Tag Archives: Prog

State Of The Art: Louisiana’s THE ARBITRARY [Track Stream]

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*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*

This month’s state is Louisiana!

Any fans of progressive instrumental are severely missing out if The Arbitrary is not a part of their lives. The New Orleans two-piece has been self-releasing since 2015. Together, Jeffrey Fisher (guitar) and Adam Sauter (drums) have continued to boggle the brains of prog fans, yet quench the thirst for musical excellence with their 2017 EP ‘Identity.’ It may only be four songs, but those four songs are all the listener needs. A touch a djent, a brush of tech; it’s about time for a Ph.D. in music theory. Continue reading →

Album Review: MOUTH – Floating [Song Stream]

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Mouth

Floating

Tonzonen Records

Released March 23, 2018

The latest release from Cologne, Germany’s Mouth, the intoxicating Floating, marks the group as one of the most unique and singular in the wide world of retro rock. Like the very best of the genre, they take a pile of classic influences and combine them into something fresh and new and vital. A vibrantly kaleidoscopic blend of prog, pop, krautrock, and psych that pulses and throbs with a bright, crackling electricity, Floating clearly displays the musical telepathy the trio have developed in their near-twenty year existence. The eight songs here offer the full range of sonic experience, intricate structures and full, lush orchestration combining with joyful exuberance and rock-solid musicianship to make Floating one of the most rewarding listens you’ll have this year.

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STRAPPING YOUNG LAD And DTP Form New Band With ‘Secret’ Vocalist!

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Whilst the Devin Townsend Project may be on hiatus for the foreseeable future, with the man himself, the big ‘D’ following other musical pursuits. What better way to fill the void then with a brand new band featuring members from Devin’s past and present, the Devin Townsend Project and ex-members of Strapping Young Lad! Continue reading →

Review: KING WITCH – ‘Under The Mountain’ [Album Stream]

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Photo by Alan Swan Photography

 

Edinburgh based four piece band King Witch make a triumphant debut with ‘Under the Mountain’ which is released via Listenable Records! With this release we get 9 tracks of genre bending, kick ass HEAVY METAL! ‘Under The Mountain’ was recorded and produced by guitarist Jamie Gilchrist at their underground studio in their home city of Edinburgh, mixed and mastered by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Acolyte) in Southport and comes swathed in artwork created by vocalist Laura Donnelly. The record serves as King Witch’s follow-up to their debut EP, ‘Shoulders Of Giants’, and boasts nine riff-laden tracks offset by the powerful yet bewitching vocals of Donnelly. Influenced by everything from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Mastodon and High On Fire, ‘Under The Mountain’ is as melodic as it is monolithic, taking its listener on a journey from soulful doom to full-tilt metal mayhem. Continue reading →

Review: ECHOLOT – ‘Volva’ [Album Stream & Official Video]

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 Switzerland based power trio Echolot was founded in 2014. The band consists of Lukas Fürer (Guitar),  Jonathan Schmidli (Drums) and Renato Matteucci (Bass). The band combines prog, stoner rock, doom and psychedelic rock all into one unique and complex sound. In April of 2016 Echolot released their first full length album titled ‘I’. They kicked things off with an album release party alongside the amazing Swedish stoner rockers Goatess. The bands fresh jams have these psychedelic eruptions that drive you from the depths of doom into a Pink-Floyd type lightness. On October 6th 2017 the band released ‘Volva’ their debut on their new label Czar Of Revelations. ‘Volva’ is a 4 track full length album that comes in with a run time of over 55 minutes. The band says of the album “it will contain moments of fragility, heavy riffing, epic solos and some truly unique jams!”

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State of the Art – NC’s own Sun of Nile!

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is North Carolina!

Sun of Nile is a progressive metal band based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. They have been hitting the scene hard since 2015. After talking to these guys, I feel confident that Hollywood will someday make a movie about them. Their origin story is something to behold! You know how most bands come together because the founding members are childhood pals who ditched 3rd period English class to get stoned together? Well, that’s not the case for them. Get out your Kleenex because this is a story of woe, passion, determination, and saving the world like in that movie, Armageddon.

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Interview With BYZANTINE Vocalist/Guitarist Chris “OJ” Ojeda!

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On July 28th, Byzantine will release their new album, ‘The Cicada Tree’, via Metal Blade Records. Heralded as the most underrated band from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal Movement, Byzantine has slowly gained a cult-like following after releasing 5 genre-bending albums. 16 years underground, it’s finally time for the world to hear Byzantine! For a first preview of The Cicada Tree, a new video for the single “New Ways to Bear Witness” (featuring a cameo by Skeletonwitch’s Dustin Boltjes, as well as ex-Byzantine drummer Matt Wolfe) has been launched online. Directed/edited by Holly Siders, the filming of “New Ways to Bear Witness”. The band has an upcoming headlining tour as well as a nationwide take over with Sacred Reich starting in September. Continue reading →

A Little Q and A To Metal Up Your Day [Interview With ACID DEATH!]

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Acid Death, Live in Germany. (Photo credit unknown)

 

About a month ago, I wrote a little piece for Metal Nexus in regards to the unearthing of the long lost debut album of Grecian prog/tech metal innovators, Acid Death.  (Click here to check it out if you’re so inclined.)  Not long after the publication of that article, I was in contact with Savvas Bettinis (vox and bassist for AD) about a possible interview with the band and after consideration, we decided on a more Q & A style due to differences in scheduling and time zones.  What follows is the results of that exchange, Continue reading →

Review: PALMER – ‘Surrounding The Void’ [Album Stream]

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Photo Credit: © 2016 Fabian Unternährer

Formed in 2000 Swiss metal band Palmer are a band that creates massive depth within their sound. Palmer has been forging their sound towards perfection for the last 16 years. This Swiss quartet is no typical four-four time metalcombo straight off the rack. Their strength comes from their ability to work as one cohesive unit. No member is more talented than the other and they shine as one entity. Palmer works intuitively and without restraints and their creations reflect an energy of immediate presence. Somewhere between post-metal and prog-rock the band has truly found their space in the metal world. The band released their debut in 2007 via Czar of Crickets titled ‘This One Goes To Eleven’, they followed that album up with ‘Momentum’ in 2011 this time releasing their work via Subversiv Records. The band of course takes ample time between albums, creating perfection takes time you know. Palmer has released their latest LP ‘Surrounding The Void’ on February 24th, 2017. It marks the bands return to Czar of Crickets as well. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Virginia – LOINCLOTH

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*

This month’s State is Virginia!

Virginia’s tenure as our featured State of the Art concludes this week, as I present one more noteworthy artist hailing from the Old Dominion – Loincloth. With members in Richmond and Raleigh, perhaps the band could fit in the Virginia or North Carolina State of the Art series. Nevertheless, the instrumental prog trio is a hard-hitting powerhouse to be reckoned with, featuring concise, syncopated movements of progressive metal riffage and dissonance.  Continue reading →