Style: Progressive Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Borknagar, In Mourning, old Leprous
Country: Finland
Release date: 13 June, 2025

A recurring conceptual puzzle that lingers in progressive music communities is whether artists can be considered “progressive” while treading over waters previously covered by other sonic adventurers. For example, a band can be technical in their utilization of progressive songwriting techniques, showcasing fairly unconventional compositions in the grand scheme of music creation. However, many critics will still complain that these bands are not “progressive” because their contributions have largely been done before. This stubborn desire that prog fans have for innovation creates tension with their love for music that replicates sounds established by influential artists in the scene.

It’s well within reason for these kinds of thoughts to creep in and out of one’s mind while listening to an album like Vitruvian Rays, the debut LP by Sargassus. It displays an interesting execution of many techniques spanning progressive death metal, melodic death metal, black metal, and jazz fusion. Additionally, Sargassus show an admirable ability to deconstruct the tropes of these genres and rearrange them in ways that we don’t often expect, but little provided here is particularly new or original – few times does it even offer material worth taking the time to come back to.

On a positive note, Sargassus display a talented understanding of harsh and soft dynamics in metal instrumentation. The drummer, Matias Rokio, often contrasts intense snare drums, double-bass kicks, and blast beats in moments of high impact with softer, jazzy, prog-induced fills in transitional interludes or moments of respite. The guitarist, Teemu Leskinen, begins nearly every track with a moody melodeath riff, and as the song progresses, mix and match levels of gain and distortion on that riff, and then alters that riff again tremolo-style during climaxes. Leskinen and Rokio mix and match these techniques with each other to obtain new combinations in moments, as though they are collecting them like trading cards. Vocalist, Matias Stenman, mostly sticks with deep, textured growls and gurgles, both of which sound notably experienced. On a few occasions, he will also present rather ominous, ritualistic chants that do wonders for the eerie vibe of the album. Bassist, Mertta Halonen, seems to be rather static, providing compositional continuity by keeping the other band members anchored in subtle grooves. The synthesis of these instrumental components creates a sound most similar to a band like In Vain, Opeth, or Dawn of Ouroboros. 

Sargassus often take riffs that sound derivative at first but develop them into something of their own. For example, the main riff from “The Lone Idunn Grows in Shade” sounds eerily reminiscent of “Dual Existence” by Enshine—a fellow progressive melodeath band—to the point where it almost sounds ripped off. Sargassus presents it acoustically, then they distort it, add growls, and slowly increase the intensity of the rhythm section. The riff is reverted back to acoustic, but now it’s backed with impressive-as-hell jazz-infused drum fills; then it’s distorted again and delivered through blackened tremolos accompanied by evil shrieks. As a cool down, the riff is presented undistorted acoustic again, this time, alongside some nasty growls which create a gestalt creepiness similar to the way Borknagar used to do aggressive growls on top of soft instrumentals. The execution is thoroughly fleshed out in an interesting way, even though I’m a stickler for riffs that sound like they’ve been done before.

The writing of “Pahat Veräjät” and “Carving the Veins of God” seem to have similar songwriting elements in mind; the former features sinister vocals and particularly progressive drumming, the latter having an ultra killer tremolo riff. These two tracks also showcase excellent band chemistry, each member contributing to a sum greater than its parts. Another outstanding track is “On the Shoulders of Atlas,” which subversively closes with an extended melody that lounges around with these layered guitar chords and ominous vocals. I love when tracks have unexpected song structures and/or close tracks unconventionally. However, the band totally missed out on developing this nice riff into an epic climax by building it up with a harsher intensity through their aforementioned black metal and death metal techniques. This extended closer could have been turned into a sublime climax and could have been the best track on the album, but instead ….

The rest of the tracks have less success. “Judgment of the Four” meanders around for a while and peaks with this super lukewarm guitar solo that doesn’t know if it’s supposed to be this glistening, melodic respite amongst the brutality or a showcase of technicality. The solo sort of rides a wave in the middle of the two, leaving it to sound rather unimpressive. The band seemed to go for a sound similar to An Abstract Illusion here (can you blame them?) but failed in execution. The other tracks that bookend the album are just boring. They don’t have catchy melodies, nor do they experiment much with the song dynamics like you would expect from a band inspired by Opeth or In Vain.

While the band showcases a thorough understanding of the contents of the scene they’re grounding themselves in, even pushing the bar in a few moments on the album, their success is too scattered and not compelling enough to make up for their flaws. I’d go further to argue that a lot of this debut is, in theory, doomed from the start since Sargassus takes too much from bands that came before them. Many of these influential bands had much greater creativity and presented more compelling melodies over a decade before Vitruvian Rays. If bands like Borknagar, Leprous, and Opeth can growl over melancholic riffs, jazzy drums, and the like—but do so with stronger hooks and more powerful emotion—new bands are going to need to think more outside the box to overcome the standard set by their predecessors.

Recommended tracks: Carving the Veins of God, Pahat Veräjät, On The Shoulders of Atlas
You may also like: In Vain, Dawn of Ouroboros, Stone Healer, Schammasch, Enshine, IER, Aenaon, Eternal Storm, She Said Destroy
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Label: Independent

Sargassus is:
– Matias Stenman (vocals)
– Teemu Leskinen (guitar)
– Matias Roko (drums)
– Mertta Halonen (bass)

The post Review: Sargassus – Vitruvian Rays 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.

Artwork by Ed Bosson

Style: Progressive Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, Haken, Caligula’s Horse, Black Crown Initiate
Country: California, United States
Release date: 31 January, 2025

Beginning as an Opeth copy-cat band, Lunar came from humble origins; not until their sophomore album did the band’s sound experience an explosion of other influences – partly as a vigilant response to the unexpected passing of band member Ryan Erwin. Lunar’s core music signature has traditionally been described as a kind of melting pot inspired by all your favorite progressive metal bands (Think of what combining Opeth, Haken, Caligula’s Horse, Dream Theater, Ayreon, and Tool would sound like). Yet, it would seem like Lunar decided to hone down their sound quite a bit for the album in question, Tempora Mutantor, focusing nearly exclusively on combining Haken’s early 2010s style of zanier riffage with Opeth’s low-pitched, dirty growls and Deliverance-era repetitive, almost dissonant jam interludes.

I have always been quite fond of Lunar’s riff-centric songwriting, as they continue to produce distorted riffs and tasty licks that dominate the foreground. They utilize wackier Haken-ish riffs and bouncy drumming to introduce “A Summer to Forget” and “Spring in My Step,” while the heavier Opeth-inspired sections are used to pay off the song’s climaxes with absolutely impressive guttural and drumming performances. The track “Tempora Mutantur Part II – Broken Pendulum” is another example of a stellar use of complex, heavy, and repetitive instrumental harmonies. While Tempora Mutantur is no doubt the heaviest Lunar album, it’s clear that the band renders a playful contrast between their more upbeat, jazzy, prog-ridden, and often funky intervals and their simply brutal death metal passages.

It’s no coincidence that Lunar had this record mastered by Fascination Street Studios, the same company that did Watershed, arguably the progressive death metal album about contrast. Furthermore, Tempora Mutantur sounds as professional as it does because of the involvement with this great studio; essentially, the band’s best produced, mixed, and mastered album naturally hosts their heaviest sonic material. The modern metal philosopher ponders: Is this album the heaviest because of its expensive mastery or does this album have its expensive mastery because it is the heaviest?

Depending on one’s perspective, this is just as much a criticism as it is a compliment to Lunar’s general songwriting approach here as opposed to albums prior: they decided to run with a more “stream of consciousness” style rather than a straightforward or unified one for most of the songs. Indeed, nearly all of the songs on the album are actually made up of many smaller concepts sewn together through the power of progressive tempo shifts. I rather quite enjoyed the two songs on the album that were built with more straightforward intentions; “Weakening Winter Touch” and “Seasonal Interlude” felt significantly more cohesive than the rest. Nonetheless, I struggle to complain when those musically independent concepts hugged tightly together are all generally excellent on their own. This makes snapshots of this album universally pleasant even though the diachronic experience needs work. Nonetheless, big prog metal bands like Between the Buried and Me made careers off of songwriting like this which is why I wanted to preface this criticism as perhaps a mere preference. In any case, I am firm in my belief that Lunar’s best material has been made with focused sonic concepts: “Comfort,” “The Illusionist,” and “Disassembled” come to mind.

Marking their fourth full-length album, I’m happy to conclude that Lunar continues to produce music that very consistently delivers in quality. On Tempora Mutantur, they’ve honed their stylistic influences on a few ideas while treading on looser territory with their songwriting approach. Lunar has brought us a bevy of solid riffs to indulge in with a studio that, I hope in this economy, didn’t cost the band as much as they sound like they do. As time passes and the seasons continue to change I hope Lunar is still in the game for another four releases.

Recommended tracks: Seasonal Interlude, Weakening Winter Touch, Summer to Forget, Spring in My Step, Tempora Mutantur Part II – Broken Pendulum
You may also like: Charlie Griffiths, Lucid Awakening, The Advent Equation, Luna’s Call, A Sense of Gravity
Final verdict: 7/10

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

Label: Saibot Reigns Records – Discogs

Lunar is:
– Alex Bosson (songwriting, lyrics, drums, percussion)
– Chandler Mogel (clean vocals)
– Brian Lewis (harsh vocals)
– Carlos Alvarez (rhythm guitar)
– Connor McCray (lead guitar)
– Ryan Price (bass)
– Anthony Stahl (keyboards, synthesizers)
– Alex Nasla (keyboards, synthesizers)
– Joe Gullace (trumpet)
– Joonas Lemetyinen (trombone)
– Evan Zegiel (tuba)
– Gary Regina (saxophone)
– Raphael Weinroth-Browne (cello)
– Brody Gage (harmonica)

The post Review: Lunar – Tempora Mutantur appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Power Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Symphony X, Evergrey, Kamelot
Country: Sweden
Release date: 23 August 2024

I was around the online prog metal servers when Paralydium’s debut LP, Worlds Beyond, was released. It was a big deal. The hungry Symphony X fans clambered to each subsequent single, each impacting harder than the last; the complete album, no less, was a huge success. Worlds Beyond structured its composition around candidly written singles which highlighted the band’s uncommon ability to write a large number of quality earworms in a manner that is partial to the technical and aggressive virtues of metal; this made standing behind the album a seamless act for fans of prog and power metal alike. The band truly set a difficult bar to top.

I aim to investigate what made Paralydium’s follow-up album, Universe Calls, a relative disappointment to people who were/are sincere fans of the band. Does this common feeling of disappointment have reasonable merit, or are people letting their unregulated expectations take hold of their enjoyment of an otherwise fine album?

One of the most immediate differences one will notice upon first encountering Universe Calls is that the previous vocalist, Mikael Sehlin, was exchanged with the new Alexander Lycke. One could argue that nothing is inherently wrong with a vocalist change – especially considering some of the greatest prog metal bands were born out of an early vocalist swap. However, a positive impact of a member swap should either imply that the new member harmonizes better with the rest of the members or is significantly more skilled in his own right. Unfortunately, neither is true in this case.

Elaborating further, it seems like the melodies of the vocal hooks themselves are not fleshed out in the writing and revision process as thoroughly as in their debut album. One egregious example of this is in the awful track, “Forging the Past,” which has this section just after the two-minute mark where Lycke sounds like he’s reading sentences with an annoyingly artificial bounciness to them emphasizing every syllable with no build or flow—of course, because it’s prog, accompanied by syncopated chords from the guitar and rhythm section. There is no melody in this section, and this is what a lot of Universe Calls sounds like. Many reviewers have claimed that Lycke has no passion in his voice, and I feel this accusation is a bit hard on the man; however, he has a slight audible stiffness that most other successful power metal singers/frontmen/dragonslayers/intergalactic wizard police chiefs/body oil industry affiliates don’t have a problem with.

An even more confusing aspect of the follow-up album is the change in riff style. Previously, Paralydium utilized metal riffs (usually influenced by neoclassical and traditional prog metal), front and clear in the mix, that backed the singer’s lyrical delivery. This aligned the band more with what a real Symphony X revival band should sound like rather than a new-school power metal fusion with modern prog metal. In Universe Calls, the lead guitar riffs are mostly buried in the mix and act a lot more as a chuggy instrument to compliment the rhythm section as Lycke sings to us. Loose chords very often fill the backdrop to create an anthemic feel to Lycke’s choruses. It’s possible that Universe Calls actually aims to replicate the more recent Symphony X era which would explain the change in guitar work. For example, the track “Caught in a Dream” most immediately reminds me of the song “Iconoclast” while having parts from the album Underworld. 

I may just be fed up with the vocalist because my favorite parts of the album are where the instrumentalists take the lead. The symphonic elements throughout the album are done quite successfully, and all of the solos on the album show that the instrumentalists have considerable talent. As crazy as it is going to sound, my favorite track on the album is the modestly named “Interlude.” It’s such a simple, cohesive, and beautiful piece that shows me that these are people who really know what they are doing. The way the acoustic riff builds up with soft, caressing keyboards and embellishes with fluttering strings makes me forget my anxieties for a brief moment in time.

Power metal vocalists have the most important part in the band by a long shot, and I do rightfully expect more from the follow-up album of a band that is capable of excellent work. I certainly do not think Alexander Lycke is awful at what he does but there is certainly a lot of room for improvement. That being said, some may not resonate with my criticism here and the band’s changes in approach could be part of what makes this album flawed but unique. However, in my free time, the universe usually calls me to more polished albums. 

Recommended tracks: Interlude, The Arcane Exploration
You may also like: Teramaze, Avandra, Whom Gods Destroy, Darkwater, Lalu
Final verdict: 6.5/10

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

Label: Frontiers Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Official Website

Paralydium is:
– Alexander Lycke (vocals)
– John Berg (guitars, keyboards, orchestration)
– Jonathan Olsson (bass)
– Georg Egg (drums)
– Mike Blanc (keyboards)

The post Review: Paralydium – Universe Calls 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.

Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Cynic, Meshuggah, Rivers of Nihil, Chaos Divine
Country: Maryland, United States
Release date: 12 April 2024

I must confess, I am actively invested in prog rock bands becoming more metal and in metal bands becoming more progressive. It was my longtime devotion to progressive metal that led me to become a fan of Exist back in 2018 – not long after their sophomore album So True, So Bound was released. Like a thoughtful present gifted by Santa Clause to a good child on Christmas morning, Exist’s follow-up album Egoiista was everything I could have reasonably asked for. The near-perfect fusion of philosophical themes with progressive, distorted, and dreamy sonic elements made it a regular play when I was in the mood to indulge. Its compositions thoughtfully build to impactful and awe-inciting vocal melodies, cosmic guitar-driven chord progressions, and tempo-twisting, rhythmic chugs.

While the band’s previous effort represents them at their most grand and progressive, Hijacking the Zeitgeist takes on a more parsimonious approach to songwriting. Coming in at a compact thirty-six minutes with seven tracks, this is certainly intended to foil their past few records. Lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, Max Phelps adds in a Metal Injection interview that this is akin to the band’s Moving Pictures (an album historic for moving Rush to a more pop-oriented sound). As much as my disposition favors the musical style of Egoiista to Hijacking the Zeitgeist, I do believe that each has contextual value – a warranted time and place. As long as it’s done well, an album exemplifying tight-knit compositions, strong melodies, and candid, modern social commentary (Fear of a Blank Planet haters be damned) will always have a place in my heart.

As one might infer from the zany, yet melodramatic cover art, Hijacking the Zeitgeist is a concept album about the pitfalls and ailments that the internet has in our mental lives; taking on problems like hostile scaffolding, addiction, dehumanization, brain-washing, and the effects of unjust algorithms. A lot of the lyrical writing in the metal world isn’t particularly great, especially in the underground scene, but Exist do a fine job of balancing metaphor with vivid illustration, doing so in a way where their lyrics actively enhance the compositional experience of the music itself. Some of my favorite lyrical moments are on the album’s catchier tracks: for instance on “Thief of Joy”, a song revolving around seeing others’ misleadingly amazing lives online, Phelps sings, “To see the devil’s bliss in… suffocating you in your mind.” Another is on the title track regarding those who build careers on controversy, being offensively provocative for money and fame: Phelps growls in his Shuldiner-laden cadence: “He who makes the noise…” Loud tremolo guitar bridge “Takes and wears the crown!” I promise, that bridge goes quite hard.

When it comes to the band’s compositional elements, we still have a satisfying contrast of acoustic and distorted guitars, as well as a contrast between melodic croons and textured gutturals (the true Opethian yin and yang). Additionally, the jazzy, techy rhythm section that has made up the crux of the band’s core sound is still tactfully present. Though all members of the band have a core technical death metal background, their prior focus on melodic hooks and catchy leads has been amplified here, replete with well-placed melodic reprisals and reconfigurations – like the soft vocal melody on “Funeral Toll.” 

All of the songs exemplify the technical, yet accessible virtues that Exist is becoming increasingly known for, and they did not significantly skimp out on progressive songwriting as many moments in this album are sincerely expectation subverting – like how the drums backing the main chord progression on “Path to Nowhere” become more bleak and intense as the song goes on, peaking with a flurry of blast beats. That being said, “One Degree Removed From Human” is easily the weakest track on the album as what it presents has been done better by other songs: it has weaker melodies, its solos are not as interesting, and it does drag on a bit too long considering what the album is aiming for.

The most noticeable change Exist incorporates here, aside from their compact songwriting approach, is the album’s mix and production. It seems that as the Exist albums go on, each one is successively louder and more expensive-sounding; each sounding more heavily produced than the last. While I would not say that Hijacking the Zeitgeist is overproduced, it is certainly the most artificial-sounding record, and I think it aesthetically goes along perfectly with the album’s theme.

Overall, this is a solid release from a talented band. It is not quite what I had in mind when excitedly pulling this album up on my computer, and it is not my favorite album of theirs, but I accept it for what it intends to be rather than what I want it to be. And if this sort of paradigm shift is what the band needs to obtain the Limelight (pun intended) they have been desiring, then all the power to them.

Recommended tracks: Thief of Joy, Blue Light Infinite, Hijacking the Zeitgeist, Window to the All
You may also like: WAIT, Fractal Universe, The Gorge, Obsidious, Lunar Chamber
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Prosthetic Records – Bandcamp | Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Metal-Archives page

Exist is:
– Max Phelps (guitar, vocals)
– Alex Weber (bass, vocals)
– Matt Rossa (guitar)
– Brody Taylor Smith (drums)

The post Review: Exist – Hijacking the Zeitgeist appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Sludge Metal, Prog Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Voivod, High on Fire, Black Tusk, Baroness, Morbid Angel, Opeth
Country: United States, Oregon
Release date: 19 January 2024

The moniker Lord Dying was not chosen by the band simply because it fits neatly into the death-obsessed culture of metal, or at least if it was, they intend more than most to follow their brand through with an extensive thematic application. All of the band’s albums are about death, dying, succumbing, perishing, departing, disintegrating, and transcending – incorporating their name quite reliably into their lyrical themes. Starting their career as a run-of-the-mill deathy sludge metal band, Lord Dying’s first two albums more so represent the cruder depictions of death – illustrating images of skeletons, ghouls, and other decaying monstrosities. 

I, like many others, became a fan of theirs following the release of their third full-length album Mysterium Tremendum, alluding to the philosopher and proto-psychologist Rudolf Otto whose work is known for describing the phenomenology of death as a transcendent and unfathomable experience. This represents a shift in Lord Dying’s work to exemplify the more intellectual and “high-brow” depictions of death. Additional changes in the band’s musical style parallel this development as this is where they began incorporating classic progressive and heavy metal into their sound, resulting in a cult classic in the underground metal community.

They follow this stylistic progression, more or less, here with Clandestine Transcendence, however, this album is noticeably more eclectic with a “kitchen sink” kind of approach. If the listener takes the time to attend to the details, they’ll notice dissonant metal influences (“I Am Nothing, I am Everything”), funky sections (“Dancing on the Emptiness”), and psychedelic parts with theremin-like, flanging synth effects (“Final Push Into the Sun”). These additions sit uncomfortably in a crowd combined with the previous mix of progressive sludge metal, hard rock, and death metal that the band had previously fostered. This genre-wise variety has been widely celebrated among the reviews I’ve read so far, and as uncharacteristic as it is for me to say: I’m not sure this quite worked out in their favor.

To make a warranted comparison to Mastodon: If Lord Dying’s debut album is their Lifesblood, and Mysterium Tremendum is their Crack the Skye, Clandestine Transcendence would be like a disheveled version of Blood Mountain or even like Baroness’s Blue Album. Essentially, when compared to its predecessor, Clandestine Transcendence garners diversity while suffering major losses in cohesion and fluidity. This has a lot of tracks, thrown about haphazardly; it is seldom a good sign if you can shuffle the song positions on the album and there is no natural flow that is disrupted in the album’s chronological experience. 

In my view, one of the shining strengths of progressive rock and metal, as genres, comes from their given ability to experiment with song structures in a paradigm of limitless freedom, allowing them to deliver experiences of temporal complexity beyond that of normal music. However, this is best done when the songs are continuous, rather than discrete or choppy, and that is something that this album fails to deliver, especially when it sits next to Lord Dying’s previous work.

There are plenty of great tracks on this album, but for one reason or another, they get lost in the sauce. I think there are many catalysts to blame here for this issue, however, perhaps the most pressing concerns are the poor mix and production which deliver the great musicianship in a blur. With the guitar and bass reverb so loud and constant, the vocals and lead guitar riffs get buried a bit. Compare the clarity of the guitar solo at 0:51 in “A Bond Broken by Death” to the solo at 5:33 in “Severed Forever” from their previous work and the difference in quality is unmistakable.

Perhaps, this muddier approach was intentional. But in that case, having bogged down Clandestine Transcendence with extra repetitive verses and repeating noisy riffs makes this a less enjoyable listen, at least for me, someone who has never gone deep into the non-prog stoner metal rabbit hole. It may well be the case that these nitpicks are speaking for my ears only and these criticisms are of qualities par for the course for others. As it stands, this album came with a bit of a disappointment to me.

Recommended tracks: Final Push Into the Sun, The Universe is Weeping, Break in the Clouds (In the Dark of Our Minds), Dancing on the Emptiness, The Endless Road Home
You may also like: Howl, Black Royal, Bison, The Lion’s Daughter, Hammers of Misfortune, Anciients
Final verdict: 6/10

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

Label: MNRK Heavy Records – Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Lord Dying is:
– Chris Evans (guitar)
– Erik Olson (guitar, vocals)
– Alyssa Mocere (bass)
– Kevin Swartz (drums)

The post Review: Lord Dying – Clandestine Transcendence appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

For now, I could not possibly bear to miss out on voting for The Progressive Subway‘s second annual Album of the Year election season. Especially with our increasingly numerous staff, I need to make sure I get the word out on these important prog-metal albums here.

Honorable mentions:

• Fleshvessel – Yearning: Promethean Fates Sealed: An especially fun and creative progressive death metal album.
• Linus Klausenitzer – Tulpa: Excellent techy melodeath from an amazing bassist. Listen to this for some groovy riffs from both kinds of guitars.
• Omnerod – The Amensal Rise: An innovative and challenging release, I understand why people like this.
• Hammerhedd – Nonetheless: Best progressive groove metal album of the year made extra riffy.
• Lunar Chamber – Shambhallic Vibrations: My second favorite underground technical death metal album of the year.

Stuff we have not reviewed but should have:

• Victory Over the Sun – Dance You Monster to My Soft Song!: This avant-garde black metal project experiments a lot with sonic contrast and employs unique interludes.
• Vvon Dogma I – The Kvlt of Glitch: If Cynic was more science fiction sounding but a bit less progressive.

10. The World is Quiet Here – Zon
Style: Metalcore, Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Between the Buried and Me, Slice the Cake, Rototypical, Future Corpse

Within The Progressive Subway headquarters, this must be one of, if not the most divisive album to be argued about – causing friends to become enemies at a moment’s notice. I for one believe that this album has strong prog virtues, and has specific kinds of skills that the band wants to display here. I’m a fan of Zon, even though this is not as well-written as its more respectable predecessor Prologue. What one can immediately appreciate about this album upon first impression is how utterly technical it is – and how progressive the band’s riff-writing is. This is akin to Between the Buried and Me at their most indulgent. This perhaps is also their biggest weakness as a band at this point since it seems as though their focus on hooks (at least for most of the album), and coherent song structures have taken a backseat for more of a “stream of consciousness” style of writing. They succeed when they do spend time writing good melodies, like in parts one and two of “Heliacal Vessels.” The World is Quiet Here certainly have mad talent, so it is a bit disappointing to see that they did not let their potential fully blossom had they focused a bit more on writing with accessible song structures in mind. That being said, the complexity that this band takes and the leap of creativity that they endeavored is admirable.

Recommended tracks: Heliacal Vessels I: The Mothers of No Kin, Heliacal Vessels II: In the Unity of the Lake
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

9. NevBorn – Alkaios ● Part 1 ● The Eagle
Style: Prog Metal, Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Dawnwalker, The Ocean, Humanotone, Khôrada, Rolo Tomassi

I was not at all expecting to enjoy this gorgeous album as much as I did, and if I’m going to be honest with myself, I still do not believe I have a full understanding of how good this is. This album is made up of four gargantuan tracks, all of which ebb and flow exquisitely – building up with solid alt-metal/post-metal riffs and tasteful synth tones that explode into powerful, distorted, and dense jams as you would expect from other progressive post-metal bands like The Ocean or Kayo Dot. What I most admire about this band is that they have an evident sense of musical harmony amongst each other, and you can tell how comfortable they are with each other’s styles because the piece as a whole has a natural sense of unification, where all of the components are built together like a cohesive sum. I also think that this album style is what I gravitate to more than the others in the Subway, and I have listened to many albums that go for the epic-post metal route that Nevborn does but with less success.

Recommended tracks: LERNI
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

8. The Resonance Project – Ad Astra
Style: Progressive Metal, Djent, Jazz-Fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Plini, Intervals, Syncatto, Thrailkill

Ad Astra is in my top ten instrumental-ish djent albums to be released over the past few years. In a scene so cursed by templates and overused tropes, The Resonance Project comes out swinging with a debut album that has high points among the best of the best. A colorful mix of brass instruments adds a shiny trim to the album’s climaxes, and siren-like vocal harmonies and soothing synth chords contrast the tight, technical, and jazzy guitar passages. I lament that this album is inconsistent and admittedly front-loaded; hitting glistening peaks via “Ad Astra” and “Prophecy”, then slowly teetering off after the out-of-place intermission track that is “Void” breaks album continuity and reminds me that bands do still want to beat Meshuggah at their own game. Nonetheless, this album has good enough moments for it to always be a viable option for me to return to.

Recommended tracks: Ad Astra, Gem, Prophecy, Macrocosm
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

7. The Lion’s Daughter – Bath House
Style: Industrial Metal, Sludge metal, Black Metal, Prog Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Kvelertak, The Ocean, Inter Arma, Tribulation

I have been a fan of this band for quite some time now, but I never thought I’d see the day when they release an album this good. Before, they were just a guilty pleasure; now I see this as a band that cultured people listen to.

Well, for those who don’t know, The Lion’s Daughter make music that is essentially a wild, yet cohesive alloy of many metals (alternative, sludge, industrial, prog, and black metal). The “shtick” they have been known for is to make music inspired by 80s and 90s horror movies. They do this both by writing their concepts around themes from spooky to grotesque and by layering their metal compositions with creative horror-synth work (stuff that sounds like a mix of something between goth rock and dark-synth tones). I’m admittedly a sucker for creative synth work in prog metal and I love the dark aesthetic. Their overall songwriting, for having dark tones, is actually fairly accessible, even catchy. This is due to their well-written riffs and solid vocal hooks. Overall, I believe not only that this is their best album, but it will very likely stay the best because I think it will be very hard to top how successful this was. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope they prove me wrong here.

Recommended tracks: Your Pets Died on TV, 12-31-89, Liminal Blue, Bath House, Maximize Terror
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

6. Afterbirth – In But Not Of
Style: Technical Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal, Prog Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devourment, Artificial Brain

This is another album I was not at all expecting to like but perhaps that made the surprise all the more sweet. From someone who usually does not like brutal death metal at all, this is the best brutal death metal album I have ever heard. I’m the kind of person who will feel icky from listening to Defeated Sanity and I cannot stand the existence of horrid bands like Effluence. This album is probably the most classy and tasteful a band can make brutal death metal without crossing the line into weenie-hut-junior or poser territory; I would say a lot of death metal purists probably already think that about this album – but maybe that’s why it’s good.

Afterbirth experiments with a lot of themes that I would only hear from djent bands, but this is not at all a djent album. Polyrhythms accompanied by gargling mouthwash galore, the fretboard worker strums his noodles as though his life depends on it before unexpected atmospheric passages take over. The band made a complex and sophisticated sound out of one of the most savage and primal metal genres and this dichotomy is something one can appreciate in itself. The album also generally tends to get more tech death and prog as it goes on, so there is a gradual shift in style to keep the album interesting and diverse. The way this album was made shows a lot of care to detail and exemplifies smart songwriting. It is for these reasons that In But Not Of is just a fantastically unique and admirable album.

Recommended tracks: Hovering Human Head Drones, Autoerotic Amputation, In But Not Of, Devils With Dead Eyes
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

5. Sermon – Of Golden Verse
Style: Alternative Metal, Prog Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Soen, Tool, Katatonia

Sermon’s new album, Of Golden Verse is pretty great. It’s like Soen except you can listen to it without getting made fun of by your friends. As The Progressive Subway’s number one Soen advocate, I will, unfortunately, be the first to admit that Soen’s career has taken a turn for the worst as of late, putting out content that’s become increasingly described as chuggy anthemic crap. Luckily, Sermon took pity on the fallen fans of a once great band with a version of that sound that is more brooding and hardened – truly stuff that one can be proud of liking.

The rhythm section probably takes the MVP award for this album. The drums add a strong tribal groove to much of the album, and frantic fills to spike the impact of the album’s tense moments. The bass additionally goes quite well with the more ominous sound of the synths. The vocalist (who is also the guitarist, keyboardist, and main writer), known only as “Him” does sound a lot like Joel Ekelöf and sings many catchy choruses on this album but has a lot more of a subtle and serious tone fitting of the rest of the album. Maybe it is a perk that most of the sonic choices were done by one person because the elements here all go well together to form an ominous, catchy yet dark atmosphere.

Recommended tracks: Light the Witch. Royal, Departure, Senescence
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

4. Stortregn – Finitude
Style: Technical Death Metal, Prog Metal (harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Inferi, First Fragment, Ophidian I, Equipoise

This is one for the tech death fans in the audience. I hope there are a lot of them because I’ve noticed we’ve been doing a lot more of that this year. And of all the tech death albums we’ve reviewed, I believe this is the strongest out of the bunch. This is an incredibly polished, ultra-tight piece of metal songwriting, equipped with flamenco interludes reminiscent of First Fragment. Overall, the length of solos we get on here is generous but not over-indulgent and they are complimented with frankly fairly melody-driven riffs.

Like their last couple of albums, this has some blackened hints here and there in some of the vocal passages and the guitar tremolos. The bass also takes the forefront on plenty of occasions like a good tech death album should allow. Overall, this is Stortregn’s best album. And this should mean a lot since I have seen this band often praised as the best up-and-coming proggy tech death band.

Recommended tracks: Xeno Chaos, A Lost Battle Rages On, Omega Axiom
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

3. Alkaloid – Numen
Style: Prog Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Black Crown Initiate, Obsidious, Obscura

Imagine what it would have been like had Richard Henshall, after releasing Aquarius alongside his Haken band members, said: “You know what lads? I think this prog rock stuff isn’t cutting it for us, and those growls you did Ross were bloody riveting.” I wonder what interesting, zany death metal albums we could have gotten if such unlikely events transpired. Numen, Alkaloid’s third album carries that same wacky spirit from those counterfactual worlds into ours. This is heavy, groovy, progressive death metal on its more eclectic side; being written and performed mostly by former members of Obscura, you know you are going to be in for a treat of solos and headbanger riffs.

I’m still not sure why Andy does not like “Numen” the title track because I thought the electronics, riffs, and the way the cleans trade and alternate the song’s lyrics with the growls was a creative and fun listen. I like to think the wavy, flanger effects they do with the synths on the title track somehow resemble the noumena of the external world that will never be accessible to us mere mortals. “Qliphosis” and “Clusterfuck” also showcase a diverse set of sounds, technical solos, and clever songwriting.

Recommended tracks: Numen, Qliphosis, Clusterfuck, The Cambrian Explosion
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

2. Haralabos Stafylakis – Calibrating Friction
Style: Modern Classical, Prog Metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Lorem Ipsum, Carnatia, Gunter Wernö

Though I like the rest of the albums on my list, there is a big jump in how attached I am to the next two. Andy was the first person to recommend this to me, and because we very often do not see eye to eye regarding music opinions, I was a bit skeptical at first. However, I kept an open mind and let the album properly sink in, and when it hit, holy moly: I realized that this is incredible. This is one of the classiest prog metal albums I have heard – like the kind of stuff the prog metal elitists listen to in their ivory tower, above the common peasantry. 

However, Calibrating Friction is not just an album that prog snobs could enjoy, this works well as a potential album to share with a general audience (aka. that annoying friend who claims to listen to “all genres”) This is a musical experience, driven by carefully composed strings and piano, and enhanced by the percussion and distorted guitar of metal. These songs are written as progressive pieces of music that travel along different concepts building up, exploding, and drifting off in varying directions. Some of the album’s climaxes like those in “Never the Same River” or “Flows Obsidian” are genuinely breathtaking. I think this is the perfect album for anyone who likes instrumental music, it does not matter if they listen to metal or not, this album has real potential to blow some minds.

Recommended tracks: Flows Obsidian, Never the Same River
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

1. Nospūn – Opus
Style: Prog Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Dream Theater, Altesia, Novena

In a slow year of prog metal, it was sad not to have the usually vast wealth of excellent releases competing for the front spot on people’s radar. This relative dearth is what made a debut album like Nospun’s Opus all the more cherished by me. Written in the classic style that experienced fans of the genre have grown to love, the prog metal concept album style of Haken and Dream Theater has been given new life here in 2023 by a band that has never released material before. I can understand why this is the most talked about album in the prog metal internet community. 

The hooks in this album are some of the most catchy we’ve gotten in years, both regarding the guitar passages as well as the vocal choruses. The mixing and production on this is also absurdly high-level, to the point where one would only expect it from bands that have been established the money and resources to excel in this business. The back-to-back trio of songs “Earwyrm”, “…And Then There Was One”, and “4D Printing” is my favorite extended passage from any prog metal album that came out this year (Yes, I do mean my favorite passages from the new Tomb Mold and Ne Obliviscaris trail this section from Opus)

Of course, this album has some flaws. I especially do not like when bands explicitly use material from other artists and Nospun does this on a couple of occasions in this album. Additionally, their epic is not the best that I have heard, especially considering how good the first eight tracks on the album are. Criticism aside, this album is a gift made directly to prog metal fans young and old, and is a nod to the classics while providing their own flavor in a very successful way. The only debut albums that I can think of from bands that are better than this are either bands that only have a debut album or bands that are now famous. So, it looks like Nospun likely has a bright future ahead of them.

Recommended tracks: Earwyrm, …And Then There Was One, 4D Printing
Related links: original review | Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook

The post Sabrina’s Top 10 Albums of 2023! appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Sludge Metal, Melodic Black Metal, Progressive Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Mastodon, Kvelertak, The Ocean, Tribulation, Type O Negative
Review by: Sabrina
Country: Missouri, United States
Release date: 13 October, 2023

The Lion’s Daughter have been pushing the game lately on innovation – truly surpassing their competition on how maximally hideous their album cover is. This already sets up a barrier for entry; I mean, try showing this album to your friends and family, convince them that there truly is good music underneath the yucky taste of weird horror porn.

I’ve been following The Lion’s Daughter for a few years now as their 2018 album, Future Cult, is what introduced me to the band. Their skillful fusion of sludge and black metal combined with novel synth work is what made this band unique amongst the swath of underground extreme metal bands.

I’d call myself somewhat of a connoisseur for fun synthesizer work – especially in the progressive metal sphere – so, The Lion’s Daughter became one of those bands that I had a soft spot for. In a sense, I considered them a guilty pleasure; I knew that they were not the most technical, intricate, or talented band out there as many of their non-synth instrumental performances and often simplistic songwriting left room to be desired. Despite this, I spent a great amount of time listening to The Lion’s Daughter as almost no other bands meet the gothic, colorfully spooky aesthetic that I loved about them. In the past, their music generally did a good job at representing themes in their album artwork, using alluringly wicked synth tones (in the style of gothic rock and horror cinema) to conjure images that vaguely resemble varieties of goth raves and latex BDSM clubs. Do not ask how I know. You can think of the instrumental compositions from their past three albums to be not far off from Danny Baranowsky or Ridiculon’s soundtrack to The Binding of Isaac.

In a way, I had some uncompromising expectations going into Bath House that would be quite tough for the band to meet (primarily because they have no fucking idea who the hell I am and have no prima facie reason to appeal to the standards of some nerd on the internet). However, it’s by sheer luck that they’ve managed to improve on most of the weaknesses of previous releases without confounding their established artistic identity. And despite the gross anthropomorphic fish monster on the cover, this is actually an album I can brag on behalf of.

I’m not sure how it’s possible, but they’ve gotten more sludgy, more blackened, more progressive, and—somehow—more catchy. Vibrant, sinister tremolo riffs scrape through the forefront as a world of thick, grumbly vibrations layer the backdrop with sludgy guitar reverb. The rhythm section in this album is so tight and has a uniquely intimidating sonic personality, providing a menacing heartbeat the album needs to be as scary to listen to as it is. The band’s trademark keyboards alternate between a litany of melodramatic synth chords and unnerving buggy sound effects while their vocalist delivers hook after hook of gritty melodic cleans and gargling animalistic growls. Not too many guitar solos show up but are a treat when they do. 

This devilishly gorgeous package of sounds is conceived of and executed wonderfully throughout all of the tracks on this album with variations in keyboard tones, melodies, and experimental ideas. However, it seems that the internet at large agrees with my initial impression that the best rendition of this formula is track four, “Your Pets Died on TV”. Being one of the more progressive tracks on the album, the tempo shifts and interludes allow each of the band members to have moments where their skills shine. The third quarter of the track hits abnormally hard, sending you through a sequence of intense, escalating prog metal riffs, unwinding electronics backed by hurried screams, a chillingly isolated rhythm section, then backed by funereal keyboards to illustrate the visceral decay of your beloved pets.

The track “Liminal Blue” sticks out with its surreal, funky synth melody to highlight the uncanny nature of the blue you will see as your consciousness scrambles to find its final images before reaching the void. “Maximize Terror” demonstrates how The Lion’s Daughter can be progressive with their innovative vocal composition as two members dual with growls at an unfamiliar tempo (I also can’t say how underrated it is to begin a song with a guitar solo). “12-31-89” begins with 80s synth-pop keys reminiscent of A-ha’s “Take on Me” and HotLine Miami, this heavily contrasts with sludgy guitar textures and an interlude that reminds me of something either out of an IER album or the horror movie Barbarian. It should be said too that the clean vocals on here are quite good, both in their technical execution and in their compositional writing; “Bath House” and “Crawler Night” are two tracks that have choruses that rival that of Mastodon themselves. The “End Credits” leave us off with the salty taste of The Ocean with their smooth vocals and bass riff fitting of “Palaeoscene”.

Most of the songs on Bath House have fairly creative structures with peaks and valleys that climax effectively. Furthermore, the band also adds quite a bit of interesting and unexpected components that make this a fun listen through the end. There is a considerable variety here that helps the album get better with each successive listen and I think this will become one of my personal favorites. If I were to place bets, I’d say The Lion’s Daughter have peaked here. However, I would be happy to lose a hundred-dollar bet to be proven wrong.

Recommended tracks: Your Pets Died on TV, 12-31-89, Liminal Blue, Bath House, Maximize Terror
You may also like: IER, Inter Arma, Mantar, Lord Mantis, Wake, Cobalt, Astrakhan
Final verdict: 8/10

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

Label: Independent

The Lion’s Daughter is:
– Erik Ramsier (drums)
– Scott Fogelbach (guitar, bass)
– Rick Giordano (guitar, vocals)

The post Review: The Lion’s Daughter – Bath House appeared first on The Progressive Subway.

Style: Progressive Metal, Groove Metal, Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Gojira, Alluvial, Meshuggah, Gorod
Review by: Sabrina
Country: Maine, United States
Release date: 21 July, 2023

On the surface, this was the perfect album to introduce me back into the metal review scene as I am a longtime fan of progressive groove metal: for example, I’ve done previous reviews of the latest albums by Scarred, Hammerhedd and Polars Collide (a band which I am probably the number one fan of at this point). Unfortunately for fans in the USA, it will likely be a long time until we’ll be able to see them live since they are an underground, small-budget band all the way in Sweden, but don’t fret, we have Polars Collide at home!

Of course, the Polars Collide we have at home is Destination: Void (DV); the band in question for this review. The two bands fill exactly the same role in the metal ecosystem. They essentially use the instrumental elements that we associate with Djent, but instead of the 2010’s wave of metalcore djent, they utilize the older style brought to us by Meshuggah – one that sounds a lot more like high-gain, progressive groove metal and death metal. This style is most immediately obvious when listening to both bands’ riffs, chugging interludes, mechanical solos, and barking vocals.

Within the first seven minutes of DV’s twenty-two-minute, one-song EP, you are hit with a polyrhythmic, palm-muted djent breakdown, followed by a robotic guitar solo easily identified as an imitation of Thordendal’s signature style, and uncanny pick scrapes leftover from the past five Gojira albums. I have made some recent effort not to focus on bands being copy-cats but it’s difficult when DV’s Spotify bio claims “Their sound is purely their own” – I mean, they are simply asking for it. Let’s just say, this band’s sound is built out of a combination of other bands.

Nonetheless, the band leaves much room for praise. This track represents something akin to an auditory portfolio of skills that the band is capable of producing. They packed this thing with many good riffs: Some are obviously chunky, utilizing techniques that date back to influences of Pantera and early Meshuggah, others have a stronger modern djent-flavor reminiscent of WAIT or Cloudkicker, some are a tremolo and nearly blackened, but most of them is just straight-up prog metal riffs. DV present a variety of vocal styles that could land all over the local genre spectrum from alt-rock to death metal. These elements, along with the well-placed climactic sax section and ominous closing strings, it is hard not to appreciate what the band is doing here.

It is also worth mentioning that all of the musicians’ performances here are fairly tight, keeping time, and showing a natural synergy with one another. Meanwhile, members of other bands will often get left behind when the band changes tempos in progressive tracks. Additionally, one who appreciates progressive song structures can admire how they packed these parts of the epic song together rather than just presenting an EP with four mid-tier tracks.

In conclusion, DV are good at what they do considering their level of musicianship and their compositional writing – and because of this I must give credit where it is due – but they are not astounding. It feels like they had a task sheet of all of the things that they were supposed to do in a progressive death/groove metal album and they checked all of the boxes skillfully. However, taking this illustration into account, it does feel like the band did certain things just to be meta, and they did so much of what we’re used to hearing that The Bludgeoning Dawn ends up feeling exceptionally cliche. This is one case where thinking outside the box will help tremendously.

Recommended tracks: The Bludgeoning Dawn
You may also like: Polars Collide, Aenaon, The Offering, WAIT
Final verdict: 6.5/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Destination: Void is:
– Ryan Cummings (guitars, bass, vocals)
– Lucas Damen (vocals)
– Seth Perkins (drums, percussion)

The post Review: Destination: Void – The Bludgeoning Dawn appeared first on The Progressive Subway.