Tag Archives: progressive

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

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

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

Haken – Affinity, an Analysis Of

by Jeff Nixon

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I wasn’t introduced to Haken until early 2014 when I discovered their 2013 release The Mountain. I loved that album and immediately listened to the rest of their discography. Later that year, they released their EP Restoration which was an awesome look into their past, re-imagining and re-recording songs from their demo with higher production quality. Now, nearly two years later, we’re graced with a new full-length album called Affinity.

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If you followed Haken’s facebook page closely in January of this year, you might have seen them post a few times about the name and content of the … Read more

Slice the Cake – Odyssey to the Gallows, an Analysis Of

by Dæv Tremblay

The release of the much-anticipated Odyssey to the West, from the progressive deathcore band Slice the Cake, has been somewhat obfuscated by some internal problems. I do not wish to delve into this, but rather write about the music itself, the lyrics, and the concept surrounding it all. Understand that I do not take any side there, but merely observe the fact that the music is out there for everyone to hear, and that I wish to express my opinions on it, as well as expose the underlying storyline. Today, I will cover the Gallows part. So without … Read more