Progressive Rock

Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures [Things You Might Have Missed 2018]

By Eldritch Elitist on November 30, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Non-Metal Metal Things, Progressive Rock, Roadrunner, Things You Might Have Missed 2018, Hard Rock, Non-metal Metal Things, Progressive Rock, 60 comments

“What were you expecting, a metal review? Too bad. Coheed time. Back in 2005, the New York boys of Coheed and Cambria were immensely influential in my formative years as a rabid consumer of music. Though only a metal band in the loosest sense of the genre, the band’s emotionally explosive and instrumentally nuanced brand of progressive alt-rock undoubtedly laid the foundation for my formal induction into metal fandom only a year later. For better or for worse, they also ignited my critical spirit; the waning quality of C&C’s post-Good Apollo Vol. I output forced me to examine music with an unbiased ear, and helped turn me into the cynical shithead you see before you today.” Alien inwasion.

Northern Crown – Northern Crown Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 44 comments

“A band’s sophomore album is the make or break moment in many a career. We all know the story: A young band cobbles together a set of original compositions then spends years honing and retooling them in live settings, finding what works and what doesn’t. Those carefully polished, time-tested chestnuts become the grist of their debut and if they’re good, all that sweat equity pays big dividends. After that they’re forced to write a whole new set of tunes much faster to meet a label’s release cycle so as to keep the unwashed masses fed and engaged. Can the rushed material equal what came before? Can two-man doom act, Northern Crown solve this riddle?” We’re going through changes.

Ashbury – Eye of the Stygian Witches

By El Cuervo on October 1, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Hard Rock, High Roller Records, Progressive Rock, Proto-Metal, Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, 51 comments

“Ashbury, of Tuscon, Arizona, are olde. Their debut called Endless Skies dates back to 1983 but evidently flew under the mainstream radar, while 2018’s Eye of the Stygian Witches is only their third full-length release in these past 35 years. Olde; Tuscon-dwellers; under-appreciated; unreliable; these are all characteristics of our very own Dr. A. N. Grier. Older than dirt and sky.

Riverside – Wasteland Review

By Angry Metal Guy on September 25, 2018 in 2018, InsideOut, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 98 comments

“I did not know what to expect when I started listening to Riverside’s new album Wasteland. In a way, I was surprised that it was written and released. After Piotr Grudziński’s sudden and untimely death in 2016 the band was effusive in their love for him and open about what a deeply personal loss they had suffered. The three remaining members elected to release a compilation of instrumental material featuring Piotr’s work and songwriting in 2016 entitled Eye of the Soundscape. This was followed by a live album called Lost ‘n’ Found on Bandcamp independently which featured Piotr in a show on the 18th of October, 2015 in the Netherlands. And then, apparently, Riverside began writing new music.” From loss, creation.

Crippled Black Phoenix – Great Escape Review

By Huck N Roll on September 13, 2018 in 2018, Ambient Metal, British Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Season of Mist, Ambient Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Rock, 90 comments

“Yes, this album cover needs a unicorn. It’s the first and foremost thing any of us noticed in the AMG World Headquarters break room. I don’t know what’s going on with this horse, but it won’t be good when and if it comes back down to earth. I suppose it’s escaping, although maybe it’s just simply jubilant. At eleven songs and over 74 minutes, is Great Escape going to make me jubilant, or am I going to want to make my escape?” Unicorn in the sky. Making little children cry.

Circles – The Last One Review

By Kronos on September 9, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Season of Mist, Djent, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 91 comments

“Circles’ textured approach to prog metal recalls the moodiness and energy of Fates Warning within the context of a post-djent landscape where six-string guitars and straight rhythms are seen as passé. Yet success stirs in their artful and sensitive exploration of space, whether they’re marching through angular hardcore, tip-toeing across delicate electronics, or bobbing in subtle waves. Like many modern, progressive-leaning rock/metal bands, they bring elements of Periphery-worship on their journey but deploy them so intelligently that at times The Last One becomes greater than its individual components.” Always sphere for you.

Semantic Saturation – Paradigms Review

By GardensTale on August 23, 2018 in 2018, Canadian Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Self-released, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 28 comments

“Welcome to Psych 102! Today we discuss the phenomenon of semantic saturation, or satiation. Ever hear a word so often it just becomes a sound and loses all meaning? Let’s try it here! Read this out loud, focusing on the sound of the word: juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Juxtapose. Are you feeling it yet? Syrian/Canadian guitarist Shant Hagopian was, and he was feeling it with music rather than words. Developing an acute allergy to repetition, he decided to create a band with a focus on variety, resulting in the instrumental band Semantic Saturation.” Paradigms and envelopes.

Opus of a Machine – Stray Fire Review

By Huck N Roll on August 15, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Post-Rock, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Self-released, Shoegaze, Progressive Rock, Shoegaze, 47 comments

“A new record from an unsigned band touring with Caligula’s Horse should be enough for most reviewers to perk up their ears and attempt to claim it from the promo bin. Somehow, though, Opus of a Machine’s new album Stray Fire had its cloaking device firmly in place, and none of us grabbed it until the AMG Overlords forced it upon me.” Forced Opus is the best Opus.

Southern Empire – Civilisation Review

By GardensTale on August 1, 2018 in 2018, Australian Metal, Giant Electric Pea, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Rock, 145 comments

“Let’s be real here: are bands truly progressive when the longest song between them is but a measly fifteen minutes? Adelaide’s Southern Empire say “Not so!” as they drop the massive platter that is Civilisation. The four-track album clocks in at a mind-numbing seventy minutes! Can they justify the enormous time investment required to fully appreciate a record of such hefty girth?” An album with big bones.

Redemption – Long Night’s Journey into Day Review

By Steel Druhm on July 27, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Metal Blade, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Progressive Metal, 108 comments

“Once upon a time I went all in for the larger than life prog bombast of Fates Warning and later, Dream Theater. I admired the cerebral nature of both their works and the mind-blowing level of technical proficiency with which they delivered it. Over the years, Dream Theater lost their way and the ability to deliver memorable material, but Fates Warning modified and ultimately streamlined their sound to remain a reliable, engaging act 30-plus years into their career arc. Redemption, a sort of prog super group helmed by Fates Warning’s Ray Alder and some Fates expats, has managed a successful run of albums by following Fates’ blueprint and delivering songs first, with wankery added in a relatively unobtrusive way.” A long noodle’s journey.