Progressive Metal

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    Amiensus - Reclamation: Part II (2024)

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    Hailing from the USA, Progressive Black Metal outfit Amiensus returns with part II of their “Reclamation” saga. Released a few months back, part I showcased the band’s excellent musicianship and creativity, and with part II, the band continues to unleash superbly crafty and engaging songs with elements from bands like Enslaved, Agalloch, alongside their distinctive vocal onslaughts.

    Opening with “Sólfarið”, we get a pretty intense track that slowly builds up to a hectic cathartic closing, instantly reminding us of the proggy-ness of Enslaved alongside the band’s diverse vocal onslaught. After making an impression with the opener, “Acquiescence” has more of an Agalloch dreamy opening that quickly expands to heavy riffs, pummeling drumming, and hellish harsh vocals. The band expertly mixes slower and dreamy passages with some pretty engaging blistering sections that weave back and forth different moods and tempos.

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    Simone Simons - Vermillion (2024)

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    Finally getting around to unleashing her ‘solo’ music, Simone Simons of Epica fame delivers one of the most bombastic and explosive Symphonic/Progressive Metal releases of 2024. Featuring ten tracks and over forty six minutes of music, this album shows the versatility of Simone’s vocals and creativity. With tracks reminding us from everything between Epic and Ayreon, this release will certainly be a hit with her fans and fans of the genre.

    Opening with the mysterious “Aeterna”, we get a very bombastic and engaging first taste into this excellent release. More than just more of the same, the tracks in this release add electronic and progressive elements to clearly delineate that this is Simone’s own project and not just an extension of Epica. Tracks like, our personal favorite, “In Love We Rust”, really showcase her vocals in a different light, with more of an Ayreon-esque edge.

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    Axamenta - Spires (2024)

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    Returning after a 10 year hiatus, Axamenta is a very unique Belgian band that combines cinematic elements with a well polished dose of Melodic Death/Black Metal. In this return EP, the band delivers a 23-minute track that is divided in seven acts, creating a very immersive and engaging experience. Recommended for fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh, this release is both explosive and bombastic.

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    Evergrey - Theories of Emptiness (2024)

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    Long running Progressive/Power Metal outfit Evergrey is one of the most recognized names in the scene and with “Theories of Emptiness”, the band keeps their momentum going with eleven epic tracks. Totaling over 45 minutes of music, this release continues the band’s highly melancholic journey with well crafted songs that perfectly show the band’s excellent songwriting skills and atmospheric prowess.

    Opening with the banger, “Falling From the Sun”, we get Tom S. Englund’s signature vocals perfectly surrounded by subtle atmospherics and crafty instrumentation. We particularly love how the keyboards crafty dark vibes on songs like “Misfortune” and “To Become Someone Else”, giving the band’s sound that extra edge. However, the guitar work is also top notch, with a good amount of engaging solos and a mixture of powerful riffs with melodic passages, as heard on “Say” and “Ghost of My Hero”, our personal favorite song of the release.

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    Teramaze - Eli - A Wonderful Fall from Grace (2024)

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    Hailing from Australia, today we have Progressive Metal juggernauts “Teramaze” and their latest opus “Eli - A Wonderful Fall from Grace”. Featuring eight tracks and over 55 minutes of music, this release is highly polished and engaging, showcasing the band’s evolution over the years and abilities to craft superbly catchy and engaging tracks. While some might not like the band’s lyrical themes, the music is superb and definitely worth a listen for fans of the genre.

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    Amiensus - Reclamation: Part 1 (2024)

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    Unleashing a very interesting and crafty Progressive Black Metal release, today we have Amiensus and their moody “Reclamation: Part 1” release. Featuring eight tracks and nearly 55 minutes of highly intricate music, this album has vibes from bands like Enslaved, Agalloch, all the way to Cynic. With each track introducing an interesting mix of ideas, this release is definitely one of the most unique and enjoyable albums of 2024.

    Opening with the moody atmospherics of “Blink of the Moment'', the band sets a very Agalloch-esque vibe thanks to its engaging guitar-driven core and excellent vocal (clean and harsh) onslaughts. This dreamy atmosphere bleeds into the catchiness of “Reverie”, a more dynamic piece that features an interesting mix of Progressive elements and engaging melodic passages. The band’s ideas nicely blend different genres and elements together as the mellow “Senses Amplified” showcases.

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    Shadohm - Through Darkness Towards Enlightenment (2024)

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    Hailing from Poland, today we have a very ambitious new outfit Shadohm and their crafty/proggy Modern Metal release “Through Darkness Towards Enlightenment”. Formed by Paweł Jaroszewicz of Vader, Antigama, Batushka fame, this outfit delivers five crushing tracks, totaling 30 minutes of music, highly recommended for fans of bands like Hacride, Gojira, Architects, and Meshuggah.

    Opening with the pummeling “Through Darkness”, we get a hefty mixture of crafty drumming, engaging tempo changes, and powerful guitars. The vocals are quite fitting to the music as they switch from harsh passages to more melodic clean arrangements. For fans of Meshuggah and similar outfits, tracks like “Blurred” and “Fair Weather Friend” have a solid dose of Djenty tempo changes and layered guitars.

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    Borknagar - Fall (2024)

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    After blowing everybody away with their 2019 release “True North”, Borknagar is back stronger and even catchier than ever. The band has always distinguished themselves as one of those Folk/Viking/Black Metal with signature Progressive and melodic elements, and with “Fall”, the band takes them even further. If you like any of the band’s previous releases, this one has a bit of everything from all their stylistic changes over the years.

    Opening with the epic “Summits”, this track has all the Borknagar staples: soaring clean and harsh vocals, crafty drumming, proggy guitars, and atmospheric magic. As the first single of this release, the band fires in all cylinders and creates a very powerful and dynamic atmosphere. As you can expect the deadly combination of clean vocals from both Lars and Vortex, makes this band the equivalent of having two of the best players, of any sport, on the same team.

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    Amorphis - Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia (2023)

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    Polishing their live shows over the years, Amorphis now a well oiled machine that can deliver a killer show to a packed arena, but also face-melt the crowd on more intimate club shows. For those that haven’t been able to catch the band live, their latest release: “Queen of Time - Live at Tavastia”, perfectly captures their intensity and precise delivery of their crafty music. Recorded during COVID-19 times, this live album is a testament to the bands tenacity and brilliant live showmanship.

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    ONI - The Silver Line (2023)

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    Delivering a guest-appearances filled full-length release, today we have Canadian ONI and their return “The Silver Line”. As a brainchild of Jake Oni, the music created is an interesting mixture of Progressive/Djent Metal with some Metalcore elements. Featuring nine tracks and 30 minutes of music, this release has quite enjoyable and epic songs that are quite dynamic and engaging.

    Opening with “Silhouette”, we get a nice contrast between powerful distorted guitars, clean soaring vocal harmonies, and crafty atmospheric synths. The songs are well written and all have catchy hooks, what makes the release even more enjoyable is the assortment of guests used like Sueco on “Spark”, “Underneath my Skin” featuring Kellin Quinn, and “Aura” with Jost Gilbert and Howard Jones. They all bring a different edge to each track, keeping things fresh.

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