Previously behind the Gentilhomme moniker, the anonymous musician from Quebec City now masterminds Soliloque, on this debut EP, Solution to Solitude. This solo progressive metal project oozes of Plini worship, but there’s more to it than mere imitation. Although the same senses of songcrafting and shiver-inducing melody are present here, Soliloque’s take on the style digs much deeper on the often-forgotten aspect of rhythmical complexity. The opening song, ‘Context’, is the prime example of this; 7/4 morphs into 15/16, to 11/8, and to other peculiar deconstructions of irregular hypermeasures. We truly need more music like this. The whole EP is mind-blowingly good!
超越死亡。超越理由。 (Chāoyuè sǐwáng. Chāoyuè lǐyóu.), or Beyond Death. Beyond Reason., is the debut EP from American progressive metal band Nodachi – also written in its stylized Chinese form 诺达奇 (Nuòdáqí). The trio’s sound is rather unique and pleasantly refreshing. They sometimes sound like harsh math rock, other times like Far-East-influenced folk metal, and still other times like nothing else! The band’s five short songs recount the story of the arrival of the prince Jin-Kali and his battle and defeat by an unnamed entity referred to as ‘the Blade’, which I assume is the band itself, or what they represent (the 诺达奇, Nuòdáqí). With the help of what sounds like Asian traditional music instruments, they craft what could perhaps be called folk mathcore, which is synonymous for utterly fascinating and engrossing music. This EP rules, and Nodachi should be a name you remember.
Brazilian progressive rock fusion band Pequeno céu recently released Praia vermelha, which seems to be their third album so far. The band’s peregrinations take us from the lands of post-rock, to math rock, and progressive rock, united under the banner of jazz fusion. The counterpoints and harmonic backgrounds are written thoroughly and masterfully, with all the benefits that come from being written by young, talented, and proficient artists. The modulations that are sprinkled all throughout the record give meaning and plenty of interests to their instrumental tracks. In short, a remarkable and robust album that deserves a spot in your library!
Michigan’s Hand of Eris have been teasing us with the release date for Nibiru Cataclysm set to April first, but it only became available on the twenty-second. Their unique compositions sound like a lot of different things mashed together in a gross but delicious purée. It’s best to keep the recipe secret, and enjoy the meal. At twenty minutes long, the four-song debut EP marks the birth of the band’s dissonant and rhythmically ambiguous sound. I remember why I kept it wishlisted for so long. The wait has been more than worth it, and the odd, mathcore-like technical death metal of the Hand of Eris, with all of its amazing intricacies and peculiarities has been unleashed!
Shamans among Machines is the latest album from Australian jazz fusion band Triplex. With parts of progressive rock, funk, and world fusion intertwined in the band’s DNA, their music is an interesting mix indeed. More prominently, Andrew Morris’ chorus-heavy fretless bass often plays the lead role, backed by Michael Coggins’ guitar and Tim Bradley’s world drumbeats. The album is a real treat, and just lets itself be listened to whole.

Yet another hard-to-find album on my mini-reviews… I hope you’re not growing weary of VK widgets already! This one’s from Russian band Bufihimat. Out yesterday, their sophomore release, I, constitutes a twenty-eight minute experience of brutal and technical chaos. It’s their first release since 2009 O, and I can right away hear a drastic improvement in production, which is a major plus! Moreover, the Voronezhets group changed vocation, as they previously were more of a black metal band, whereas today they are definitely on the tech-death and grindcore side. This is a great and brutal EP!
Space-grind is here. Psudoku is to tech-death and grindcore what Gigan is to death metal. Their newest arrival, Deep Space Psudokument, is psychedelic, over-the-top in more than one manner, and absurdly good, twisting the genre its based upon to barely recognizable extremes. Norway’s best kept secret is this, an eccentric and mad EP from the future. With a heavy-handed use of synths, inhuman tempos, and boundless imagination, let Psudoku open the doors to transhumanism. Seriously, this is a mandatory album to listen to!
French avant-garde progressive rock band Yolk come with their third album, Solar. The three songs that make up its forty-minute runtime are essential pieces for the avant-prog, rock in opposition, Zeuhl, or art-rock aficionado. Their sometimes doom-like psychedelic experience is fronted by Delphine’s wordless vocal exercises, which bring vague similarities between this, Corima, and Fire! Orchestra. A truly stellar release that deserves to be heard!
The progressive metal of Australian band Mish is back with Entheogen, their sophomore album, after a long wait of six years. Merging post-metal with early djent proves to be a good idea, and that’s almost forty minutes of it added in the universe, which is great! There’s not much more to say, unfortunately, as it’s a pretty good album from a genre that’s already beginning to grow old, but that can still be thoroughly enjoyed. The only drawback I’d like to address is the weirdly lo-fi production. While it doesn’t take away anything from the enjoyment of the album, as you get used to it quite easily, it’s an odd thing to find on an otherwise very professional album. In any case, it’s a very potent album!