This is the debut album from Australian progressive metal band Primrose Path.
The promo blurb says this is for fans of Opeth, Tesseract, Mastodon, and Gojira, which should give you a starting point for approaching the 43-minute Ruminations. Now here’s an underground gem that likely won’t stay underground for long.
Let’s start with Primrose Path’s singer, as she’s undeniably the band’s most immediately obvious asset. She has a powerful voice that’s rich in emotion and depth. Her singing elevates the already strong material, providing a focal point that can’t be ignored. Despite this though, I’m pleased to say that the rest of band don’t let the side down. The music is well-crafted, and the rest of the musicians all make their own mark on the songs. Primrose Path offer up a well-rounded holistic package.
This is modern progressive metal with a few twists, and some older influences thrown in for good measure. It shares the main features you’d expect with this tag, but also some aspects I wasn’t expecting, as indicated by the bands mentioned above for a start. Alongside this, I’ll also say that at various times, Ruminations put me in mind of Alice in Chains, The Gathering, Múr, Crimson Veil, and more.
The well-crafted songs are detailed and rich in substance. The vocals and music work in concert to build engaging soundscapes that wash over the listener. It’s a high production affair, yet the obvious polish does little to hold back the quality of the performances and the music.
Ruminations has a warm, contemporary, expressive sound. Via chunky riffs and intricate technicality do the songs unfold, with layers of synths and exquisite clean singing. There are big choruses and deep atmospheres. The songs take from multiple styles and genres freely, subsuming them all into the band’s overarching modern metal vision. Grunge, Gothic metal, metalcore – it’s all fair game. Primrose Path take what influences they want and serve them up as detailed musical vistas for the listener to explore.
This is damn good stuff. For a debut album this is remarkably accomplished and professional. Ruminations is the sort of thing I’d expect to hear released by one of the larger record labels, and I really hope that Primrose Path get the exposure they deserve. If you’re a fan of contemporary progressive metal that has a wider reach than most, both in time and space, do not miss out on Ruminations.
Wonderbox Metal 