Divine Realm’s Tectum Argenti is a nice mix of melodic prog and djent with some impressive musicianship. While not as heavy as similar bands like Between the Buried and Me or Animals as Leaders, Divine Realm’s debut album still packs quite a punch.

Fronted by Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Leo Diensthuber, Divine Realm which started out as just a one-man band, grew into a full band before this debut full length album, which came out this week on February 23rd.

The album consists of seven meaty tracks, all between 3 and 5 minutes a piece. Not a second seems wasted though, there isn’t any filler. The opening track “Tritos” starts out with some atmospheric sounds which quickly leads into a guitar arpeggio right before the rest of the band kicks in. Harmonizing guitar parts carry this song as the rhythm and leads trade off with beautifully crafted melodies. The second track “Cloak and Daggers,” has a more classical sound than the modern sounding opener, a wonderful contrast to keep the listener engaged. The guitar tones on this album are crisp but also very expressive and the production is very good which accentuates the skills of each musician.

While the band is instrumental, I feel a vocalist could definitely add to the music, but without one, it still has enough substance. The title track stands out as one of my favorites on the album. It has a great mix of soaring solos and driving riffs, and sits comfortably in the center of the album. The longest track, “Metaphor of the Sun” is an epic finale to the album and reiterates the different themes explored throughout.

Overall this album is filled to the brim with soaring guitar melodies that are very pleasing to the ears. It’s a solid debut album, and a must listen for anyone into guitar based instrumental prog metal. Although it could get a little boring or repetitive to those who just aren’t into the instrumentality, and want something more vocal oriented.

A press copy of the album was used for this review.