Progressive Metal

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    Red Wave – Pamir (2013)

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    Finding talented musicians is pretty easy, however, finding a band with talented musicians than can actually write compelling music is a whole different story. Red Wave luckily is a three-piece that their individual skills greatly complement each other and they managed to deliver eight brilliant tracks of Progressive Rock/Metal. With a heavy and yet melodic sound, their music is quite skillfully crafted to appeal any fan of the genre and please even the most snobbish people in the scene.

    The album leads away with the warm-up “Monolith” and a very funky bass guitar opening. The distorted guitars really give a certain kick to the music that many of the progressive releases we get are missing, allowing us to enjoy “Pamir” even more. The opening dreaminess of tracks like “Ikarus” is essential for the listener to really immerse themselves in the music, and Red Wave does a pretty darn good job at hooking people into their music.

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    Pellek – Ocean of Opportunity (2013)

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    Today we have Norwegian Metal/Rock vocalist Pellek (Per Fredrik Asly) delivering is sophomore album titled “Ocean of Opportunity”. As a highly ambitious self-released album, Pellek and company (he now has band members for this album cycle) deliver more than 45 minutes of expertly crafted Power/Progressive Metal with a nice dosage of symphonic elements. Being a concept album, the nine tracks in this release nicely come together and keep a very steady and engaging flow making the release very solid and interesting.

    Opening with very regal orchestrations on “Elucidation”, we can immediately enjoy the album’s crystal-clear production and PelleK’s talented vocals. This song is quite powerful and enjoyable, but it holds itself from letting the listener know all that is hidden under Pellek’s bag of tricks. Immediately reminding us of Nightwish, “Northern Wayfarer” makes things more dynamic with lush guitar work and very solid solos.

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    Galaktik Cancer Squad – Ghost Light (2013)

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    With four full-length releases in less than 3 years, today we have one man project Galaktik Cancer Squad and ‘their’ latest opus: “Ghost Light”. Pushing the boundaries of Black Metal with their visionary music, “Ghost Light” keeps things rolling for the band with five devastating tracks of crushing Black Metal with amazing Progressive elements and melodic influences. With over 50 minutes of music, this release has some very harsh and brutal Black Metal sections that puts the band ahead of their competition, rather than just focusing on copying bands like Enslaved, GSC has their own unique style of destruction.

    The release starts very violently with the massive “Ethanol Nebula”, filled with hyper-fast drums and crushing guitar work. There are even some excellent Immortal-like guitars (around the 2 minute mark) that greatly add to the overall musical experience of this monumental track. The vocals are quite decent, but the complex music is what really gets you from this band. Things get considerably more melodic with the powerful “When the Void Whispers My Name”. Here the band reminded us of Agrypnie and their equally engaging and skillful Black Metal.

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    The Ocean – Pelagial (2013)

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    Robin Staps and company return with another impressive and monumental 53-minute concept album that is intended to be played as one whole piece. In “Pelagial”, the bands ambitions are high than ever with an album that nicely builds up in momentum, just as the layers of the ocean are entered in a voyage to the sea floor. The Ocean are famous for their highly complex and multi-layered releases and this one is not an exception, keeping things very intricate and beautifully arranged for all fans to be blown away since the opening song.

    “Pelagial” was also originally intended to be mainly an instrumental release, and it is provided as both in the regular version of the album, so we will go back and forth in how the tracks feel different and transmit different feelings both with lyrics and without them. Opening with the very relaxed and dreamy “Epipelagic”, one even feels a certain sense of relief with this lush and simple track. Things start getting a bit more ‘heavier’ as the voyage continues going deeper and with “Mesopelagic – The Uncanny” we get the first taste of heavy guitars and the combination of clean and harsh vocals. We do think this track works a lot better on the instrumental version since it sounds cleaner and sets the mood a bit better.

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    Lifeforms – Multidimensional (2013)

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    Hailing from the USA, today we have the debut full-length release Lifeforms, an up-and-coming Progressive Extreme Metal band that mixes influences from band like Meshuggah to Deathcore bands like The Black Dahlia Murder. With an emphasis of excellent technical skills and brutality, this band has constructed 10 excellent tracks that while a bit repetitive, are actually quite enjoyable.

    Opening with the expectation builder “Descent into Madness”, the band starts warming up the riffing machine in this short intro. “Multidimensional” fully explodes with excellent Meshuggah styled guitar work and potent drumming. We love the technical aspect of things but they still sound a lot like Gojira and similar bands with that Progressive/Groove sound. The band’s extra similarities to bands like BDM and such Deathcore acts makes them sound more brutal than your average bands, gaining them extra points in our opinion.

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    Odd Dimension – The Last Embrace To Humanity (2013)

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    After blowing us away with their debut release “Symmetrical” back in 2011, Odd Dimension returns with the more mature and centered “The Last Embrace To Humanity”. This Italian band showed great potential on their first release and here they demonstrate they are growing as musicians by delivering eight excellent tracks that range from Progressive anthems to more laidback and mellow ballad-type of songs.

    The band opens with the Progressive anthem “The Unknown King” a very upbeat and quite intricate 7 minute long track. Here the band continues with their “Symmetrical”-style sound with lush keyboards and very tight instrumentation. Manuel Candiotto powerful vocals are the standout element of tracks like “Under My Creed”, where his range is nicely tested. The Progressive magic continues with “Dissolving Into The Void” filled with excellent piano sections and very well crafted guitars.

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    Minutian – Repercussions (2011)

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    With a slight alternative rock edge to their sound, today we have Finland’s Minutian and their very entertaining release “Repercussions”. Delivering seven tracks of super catchy rock tunes with some Progressive Rock/Metal elements, the band showcases their knack for epic melodies and intricate passages arranged in a very approachable and engaging manner.

    Opening with the playful “Hole”, the band sets a very light mood for this release. Mikko Heino does a great job delivering emotionally charged vocals on top of the very mellow music. The progressive touches are more present on “In Circles”, a track that reminds us of a more Rock version of King Crimson with very dreamy melodic passages. Things get a bit heavier with “Cold & Tight” one of the best tracks in this release thanks to its very intricate instrumental passages.

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    Përl – R(a)ve (2013)

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    With a very unique and aurally pleasing sound, today we have France’s Përl and their release “R(a)ve”. Distributed through Apathia Records, every time we get a promo pack from them we are always in for a very unique musical experience thanks to their excellent taste in bands and releases. Playing a quite interesting combination of Progressive Rock/Metal elements with unique atmospheric elements and lead by a very strong female vocalist, Përl delivers eight very different and engaging tracks in this release.

    Opening with the very elegant and mysterious “Tidjan”, the band’s unique sound immediately highlights the sultry voice of Aline Boussaroque. The blend of progressive elements with distorted guitars is quite unique and very well-spaced to allow the vocals to truly shine in this song. Playful tracks like “Fusce Deliria” show the band’s abilities to craft intricate melodies with super catchy passages and funky vibes. The lounge-like “Insomnie” is quite a hypnotic track that focuses more on Aline’s vocals and the band’s atmospheric elements, creating a very unique listening experience.

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    Okular – Sexforce (2013)

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    Coming along with quite a set of positive reviews for their earlier work, today we have Norway’s Okular and their sophomore release “Sexforce”. Playing an interesting mixture of Progressive Death Metal with some Melodic DM elements, this band is full of creative and unique ideas, too bad they can’t seem to really work them together in a cohesive manner. Besides the obvious musical quality, this release features guest appearances by Athera (Susperia) on seven tracks and Vintersorg on one song.

    After many listening to this promo countless times, we are torn about not really being able to like it as a whole. The album is quite complex and has plenty of layers to it, but they mostly feel like several things going in different directions and never really coming together properly. On the one hand, we have killer guitar work on songs like “Not Separate” and “Sexforce”, but some of the tempo changes are confusing and the vocals go in different directions.

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    Serenity – War Of Ages (2013)

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    After their breakthrough release “Death & Legacy”, Serenity seems to be easing into their own bombastic sound with “War Of Ages”. Incorporating a full-time female vocalist (Clémentine Delauney), the band delivers ten tracks filled with lush orchestrations and very dynamic arrangements. Any fan of Symphonic Metal with some Progressive and Power Metal elements will be eating this one for breakfast… and the rest of the day for countless weeks.

    Starting strong with the super catchy “Wings of Madness”, a track that has a killer chorus section and excellent vocal duets, the band shows that their last release was not a fluke. The combination of Georg Neuhauser and Clémentine’s vocals has great chemistry and they sound great in this track (and release in general). In the very Epica-like “The Art of War” and “Shining Oasis”, the band shows their skills on faster paced and more dynamic songs while keeping their own signature sound.

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