for a decade now, and they can never plan so far in advance. We announce it a year in advance, which means we have to start booking no later than 15 months in advance, which means we start thinking about the lineup longer than a year and a half away. Now we’re coming on to the 2025 edition. So, 2026[‘s lineup] is pretty much done. By the end of this year, I would start thinking about the following one, right? 2027. But you never know what’s going to happen. It’s hard, but I feel like we’ve succeeded enough that we have the recipe. We know what to look for when it comes to building a roster that will be relevant that far in advance. We also have a lot of colleagues and contacts; we’re always talking to bands, managers, agents, labels, so we have a good idea of who’s going to be releasing an album around announcement time and so on. But it’s a bit of a dance for sure. It’s challenging. 

I feel like the [lineup announcement video] is almost as exciting as any other band playing the festival. It has become such an important part of what ProgPower is, that I don’t think I could do it any other way. It’s really cool to see all the speculation that goes on in the months leading up to the festival, and then to watch the fans’ reaction to the videos. I think it’s an added bonus that other festivals have definitely gotten their inspiration from.

I think you can even win little prizes under the table if you guess all the bands correctly. 

Yeah, I’ve heard.

Is the viability of the advanced announcements approach changing due to the current situation? Would you ever consider shifting to later or staggered band announcements?

I think it’s still viable. It’s not an excuse, but 100% of the cancellations were never because we did something wrong as an entity, whether we messed something up or didn’t do a contract well enough. It’s always stuff that’s outside of our control, and I feel like our audience for the most part is very understanding of that. I think it’s the only viable way, to be honest with you, because I also have to compete with festivals all over the world, and now you can fly into Europe for like $300. So I have to get a head start on that. 

At The Progressive Subway, our core focus is on underground bands. And in fact, for the first few years that the publication was around, we only covered bands with less than 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. When you’re looking for younger or less established bands to bring onto the ProgPower USA roster, what makes a band stand out to you?

It really has to wow me. I’ve been coming to ProgPower since ProgPower III. I’ve seen a lot of bands get booked that everybody gets very excited about. And they’re really solid, but they last a few albums and either they move on or they see that it’s not viable, whatever it might be. And every now and then you find that one band that really just smacks you on your face and you’re like, “Holy crap.” Circus Maximus is an example. Seventh Wonder is an example. And more recently, I feel Nospūn is an example of that as well. It’s just a feeling that I get at this point, but it comes from years of watching the scene very closely, and finding little nuances or details that maybe other people are not thinking about. 

I also think a band could really wow you on their album, but if they’re really unestablished, they might not know how to perform live.

There is a very specific example of a band that played ProgPower. Incredible record. One of those records that remind you why you became a fan, and then they came on stage, and it was just a hot mess. And that is a very good example of what you’re saying. You know, they can wow you on record, but then they can’t play live. That was a big let down, I must say.

The original festival promoter, Glenn Harveston, has announced his intention to retire after the 25th festival next year, and you have been announced as his replacement, which I want to congratulate you for first of all. 

Thank you.

Do you have a mission statement for the future of ProgPower USA? Do you intend to change aspects of the festival, whether for the sake of making it your own or by necessity due to changing circumstances, or do you plan to stick to the model of the first 25 years?

I want to honour the legacy of what made ProgPower special for 25 years. It’s not just about the bands. It’s never been just about the bands. I remember very specifically the first time I went to ProgPower, just looking around and feeling—this is going to sound so cliche—belonging. Like I’m meant to be there, and I just have to come back. “I don’t care what happens next year. I have to be here”. And that was my mentality over the next 10 or so years. There were years that I was completely broke and friends of mine would be like, “You have to come, we’re paying for it”. Over the years, I heard the same kind of feeling from other people. So I think more important than anything is to maintain what ProgPower has been all about, which is this special event [where] you get to see all of these friends that you only see once a year, that also happens to have some really cool bands playing. And as a promoter, of course, it has to keep making money, too. It has to be commercially viable. The only big change I’m going to make is bringing the festival back to three days instead of four. A lot of people say that it’s more expensive for them to take one extra day off and pay an extra night at a hotel and so on. And also, I’ll be running this on my own. I also plan on offering a three-day pass, which is something that we haven’t been able to do, because we’re multiple promoters and we run the nights separately.

When we were preparing for this interview, you told me you probably wouldn’t be able to share any details about next year’s lineup. Of course, that made me want to ask about it. Knowing the core audience of The Progressive Subway, we love these kinds of underground or underappreciated bands that people maybe don’t get to hear from as often. Can you give a little teaser for us?

Next year is going to be very special because it’s Glenn’s last year. So you can expect a lineup that will blow people’s minds. Glenn is very proud of what he does with the festival, and I don’t think anyone should expect him to go out quietly. I’ll not speak to his days and his bands, but I can speak to Day Two. Out of the six bands on Day Two next year, only one will be a festival return. So five other bands have not been there. There will be a band that people will be saying, “Jesus, finally.” There will definitely be a band that people are going to say, “Who?” And a non-conventional headliner. I think ultimately it exemplifies what ProgPower is all about: There’s the progressive bands, there’s the power bands, there are the bands that people have no idea why they’re there, but somehow they work. I’m pretty happy with it.

Now people can go and start making their whiteboards, trying to figure out everything that you said.

Here’s one out of left field. What artist, band, song, album is living rent free in your head right now?

My favorite current band would be Sleep Token. I’m listening to the new Epica album quite a lot as well, and I just got the new Lorna Shore album as well. That has been my playlist. 

Is there anything else that we haven’t touched on about the festival or your role that you want to let people know about?

There are still tickets available for Days One and Two of the festival this year. And plenty of people reselling [tickets for Days Three and Four]. So, if somebody is on the fence about coming to the festival, there’s still ways to do it. And I know I’m biased, but it’s a special event. It’s been a rough year, but everyone’s still excited to attend. I don’t know if it’s a badge of honour, but [we have] the reputation of being able to replace [bands that drop out] at the same level or higher. You tell me. You keep coming back.

I look forward with a lot of optimism to see where the festival is going beyond its 25th year, which is huge. To last 25 years is really quite a legacy.

Like I said, I just hope to be able to keep it going. You know, Glenn got 25 years out of it. I have 10 now as a co-promoter. If I get another 10 or 15, I’m happy. We’ll see. 

Links: Facebook | Instagram | ProgPower USA Website

The post Interview: Milton Mendonça (ProgPower USA) appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Symphony X, Dream Theater, Seventh Wonder, Angra
Country: United States-New York
Release date: 14 June 2025

Sometimes I lament the fact that I only started The Progressive Subway in 2018. There werevso many interesting underground albums in the years prior, but if not for reviewing, finding a reason to attentively listen to a random good, maybe even great obscure album from, say, 2014 becomes increasingly difficult as the years go by. An underground album needs to be either strikingly unique or exceptionally well written (or both!) to stand the test of time. One such album I wish I had gotten to review is Daydream XI’s 2017 release The Circus of the Tattered and Torn: a brilliant concept album in classic prog metal fashion, blending Symphony X, Dream Theater, and Seventh Wonder in equal parts. Tragically, Daydream XI disbanded as their main songwriter Tiago Masseti moved from Brazil to New York. Now, eight years after Circus, Masseti has blessed us with a solo album to continue his prog-power quest for the stars. Can Odds and Ends live up to the hype?

In many ways, Odds and Ends continues where Circus left off and shows much of what made that album so special: ferocious, heavy-as-balls riffage, superb lead guitar work skillfully balancing melody and shred, charismatic vocals, tight songwriting, and all the odd-time and transition wankery a prog fan could ask for. The overall tone has become darker, however, thanks to brooding synths and slightly more ferocious riffs, and Masseti has also experimented with multi-tracking himself to make a choir, such as on “The Singer in the Arms of Winter” and “Never Be Like You”. Of course, one must not forget to mention the heavy Symphony X influences that seep through nearly every crack of Masseti’s writing, most of which he disguises just well enough to avoid the worship allegations (for when he doesn’t—just listen to the intro of “Heir of the Survivor”), and the clear Dream Theater-isms that pop up in proggier moments (e.g. the unison solo in “Against Our Fire”). Either way, Masseti’s talent for songwriting ensures influences are cute nods instead of belabored crutches, and his instrumental prowess is dazzling as ever.

At a succinct 47 minutes, Odds and Ends is remarkably compact, for the prog-power genre at large but especially so considering both Daydream XI albums spanned over 70 minutes. Much like Circus, the first half of Odds and Ends consists of compact, riff-driven tracks, while the latter half contains epics, slow burners, and ballads. This structuring leads to incredible momentum at first, but rather stilted pacing in the mid-to-late stretch that the album’s closing epic can only partially remedy, as any gathered steam has been irretrievably lost. On Circus, “Forgettable” was the major momentum killer, ironically living up to its name by being the third lengthy slow-starting track in a row when a faster overall tempo was needed (on a sidenote: this is my only real gripe with Circus). On Odds and Ends, most momentum from the first three tracks was already “Gone” thanks to a breather ballad, but it’s the follow-up Dio-homage “The Singer in the Arms of Winter” that truly wreaks the album’s pacing with its dramatic, plodding arrangements and extended ballad-y outro. The track is fine in execution by itself—if a tad long—thanks to Masseti’s excellent vocal prowess, but its awkward placement unnecessarily brings it down. The following “Never Be Like You” tries to patch things up by beginning explosively, but another extended outro—this time in dramatic midtempo—puts a lid on that fire before it could spread. 

Remarkably however, I found that switching the track order of “The Singer in the Arms of Winter” and “Never Be Like You” immediately fixes nearly all pacing issues (the remaining issue being that both tracks could have easily been trimmed a minute or two). As it stands, track 4 “Gone” is a welcome heartfelt breather, but the transition into the drama of “The Singer” is clunky both tonally and pacing-wise. By placing “Never Be Like You” at track 5 instead of 6, the album smoothly regains its momentum. The track opens with a very brief hypnotic, slightly haunting modal guitar motif—somewhere between phrygian and atonal—that gives an unsettling, vaguely Middle-Eastern vibe before unleashing a hellfire riff barrage. Coming off the emotionally charged twin-harmony solo that “Gone” ends with, this transition naturally reintroduces tension and intensity into the album’s narrative structure. Meanwhile, the song’s dramatic mid-tempo outro segues seamlessly into the lumbering, brooding heft of “The Singer”, whose ballad-like outro then glides without “Hindrance” into a gorgeous piano ballad.

But pacing issues are not the only complaint I have about Odds and Ends; Masseti’s vocals seem to have deteriorated ever so slightly since his Daydream XI days, too. He’s still got a majestic, versatile voice, but there’s forcefulness in his delivery that he didn’t need before, sounding noticeably more strained. Compare, for instance, his singing in “Trust-Forged Knife” by Daydream XI to virtually any track on Odds and Ends: on the former, he’s silky smooth for the softer lines and effortlessly majestic when he’s belting, while on Odds and Ends he sounds like he’s pushing his voice beyond its capabilities to impress you, coming off unnecessarily edgy. Furthermore, the compression levels on Odds and Ends border on unpleasant, most notably in the drums, making the record louder than it needs to be—again adding to the edgy masculinity feeling. The production is great otherwise, providing ample room for each instrument, and the riffs are positively crushing—I just wish it all came without the ear fatigue.

Critiques aside, Masseti’s exceptional talent for songcraft shines through many a time on Odds and Ends. “The Pool of Liquid Dreams” might be the shortest metal song on the album, but it’s by far the most densely packed one, going from leads that sound like they could have come out of a Slash record, to pop punk, to intense power metal, to absurdly cool odd-time sections and blistering shred, and back. Similarly, “Against Our Fire” is a rapid prog-power track with especially impressive soloing and it successfully experiments with harsh vocals in the chorus. And while I ragged on their track order, Masseti pulls out all the vocal stops for phenomenal results when “The Singer in the Arms of Winter” reaches its climax, and the vocal multi-tracking in “Never Be Like You” is used creatively. Finally, “Serpents and Whores” and “Heir of the Survivor” are fantastic bookend tracks. The former is a heavy, suspenseful chonker of an opener, while the latter blends melodic beauty with dynamic prog metal, taking clear inspiration from neoclassical Symphony X epics like “The Accolade” or “Through the Looking Glass”. That said, one could argue its opening melodies evoke that particular sound a little too well.

While Odds and Ends may not be exceptional like The Circus of the Tattered and Torn, it’s great to have Masseti back on the prog metal stage. He’s an extremely talented songwriter and performer with a lot of charisma. Much like its name indicates, Odds and Ends plays like a collection of ideas that don’t always coalesce well, but when they do, the results are spectacular. I hope he’ll be able to bless us with his songwriting talents more frequently from here on out; after all, it’d be a shame to let the momentum go to waste.

Recommended tracks: Serpents and Whores, The Pool of Liquid Dreams, Heir of the Survivor
You may also like: Daydream XI, Sacred Outcry, Scardust, Manticora, Witherfall
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

Masseti is:
– Thiago Masseti (vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards)
With guests:
– Thiago Caurio (drums on tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
– Benhur Lima (bass)
– Bruno Pinheiro Machado (guitar solo on track 2)
– Renato Osório (additional guitars on track 4, 5)
– Marcelo Pereira (guitar solo on track 6)
– Cezar Tortorelli (orchestration on track 2)
– Fábio Caldeira (piano, orchestration on track 7)
– Eduardo Baldo (drums on tracks 2, 5)

The post Review: Masseti – Odds and Ends appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Power metal, progressive metal (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Stratovarius, Queensrÿche, Fates Warning
Country: Texas, United States
Release date: 27 June 2025

As any musician knows, actually writing music is only part of the album cycle. To craft a successful record, deep thought must be given to the recording process, the mixing, and the mastering, otherwise there’s a much slimmer chance of your vision truly coming to life. Texas prog metallers Transcendence were quite cognizant of this when penning their planned-for-2020 record, Nothing Etched in Stone. Intended to be a singular piece, recording and mastering issues surfaced from the constraints of the pandemic. After five years, the group has finally gotten the chance to re-record and distribute the album, with the caveat of splitting it into two parts. Does Nothing Etched in Stone, Part I etch itself into the progressive metal monolith?

Nothing Etched in Stone effuses a classic heavy metal sensibility—glimpses of Queensrÿche emerge in vocalist Brian Dixon’s timbre and in the straightforward, riff-heavy approach to songwriting. Choruses are the compositional focal point, as the surrounding sections serve as a buildup to these moments led along by the vocals. In many cases, Transcendence feels more closely aligned with power metal than it does progressive metal with its relatively compact runtimes, focus on melody over technicality, and energetic sensibilities.

The lack of showboating or complex song structures is not to say, however, that Nothing Etched in Stone is a dull or featureless listen. The vocals in particular are a standout, Dixon imbuing his performance with charisma and energy. On “Take Control”, he takes on a Timo Kotipelto-style (Stratovarius) approach full of excitement and large melodies, while “One Fear” interplays djenty grooves with brooding vocal lines. Closing ballad “Ruins… Before the Dawn” best showcases Dixon’s versatility, as he is given room to both pull back and punctuate: the harpsichord plays nicely with his varied performance, shining a light on the more delicate aspects of his voice and juxtaposing the more in-your-face lines from previous tracks with an impassioned and heartfelt atmosphere.

Ironically, though, many of the tracks in between end up falling flat precisely because of Dixon’s energy. Despite his charisma and distinctive timbre, there is a sense of homogeneity as his execution sits at a single level across almost all of Nothing Etched in Stone. “Ruins… Before the Dawn” is the central exception to this rule, indicating that Transcendence are fully capable of writing dynamic and layered pieces if they so choose to. Maintaining the excitement of the first two tracks is challenging without any variation; in the case of Nothing Etched in Stone, little room is given for more delicate, restrained passages and virtually no extra oomph is given to climaxes. As a consequence, the record is rendered a bit stale for most of its runtime.

The backing instruments don’t fare much better, often lacking the charisma or prominence of the vocals. Transcendence’s chorus-focused approach means that in many instances, the music becomes an afterthought, particularly when taking into account the overabundant mid-paced tempo comprising the bulk of the album’s runtime. The pacing is also done no favors by the relatively pointless intro track, nor is it helped by the two consecutive interludes before “Ruins”, which do little more than derail the album’s compositional arc. However, the band manage to break out of their confines on occasion, whether it be the surprising instrumental switch-up halfway through “Last Solstice”, the melodic, high-energy guitar leads on “Take Control”, or the temperamental djent grooves on “One Fear”. Additionally, “Voices in the Dark” features energetic guitarwork along with a solo which interplays nicely with the vocals, and the use of harpsichord and a bass-forward chorus on “Ruins” adds a tinge of baroque flavor. 

More so than remastering and perfecting the recording, Nothing Etched in Stone, Part I needs to be tweaked to make room for more exploration of highs and lows. Were the band to utilize more dynamics by giving space to recede in intensity or push its sound a bit further, the record would be a thoroughly enjoyable slab of chunky power-prog. Nothing Etched in Stone is evidence of Transcendence‘s potential as songwriters, especially when executing the dreaded ballad, but unfortunately, these highlights are marred by an overall homogeneous listen. Knowing that this is only half of the whole piece and pacing issues have already emerged gives me concern for the fate of the upcoming Part II, but I will remain optimistic—nothing is etched in stone, after all.

Recommended tracks: Ruins… Before the Dawn, One Fear, Take Control
You may also like: Pathosray, Conception, Enbound, Lancer
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Label: Cosmic Fire Records – Facebook | Official Website

Transcendence is:
– Kirk Wood (bass, vocals)
– Derrek Edwards (drums)
– Jeff Ford (guitars)
– John Howser (keyboards, piano)
– Brian Dixon (vocals)

The post Review: Transcendence – Nothing Etched in Stone, Part I appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Shaman, Angra, Queensrÿche
Country: Brazil
Release date: 13 June 2025

Kids these days, am I right? As a wizened, elderly crone approaching thirty years of age, I recently listened to a podcast which showcased a Gen Z representative explaining modern slang terms to the podcast’s Gen X hosts, and nothing has ever made me feel older. I had only just figured out what “rizz” is, but apparently that’s totally passé; these days it’s all about the aura. Unlike the traditional sense of a subtle atmosphere or energetic field, the modern aura is all about charisma; coolness; having an it factor. One can engage in aura farming or auramaxxing in an attempt to gain aura points and become cooler. But of course, whether you’re a teen boy trying to sink baskets to impress the ladies or a metal band attempting to stand out from the crowd in 2025, such efforts are fraught with the deadly peril of trying too hard. Originally formed in 1993, Twilight Aura released one album in 1995 (when Gen Z was still but a whisper on the horizon) before going on a formidable twenty-seven year hiatus. So, what has the band been doing all that time? Have they, perhaps, been… auramaxxing?

If so, they’ve done a tasteful job of it. Believe is the second album of Twilight Aura’s comeback after For a Better World in 2022, and there’s no try-hard breaking of the mold here, just roll-up-your-sleeves, guitar-forward power metal with fist-pumping choruses and unmistakable influences from the Brazilian metal landscape. Twilight Aura operate with self-assured, unhurried Queensrÿche-like swagger, further complimented by impeccable guitar work that calls to mind Angra greats Kiko Loureiro and Rafael Bittencourt¹. But to be clear, Believe is “prog metal” in the same way that LaCroix sparkling water is “fruit-flavoured”. At most, there was a whisper of prog in the next room over while Believe was being recorded, but the light touches—playful frolics between time signatures, shimmering and curling synth timbres—add freshness to the band’s formula, scoring them more aura points without breaking a sweat.

While Believe is unquestionably a capably-executed album, your mileage may vary based on your penchant for being surprised and challenged by your music; the album is more likely to win you over gradually than stop you in your tracks. Perhaps the biggest surprise on Believe occurs fifty-two seconds into the first track, when Daísa Munhoz’s lead vocals make their entrance. This corner of the metal world usually leans on male vocals (though they may scale bafflingly high octaves à la Angra or Elegy); by contrast, Munhoz’s vocals are a welcome shift, bright and technically unimpeachable with a hint of rock ’n’ roll grit. The vocals are frequently layered, particularly in choruses, to stirringly anthemic effect. When she’s not harmonizing with herself, Munhoz has a host of guest contributors to duet with, including Fabio Caldeira of Maestrick in the heart-on-sleeve ballad “Coming Home” and Jeff Scott Soto in “Hold Me Tight”. Munhoz’s commanding presence at the mic also helps sell Believe’s social justice-themed lyrics, which, notably for the power/prog genre, are straightforward and literal in a market over-saturated with armadas, dragons, and blades (“Right Thing” deals with climate change; “Real World” with fake news).

Elsewhere, Believe rarely strays from the well-worn paths of the genre. There are soaring, extended guitar solos—Andre Bastos on lead guitar takes the spotlight 3:55 into “Laws of Life” and doesn’t relinquish it for a good minute and a half. There’s a sappily-harmonized power ballad duet (“Coming Home”). And there’s no shortage of what we used to call, back in my choral singing days, “feel-good key changes”.  But these are all familiar pleasures, if not particularly daring ones, and confined to Believe’s tidy forty-minute runtime, the tropes don’t have time to overstay their welcome².

So, have Twilight Aura maxxed out that aura of theirs? Perhaps not fully, but Believe is a cogent, compelling slice of the elements that made Brazil’s metal scene great in the 80s and 90s when the band’s members were getting their start. It doesn’t push boundaries, but it doesn’t need to: with their refreshing, charismatic vocals and musicianship that speaks of long-earned confidence in the genre, Twilight Aura have plenty of strengths to play to, and there may be aura left to harvest yet.

Recommended tracks: Yourself Again, Laws of Life, Hold Me Tight
You may also like: Age of Artemis, Elegy, Auro Control, Maestrick
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Wikimetal Records – Facebook | Official Website

Twilight Aura is:
– Filipe Guerra (Bass)
– Claudio Reis (Drums)
– Andre Luiz Linhares Bastos (Guitar)
– Rodolfo Elsas (Guitar)
– Leo Loebenberg (Keyboards)
– Daísa Munhoz (Vocals)

1. Twilight Aura’s guitar player, Andre Bastos—not to be confused with Andre Matos—was actually a founding guitarist in Angra, but left the band in 1992. ︎
2. For a Better World dragged at almost an hour long ︎

The post Review: Twilight Aura – Believe appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

(No artist noted; please let us know!)

Style: Progressive metal, power metal, symphonic metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Angra, Kamelot, Haken, Seven Spires, Seventh Wonder
Country: Brazil
Release date: 2 May 2025

Today, dear reader, we heed the eternal call that plagues every band known to man. The ever-present lore, the esoteric call that populates artist comment sections across the internet. The eternal convocation: “VENHA AO BRASIL”. Yes, today we are looking at a Brazilian act, Maestrick from São Paulo, and their album Espresso della vita: Lunare, part two of a concept album about a day-long train ride as a metaphor for life’s journey to death, and a nocturnal counterpart to their 2018 release Solare. It’s an ambitious progressive metal work that incorporates swing, symphonic power metal, and Brazilian musical conventions alongside heavy staccato riffing and velvety-soft vocals to create a high-octane experience. 

Maestrick excel most in the heavy swing/cabaret influence highlighted on the early part of the album. Tracks like “Upside Down”, “Ghost Casino”, and “Mad Witches” hearken back to early Diablo Swing Orchestra: heavy, grooving riffage punctuated by swing and jazz-influenced horn and piano sections that make you want to tap your feet and snap your fingers to the beat in a smoky room with a cigar in your mouth and two fingers of whisky in your glass. Additionally, the song “Agbara” features prominent Afro-Brazilian rhythmic cadences with lyrics in Portuguese—another excellent inclusion. I love hearing regional music in metal, and they blend it perfectly well with their heavy progressive metal style. It reminds me a little of the way Angra’s “Caveman” incorporated similar elements on their 2018 album Ømni. Unfortunately, the swing and traditional Brazilian influences are all but abandoned by the end of the album, where Lunare plays out with more symphonic, melodic progressive metal standards. 

Many of the compositions on Lunare feature a strong late-Dream Theater impact with a lot of twisty-turny Phrygian-dominant riffs present on “The Root” and “The Last Station (I A.M. Leaving)” and downtuned 7-string passages (“Boo!”). Add in a bit of that ‘modern metal’ affectation on songs like “Lunar Vortex” and “Agbara”—imagine Haken, Voyager, and that type of djent-approximate start-stop staccato riffing—and you’ve got a recipe that modern progressive metal lovers will find familiar yet compelling. Moreover, clear symphonic metal influence features on nearly the entire album, with grandiose compositions that echo film score epics, adding a lot of texture to the sound. Particularly captivating is the middle of “The Root”, where background strings heighten tensions before the guitar solo—and the end of the same track, where violin arpeggios over staccato riffing transition into a grand orchestral sequence that ends abruptly with heavy guitar. Skilfully written, and masterfully executed. 

Despite several strong points to Lunare, there are more than a few instances where Maestrick divert away from the energetic compositional style and into a more subdued emotional one, often at the expense of the album’s pacing. Soft piano and reverberant string arrangements characterize “Sunflower Eyes”, “Dance of Hadassah”, and the second half of “Mad Witches”. On “The Last Station” (the album’s epic, with a runtime of eighteen minutes), strummed acoustic guitar introduces the piece, which ebbs and flows in several movements from a soft rock ballad into a distinctly progressive metal heavy-hitter of a track, before transitioning into another very showy, symphonic outro. This consistent back-and-forth from heavy to soft and back again, even within the same song, I find to be a bit disengaging. Although I understand the need for differentiation within an album, it starts to feel a little repetitive when every other track incorporates some type of slow sentimental piece.

In spite of all that, Maestrick are obviously competent musicians and put out a very strong work with this ostentatious release that features symphonic elements, regional touches, and swing/jazz influence. Indeed, Espresso Della Vita: Lunare features all the nuance of its namesake drink, and much of the power—but sometimes stumbles into more watered-down territory with an overabundance of melodrama in its emotional ballads. These slower passages can bring you crashing down to Earth like a naloxone nasal spray when you’re carefree and flying high on the effects of progressive metal ambrosia. The album’s a fun ride, but a long one. Better brew another pot.

Recommended tracks: “Upside Down”, “Boo!”, “Lunar Vortex”
You may also like: Mindflow, Noveria, Almah, Immortal Guardian, Vougan, Everon
Final verdict: 7.5/10

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

Label: Frontiers Music Srl – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Maestrick is:
– Fábio Caldeira – (lead vocal, piano, synths and orchestrations)
– Guilherme Carvalho – (guitars, backing vocals)
– Renato “Montanha” Somera – (bass, backing vocals)
– Heitor Matos – (drums and percussion, backing vocals)

The post Review: Maestrick – Espresso Della Vita: Lunare appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Album art by Adam Burke

Style: Power metal, progressive metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Falconer, Blind Guardian, Seven Spires, Fellowship
Country: Canada
Release date: 28 March 2025

Few things are more taxing on a band’s fanbase than having their new album consigned to development hell. Whether from perfectionism, conflicting artistic visions, or life simply getting in the way, new material can be left in limbo for a decade or longer with precious little to satiate listeners in the meantime. Tool used to be the poster child for such procrastination in the prog community, then Wintersun, but in a post-Time II world, artists such as Symphony X and Agent Fresco continue the proud tradition of their latest albums approaching their ten-year anniversary with no concrete news of a follow-up in sight. In a similar vein, Canadian underground prog-power act Viathyn spent the years after their well-regarded 2014 work Cynosure in an uneasy state of semi-hiatus, assuring fans that they weren’t done yet and that a third album would eventually come, but otherwise largely silent. Eventually, however, after putting out a couple albums with the now-disbanded Ravenous, guitarist Jake Wright began to feel that the material he had written for said third album was too personal for the band and, with drummer Dave Crnkovic in tow, released it under the name of a new, ocean-themed project: Panthalassan. Now fully at the helm of this voyage, can Wright successfully sail into the sunset, or is his ship doomed to run ashore in the shallows?

Thankfully, From the Shallows of the Mantle proves itself to be a potent slab of prog-power from front to back, due in large part to Wright’s considerable finesse with the six-string. Even if I didn’t know beforehand that this was a guitarist’s solo venture, the heart-racingly fleet riffs, tuneful leads, and intricate solos that fill every nook and cranny of the album would give me a good hint. And yet, despite the abundant virtuosity on display, it never feels as though Wright is indulging in excessive wankery or playing notes for notes’ sake. True, the songs are uniformly lengthy, averaging around seven minutes apiece, but those minutes are filled with enough musical variety and strikingly memorable melodies to justify their runtime and then some. Song structures in particular often deviate from standard verse-chorus fare in an effort to take the listener on a sweeping journey, with tracks like “Foundation to Firmament” and epic closer “Embers on Our Shore” proving particularly breathtaking in their scope and diversity, easily justifying the “progressive” part of their genre label.

That said, the style of prog-power that Panthalassan provides leans primarily towards the “power” side of things, eschewing the thrashy influences and folkish tinges of Viathyn in favor of soaring, tuneful choruses and more prominent symphonic orchestration, courtesy of Daniel Carpenter (Imperial Age). The end result is a stirring, heroic, yet undeniably melancholic soundtrack to an oceanic voyage where our protagonist must confront the raging squalls both without and within; think Emerald Seas-era Seven Spires minus the harsh vocals, or perhaps a significantly less saccharine version of Fellowship. It is, in a word, kickass, and there were numerous moments where all my fancy words failed me and I was left with nothing to say but “Dude… this fucking rules.” Take, for instance, the coda to “Driftwood Reverie”, where Wright abruptly kicks the tempo up a few notches with a rapid-fire riff backed only by Crnkovic’s minimalistic yet urgent quarter note kick drums that builds into a full minute and a half of deliriously speedy instrumental fireworks. Or the stately guitar leads in the bridge of “Lowstand Leviathans”, or the delightfully unexpected muted trumpet in “Foundation to Firmament”, or the clean guitar and bass interplay in the midsection of “Embers on Our Shore”, or… you get the picture. Wright can craft an instrumental interlude with the absolute best of them, and his compositional chops go well beyond his admittedly incredible ability to Play Guitar Fast.

Everything I’ve said so far would indicate that From the Shallows of the Mantle would be a clear contender for the best power metal album of 2025, and while it does a lot of things extremely well, there is an elephant in the room that keen-eyed readers might have already noticed me skirting around up to this point: the vocals. Perhaps out of the same sense of personal attachment that led to him separating this material from Viathyn in the first place, Wright handles all vocals himself, and all I can say is… he sure gave it his best shot. Now, to be fair, he’s not terrible; he can carry a tune well enough, and his tone, particularly in his lower register, is decent. But he’s just… not that good, either. You know how even the most masterfully written lines can sound goofy if delivered by a wooden actor? Well, Jake Wright is a wooden singer, and his vocal deficiencies kneecap the emotional resonance of an album that’s clearly meant to be deeply personal. His baritone range is a nice change of pace for the genre, and seems to be aiming for a similar feel to Mathias Blad of the late Falconer, but fails to remotely live up to Blad’s smooth tone and expressive theatricality. Sometimes the hook writing is killer enough that the chorus shines despite some merely functional singing (“By Shank’s Mare”), but other times Wright’s amateurish delivery weakens otherwise excellent melodies (“Worth My Salt”), and it’s frustrating.

I want to say that with the right singer, this album could be a solid 8.5 or even 9/10 with enough spins, but given how deeply the material here is tied to its creator as a human being, it’s hard to say who “the right singer” even would be, beyond “an alternate universe version of Jake Wright except he’s a better vocalist”. These lyrics, for all their nautical imagery, aren’t really about a sea voyage, but are rather a powerfully emotional, semi-metaphorical ode to the inner struggles of one man. Barring the occasional clunky rhyme, the words here are striking, touching on fear of standing up for one’s self (“Worth My Salt”), imposter syndrome (“Clandestine Traveler”), and feelings of aimlessness (“Driftwood Reverie”). There’s even an oceanic love song of sorts in the form of “Abalone”, the closest thing here to a ballad, whose tale of falling under a siren’s spell feels equal parts unsettling and romantic. Would this soul-baring effect be lost by using the voice of another, no matter how technically superior of a singer they may be? I can see arguments either way.

Though this one issue may hold back Panthalassan from true greatness, make no mistake: From the Shallows of the Mantle is a very strong debut, and a downright masterclass in composition and instrumental performance. Wright has expressed interest in incorporating more instruments and a wider variety of genre palettes on future work, and after what he’s accomplished here, I’m excited to see what’s next. For now, though, this album still comes recommended for anyone interested in a gripping, heartfelt power metal journey through seas, storms, and self-doubt, all told in an authentic, if somewhat flawed, voice. Or if you just want to hear a guy play guitar really well for an hour, that works too.

Recommended tracks: Driftwood Reverie, Foundation to Firmament, By Shank’s Mare
You may also like: Viathyn, Sunburst, Haishen
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Panthalassan is:
– Jake Wright (guitars, bass, vocals)

With:
Dave Crnković (drums)
Daniel Carpenter (orchestration, piano)

The post Review: Panthalassan – From the Shallows of the Mantle appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive metal, power metal, hard rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Avantasia, Cain’s Offering, Michael Romeo
Country: Sweden
Release date: 21 February 2025

Derek Sherinian shreds the keys as a guest on a track from every other mediocre prog metal album we get a promo for; it’s become a bit of a joke around here how busy the ex-Dream Theater keyboardist is. On the other hand, Enbound stick out from the droves of other C-tier prog metal bands with their guest feature: Kevin Moore. Dream Theater’s OG keyboard maestro is elusive in the prog world, his last studio album over a decade ago with OSI and the last feature in general on Avandra’s 2019 opus. He’s a busy doctor in real life, and despite his prodigious talent—I mean listen to those atmospheres on Images and Words—music is no longer his passion. Yet Swedish power/prog outfit Enbound hooked the man enough for a guest feature on Set It Free’s closer “Leave Them to Night.” I am so intrigued by how they possibly lured the man out of his musical retirement, I have no choice but to review Enbound’s third LP. 

I won’t leave you hanging: “Leave Them to the Night” is a decent track, but I am devastated to announce that ol’ Kevin Moore doesn’t add anything. The piano softly arpeggiates underneath the ballad-y intro and adds some backing atmospherics throughout the main melody and chorus, but that’s about all he contributes. The highlight of the track is a damn guitar solo. What a letdown. Thankfully, Set It Free isn’t a disappointing listen on the whole; in fact, Enbound’s brand of AOR-tinged power/prog is infectious and fun at its best, redolent of Avantasia as well as Enbound’s Scandinavian peers like Stratovarius and Cain’s Offering.

Enbound find their groove at their power metal-iest, when the synths are over-the-top, the choruses bold and cheesy, and the guitar solos shreddy. For instance, the pre-chorus in “Maximize,” with its multi-part vocal lines, is exaggerated and fun, but the chorus it explodes into is as uplifting and sing-along as one could want from a power/prog act. The other standout track, “Black,” reminds me of Michael Romeo’s War of the Worlds, Marvin Flowberg’s guitar line much more technical on the track than the rest of Set It Free. Flowberg’s playing has some swagger throughout Set It Free, and his solos are reliably the best moments on several tracks—“Assaulted Taste,” “Set It Free,” and “Leave Them to the Night” among them. 

Enbound’s energy is often infectious, but without much variation in tempo and track structure, Set It Free is boring; the band really needs to Let it Loose. All of the members are killer musicians—even the drums, which normally are far too repetitive in power metal, are incredibly dynamic with plenty of creative fills—but for the most part it’s too hard rock and not enough prog. As it turns out, energetic and engaging are not synonymous, and the middle third of the album is, unfortunately, quite forgettable— tracks like “Invincible” and “You Never Walk Alone” are simply too cliched to stick. 

I have no idea what type of voodoo magic Enbound possess that got Kevin Moore interested enough in this project to feature because Set It Free is not deserving of his magical touch. It is, however, fun, and that’s what counts at the end of the day. When I want complex power metal, Enbound won’t grab my attention over Symphony X or Angra, but for catchy and upbeat music—something for a light workout or to throw on after a depressing day at the office—one could do a lot worse than Set It Free.

Recommended tracks: Black, Maximize, Invincible
You may also like: Pagan’s Mind, Pyramaze
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Label: Embrace the Fear – Official Website

Enbound is:
– Swede (bass)
– Mike Force (drums)
– Andy (guitars)
– Toby (vocals)

The post Review: Enbound – Set It Free appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Artwork by Gaia Cafiso

Style: Power Metal, Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Unleash the Archers, Epica, Stratovarius
Country: United States, Wisconsin
Release date: 31 January 2025

It’s been a while since I’ve been so torn on my final judgment of a metal release. On one hand, the Queen of Dreams sophomore album, Subnivium, accounts for many of the sonic shortcomings (particularly being disjointed and having a muddy production job) of their debut album while tightening up their songwriting and aesthetic styles. But on the other hand, the band may have overcorrected for their previous criticisms, leading to an over-produced, homogenous follow-up. While Subnivium showcases many dimensions of competency, it also lacks the secret sauces, innovation and passion, which listeners expect from works that are not merely good, but groundbreaking. I particularly care much more about a band experimenting and delivering music through sincere, artistic desire rather than turning in an assignment that feels like a final exam in a music theory course. Subnivium feels like it landed somewhere in between the two.

The album’s intended style is present at the gates: Vocal-forward, melodic power metal with a small amount of progressive songwriting elements thrown in to add a hint of sophistication to the music’s trimmings—placing itself somewhere in between Epica and Unleash the Archers. Queen of Dreams occasionally partakes in a mix of screams and growls, however fleeting and sparingly. One will also notice that the band members have incredible harmony with one another, performing in a peculiarly unified whole—consequently, for better or worse, most of their songs sound extremely similar.

Additionally, one will hear the particular sharp and punchy production job crafted masterfully by Alex Parra at Second Sight Sound. This studio is also responsible for the recent Arch Enemy and Evergrey albums, and for those who are familiar, the hard-hitting rhythm sections and blasting distortions from those are similarly employed in Subnivium; albeit they glossed the synths, lead guitars, and vocals to sound a bit prettier and more colorful. From a technical angle, the album generally sounds quite good and the notes all pop distinctly—it’s as clean as a marbled granite countertop. Though, almost all of the songs are written to showcase melody and bright soundscapes, the production job best complements the songs with the hookiest melodies, such as “Radiant” and “Shield Anvil.”

I find it helpful to distinguish between horizontal and vertical listening experiences: horizontally, we’re able to pick up on how music sounds in single moments, oftentimes more represented by scattershot listens, skipping around and hearing a couple seconds of tracks more or less at random, or by paying close attention to some smaller interval; while the vertical experience demonstrates more of an invested listen from front to back, immersing in the way an album develops over time, analysing its exploration of ebb-and-flow and oscillating dynamics. 

In this sense, Subnivium sounds great horizontally since one is treated with mouthfuls of gorgeous guitar and synth solos, often harmonizing, and a talented vocalist who contrasts her powerful cadence with the energetic, crunchy rhythm section. However, after a while, the band will appear to know only one pace, one tone, one tempo, and it becomes easy to feel oversaturated with the cloying and repetitive delivery. This is the primary reason that I believe this album will get underrated in end-of-the-year rankings lists. To many, this is a serious downfall—especially in the world of progressive music, people usually do not like hearing the same thing over and over. 

Subnivium’s lack of variety is why I particularly appreciate the scattered bits of songwriting diversity we do get from the band. For example, “Kiln the Forgotten Flame” is a beautifully crafted and performed instrumental that gives us a short break from the endless choruses. The little fake-out ending around three and a half minutes into “Radiant” is a playful touch that breaks up the monotony. Other small elements, like the occasional distant harsh vocals, random bass solos, sentimental piano outros, or the attempt at a longer track as a closer, are moments I’d like Queen of Dreams to get more comfortable with.

Overall, despite my main criticism, Subnivium is a fairly successful effort from the band—particularly since they are still early in their career. Queen of Dreams corrected the occasional feeling of disjointedness from their debut and integrated a clean, professional production job. They’re undoubtedly a band comprised of skilled musicians. However, if they are to jump from just a decent band to an amazing one, they are going to need to look at different sources of inspiration: bands that can build on the dynamics of songs to deliver more sublime kinds of experiences rather than simply delivering verses, choruses, and riffs for the sake of filling empty space. We have a solid foundation here; now it’s up to the band to determine what else they can do with it. It is still not too late to avoid being pigeon-holed into a legacy of predictability.

Recommended tracks: Radiant, Shield Anvil, Kiln the Forgotten Flame
You may also like: Helion Prime, Triosphere, Empress, Dawn of Destiny
Final verdict: 6.5/10

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

Label: Independent

Queen of Dreams is:
– Ally Scott (keyboards)
– Caleb Scott (guitar, backing vocals)
– Dan Love (drums)
– Lnz Prazak (vocals)
– Tom Brown (guitar)
– Sky Talbott-Settle (bass)

The post Review: Queen of Dreams – Subnivium appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive metal, power metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Kamelot, Symphony X, Circus Maximus
Country: Sweden
Release date: 3 December 2010

Back in my day, all prog metal was either power metal or thrash metal rabble rabble. Prog-tinged USPM (Queensrÿche, Savatage, early Dream Theater) or techy thrash (Toxik, Mekong Delta, Watchtower) were prog metal before all this djent and “dissonant death metal” nonsense. At the blog, Sam and I often lament about the dearth of power/prog releases in the 20s, and even scouring the depths of the underground often nets us nothing. Heck, modern cult classics from Tanagra, Dimhav, Eternity’s End, and Michael Romeo are nearing (or have eclipsed) half a decade ago now. It’s rough to be a fan of traditional prog metal and its power-tinged sibling in 2025 and has been for ages, but 2010 was a different story. Seventh Wonder’s fourth album, The Great Escape, is a (semi-) modern masterpiece of power/prog, arguably the genre’s pinnacle of the last fifteen years straight. 

A power metal band is no stronger than their vocalist, and Tommy Karevik is a cult favorite pick as among the best in all of prog, combining a rich timbre and vocal agility with a musical theater sensibility. The closest touchstone for style and timbre I have is combining Roy Khan (ex-Kamelot) and Brendan Urie (Panic! at the Disco), but Karevik is easily equal to those legends himself. He injects endless energy into The Great Escape’s already energetic instrumentals, his flair for drama always over-the-top yet satisfying. For instance, in iconic opener “Wizeman,” after a slick guitar solo near the end, the track isolates Karevik and a lovely melody before the bass drags the duet back to metal; then, after a grand pause, Karevik belts “FLY A————WAAAAAY” into a reprisal of the main theme. There isn’t a single other vocalist on Earth who could have me not rolling my eyes from cringe on the group’s most popular song “Alley Cat,” but when Karevik sings “Oh baby let me stay your alley cat” I totally would let him. The best vocal performance, however, is on “King of Whitewater,” his agility and belting showed off more than any other song because of the sense of urgency in the chorus.

The Great Escape is breathless. Of course, Karevik hits impressive notes endlessly, but instrumentally Seventh Wonder almost always reach the same kind of balls-to-the-wall intensity except for brief, well-timed pauses. “Wizeman” starts the album without any frou-frou entrance, diving straight into a shreddy synth and guitar riff. Moreover, The Great Escape has so many hooks it’s comically unfair to other music; this also contributes to the breathless quality. By that I mean that once you’ve absorbed a hyper power/prog section and have it stuck in your mind, all of a sudden a new chorus or killer solo or resplendent melody comes along before your brain has time to take in what’s happening. So even seven years after I first heard The Great Escape, new earworms routinely crawl their way into my brain and latch on. While writing this Lost in Time piece, the duet with Karevik’s wife on “Long Way Home” stood out to me like it had never before because the track is a sweet moment—the bass on the track is killer, too. 

Although Karevik is the highlight and the zenith of prog singing in general on The Great Escape, the instrumentalists also attain a level of awesomeness that few prog bands before or since have on an album. Holding the whole thing together is bassist Andreas Blomqvist, his phat tone often mimicking the active guitar parts perfectly or else soloing on his own like on “Move on Through.” Seventh Wonder pays the bass its due. The two melodic players, Johan Liefvendahl on guitars and Andreas Söderin on keys, alternate between complex, Dream Theater-inspired solo sections and smart little keyboard-orchestrated bits and stellar riffs like at 2:30 into “Alley Cat.” For a genre which thrives on technical ability and the individual, these guys work perfectly on their own and as a unit.

Of course, I’ve ignored the pink elephant in the room: “The Great Escape” (song). Much like Symphony X’s genre-perfecting closer “The Odyssey,” “The Great Escape” is modeled off an epic poem, Sweden’s own 50s classic Aniara. Over the course of a bombastic, euphoric thirty minute journey, the band re-weave the story of the spaceship Aniara: the triumphs and tragedies of a ship destined to save humanity from a dying planet. In structure and story similar to Shadow Gallery’s “First Light” but much more metal in execution, the story is touching and by the final acoustic re-hashing of the main theme you’ll have the breath knocked out of you. If anything, the track is so tirelessly climaxing in sweet melodies that it can be a little over-the-top for my brain, but the explosions of brilliant songwriting—the galloping heavy metal riff at 5:00, the backing vocals at 9:00, the bass tapping at 15:35, the synths at 26:20—ensures that each moment is necessary. “The Great Escape” transcends the rest of the stellar album, and the track is in an echelon of epics like “The Odyssey,” “Octavarium,” and “First Light,” downright essential prog metal no matter who you are. 

At sixty-eight minutes long, each half of The Great Escape would make a killer album (or lengthy EP) on their own, and, admittedly, they come across a tad disjoint. But together, the album and epic are power/prog of a magnitude we literally haven’t seen since. With possibly the best vocal performance on a prog metal album ever, classy production, and a ton of replayability from all the catchy riffs and choruses, The Great Escape is indispensable. I long for the glory days of power/prog when bands were unafraid to write album-length epics and the Dream Theater worship bands transcended being mere clones.

Recommended tracks: The Great Escape, Wizeman, Alley Cat, King of Whitewater, by the way did I mention The Great Escape
You may also like: Pagan’s Mind, DGM, Darkwater, Teramaze, Shadow Gallery

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

Label: Frontiers Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website

Seventh Wonder is:
– Tommy Karevik (vocals)
– Andreas Blomqvist (bass)
– Johan Liefvendahl (guitars)
– Andreas Söderin (keyboards)
– Johnny Sandin (drums)

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