Progressive metal – Page 53

Amaze Knight – The Key (Review)

Amaze Knight are from Italy and this is their début album. They play Progressive Metal.

The band waste no time showing that they can play. Widdly, Jazz-influenced Progressive Metal with keyboards comes at you hard and heavy upon pressing play.

Each of the 5 tracks are around the 9/10 minute mark and each track is full of orchestrated Prog with exploratory and experimental playfulness.

There’s a slight Power Metal vibe to some of this as well, especially form the vocals, but the main feeling is definitely Prog.

The songs have a good mixture of the experimental and Progressive combined with an actual song structure that keeps the band from veering too far off course.

It’s an enjoyable listen as the musicians are talented and the music is allowed to be self-indulgent in a way that I’m quite happy to listen to. The keyboards and effects add an extra layer to the band’s wanderings whilst the bass is allowed free range to travel far and wide.

The singer has a good voice, although he definitely plays second fiddle to the music in many ways. When he does appear it’s with a confidence of delivery that many Power Metal bands would envy and he fulfils his role with ease.

At 47 minutes in length this is a meaty début album with lots of things going on.

Enjoy!

The Wolves of Avalon – Boudicca’s Last Stand (Review)

The Wolves of Avalon are from the UK and this is their second album. The band play Pagan/Folk Metal.

The Wolves of Avalon are the latest incarnation of Metatron from The Meads of Asphodel, who will always hold a special place in my heart; one of the most unique and underrated UK Metal bands out there.

I was looking forward to hearing this album due to this and I haven’t been disappointed. This is as impressive and ambitious as anything he’s done before, (his work that I’ve heard, at least), more so in some respects. Sounding like early Meads only with a heavy Folk/Pagan slant, this is pure ear candy.

The album starts with a light, classical instrumental, at least that’s what I think it’s going to be until Metatron’s inimitable vocals kick in halfway through and then guitars and drums come in shortly after.

The album is heavily orchestrated and features wonderfully diverse instrumentation and female accompaniment. These are hugely impressive and extremely well-done. The band don’t neglect the Metal component of their sound, however.

The dynamics and sense of energy given off by the tracks is strong, and the whole album is a veritable treasure trove of gems and delights. The songwriting is impeccable and Metatron’s voice seems to be getting better with age. Some of the vocal harmonies used, especially when twinned with the female vocals, are just hair-raising.

Some of the best bits are extremely subtle but do wonders for the songs. The barely audible female sighs/noises on Bonded by Blood and Sword is just one example of many; you can only just hear them in the background but for such a small addition the song is enhanced so much.

There are pulse-raising sections, slower atmosphere-building parts, Black Metal rage, Progressive Metal explorations, huge choruses and sublime melodies – there is so much here to enjoy and be spellbound by.

This is an hour of interesting, captivating and unique Metal that everyone should ideally have the privilege of hearing. Do yourself a favour and go and listen to this.

Final thoughts? Fantastic album. This is a contender for the Album of the Year slot.

Favourite Track: Iceni Queen Unfurl’d In A Tempest Of Crows. Fucking Hell!

Ars Moriendi – La Singulière Noirceur D’Un Astre (Review)

Ars Moriendi are from France and this is their third album of Black Metal.

This is atmospheric and creative Black Metal that makes a left-of-centre entrance under the guise of some form of slinky lounge lizard whilst retaining a core of darkness so you know you actually are playing the right album.

When the Black Metal truly kicks in though it’s noticeable and memorable. Propelled by interesting riffs and subtle but meaningful effects the music is stimulating and diverse.

The vocals are Black Metal croaks that have some personality to them and the singer appears to have a good range to his voice rather than staying too monotone.

Long songs allow for plenty of variation around the central theme and the band allow themselves the luxury of exploring and developing the soundscapes they create.

Progressive Metal elements make appearances here and there, adding character to the songs and increasing the listener’s depth of appreciation for the tracks.

The production is low-key and surprisingly warm and organic for a Black Metal release. The adds another facet to the album and the songs are very easy to listen to and enjoy; the music is warmly absorbed like a fine wine.

This is a quality release from a band who are likely to be overlooked by many. Don’t make this mistake – give Ars Moriendi your full attention.

Inanimate Existence – A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement (Review)

Inanimate Existence are a Technical Death Metal band from the US.

An exotic intro and equally exotic album cover set the scene for this otherworldly adventure in brutality and technical wizardry.

Long songs and fretwork dexterity are the order of the day here, although the band never lose sight of the aggression and brutality that is the hallmark of Death Metal.

A good sound means that all of this frenetic widdling can be appreciated and the drums are punishing, proficient but not overpowering. I mustn’t neglect the bass either, as it’s actually audible and has a part to play in these tracks. There are also some shredding solos and leads.

The singer’s vocals growl and grunt like a windswept vortex causing destruction wherever it goes.

Slower parts occasionally appear, allowing the band to show restraint and to maximise the moments of atmosphere they foster. They also experiment with percussion, lighter moments, Progressive Metal and even some female vocals. These parts enhance the songs making them more than they might otherwise be, as well as stopping them becoming too repetitive or predictable.

The songs are highly enjoyable and expertly crafted.

Top quality.

SuddenFlames – Under The Sign Of The Alliance (Review)

SuddenFlames are from Canada and play Power Metal. This is their second album.

Opening with an instantly catchy riff, I have high hopes for this release from the outset. My fear, as is always the case with this kind of band, is that they’ll ruin things by having a sub-standard singer. I’m pleased to report that this is not the case and SuddenFlames have a very, very good singer who has charisma and capability. Top stuff.

Bands like this live or die by the quality of the songs – judging by this standard SuddenFlames should have a very long life indeed.

The tracks are catchy, Metal and written to a high standard. Predominately of the Euro-Metal Power Metal style, they also have elements of Thrash, Heavy and even a bit of Progressive Metal incorporated into their sound. They don’t do things by halves; this album is the full Metal package.

Emotive and stirring, heroic and edgy; the band dip into all manner of feelings in their songs and the overall experience is of a fine collection of tracks that put to shame many of the more established names in the genre at the moment.

Double-bass leads the charge and melodic guitars duel and Thrash their way around the playing time. There are so many vocal hooks that you can do yourself an injury and the solos are free-flowing and played with fervour.

This reminds me of the kind of quality Power Metal that Angel Dust did so well, and I also hear a bit of Gamma Ray in there as well.

A sharp production and punchy sound seals the deal; this is one band who I’ll be enjoying for some time.

Canada seems to be unleashing a whole clump of talented Power/Progressive Metal bands on the world at the moment, and I love that they are as each one I hear is a pure joy. SuddenFlames are no exception.

Insense – De:Evolution (Review)

Insense are from Norway and play a highly developed form of Modern Metal. They combine elements of multiple genres of heavy music, from Djent to Thrash to Sludge to Progressive Metal and others in between.

Well this is very nice indeed. Heavy, emotive and not afraid of striding boldly into territories avoided by a lot of bands.

The vocals are agonised cries, soft crooning, semi-cleans, powerful melodics, gruff shouting…essentially whatever the song needs; it’s a very personal and distinctive performance that immediately makes apparent the man’s talent. The moment his vocals make an entrance on the first track Part I- Conception I’m hooked straight away. This keeps up for the rest of the album and his vocals bleed charisma and character.

The music doesn’t slack behind either; none of the songs are especially long but every one of them seems committed to ringing out every last drop of emotion and feeling from the guitars. The tracks are all tightly focused balls of energy and in the hands of this clearly talented band there’s no need for longer songs – there’s absolutely no filler here.

Reference points? Wide ranging really; I can hear bits of In Flames, Fear Factory, Devin Townsend, Meshuggah, Mnemic, Slipknot, Darkane, Nevermore…I could go on, but you get the idea; polished, diverse and heavy whilst retaining melodics and soul. A smattering of modern European Power Metal; a bit of Djent in the riffs; wildly energised heavy riffing; stirring and memorable vocals…so much about this recording can be praised.

The sound is suitably huge and massive with everything coming through crystal clear and every sludgy riff sounding crushing and effective.

Quite frankly this album is an absolute revelation. If you were to cut it open it would have the words QUALITY stamped all the way through it in big letters.

Heartily recommended; you need to get this album.

Konkeror – The Abysmal Horizons (Review)

Konkeror are a Death Metal band from the US.

This is their début album, almost 49 minutes of music – 8 originals and a Bolt Thrower cover.

When it starts it’s immediately impressive with the sheer musicality and flowing riffs; then the brutality kicks in and everything shifts up a gear.

Konkeror merge Death Metal with a Progressive/Thrash influence that allows the songs to have technical flourishes and melodic edges concurrently occupying the same space.

The songs are catchy and have lots of hooks, proving that just because a song might be Brutal or Technical doesn’t mean it has to sacrifice song structures in order to be so.

The recording perfectly balances a band that play both brutally heavy and subtly melodic. Everything sounds great and the sound allows the musicians the freedom to do what they do best.

The most enjoyable thing about this album is just how Metal it is; they are clearly Death Metal but add sprinklings of Progressive, Technical and Thrash Metal into the melting pot. Mix these all up with some great songwriting skills and all that’s left to do is sit back an enjoy as the band shred, rip and dazzle with the songs.

The songs are all of a decent enough length so that you have time to get your teeth into them, (or the other way around…), and there’s abundant opportunities for the band to demonstrate just how good they are.

Once you know about this album it’s important that you get it. If you’re into Death Metal and don’t get this album…well…I’m not sure how that’s possible…

Brilliant.

Withem – The Point Of You (Review)

Withem come from Norway. This is their début album of Progressive/Power Metal.

It’s orchestrated, complex and obviously talented. This is melodic and colourful with frequent keyboard ostentation that recalls Pagan’s Mind at their sparkly best.

The songs make an impression with their enthusiasm and passionate Metal delivery. They’re well composed with lots to hold attention and frequent changes/alterations in the musicianship to keep things interesting. They do manage to keep this coherent enough to fashion into songs that have a direction though rather than just sounding like a mishmash of conflicting instruments.

The musicianship cannot be faulted and all instruments have the opportunity to shine. The leads and solos are represented well, as is to be expected with this style; the guitar riffs and rhythms are interesting and changeable; the drums are not just a backbone to the band as they seem to have a life of their own on occasion; the bass isn’t just going through the motions and is an audible enhancement to the tracks; and the keyboards…well they’re simply everywhere but manage to not get in the way at all. None of this would be possible of course if it wasn’t for the strong songwriting.

But what of the vocals? Well, the singer has the kind of voice that soars effortlessly and has no problem at all reaching the higher notes. It’s very fluid and sounds a treat.

This is a remarkable achievement from a band that are still relatively new. With this being their first release it’s an impressive one.

Tragodia – Mythmaker (Review)

Tragodia are from Italy and this is their third album of Progressive/Power Metal.

Featuring good songs and a strong sound, Mythmaker is an album that delivers the goods.

On the slightly heavier side of the spectrum, Tragodia recall bands such as Nevermore and Angel Dust with their thickened riffs and impressive vocals.

The band are melodic and tight, with some nice elements of Classic and Modern Metal finding a way into their sound on occasion. The Power Metal side of things is kept in check by the heavy guitars and the Progressive edge is felt in the musicianship.

The song structures themselves are the most important thing of course and this is an album that has all of the strengths of the genre but none of the weaknesses. This is quality Metal done right and played well. There are no slips into cheesiness or retro-worship. This is thoroughly state-of-the-art while dragging all of the essential classic elements of the genre into the here and now.

The singer is one of the best I’ve heard in a while. He has depth and range was well as being capable of full emotional delivery.

I’m just blown away by this album. Tragodia: Please receive your mark of A+ and go to the head of the class.

The Parallax – Obliquity of the Ecliptic (Review)

The Parallax come from Canada and this is their début album of Extreme Progressive Metal.

The closest band for comparison would be the mighty Between the Buried and Me, although to the credit of The Parallax they manage to use the template but don’t sound like a rip off. Another good example of this would be a band like The Odious who also share the Between the Buried and Me influence but like The Parallax they have their own sound built onto it. Other bands that The Parallax are reminiscent of in places are the more recent Strapping Young Lad material and Lascaille’s Shroud.

Like Between the Buried and Me the band are hard to categorise as they have so much going on, but I suppose you could brand them as playing Extreme Progressive Metal, if you really wanted to pigeon hole.

The band have epic, sprawling songs full of high speed Metal and highly melodic riffing, where the solos and leads are plentiful and played better than most.

Keyboards and effects wash over the music in waves. Piano sections and 70-s style duelling synths are common.

Harsh vocals roar and clean vocals soar. The singer has a very good voice and ably manages the vocals whether they be Power Metal cleans, abrasive roars or anything else.

It’s all very well done and very proficiently played. As you can probably tell from the above the band are certainly not lacking in ambition. There are only 5 tracks but there is an hour of music here, including the epic 23 minute splendour of The Reformatting.

The sound is clear but my only slight complaint, (and it’s only a small thing really), is that it could do with a bit more depth to the sound; it sounds curiously compressed. It stops registering after a while, but when you first listen to this album after another band who, say, have a rounder sound to their recording, it stands out. Definitely not the end of the world, and it might not even be an issue for some people, but just a note for next time.

All in all this is a talented band who have produced a whopper of a début. I have no hesitation in recommending this album at all. If your tastes run to the Progressive and the interesting then Obliquity of the Ecliptic is for you. I fully expect this band to be snapped up by some enterprising record label soon, so get in on the action now.