Tag Archives: progressive rock

Weserbergland, Yawn, Vetvi, and Izthmi

by Dæv Tremblay

Weserbergland – Sacrae symphōniae, numerō 1


Sacrae symphōniae, numerō 1 is a one-track, forty-minute, progressive, atmospheric, psychedelic, , symphonic krautrock piece. Yeah, I bet I tickled your curiosity right there eh! This is the third album from Norwegian band Weserbergland, and it’s just as advertised. When you click play, you’re submerged in an aura that’ll only end two-thirds of an hour later. During that time, you’ll come across the mesmerizing repeated riffs of krautrock, only spiced up with a lot of keyboard ambiance, woodwinds, and piano. The whole thing sounds uncanny, like it shouldn’t exist, yet it does. And it’s… Read more

Sinularia, Sonic Assault, Mad Fellaz, and Xiranda

by Dæv Tremblay

Sinularia – Subwater Beats


What if you mixed wonky beats hip-hop, jazz, and AAL-style compositions and technique? Well, you get Sinularia. The unique character of the music that’s shown on Subwater Beats is utterly fascinating. The band consists of a drummer, a double bassist, and an electric guitarist. All of them seem very fond of effect pedals and post-production shenanigans. Regarding the composition, the songs move from one section to the next like tides ebb and flow, and it’s a real rhythmic challenge at times to decipher what’s going on. It’s real fun when bands make rhythm their main focus,… Read more

Sababa 5, Aaron Myers-Brooks, Valve, and Mr. Fastfinger

by Dæv Tremblay

Sababa 5 – Sababa 5


Sababa 5—סבבה 5 in their native Hebrew language, basically meaning “The Cool 5″—is a neo-psychedelia band from Israel with a heavy dose of Middle-Eastern music influence laced in their funky grooves. Their self-titled album is instrumental, and while it would have been cool to have some vocals to match their style, there is no time where I thought that it lacked them. The melodies and grooves provide ample entertainment on their own, and that comes with the benefit of instrumental music: it’s easier to play it as background music to whatever else you’re doing. So… Read more

Lunatic Tone Orchestra, Forelunar, Brendan Byrnes, and Spinifex

by Dæv Tremblay

Lunatic Tone Orchestra – Chronicle of Faith


Take symphonic metal and J-pop, what do you get? If you thought Babymetal, you’re not far off! While the emphasis is less on high-energy rock anthems or mellow ballads, Lunatic Tone Orchestra—狂奏楽団 (Kyō sōgaku-dan) in Japanese—is focused more on the prog aspect of the genre, calling themselves “progressive philosophy metal”, whatever that means. If you have a Coexist sticker on your car, you better start listening to this album right away!

Forelunar – Beloved and a Thousand Seraphim


Iran is undergoing some kind of turmoil these days. Look it up, it’s a revolution!… Read more

Backxwash, Adapar, Cydemind, and Horse Lords

by Dæv Tremblay

Backxwash – His Happiness Shall Come First Even though We Are Suffering


Backxwash—Montréal-based rapper Ashanti Mutinta—just released their new album: His Happiness Shall Come First Even though We Are Suffering, the final part of the trilogy that began with 2020’s God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It. So-called “horror rap”, this is some real heavy hip-hop on the more experimental side of things. I mean, it’s got features from Pupil Slicer (mathcore) and Ghais Guevara (another experimental hip-hop artist I like), so I’m already sold on it! As dmaestaz puts it so brilliantly… Read more