Today marks the 15 year anniversary of what is widely known as one of the most important releases in progressive metal. One that has no equivalent, and very few competitors. Personally, Spiral Architect changed the way I viewed music, and the way I viewed the bass player in a band. It is a really important album for me, and I believe it deserves a little post here, for its 15 years of loyal service. If you aren’t already into the spiral train, it’s never too late to embark.
Happy 15 years and let’s just underline that the band is … Read more
I quite frankly wasn’t expecting that one… Over the very first listen there wasn’t much that just hit me. It wasn’t overly impressive and it wasn’t really “novel” in any way, but I kept coming back to listening to that album. I didn’t really know why, but there was something drawing me towards it. And now, after quite a bunch of listens, I can safely say that I really like the album. It’s good, well varied, nicely constructed, and the fact that it’s a live recording (with ulterior overdubs) makes it all the more interesting.
Does the name Nathan Parker Smith ring a bell to you? No? Well, that is about to change. His album Not Dark Yet certainly would have been on our best of 2014 list if we only knew about it earlier, but life, as good as it is, can sometimes be unfair. However, it’s certainly not too late to give the album a spin, and marvel at its ingenuity, and pure goodness.
From Beautiful British-Columbia comes Seer, a vintage-sounding stoner/sludge metal band which makes them, from this point of view, similar to Dawnbringer. Obviously, the two bands have wildly different influences and goals for their music, but still.