Style: progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Fit For an Autopsy, Black Crown Initiate, Fallujah, Gojira
Country: Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 30 May 2025

When Mastodon formed at the turn of the century, just as the dust from the Y2K non-apocalypse was settling, they had a revolutionary idea that drove the band’s first four albums. Themed around the classical elements of fire, water, earth, and air, Mastodon’s Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Crack the Skye each defined tenets of modern metal that remain in place to this day. But when the time came for Mastodon to release their fifth album, the band found itself at an impasse, stuck between the monumental weight of their rise to success and the barrelling momentum of the conceptual opuses they had released. As a result, The Hunter feels stunted, and while it is still enjoyable, there’s no denying it’s a less inspired record than anything that came before it. 

After a few late-aughts deathcore-laden EPs that bore mere hints of their progressive tendencies to come, Rivers of Nihil chose to begin a conceptual album cycle of their own, themed around the four seasons. Spring came with The Conscious Seed of Light, and Monarchy reigned over the summer; Autumn brought the massively successful Where Owls Know My Name, the first album where the band’s progressive elements eclipsed the death metal elements. And finally came winter’s The Work, an album that may well have cost the band as many fans as it gained.

After lineup changes that inevitably altered the band’s core sound and following an album as divisive as The Work, Rivers of Nihil found themselves at an impasse. Like Mastodon before them, Rivers of Nihil’s conceptual cycle brought them acclaim, but also left them at a creative crossroads. With their backs seemingly against the wall, Rivers of Nihil boldly chose to release a self-titled album. So does Rivers of Nihil properly establish the band’s shiny, new identity? Let’s see.

Despite changes in the roster, Rivers of Nihil still sounds more or less like a Rivers of Nihil album; go figure. The band still plays their forward-thinking version of death metal replete with all of the bells and whistles that earn them the “progressive” moniker; along with the chuggy-as-ever riffage and ceaseless bits of synth/spacey guitar ambience that give the tracks their real melodic content, one can catch bits of electronic drum beats spliced in with the acoustic drums, layers of acoustic guitars and banjo, and of course the saxophone. Rivers of Nihil dramatically popularized the saxophone in death metal trend with Where Owls Know My Name, and they keep it up here, integrating sax into choruses on “The Sub-Orbital Blues,” employing it for transitional elements on “Despair Church,” or giving it outright solos on “House of Light.” The saxophone may be a gimmick, but it’s one the band has fully committed to, and it has become a genuine part of their sonic identity.

Rivers of Nihil has never been known to stay in one place for too long and has consistently evolved their sound across albums. There is no denying, however, that their evolutionary trend has steadily been arcing closer to the mainstream. Every track has a clean chorus, and while most flow smoothly, I can’t help but feel that the choruses in “Dustman” and “American Death” were shoehorned in to meet some sort of clean vocal quota and not because the tracks warranted a chorus. And “chorus” is certainly the right word as Rivers of Nihil abandons the unconventional structures that made their previous two albums so compelling, opting instead for more familiar verse-chorus patterns. This clear embracing of the mainstream in conjunction with a self-titled album almost makes me think that Rivers of Nihil saw the conflicted reception that came with the more progressive nature of The Work and chose to redefine themselves by moving in the opposite direction.

Rivers of Nihil remains a band primarily driven by its vocals, as chugs can only carry you so far; Adam Biggs and Andy Thomas have risen to the occasion. Biggs had performed backing vocals for the band since at least WOKMN, but really comes into his own on Rivers of Nihil. He’s expanded his repertoire beyond his signature blackened highs with a powerful and unhinged low end growl that calls to mind James Dorton or Frank Albanese of Hath, particularly on tracks like “Water & Time” or “Rivers of Nihil” where Biggs slips in and out of deep gutturals and a raw semi-clean bellow. Andy Thomas had already proven his vocal chops in his work with Black Crown Initiate, but his cleans on Rivers of Nihil may be his best outing yet. The choruses on “House of Light” and “Despair Church” especially are powerful anthems that I can’t help but sing along to.

Despite the career-defining performances on display from Biggs and Thomas during the sing-along choruses, I find myself reeling at the actual lyrical content when I stop singing and start reading. Overall, the lyrics are a lot more literal and topical than I tend to enjoy in my metal, and there are a few moments that dip into actual cringe. Don’t get me wrong. I agree that the partisan divide is an issue in America, but “Don’t believe a word you say / Do you think you’re better than me? / I’m Kaczynski, Capone and Kennedy / I’m the goddamn American dream // Who is right? / And what is left? / There’s only American death” is just too on the nose. Blessedly, the band chose to not include the single “Hellbirds” on the album, or I’d be lamenting lyrics about priests and pastors being “pricks that rape babies.” At times, Rivers comes off more like a left-wing Five Finger Death Punch, and the jury’s still out on the left-wing part.

There’s no denying that this is a new chapter for Rivers of Nihil; while the music still sounds like the band I know and love in most aspects, the new mainstream ethos of the band leaves the record feeling artistically hollow, despite how much I may enjoy singing along. Combined with the often cringy lyrics and occasional forced chorus, I fear that this shift in sound removes the dark and introspective aspects that I loved from previous albums. It’s a shame that Rivers of Nihil didn’t see the success that they may have hoped for with The Work, but I would have much preferred for this record to have been a refinement of that more progressive sound than a rejection of it.

Regardless, the message behind a self-titled album is clear: this is the shape of Rivers of Nihil to come, and I’m sure that the album will see the band climb to new heights of success. Still, I think of Mastodon, and I can only see this as Rivers of Nihil’s version of The Hunter, a valiant attempt at branching out after a conceptual album cycle but an album that ultimately pales in comparison to its predecessors. If this is truly to be Rivers of Nihil’s version of The Hunter, then I’ll be patiently waiting for a return to form a la Emperor of Sand.

Recommended tracks: Despair Church, Water & Time, House of Light
You may also like: new Warforged, Allegaeon, Subterranean Lava Dragon, Vermillion Dawn
Final verdict: 6/10

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

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

Rivers of Nihil is:
– Andy Thomas (guitars, vocals)
– Adam Biggs (bass, vocals)
– Jared Klein (drums)
– Brody Uttley (guitars)

The post Review: Rivers of Nihil – Rivers of Nihil appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Crown Initiate, Allegaeon, Between the Buried and Me, Rivers of Nihil
Country: Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 23 January 2025

What the hell is in the water in Reading, Pennsylvania? I mean, seriously, what is it? For a city with a population just under 100,000 to birth bands like Rivers of Nihil, Black Crown Initiate, and Burial in the Sky, there must be something utterly radioactive in the well. And although I haven’t found its source yet, I know that whenever I see a Reading release pop up on my radar, I’m in for some sweet, sweet prog death. Reading’s most recent output is from the newly formed Subterranean Lava Dragon, and although the band is green, its members certainly aren’t.

Composed of members of Black Crown Initiate and Minarchist, Subterranean Lava Dragon employ a version of progressive death metal on their debut The Great Architect replete with all the modern stylings made popular by bands like Rivers of Nihil and Allegaeon. Tastefully symphonic instrumentals (“The Silent Kin,” “A Question of Eris”) and BTBAM-eque astonato based builds (“The Silent Kin,” “Bleed the Throne”) give way to chunky downtuned riffs just as often as they climax into more Opethian based chord work and grooves. The rhythm section, held down by Nick Shaw’s tasty bass and programmed drums, keeps things fresh, constantly shifting underneath repetitious riffage and guttural vocals courtesy of Connor McNamee that range from gnarly lows to shrill highs a la James Dorton, if you’ll forgive yet another BCI comparison.

Subterranean Lava Dragon do take steps on The Great Architect to distinguish them from their peers. For one, the clean vocals from Ethan McKenna—their production especially—are unique for the genre. Tastefully bare, they were at first off putting in their rawness when I heard them on “The Silent Kin,” but ultimately grew to be endearing. They shine particularly during tracks like “Of Ritual Matricide” and “Bleed the Throne” where their earnestness takes center stage in epic choruses and creates lasting motifs much like Andy Thomas in BCI or Tommy Giles on BTBAM’s Coma Ecliptic.

You may have noticed that I struggle to discuss The Great Architect without referencing other seminal bands in the genre—particularly Black Crown Initiate—and I’d argue that Subterranean Lava Dragon do little to truly distinguish themselves from those before them. Moments like the symphonic interludes and the well composed build ups do well to break the norm, but we always end up returning to a very familiar and very safe progressive death metal base. Perhaps it’s unfair to disparage bands for sounding similar when they share members, but I can’t help but feel that The Great Architect marks a stagnation in the evolution that Black Crown Initiate has displayed throughout their discography; it just ends up feeling like BCI but missing mastermind Andy Thomas. I’m sure that for staunchly entrenched fans of progressive death metal, The Great Architect will deliver all you need, but I just couldn’t shake the comparison from my mind.

Still, an inferior Black Crown Initiate is superior to most, and Subterranean Lava Dragon gets a lot right on The Great Architect. From the meaty riffs and epic choruses to the satisfyingly farty bass and stellar harshes, the debut from the Reading, PA newcomers is certainly a strong effort that I hope receives the respect it deserves and encourages the band to find their own identity on future releases.

Recommended tracks: Bleed the Throne
You may also like: Alustrium, Illyria, Dissocia, Exuvial, Rannoch
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

Subterranean Lava Dragon is:
– Nick “Nickbass” Shaw (bass, drum programming)
– Ethan McKenna (guitars, vocals)
– Connor McNamee (vocals)

The post Review: Subterranean Lava Dragon – The Great Architect appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: deathcore, mathcore (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Frontierer, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, The Dillinger Escape Plan
Country: Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 10 January 2025

Of the many strange effects the Internet has had on global music culture, one of the most paradoxical has to be the simultaneous acceleration and stagnation of distinct music scenes. Nowadays, bands pray not for record or tour deals but for TikTok virality. As such, trends live and die by the algorithm, and what sees success one week lives in the gutters the next. At the same time though, nostalgia has never been more prevalent. Anemoia, nostalgia for a time in which you never lived, thrives in the Internet age, and its effects can be seen in the success of bands like Greta Van Fleet and The Sword. Like a snake eating its tail, when these two phenomena combine the results eventually loop back in on themselves. 

And it seems like the revival of aughts-era deathcore is finally here in the form of Gnostician’s debut Unification As An Art. Instrumentally, Gnostician plays a style of acerbic mathy hardcore that reminds me most of the hyper-aggressive Frontierer although they eschew the more hardcore-leaning vox for a vocal approach that sounds straight from Myspace-era deathcore. Regarding its general aesthetic and with features from members of The Last Ten Seconds of Life and Arsonists Get All The Girls, Unification as an Art feels equally as much a love letter to the math- and deathcore scene of years past as it does an attempt to revive it in the modern age.

Like a lot of deathcore, Gnostician’s general ethos on Unification As An Art seems to favor a track’s vocals above all else. For their short run times, these tracks stuff in a hefty amount of lyrics surely deep enough to drown in, yet opaque enough to be completely inaccessible to me in my several listens. Thankfully, I can’t even understand them half the time as the vocal deliveries across this album are downright vitriolic. Ranging from the blackened shrieks that echo throughout the album’s intro’s blast beats on “Corpus I: Prima Lux” to the burly gutturals that adorn the nearly constant breakdowns across the album, the vocal variety is really something to admire. Unfortunately, Gnostician may have pushed the envelope too far; I personally found the nearly constant multi-tracked vocals ear fatiguing in the album’s back half. Multi-tracked harshes are cool and all, but sometimes nothing beats a raw solitary vocal take like in the outro of The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza’s “The Alpha the Omega.” To Gnostician’s credit, it does make good use of a spoken vocal style on tracks like “Alkazoth” and “Evaprosthetic,” breaking through the wall of gutturals and standing out in my memory.

In addition to the heady lyrics, Unification As An Art often features moments of a more cerebral compositional style that elevate the album above the traditional deathcore fare; from the already mentioned blackened atmospherics of “Corpus I: Prima Lux” to the Mastodon-esque outro of “Coagulara, Crown of the Sun” and the hip hop laden intro of “The Seventh Cycle,” each of these tracks stand head and shoulders above their peers thanks to these moments (although the latter may get too close to coworker-core for many to wholeheartedly enjoy). In fact, I found myself fiending for more moments like these on the more straight ahead cuts like “Alembic in Nature” and “Dwarf Star Partition” where I found the band’s traditional approach once again fatiguing. In any sort of -core genre, I love hearing wild experimentation, so I’d love to see what Gnostician could do if they took the same approach to their composition as they did their lyric writing.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Unification As An Art, and if it weren’t for a few missteps regarding vocal production and a few dud tracks, I’d have loved it. So while Gnostician may not have successfully revived Myspace-era deathcore, they may just be summoning something greater just so long as they keep their fervent creative energy alive and really let it run loose.

Recommended tracks: Corpus I: Prima Lux; Alkazoth; Coagulara, Crown of the Sun
You may also like: Under the Pier, The Dali Thundering Concept
Final verdict: 6.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Gnostician is:
– Zach Perry
– Hunter Derr
– Ben Pypiak
– Christopher Valentin
– Logan Beaver

The post Review: Gnostician – Unification as an Art appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive death metal, folk, chamber music (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Ne Obliviscaris, Opeth, Gorguts
Country: Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 24 June, 2024

When I show my music taste to my friends, they describe it as the most powerful attack with piss poor accuracy. A solid 85% of the time, I show them a complete miss that leaves them second guessing their friendship with me, but that remaining 15% is where the real heavy hitters come in. I still remember my friend proclaiming Wilderun the greatest thing to ever happen to music after showing him “The Unimaginable Zero Summer,” mere days after he said he wasn’t into prog.

But the secret is, this attack is also effective on me, too. When I comb through the new releases, there’s a low, low chance that anything sticks. Half the time, it’s usually from a band I already know. Then, there’s the even lower chance for that critical hit. That natural 20, just when I need it the most. In a late-night haze, I discovered Orgone’s Pleroma from a random Youtube recommendation, and it only took me the first few seconds to realize this was going to be something incredibly special.

When a death metal album starts with beautiful, dueling clean vocals, violin, and piano, you know it’s going to be great, but it’s what comes after that sold me on Pleroma: Instead of the typical, Opethian riffing you’d hear in many prog-death bands, Orgone opts for something you’d hear from the Gorguts playbook. This is, to my knowledge, the first album that fuses dissodeath-style riffing and songwriting with those beautiful, melodic breaks that prog-death is generally known for.

“Valley of the Locust” gave me whiplash when I first heard it, especially after getting lost within the trance-inducing intro. Stephen Jarrett treats his guitar more like a screaming violin, retaining much of the screechy-skronky riffage that makes this album special. I could hear the actual violin in the background, but it all seemed to get lost within the chaos at first. The five-ish minute mark gave me a break to try and decipher what I’d just listened to, with the death metal fading away to the album’s first chamber section.

As great as the first “real” track was, it was the stretch of “Hymne a la Beaute” to “Ubiquitous Divinity” where Pleroma really drew me in. Going full Aquilus and almost entirely eschewing death metal for the next eleven minutes, Orgone paint the most amazing sonic portrait with the use of their female vocalist (whose name I unfortunately can’t find anywhere) and their string instruments.

Like the aforementioned master of fusing black metal and classical, Orgone prove their serious chops in not just fusing genres together within this stretch of songs, but writing those genres seamlessly into their sound. Any of these songs could stand on their own, and the fact that they provide a nice break and segue into the nearly eighteen minute ‘Trawling the Depths’. 

While Pleroma is pretty massive at sixty-five minutes, I wouldn’t call it bloated in the slightest. That being said, it’s one dense album. It took me a few listens for things to truly sink in, and I have still barely parsed most of the album’s epics.

What’s even more incredible is the album managed to hold my attention after “Trawling the Depths.” Here I was thinking I was ready to throw in the towel until I realized the album’s finale and title track was almost over. And what an ending it has. It almost seems that the entire affair is building and building to that final, triumphant shout of “COLOR THE LIIIIIIIIGHT”, making it one of my favorite musical moments of the year and a serious contender for the coveted SOTY.

I had no clue that Orgone existed before this year, but this album is, without a doubt, one of the best thing’s I’ve heard all year. Scoring it is gonna be a bit tricky since while I know it’s incredible, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Pleroma has to offer. So, I score this conservatively with a caveat for the time being. This is likely to end up on my end of year list, and when it does, I think I’ll have a more concrete score then. Until then, I’ll just have to keep spinning this.

Recommended tracks: Please just listen to the whole thing
You may also like: Aquilus, Dessiderium, Lorem Ipsum
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Independent

Orogne is:
– Andrew Ransom (Bass)
– Kent Wilson (Cello)
– Justin Wharton (Drums, precussion)

– Steven Jarrett (Guitars, vocals, keyboards)

The post Review: Orgone – Pleroma appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Prog Metal, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend, The Armed, Moon Tooth, Voyager
Country: Pennsylvania, USA
Release date: 12 July, 2024

Three years ago now, a much younger and more masculine me reviewed the debut album of a one-man progressive stoner metal project named Mothman and the Thunderbirds. Aside from it being a quirky adventure into the world of cryptids, it left behind the overall musical reputation of mimicry – closely copying the sound of Mastodon and other stoner prog metal bands. Today, Alex Parkinson returns with a new and starkly unexpected sonic aesthetic, revolving much more around the vibrant and pop-oriented worlds of Devin Townsend and Moon Tooth than the sludgy fuzziness of riffs past.

Beginning with a few compliments to the artist: the musical compositions of Portal Hopper are generally more creative and original than Into the Hollow, and the level of distinctness in each of the albums’ sounds is equally as admirable. If one introduced both albums to an unfamiliar ear, it would be difficult for them to recognize much similarity between the two.

I speculate that this is partly thanks to Parkinson’s well-chosen collaboration with the underground pop-prog metal talent Egor Lappo. The influence that a sound engineer has on the album‘s compositional writing varies a good bit; however, in Portal Hopper, if one knows Egor Lappo’s work, it’s pretty obvious how he impacted the product’s development. Listening to an album like Trancevoicer gives one a conception of the bright, colorful lead guitar melodies, cotton candy synths, and earworm vocal hooks that take tracks like “Ruby Skies”, “Fractals”, “Squonk King”, and “Polygonal Polliwag” to hedonistic levels of enjoyment.

The album has a few tracks that lean more into atmospheric and subdued territory, like the relatively epic track “The Zaratan.” This track harnesses the kind of post-metal textures of Devin Townsend’s Accelerated Evolution that build up to a calmingly sublime interlude of sparkly guitar chords, shimmery airy synths, and light hymns – a climax perfectly fit for the album’s ending. However, the album does not end here because we apparently still need to get back through the portal hopper and return to the normal world. The following track has an upbeat vibe similar to the highlights in the paragraph above with the addition of uncanny vocal sprinkles reminiscent of Others by No One. The album finishes off with a somber acoustic track named “Attic” recounting the previous magical events of the Portal Hopper; it’s not the worst ballad on the album, but it’s a tad unnecessary.

The other ballad, “Somewhere in Time,” does not do the album much service either. The guest vocalist that Parkinson brought to do this sounds like a bad Billie Joe Armstrong impersonator and because of that the two tracks he’s on sound like low-budget 90s pop-rock songs. They are not terrible on their own but they do not mesh cohesively with the rest of the futuristic hyper-pop prog metal of the rest of the album. Conversely, some of the harder, sludge-ish “Flatwoods” tracks on the album also do not fit into the core sound of this new aesthetic and rather sound like unearthed extras from Mothman and the Thunderbirds’ previous effort.

Portal Hopper presents us with a large chunk of music warranting appreciation from underground prog metal fans. As I see it, around eight to nine tracks on the album fit a clear vision of a sweet and delightful upbeat prog experience, but the other three to four tracks detract from this purpose. Putting myself in the songwriter’s shoes: If Portal Hopper was supposed to be a means of traveling through a vast, eclectic mix of musical styles, then I would have spent more time exploring different styles, further diversifying the album compared to what was presented. But if Portal Hopper was supposed to resemble this melodic, dessert-like sound found on a majority of the album, then I would have cut the distractions out of the story.

Recommended tracks: The Zaratan, Squank King, Fractals, Polygonal Polliwag, Ruby Skies
You may also like: Egor Lappo, Toehider, Monolith Zero
Final verdict: 6.5/10

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

Label: Independent

Mothman and the Thunderbirds is:
– Alex Parkinson (lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars, bass, synths, vocoder, drum programming)
– Egor Lappo (guitar (track 5), mixing, mastering, production, drum programming)
– Joe Sobieski (lead vocals (tracks 4 & 9), backing vocals)
– Sam Parkinson (guitar (tracks 8 & 11))

The post Review: Mothman and the Thunderbirds – Portal Hopper appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Genres: Progressive Rock, Progressive Pop, Post-rock, Math Rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Yes, The Dear Hunter, Newer Leprous, Quieter VOLA tracks
Country: Pennsylvania, United States
Release date: 1 January 2024

One book I have always loved is The Grapes of Wrath. Through simplistic and salt-of-the-earth prose, John Steinbeck is able to explore a broad depth of emotions and tell a gut-wrenchingly sad story of tragedy and change beyond our control, treating simplicity and depth not as opposites, but as counterparts. From a meta-perspective, the novel highlights an important lesson about art and expression: more complex is not always better, and flowery, convoluted language can often lead to an obscured message.

Though I don’t know him personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if prog multi-instrumentalist and doer-of-many-other-things Daniel Cupps of Good NightOwl believes the same thing when writing his brand of progressive rock with a poppy and atmospheric post-rock twist. You may be thinking, “Dave, isn’t prog the PEAK of convoluted flowery garbage?” and in principle, I would 100% agree with you. Good NightOwl, however, doesn’t write progressive rock with the intent to make your head spin: the progressive elements in his music more serve as a tool for atmosphere and texture than as a tool for showboating.

Simplicity as a songwriting principle is more prominent than ever on Good NightOwl’s latest release, Belief, where Cupps takes an interpersonal approach to ideas about our beliefs, our identities, and how they shape our experiences with others, a very complex set of ideas explored in simple and cozy progressive/post/pop compositions. Belief feels like sitting in a dark cave and watching a display of warm, bright lights shimmer outside, all while doing some deep reflection on who you are as a person. It can be considered a “sister album” to the previously released Capital, which features a similar compositional and lyrical style but focuses instead on the consequences of greed and unfettered capitalism.

On top of the pleasant atmosphere are shimmery vocals that occasionally deliver a touch of drama à la Jon Anderson of Yes. “Children of No Faith,” “Pretend to Know,” and “See the Light” have the best vocal deliveries, adding a dramatic flair and bringing songs to a climax. The lyrics are also a highlight for me: they are presented conversationally and without pretense or obscure symbolism, a great approach that not only makes the album feel more intimate and personal, but makes it easier to parse the otherwise daunting topics presented. The opening verse of “What They’re Hiding”, for example, includes the lyrics, “I found a way to make you change / I might be on to something / You’re set in your ways at this age / Til I tug on your heart strings,” which is a poignant reflection on how, despite the desire to be rational beings, we are driven at our core by our feelings.

While the vocals stand out and are the driving melodic force in the music, the other instruments often take a backseat: occasionally, a guitar solo or even a stray saxophone will introduce itself, but for most of the album, the attention is drawn to the vocal delivery. When there aren’t solos, guitars are typically relegated to arpeggio or rhythmic duties. The drums follow suit, serving mostly as a rhythmic base with few opportunities to really shine. Some exceptions to this are on “Children of No Faith,” which includes some engaging and fun drum work during a saxophone solo, the gorgeous sax solo on “Pretend to Know,” and the occasional moment when the bass is allowed to shine on tracks like “Children of No Faith” and “See the Light”. I wish that there were more opportunities for the instrumentation to shine, as the moments where they do show compositional brilliance.

One issue with the vocal-led approach on Belief, however, is the mixing. The vocals are a bit buried under the rest of the instruments, making it hard to focus on the most interesting parts of the music. Burying the vocals is also at odds with the importance of lyrics, taking what would have been intimate and personal moments in the music and making them feel impersonal. Moreover, there are many moments where the principle of simplicity falters: oftentimes, the compositions are so focused on texture and atmosphere that it becomes unmemorable. The album as a whole is missing the climaxes and dynamics that make post-metal and other texture-focused music so rewarding while also missing the punchiness and directness present on Capital. On the other hand, there are moments where simplicity in songwriting is strayed from without reward: lyrics will try to follow rhythmic patterns that just aren’t designed for them. I don’t want the lyrics to be overcomplicated, but I would like them to intermix well with the rhythms instead of feeling like an opposing force.

As it stands, Belief is missing a few key ingredients and ends up being a decent if slightly unmemorable album. There are the bones of a spectacular album on Belief; it’s just missing a few core pieces that showcase Good NightOwl’s exceptional talent. However, I’m really looking forward to what Good NightOwl will release next, because with a mix that is more congruent with the album’s strengths, more pronounced climaxes, and a slightly punchier delivery, Good NightOwl could produce some truly gorgeous and unique progressive rock.

Recommended tracks: Children of No Faith, Pretend to Know, The Exultant Natural State
You may also like: Mew, MEER, Tone of Voice Orchestra
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page

Label: Independent

Good NightOwl is:
– Daniel Cupps (everything)

The post Review: Good NightOwl – Belief appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive death metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Death, Atheist
Review by: Zach
Country: Pennsylvania/South Carolina, United States
Release date: 18 August, 2023

The line between a copycat and showing influence on your sleeve is razor thin. Take Cowboy Bebop for example, which has shot-for-shot references of old westerns that Shinichiro Watanabe enjoyed when he was growing up. Is the finished product one of the most original pieces of media I’ve ever seen? On the surface, not really. Bounty hunters in space, big whoop. It’s the theming and narrative structure of Bebop that make it special. Watanabe examined his influences, took note of what made them work, and translated that into his own writing. Point is, you don’t have to make original to make good.

Horrendous are, on the surface, not that original. A progressive death metal band influenced by the likes of Death and Atheist. That sure narrows it down, doesn’t it? They could easily be written off as another Schuldiner wannabe if not for the absolutely ridiculous track record they have. Five albums deep, and Horrendous have yet to release an album that I wouldn’t at least call good, with most of them landing closer to great. Why are they so good you may ask? Because these boys have examined the great titans of old prog-death, and they’ve clearly figured something out that us mortals haven’t caught onto yet.

Let’s start off with my favorite aspect of every Horrendous album. Damian Herring, one half of this band’s riff factory, is probably one of the best producers working right now. Every record sounds nothing short of stellar, and Ontological is no exception. Not only is every instrument perfectly balanced, everything sounds so organic. Clicky kicks and computerized guitar tones have never been Horrendous’s shtick, and they’re better off for it. The fact that this may be the best sounding record Herring has ever produced says a ton about his talent and Ontological Mysterium.

However, a polished turd is still a turd. All the production in the world can’t hide blemishes, and thankfully this album has practically none. ‘Chrysopoeia (The Archeology of Dawn)’ showcases Horrendous at their most proggy, including the best riff I’ve heard all year that they thankfully use a few times. Right off the bat, this song sets up everything you’re about to experience summarized in seven minutes: Clean vocals, fretless bass straight from the school of DiGiorgio, and a sheer sense of badassery emanating from every pore.

Herring’s characteristic shrieks have never sounded better than on ‘Neon Leviathan’, which should’ve been called ‘The Second Coming of Atheist’. I’ve seen many bands try to impersonate this style of 90s prog-death songwriting, and nobody’s got it this right on. Ever. The jazzy, chaotic songwriting is such a great contrast to the more melodic opener, and an even better contrast to chilled out fourth song ‘Aurora Neoterica’.

The songwriting on this album is crazy diverse for death metal. Horrendous even dip their toes into what’s probably the only prog-death ballad I’ve ever heard in ‘Preterition Hymn’. The rock-esque riffs on this song meld perfectly with the noodly bass and complete lack of double kicks. But they make sure you don’t get too comfortable as the last four songs all pummel you back down to hell. When the final bell tolled on closer, ‘The Death Knell Ringeth,’ I started Ontological Mysterium right back from the beginning.

Horrendous continue to cement themselves straight into the death metal hall of fame with each release. They are, without a single doubt in my mind, the current kings of old school, Schuldiner-esque prog-death. Nobody since Sweven has gotten this style so dead on, and so fresh at the same time. Horrendous are far, far more than a copycat, they have breathed life into the genre that hasn’t been seen since the 90s. Don’t sleep on this one, I promise it’s worth it. 

Recommended tracks: Neon Leviathan, Chrysopoeia (The Archaeology of Dawn), Cult of Shaad’oah, The Death Knell Ringeth, Preterition Hymn
You may also like: Ulthar, Hooded Menace, Skyglow
Final verdict: 10/10

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

Label: Season of Mist – Facebook | Official Website

Horrendous is:
– Jamie Knox (drums)
– Matt Knox (guitars, vocals)
– Damian Herring (guitars, vocals)
– Alex Kulick (bass)

The post Missed Album Review: Horrendous – Ontological Mysterium appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Pop, Math Rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Dear Hunter, modern Leprous/Einar Solberg
Review by: Sam
Country: US-PA
Release date: 14 April, 2023

Some people are just unfairly talented. I always feel a bit cheated when a talented multi-instrumentalist comes by and seemingly churns out better composed, more exciting music than most full-band lineups in an almost casual fashion. The underground isrife with folks like this: be it the mysterious Asthâghul from Esoctrilihum and his experimental black/death metal monstrosities, Déhà from Maladie and a dozen other avant-garde projects, or Danny Mulligan’s eclecticism in Exodus to Infinity, they’re all stupid talented. And now we have Daniel Cupps from Good NightOwl, an experimental progressive rock project. He’s also a television editor, 3D animator, and actor, but we’re here to talk music. 

Good NightOwl is a project that has been going on for quite a while. This is their 15^th (!!) full length album, the first of which came out in 2011.  There are questions to be had as to whether each album listed is actually an album in the traditional sense or just a glorified experimental demo, but it’s an extremely impressive output nonetheless. It’s safe to say that Daniel Cuppsis an experienced songwriter at this point. I dug into some of his older works: The first dozen or so albums seem to be progressive rock with a quirky experimental and psychedelic edge, starting out as instrumental, and adding vocals around 2015 . Around 2019, he started pushing in an increasingly math pop direction with less and less psychedelic and conventional progressive rock elements, to the point where you’d barely recognize that this was the same “band” anymore compared to the earlier sound. And thus we land on Capital, his poppiest album yet.

I say poppy, but this record is by no means straightforward or easy to digest. The music of Good NightOwl is chock full with layers, polyrhythms, time signature changes, and other proggy nuggets that keep you intellectually engaged with the music. What I find most notable about Daniel’s approach is how rhythmic everything is. We have polyrhythms on the drums, acapella vocal layering, synths and guitars accentuating different parts of the rhythms; it’s a pretty mesmerizing combination, simultaneously catchy and complex as it throwsyou off balance with its rhythms. I’ve never heard anything quite like this. At best, I can point to The Dear Hunter for some superficial comparisons like vocal timbre and genres used, but this is far more bright and playful. 

Most of the songs are very good. The playful aspects really pop because they’re often contrasted with grander string-driven parts and vocal melodies that have a rather serious inclination despite their almost casual delivery, such as on “The Lion’s Share” which uses goofy synths in the verses, and the chorus is epic with its vocal harmonization and strings. “Unsleep” also stands out in this regard for its goofy deadpan lyrics (“No one to tell you, you suck”), and its use of horns. Sadly though, the vocals can sometimes be a bit too mundane. Especially on “Schrodinger’s Profit” and “Saving Time” the melodies are awfully plain and the underlying rhythms feel regurgitated. The constant mathy rhythms can also detract when overused. Some more straightforward 4/4 would have been appreciated for contrast. Cups makes up for it to an extent by varying the mood a lot, and he plays around with the synths, but it doesn’t save the record from some monotony. 

I’m not quite sure what to make of this album. It’s certainly unique with its rhythmic interplay between vocals and instruments, and clever use of synths and orchestration, but on the other hand it can also feel awfully mundane at times and I would like a little more ambition in the vocal lines. I am extremely late with this review, but I wanted to get it out anyway because I think it’d be a shame if this got lost to the sea of Bandcamp releases. If you like clever rhythmic interplay, or you strongly value uniqueness, give this a listen.

Recommended tracks: Resources (Limited), Lion’s Share, Royal Fortunes
You may also like: idk, Pleasures maybe? Meer? Tone of Voice Orchestra (bandcamp)?
Final verdict: 6.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | RYM page

Label: Independent

Good NightOwl is:
– Daniel Cupps (everything)

The post Review: Good NightOwl – Capital appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: prog metal, prog rock, power/prog (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Symphony X, Threshold, Fates Warning, Queensrÿche
Review by: Andy
Country: US-PA
Release date: October 23, 2009

Mike Baker, the face of Shadow Gallery, died of a heart attack in 2008. One of the most talented singers to ever grace the mic, Baker–by all accounts a stupendously kind person–will always be missed by friends, family, and the entire progressive music world. Baker provided so much of the heart to his pentaptych of Shadow Gallery’s career, his singing providing such emotional richness to the music. From day one with “The Queen of the City of Ice,” one of the few songs ever to make me cry, Shadow Gallery are who they are in large part due to Baker’s untouchable performances. So what can a band do when they lose their long-time frontman? Shadow Gallery responded by writing a damn great album in tribute to their lost friend and singer. 

Borrowing the vocal talents of Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) and Clay Barton (Syspyre), Shadow Gallery play the most diversely they have in a decade with a wide-ranging vocal cast (which also includes lead performances from the band’s own ranks. New member Brian Ashland attempts to fill Baker’s clown-sized shoes first on the modernized yet classic-sounding Shadow Gallery track “With Honor.” Starting with a chunky riff that would be at home on Legacy, the track morphs across a range of techniques from an elegant and impactful a cappella section to a plaintive solo piano line. The climax also creates lots of suspense–you could say the opener leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger. 

That cliffhanger leads into the heaviest riff Shadow Gallery ever wrote. Like Symphony X, Shadow Gallery seemingly break the typical law that bands will diminish in heaviness with age. Sweep picks and grooves a là Dream Theater’s Train of Thought infiltrate the track, the frantic fretboard frenetics an extravaganza of refined talent. Moreover, Clay Barton pulls off an insane vocal feat at just before 3:00 that even Mike Baker wouldn’t attempt, keeping Shadow Gallery’s sound relatively fresh even nearly two decades into a well-defined career. 

Not all is quite as strong as the first couple tracks, though. “Pain” sounds a tad like “Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche until the angsty timbre of the gang vocals overwhelms the tranquility alongside a boring, stompy riff. The ending, moreover, promises an awesome climax yet reverts back to the bland, bluesy stomp. Furthermore, despite the strange cadence and admirable solo in “Strong,” the track is less memorable than the ones surrounding it. And, of course, everything sounds a touch less soulful and fulfilling without Mike on the mic although I’m sure the band feel the same way.

Back to the numerous positives, “Digital Ghost” is arguably the best song on the final two albums with a main melody that would be right at home on Carved in Stone, and Shadow Gallery also finally figured out a reasonable album length, Digital Ghosts clocking in at under an hour. Altogether, this may be Shadow Gallery’s most accessible album to a traditional prog metal fan, and overall it’s a great achievement. Especially the final song, “Haunted,” which allows the band to work through some of the emotions surrounding losing their good friend. Beginning as a ballad, the track takes on some seemingly misplaced heft until ending the album (and Shadow Gallery’s career) on an incredibly high note. “Haunted” is an expressive and powerful swan song to a legendary prog metal band’s storied career on par with similar all-time finales like “High Hopes” by Pink Floyd (I won’t bother counting the gross cash grab that is “The Endless River.”) The band, even without Baker, rely on their trustworthy harmonized a cappella and piano combos to create a timeless sound, and the heartache bleeds through every note. Even without the advanced length of “The Queen of the City of Ice,” “Ghostship,” or “First Light,” “Haunted” is a truly epic work.

Shadow Gallery were never going to top their best output with Mike Baker so soon after his death, nor do I think they would want to. Instead they squeezed out every remaining drop of their creative potential to honor him on Digital Ghosts. It worked. 

Recommended tracks: With Honor, Venom, Digital Ghost, Haunted
Final verdict: 8/10

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

Label: InsideOut Music – Website | Facebook

Shadow Gallery is:
– Mike Baker (lead vocals, R.I.P. 2008)
– Carl Cadden-James (bass, fretless bass, flute, backing vocals)
– Gary Wehrkamp (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)
– Chris Ingles (keyboards)
– Brendt Allman (guitars, backing vocals)
– Joe Nevolo (drums)

The post Lost in Time: Shadow Gallery – Digital Ghosts appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: prog metal, prog rock, power/prog (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dream Theater, Symphony X, Threshold, Fates Warning, Queensrÿche
Review by: Andy
Country: US-PA
Release date: June 7, 2005

From the debut through Legacy, Shadow Gallery were signed with Magna Carta Records, but Room V brings one of the biggest changes to the band’s career with a switch to InsideOut Music. As a result, Room V has slicker production and a more streamlined sound, though still with the band’s uniquely recognizable sound. What’s more is that as evident within just a minute of opener “Manhunt”–which features a melodic reprisal of “Christmas Day” in the piano–Room V is a direct sequel to my favorite Shadow Gallery album, Tyranny. So will Shadow Gallery fall into the timeless hole of the sequel being inferior, or can they possibly use their new label and sound as an impetus to equal–or potentially even surpass–their previous magnum opus? 

Room V starts with banger after banger: “Comfort Me,” a metallic duet between Mike Baker and Laura Jaeger, precedes the gruff heavy metal of “The Andromeda Strain,” which leads into the Dream Theater-like and emotionally humongous track, “Vow.” Throughout the super strong front third, the old dog Shadow Gallery also tries some new tricks to great effect–the grand pause preceding the uber-melodic guitar solo with callbacks to Tyranny in “Comfort Me” sends shivers down my spine and the vocal layering in all the choruses sounds like Blind Guardian on A Night at the Opera, as indulgent as it is mellifluous. “Vow,” however, gets dangerously close to Dream Theater. At 2:00, the progression is almost note for note that of “Misunderstood,” and the guitar tone in the solo is the same decadent “chocolate cake” tone of John Petrucci. But the song is so emotionally resonant and beautifully crafted that these similarities are easy to overlook. 

Unfortunately, in the next third of Room V, Shadow Gallery largely forget they have one of the greatest prog metal singers ever, eschewing vocals except for during the brief, heart-wrenching track “Lamentia” and the overall boring “Torn.” This poor pacing is especially egregious considering the pretty stuffed full CD length of the album–seventy-six minutes. While the band’s talent remains throughout the consecutive shred instrumentals, a one-minute lament, another instrumental, and an annoying synth track, the section remains a slog to get through more than anything. They enlist the help of Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) to provide lead guitars on “Seven Years,” and his tone is a standout across this whole stretch, but I wish Shadow Gallery would have given him a full song to improve like James LaBrie got on “I Believe” rather than essentially a third straight instrumental track–I won’t bother counting the brief “Lamentia.”

Thankfully, Shadow Gallery bring the high quality back for the final four prog metal tracks to close out the Tyranny/Room V concept, reaching close to the dizzying heights of swaths of the band’s earlier material. “The Archer of Ben Salem” is positively raucous, Mike Baker adding some grit to his singing previously unheard while a plodding bass carries forward a typically engaging Shadow Gallery guitar part. These final tracks also vibrantly declare the end of the epic concept: “The Archer of Ben Salem” has a line about the “new world order,” “Encrypted” casually drops the word “tyranny,” and “Rain” references “Alaskan forests.” The only major fault with this ending sequence for me is how much of a pain they can be to get to since they follow so many tracks of uninteresting material. “Encrypted” through “Room V” can become somewhat of a blur–no fault of their own merit. 

Shadow Gallery did not match or surpass Tyranny on a sequel, even backed by a new label which arguably crispened the production (though I would claim that Room V sounds more homogeneously standard “prog metal” than earlier Shadow Gallery, sacrificing charm for a  technically clearer sound). Moreover, the pacing is Shadow Gallery’s worst except for the isolated track “Ghostship.” Room V demonstrates a scary sign of decline in Shadow Gallery’s creativity, but does this trend signal further impending decline, or can Shadow Gallery pull back from the brink?

Recommended tracks: Comfort Me, Vow, The Archer of Ben Sale
Final verdict: 7.5/10

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

Label: InsideOut Music – Website | Facebook

Shadow Gallery is:
– Mike Baker (lead vocals, R.I.P. 2008)
– Carl Cadden-James (bass, fretless bass, flute, backing vocals)
– Gary Wehrkamp (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)
– Chris Ingles (keyboards)
– Brendt Allman (guitars, backing vocals)
– Joe Nevolo (drums)

The post Lost in Time: Shadow Gallery – Room V appeared first on The Progressive Subway.