Smart, yet intoxicating riffs travel through the speakers as an easy brush of arpeggios lift one into another world where all things are neatly and perfectly packaged into sonic bites of progressive wonder. Charleston, West Virginia is the homeland of Astraeus. If you can’t already tell, they are excellent.
The band has been releasing singles and an EP since early 2012. Astraeus is an independent five piece consisting of Justin Lesher and Eric Hayne on guitars, Cliff Marlowe on drums, Nick Dawson plays bass and vocals are by Jr Lucas. Think of the aggression of Monuments’ heaviest tracks, the slappy djent riffs from Veil of Maya and dreaminess from The Contortionist. Basically, dream band.
The “Mirrors” EP from 2014 is nothing to sleep on. Astraeus does something kind of unique on that EP, as it is essentially two EP’s, but the second half is completely instrumental. “Pt. VI: Endless Circles,” the closing track is stupendous. The song structure is sound, interesting and classic. It is completely driven by an infectious groove that has an fascinating ambient texture on top. This February a new single, “Into Eternity” was released, giving the world a taste of what they have been up to.
Astraeus is currently working on their first full length record. Stay in touch with their socials via Facebook and Twitter to make sure you don’t miss the release. In the meantime, stay proggy.
