Minarchist – In Absence, with Exclusive Song Premiere

by Dæv Tremblay

Listen to “The Ecstasy of Dreams” in an exclusive premiere stream right now!

coverinabscenceWe rarely, if ever, have the chance to witness a band in its infancy that later becomes widely known and loved. Most of the bands we write about here, although they are insanely good and talented, are often too far underground to catch widespread attention even though some manage to thrive in the understream. Minarchist, however, have a bright future ahead of them. Remember how Black Crown Initiate started out: they simply put their EP, “Song of the Crippled Bull”, on bandcamp one day and, the … Read more

Monthly Recommendations: April 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

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What’s the best to come to our attention last month? Let’s see…
Bird Poop might sound a bit rough around the edges, but the story behind Bird Caravan‘s debut album is very interesting. The entirety of the album was recorded in one take with the whole band. The result is this crazy, improvisation-filled experimental math rock album that sounds a bit like CHON meets Omniataxia. The whole recording session is in a video on the band’s facebook page, so check this out!
After their wildly-praised debut album, the Polish band Niechęć comes back with their sophomore, self-titled album. Although, at … Read more

Armonite – The Sun Is New Each Day

by Jeff Nixon

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Released last year on June 22, 2015, Armonite’s second album, and first album in 15 years The Sun Is New Each Day is a vibrant instrumental prog album that is full of both complex and beautiful melodies. The prominent electric violin reminds me a bit of the Dixie Dregs. The album sounds like a Soundtrack at times, which makes sense since the band has published videos of a few movie theme covers from their show The Soundtrack is New Each Day. In fact, it sounds more like a video game soundtrack to me. ‘‘G’ as in Gears’ could easily … Read more

OSR: April 27th, 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

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If you like completely whack experimental math rock, Yowie is the band to go to. I’ve had Damning with Faint Praise for a few years now, but apparently totally forgot to post about it here. A shame, really. This band’s music is totally mind-melting – in its softer moments, it sounds a bit like the craziest parts of The Mars Volta -, and I’m sure you’ll find something interesting in it! Poly-Math make math rock-tinged prog rock. Melencolia is their second full-length, after their debut Reptiles, and it’s a really interesting and melancholic – hence the name – experience. They… Read more

Schammasch – Triangle, an Analysis Of

by Dæv Tremblay

covertriangle2The Swiss avant-garde black metal band Schammasch – name taken from Šamaš, the Mesopotamian God of Justice – will release their third full-length album, simply titled Triangle, on April 29th. As the name suggests, the concept of this highly ambitious work is tripartite, each side clocking in at 33:30. Yes, that makes for more than a hundred minutes of music! Inspired by Richard MacDonald‘s sculptures, the cover album portrays circus artist Sasha Krohn, falling into nothingness, photographed by Ester Segarra. Every side of the Triangle has its own identity, and feels very unique, they deal with various concepts, … Read more