Progressive Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Opeth – Sorceress (2016)

    cover

    The legendary Opeth returns with another exploration further down the rabbit hole or Progressive/Psychedelic rock with “Sorceress”. Constantly evolving and experimenting with their sound, the band offers 11 brilliant tracks that feature tons of unique ideas and excellent craftsmanship. If you have been a fan of the band’s last three releases, this album will certainly be one of the ‘must have’ releases of 2016.

    Opening with the solemn acoustic guitars of “Persephone”, the band quickly ups the ante with the trippy and Proggy “Sorceress”. This track instantly showcases the album’s very fuzzy and warm sound, particularly on the guitars, giving it a certain vintage vibe that perfectly fits songs like “The Wilde Flowers”. The band nicely showcases their diverse musical repertoire in more direct songs like “Will O The Wisp” and its lush progressions.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Abandoned Stars – Fragments (2015)

    cover

    Arriving from the UK, today we have Abandoned Stars and their brilliant debut full-length release “Fragments”. Featuring over 64 minutes of bombastic and acrobatic Progressive/Power Metal, this band makes a strong impression with great musicianship and even better song writing skills. For fans of bands like Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, and Stratovarius, “Fragments” is one hell of a musical ride that should be in everybody’s album collection.

    Not wasting much time after the traditional atmospheric intro, “The Sleepless Man’s Conscious Dream” instantly sets a very lively tempo with solid guitar leads and intricate tempo changes. Olivier Hadder’s vocals are quite distinct and range from power/heavy metal notes to darker and more somber deeper tones, giving them great range and diversity, as we can hear in the excellent “Neverwhere” and the rest of the release.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Throes of Dawn – Our Voices Shall Remain (2016)

    cover

    Hailing from Finland, today we have the legendary Throes of Dawn finally delivering a new release after six years of waiting. As one of the first Finish Progressive/Melodic Black Metal bands in the 90’s, their sound has truly evolved into a magical combination of Atmospheric/Progressive/Gothic/Dark Metal elements. Featuring over 65 minutes of music, the seven tracks presented in “Our Voices Shall Remain” will transport the listener to very emotional melodic realms.

    Slowly building up with the hypnotic atmosphere of “Mesmerized”, the band creates a very subtle dreamy vibe thanks to the distant guitars and bass guitar line. The band’s earlier Black Metal days are still infused in the music, as songs like “We Used to Speak in Colours” start off quite heavily and slowly mellow into the album’s groove. Only using clean vocals, Henri Koivula, manages to sound a bit like Jukka Vuorinen from Decoryah, adding an extra layer of emotions to the music, tracks like “Lifelines” are a perfect example of this.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Summit – The Winds that Forestall Thy Return (2016)

    cover

    Featuring a very complex and yet imposing sound, today we have Italy’s Summit and their debut full-length release ”The Winds that Forestall Thy Return”. Divided in 5 songs that last around 32 minutes total, the band does a pretty interesting job in combining Progressive Metal influences into a thick wall of Post-Metal elements. With a certain improvisational vibe, this release will surely grab your attention and will always keep you guessing what is coming up next.

    The album commences with the sinister riffs of “Hymn Of The Forlon Wayfarer”, this 10-minute track slowly builds up as the intensity grows. This song reminded us of early Dysrhythmia stuff, but a bit less convoluted and more approachable. With the intensity in full swing, tracks like “Pale Moonlight Shadow” do a great job in keeping the momentum going and deliver very intricate passages with cool tempo changes, contrasted by whispers and screams in the background.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Elvaron – Ghost of a Blood Tie (2016)

    cover

    Hailing from France today we have Elvaron, a very interesting Progressive Metal with solid skills and even better song writing chops. Delivering over 60 minutes of engaging music, the band combines elements of the greats of the genre, but infuses their own uniqueness to craft a signature style. As one of the liveliest releases we have heard so far in 2016, this is one album that should appeal any fan of the genre.

    Opening with the instrumental acrobatics of “The Journey Within”, the band instantly showcases their musicianship with killer guitars, playful keyboards, and an overall epic feeling to this track. The vocals finally appear on “Silent Windows”, giving the music a Thrash Metal edge, while maintaining their killer Prog elements. The first standout track comes under the name of “A Price to Pay”, where the band combines their instrumental acrobatics with male and female vocals, creating a very playful combination.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Ihsahn – Arktis. (2016)

    cover

    Multi-instrumentalist one-man show Ihsahn makes a surprise 2016 return with another unique release titled “Arktis.”. Considerably less experimental and out of whack than his previous release, this album delivers 11 very interesting song that while pushing the envelope, they consolidate the signature Ihsahn sound.

    Opening with the Proggy “Disassembled”, Ihsahn crafts a very catchy song with a killer chorus section. With some additional vocals by Einer Solberg (Leprous), this is one very melodic and engaging opening piece. Things turn quickly dark with the sinister “Mass Darkness” and its crafty atmospheric guitar work. This track is quite unique as it features some funky tempo changes and epic vocal arrangements (featuring Matt Heafy), all within the Ihsahn realm.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Irradiance – Dissidence (2015)

    cover

    Freshly arrived from France, today we have the lively Irradiance and their latest release “Dissidence”. Playing an interesting combination of Progressive/Symphonic Metal with some jazzy and Rock influences, this outfit delivers ten brilliant songs that will keep you at the edge of your seat. For fans of Epica, Stream of Passion, and similar outfits, this release is very bombastic and engaging.

    Opening with the lush “Children’s Game”, the band’s singer Audrey Dandeville, instantly comes center stage with her excellent operatic vocals. This opening song is quite catchy and structured in a way that grabs the attention of the listener. There are some unique elements that remind us of Diablo Swing Orchestra thrown into the mix that might catch some people off-guard, but we think they are super cool. Continuing strong, “The Soldier and the Child” allows Alexandra Vallet, the band’s violinist to change the course of an already excellent track.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Swampborn – Alleged Escape (2014)

    cover

    Hailing from Russia, today we have two-man battalion Swampborn and their very promising debut EP “Alleged Escape”. Crafting over 25 minutes of very fresh sounding Black Metal with tons of melodic and experimental passages, the band manages to catch the attention of the listener from the first note to the last one. If you like less straightforward and more complex Black Metal, this is one release that you don’t want to miss out on.

    Opening with the 10-minute epic “Augoeides”, the band sets a very mellow Post-Rock-ish vibe early on and suddenly transitions into more melodic BM territories. The music is quite well crafted and very engaging, allowing the killer riffs and tight drums to carry the track. We particularly enjoy when they go out of ‘script’ and deliver lush instrumental or melodic passages mid song.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Perihelion – Zeng (2015)

    cover

    Hailing from Hungary, today we have a very energetic outfit named Perihelion. Seamlessly blending Post-Rock and Progressive Metal elements with soaring vocals, this band delivers a very melancholic release with “Zeng”. All sung in Hungarian, this release is quite unique as it constantly changes between styles at the exact moment you think you have figured them out.

    Opening with the dreamy “Tündöklés”, the band nicely moves around from a very atmospheric and Post-Rock-ish pace to a faster and more aggressive stance at the end of the song, which seamlessly blends into the second track “Vég se hozza el”. You can clearly hear some Alcest/Post-Black Metal worship here in the guitars, but they are interestingly contrasted by the soaring clean vocals of Gyula Vasvári. Things even get a bit folky in “Felemészt a tér”, a track that reminds us of another Hungarian band Dalriada, but with a male vocalist.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
    • Comments: 0

    Eltharia – Innocent (2014)

    cover

    Featuring a very unique combination of almost every genre in metal, minus all the ‘heavier’ ones, France’s Eltharia delivers their sophomore release “Innocent”. Delivering 11 songs filled with memorable moments and solid musicianship, this band has been around since 2001 and only released two full-length releases in the process. Luckily, all this experience translates in a very solid and well-crafted release that has high replay value.

    Opening with the Power Metal anthem “Third World War”, the band sets a pretty high bar for this release. Moving into more Progressive territories, “Spite Still Remains” gives us a very interesting mixture of soaring clean vocals and growls in a Stratovarius-like environment. The band’s ability to mix styles is quite good as they produce some very memorable tracks, such as the epic album title track “Innocent” and its excellent guitar leads.

Pages

Recent Image Galleries