Tag Archives: guitar

Thrailkill – Detach

by Jeff Nixon

The Music

The Words

Wes Thrailkill is back with another killer release! This time, a 20 minute EP titled Detach. Wes wrote this during quarantine after having trouble finding inspiration and second guessing nearly everything he produced. But in the end he relinquished himself to the creative process and forged this beauty. Wes compares his mindset while creating Detach, to pulling a random card from a shuffled deck. Despite that mindset, he still managed to make it flow as a cohesive piece. It’s heavy, melodic, jazzy, chaotic, virtuosic, and everything in-between. Wes’s guitar tone is flawless as usual, … Read more

Thrailkill – Everything That Is You

by Jeff Nixon

The Music

The Words

I reviewed LA-based instrumental prog band Mammoth‘s album Deviations back in 2016, giving it much praise. Well, now they’re back with new album Everything That Is You under a new band name: Thrailkill. Frontman Wes used his last name as the band’s new name, which I think, with a last name that badass, why wouldn’t you? Of course, the music is equally badass. Chock full of melodic arpeggi and heavy riffs, this album is sure to satisfy any prog fan, from the casual to hardcore.

Overall, the songs on this album are shorter … Read more

Kaipa – Children of the Sounds

by Jeff Nixon

I first discovered Kaipa about a decade ago when I was really into The Flower Kings and was exploring their various side projects. The Flower Kings frontman Roine Stolt was a member of Kaipa during the late 70s (when he was only 17), and during their reformation in the early 2000s, but left after their 2005 album Mindrevolutions. Children of the Sounds, out on September 22nd, is now the eighth album since Kaipa’s return, and thirteenth overall.

The dynamic between Patrik Lundström’s and Aleena Gibson’s vocals is quite powerful and something that has always stood out to me … Read more

The Tangent – The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery

by Jeff Nixon


Out this Friday is The Tangent‘s new album The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery, or “Where Do We Draw the Line Now?”. This politically charged prog album is very dense but enjoyable once you fully dig into it. It has some nice jazz sprinkled throughout and some great melodies and solos. There’s an electronic breakdown in the track ‘Slow Rust’; apparently the band brought in a DJ for those sections. They even got Chumbawamba founder Boff Whalley on as a guest vocalist. The slogan of this album is “The World Changed. Not the Band.” But, with this genre, … Read more

Mammoth – Deviations

by Jeff Nixon

mammothIn the world of progressive rock and metal, instrumental albums are pretty common so it’s a bit hard to stand out. Mammoth absolutely manage to do this with their new album Deviations. Impressive playing paired with amazing production quality and beautiful tones prove that these guys are at the top of their class.

The first song, ‘Entanglements’ sounds like an entanglement of instruments weaving wonderfully through each other. Impressive guitar arpeggios and solos are complemented by ambient keyboards and intense drums. The middle section of the song calms down with a bright clean section that builds back up into … Read more