Tag Archives: progressive death metal

Review: Haishen – Awaken the Endless Deep

by Jeff Nixon

The Music

The Words

Haishen, whose Chinese name (海神) translates to God of the Sea, are an innovative new prog metal band from Rochester, NY. After releasing their self-titled EP, first in 2020, then again in 2021 (remixed/remastered and re-released by their label Needlejuice Records), Haishen are back with their debut full-length, Awaken the Endless Deep, releasing on May 9th, 2024. This is a concept album about Chinese creation mythology, and is full of epic prog rock, melodic death metal, and much more.

The album opens with “Crimson Sun” which after some … Read more

Carvakas, Cleric, Fred Pallem, and Hedvig Mollestad

by Dæv Tremblay

Carvakas – Casus


So, it’s my first time hearing about this Chilean band, but I must say I’m not disappointed. At first listen, Casus might sound a big rough around the edges, but upon further listening, it starts to be part of Carvakas’s sound and charm. Indeed, Casus sounds like a true old school progressive technical death metal album, and all of these rough edges I mentioned before help to maintain this illusion. I had a great time listening to this album!

Cleric – John Zorn’s Bagatelles, Volume 12 (Tzadik)

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Oh, Cleric. Cleric are unambiguously awesome. Between 2010’s … Read more

Greco Bastián, An Abstract Illusion, Greber, and Toehider

by Dæv Tremblay

Greco Bastián – With a Little Hell from My Friends

What kind of mad scientist is this? The lad doesn’t even play an instrument, yet he writes (and publishes!) one of the best avant-prog releases of 2022? And that’s all with real instruments! Well, mostly… Greco conjured some of the brightest names in the genre to play on his album—I’m talking Koenjihyakkei, Ruins, Univers Zéro, Ryoko Ono, Pierre Vervloesem, Secret Chiefs 3, Patrick Shiroishi, Scherzoo, Jon Bafus, Samo Šalamon, and more! What an incredible feat of collaboration, coordination, networking, and determination! The result is a fascinating and mesmerizing album full… Read more

Kutu, Aeternam, Kolínga, and I, Parasite

by Dæv Tremblay

Kutu – Guramayle


The Ceccaldi name is a promise of great music. On this album, both brothers collaborate with two Ethiopian singers from Addis Ababa to make a modern fusion of Ethiopian pop and jazz fusion. Everything is solidly backed up by drummer Cyril Atef, who’s previously played on other incredible albums, as with Bumcello. It’s an album made to groove, dance, and have a terribly fun time. The drums feel aptly Afrobeatish in essence most of the time, while the harmonization is walking the thin line between authentic and experimental. It’s a truly superb album!

Aeternam – Heir of

… Read more

Best of Death Metal 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


No need to introduce death metal, right? It’s death, and metal! There has been so many great death and death-adjacent records this year that this top 5 was one of the toughest to call! I could’ve easily extended it into a top 10, but for the sake of concision, I was able to keep only the 5 best in my opinion!

Number Five: Dagtum – Revered Decadence


Dagtum released an underground gem of dissonant death metal with Revered Decadence. The band is actually a supergroup hailing from the Philippines, and they truly deserve the “super” prefix, as everything they … Read more