Style: Post-metal, progressive metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Mastodon, Psychonaut
Country: Croatia
Release date: 21 June 2025

Some things are much harder to learn later in life. As a triathlete, I lament the fact that I didn’t learn to swim properly as a kid. Sure, I eventually picked up the freestyle stroke well enough, but I’d be significantly faster had I instilled proper technique when my mind was younger and more malleable. At age 33, no matter how much I train, my technique has stagnated, even as I get fitter and fitter. Languages are similar, as I’m sure the hordes of people my age who’ve given up on Duolingo can attest. There’s a little-used word for the late learner, who may have missed the formative advantages of youth: an opsimath.

Opsimath also happens to be the name of the one-man metal project masterminded by Croatian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kristijan Bajlo. What the name refers to is up for interpretation: musically, is Bajlo an opsimath? Unlikely, given that he’s the same age as me and has built up a formidable list of active and past projects dating back to at least 2007. Perhaps the name refers to a late decision to begin Opsimath, and the learning required to carry it out, as the project wasn’t created until 2020. Maybe the name is nothing more than a name. Whatever the case, after Opsimath’s strong 2023 debut, Bajlo is back with Hauntings of Intrepid Stardust. Joining him is a host of guest musicians and vocalists, though he remains the project’s primary driver. Opsimath or not, does Bajlo’s follow-up effort show learning and progression, or does it stagnate like my middling swim stroke?

Although rooted in post-metal, Bajlo isn’t afraid to draw from whatever genres he sees fit, as Hauntings of Intrepid Stardust has elements from all over the metal universe. The overt black metal inspiration of the debut is nearly absent, but you can hear shades of prog, groove, stoner, thrash, a touch of Gothenburg, death, and others. And while none of Bajlo’s songwriting is especially unique in isolation, the way he dynamically infuses these different styles keeps the record exciting. Hauntings’ structure is somewhat unorthodox, offering eight tracks, with four heavier ones each followed by a softer one. From a compositional or conceptual standpoint, it’s not clear to me why Bajlo organized the songs in this heavy-soft pattern, and the listening experience can feel a little disjointed. But the quality of the songs themselves and Bajlo’s ability to wield and blend different genres so effectively make this easy to forgive. 

“The Snake,” for example, has a groovin’ albeit somewhat generic verse riff with Hetfield-like vocals, but soon the tempo slows and a proggy, off-kilter triplet rhythm takes hold; a hooky chorus follows, a soulful solo and swinging bridge comes after that, and then the track explodes into a full-on death metal section. That’s a lot packed into a song that’s so easy to listen to. Meanwhile, Gothenburg-esque guitars propel “The Beast” forward into a thrashy midsection and ripping solo. The two standout songs, however, are opener “Into the Abyss” and penultimate track “Under the Sunless Sky,” each being an absolute riff fest with plenty of texture. The former includes a classical guitar opening with traditional percussion, and the latter features an excellent mixture of male and female vocals. “Under the Sunless Sky” also has one of the catchiest riffs of the year, beginning the bridge just shy of the three-minute mark. The guitar solo that comes in and plays over it is the icing on the cake. 

Hauntings’ four other tracks—all of the softer variety—don’t quite match up in quality to their heavier counterparts, but they’re well done and enjoyable enough. Each is driven primarily by clean guitars, light percussion, and emotive vocals. Indeed, Bajlo and his guest vocalists are notably strong across the entire album, heavy and gentle tracks alike, varying emotion and intensity as each passage demands with gruff yet often melodic deliveries. From the hellish growls before the final chorus of “The Snake” to the heartfelt crooning of “Through the Whirlwinds,” the vocals consistently impress. The performance in closing track “Onward” is the biggest surprise, having an approach with an uncanny resemblance to that of Pain of Salvation’s Daniel Gildenlöw. Odd as that may seem after seven songs without theatrical flair, the vocals are charming and provide a memorable ending to the album.

Ultimately, Hauntings of Intrepid Stardust stands as an accessible yet refined metal album. Its main ingredients—the songwriting, vocals, and instrumental performances—are rock solid, and it boasts a production and mix on par with any other album out there. Although Hauntings might not feel perfectly balanced in its structure and quality, and its material isn’t earth-shattering, anyone who enjoys metal should find quite a lot to like. Hauntings of Intrepid Stardust builds upon Opsimath’s debut and delivers another success—Bajlo, the opsimath perhaps, has done it again. Maybe that’s all the inspiration I need to get back in the pool.

Recommended tracks: Into the Abyss, Under the Sunless Sky, Onward
You may also like: SIKASA, Cobra the Impaler, Hippotraktor, Obscure Sphinx
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

Opsimath is:
– Kristijan Bajlo (all instruments, vocals)
With guests:
– Bruno Longfield (vocals, “Into the Abyss”)
– Karlo Žampera (lead guitars, “Into the Abyss” and “The Snake”)
– Linda Primožić Kinda (classical guitars, “Into the Abyss”)
– Toma Cukrov (keyboards, “Take Me Home”)
– Dario Berg (vocals, “The Snake”)
– Damir Tomić (vocals, “The Beast”)
– Bruno Grobelšek (lead guitars, “The Beast”)
– Lea Magzan (vocals, “Under the Sunless Sky”)
– Viktor Petrina (lead guitars, “Under the Sunless Sky”)

The post Review: Opsimath – Hauntings of Intrepid Stardust appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Post Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Cult of Luna
Review by: Christopher
Country: Croatia
Release date: 28 February, 2023

Last year a little album by an underground Croatian prog metal group cracked my top ten. Matter Earth by Sikasa was an incredibly satisfying work of extreme post-metal in the vein of The Ocean interspersed with some intriguing experiments in unexpected instruments and styles such as folk and even a splash of reggae. So when a new release popped up as some band I hadn’t heard of AND Sikasa I was naturally intrigued. Turns out it wasn’t new Sikasa, but a new band featuring Sikasa’s frontman Bruno Longfield. Well, Opsimath, your ploy worked because I’m here to review your album. 

Opsimath is a one-man band led by multi-instrumentalist Kristijan Bajlo, enlisting the aforementioned Longfield for vocal duties. The general vibe of As We Gaze Upon Ourselves is somewhat akin to “Pleistocene” by The Ocean, that one song where they suddenly veer into black metal for a bit. As much as black metal is an important aspect of Opsimath’s sound, the overall result is more like those extreme post metal bands (The Ocean, Psychonaut, et al.) plus moments of blackened intensity. 

Bajlo is clearly an accomplished instrumentalist, giving equal weight to guitar, bass, and drums. The bass rears its head occasionally with an interesting lick, the guitar work spans black metal tremolo, crashing post-metal chords, and decent solos; meanwhile, the drumming is nicely varied from tighter blast beats to passages where the whole kit is being abused. No one who didn’t know would ever suspect there weren’t four talented musicians making this music instead of one. 

Matter Earth was a great showcase for Longfield’s vocals from his demonic Opethian growls to his rasping cleans akin to those of Loïc Rossetti of The Ocean, and he proves an inspired choice here–Bajlo also accompanies with clean harmonies and higher black metal screams. Late in “Let Us Go”, for example, come clean harmonies from both singers that would sit comfortably on an Alice in Chains release. And the hook on “Lost in the Wind” is as good a chorus as you’ll ever find in this variety of prog. Final track “Descendants of Suffering” sees Bajlo on his lonesome and this track is testament to Bajlo’s own vocal ability; I love Longfield’s vocals, but Bajlo could sing all this himself if he wanted to. 

While the production is imperfect one can’t be all that critical about such issues on a debut. Sometimes As We Gaze Upon Ourselves sounds a little too familiar, often singing from The Ocean’s hymn sheet, but the prominent black metal influence allows Opsimath to stand apart and signals a direction for them to follow on future releases. 

As We Gaze Upon Ourselves is a confident debut and further evidence that I need to be paying attention to the Croatian underground prog scene. Bajlo is clearly a distinguished musician with a balanced ear for composition, while Longfield deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Stefan de Graef (Psychonaut, Hippotraktor) with regards to up-and-coming metal vocalists. Watching the name Sikasa paid off: it brought me to Opsimath, doubtlessly another name to keep a close eye on. 

Recommended tracks: Introspection, Let Us Go, Lost in the Wind
You may also like: Sikasa, Anciients, Void of Sleep
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Independent

Opsimath is:
– Kristijan Bajlo (guitars, bass, drums, additional vocals, recording, music arrangement, lyrics)
– Bruno Longfield (vocals, vocal arrangement)
– Damjan Bakić (keyboard)

The post Review: Opsimath – As We Gaze Upon Ourselves appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Label: Independent

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

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