Another month filled with exciting releases to cover: On the prog side of things, four renowned bands each putting out great to excellent albums, a sweet gig that took place right at the start of the month, a beautiful psych/dream pop effort and three big movie releases. Read on!

Quicklinks –

Page 1:

GREAT PROG ALBUMS I MISSED from March/April 2018

BEST OF PROG and ALBUM OF THE MONTH – May 2018

DISAPPOINTING PROG ALBUMS- May 2018

Page 2: GIG REVIEW – Ne Obliviscaris at Paris on 1st May, 2018

Page 3: NON-PROG / NON-METAL HIGHLIGHT – May 2018

Page 4: FILM and SERIES (Actually only 3 films this time around)

Enjoy!

⊕ GREAT PROG ALBUMS I MISSED from

March / April 2018⊕

Valis Ablaze – Boundless

Genre (RYM) – Djent, Progressive Metal (Clean Vocals)

It seems that with ‘Boundless’ by Valis Ablaze, I’ve found the early-era TesseracT album that I never thought I needed, especially as the latter band keep moving away from their old sound. The album is almost a compilation of the most memorable moments off ‘One’ and ‘Altered State’ . Very broadly, Phil Owen‘s takes off Dan Tompkins in tone and delivery, evident from the very opening track “Afterlight” and the quick-phrase recitation on “Lumen”. Even the straining of the chords as they reach harsh territory on tracks such as “Evade” are reminiscent of his older style. The instrumentalists are clearly versed in their field well, executing heavy and elaborate djent riffs on “The Crossing” and cracking those bass-contingent grooves on “Hex” perfectly. “Frequency” has a rising guitar buildup that is only a very slight variation of “Deception” from the “Concealing Fate” suite. If you’re expecting more variety and progression in your djent, the album doesn’t offer too much. There is some death-core variation on the latter tracks, “Paradox” for example, but they arrive too late to make an impact. The album plays out as a safe effort to target fans of a genre with rising popularity, but this may not be the most clever move. This is a genre where bands are always trying to bring out something new in their sound, occasionally even to the dismay of their own fan-base. In that context, ‘Boundless’ may indeed appeal to TesseracT fans to but would it blow them away like the latter band did when they arrived on the scene? I guess time will tell.

Rating – 6 / 10

Notable Tracks – “Afterlight”, “The Crossing”, “Hex”

Links (Album): Spotify // Bandcamp // Apple Music

Mile Marker Zero – The Fifth Row

Genre – Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

Mile Marker Zero‘s The Fifth Row is a concept album with several enjoyable tracks that would appeal to prog fans who prefer clean vocals. Fans of Coheed and Cambria and Thank you Scientist would appreciate the style of the vocalist, Dave Alley. He is energetic and bouncy on “2001” and “The Architect”, dives into lower notes in sections of “Digital Warrior” and even attempts an acoustic duo on “JCN”. “Propaganda” has a surprising Michael Jackson vocal delivery attempt with sinister instrumentation similar to Haken. Speaking of Haken, MMZ’s “The Architect” is the best on the album, a deliciously addictive piece combining interweaving synths, rapid riffs and a catchy chorus. The bassist, Jaco Lindito, deserves a mention for his roaring lines, and the production gives him a lot of space to showcase his skills. Elsewhere the synth announces itself on “2001” and continues to support where necessary, standing out on “Victory” during the solo interchange with the guitar. A lot of the tracks attempt some variation on the bridges, with some of them sounding like slightly less technical versions of those on Dream Theater tracks.

The album’s concept has political undertones and is partly transmitted through short tracks filled with instrumental passages and a few vocal samples. These are far too many unfortunately and sometimes in the middle of tracks, and while they aren’t bad, they add to the length of the album, which in this case is more than an hour. The album also doesn’t too much different after the midpoint, and a few reprises apart, don’t better any of the tracks I’ve mentioned above; The catchiness is also slightly lost, with a few exceptions such as “2020”.

Rating – 7 / 10

Notable Tracks – The Architect, Victory, JCN

Links (Album): Spotify // Bandcamp // Apple Music

⊕ BEST OF PROG – May 2018⊕

Black Book Lodge – Steeple and Spire

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Rock (Clean Vocals)

AMG has been serving up great album recommendations for a while now. Sometimes I like them, sometimes they miss the mark completely. But it’s always a good platform to discover an album that I wouldn’t have a chance to hear just because of the band’s popularity. But the last two discoveries, the first being the album of the month for April and now Black Book Lodge’s ‘Steeple and Spire‘, are both worth your time.

The comparisons between Boss Keloid don’t end there. The vocals are of similar nature, dominant and at the forefront, like in many stoner bands, though the music are on different ends of the spectrum. This one is slower and more deliberate, similar to King Goat, another band with enterprising vocals. The instrumentation is similar to KG too, in the slower guitar riffs and the tendency to mix up things frequently during and between tracks. Highlights include the stunning outro off the two-part “Weightless”, led by twisting riffs and freestyle drumming before crashing into stirring vocal passages. It transits smoothly into “The Tower Bell”, which has a sweet opening melody and a well-executed solo. “Steeple and Spire” has a great first half, with vocalist Ronny Jønsson wearing his heart on his sleeve but the final phrases last too long for comfort. “Spoil the Child” turns the table almost completely, upbeat in rhythm and featuring good cymbal touches.

The last few tracks do not leave as big a mark as their precedents. “Teething” in particular gets a bit predictable with the standard low-key instrumentation to high-energy transitions. “The Sum of I” also doesn’t reach the album’s emotional nor instrumental peaks, even with its inspired implementation of reprises. The vocalist also tries too many different styles and too much variation for his own good. On sections of “Weightless” and “Steeple and Spire” he goes for a slightly incoherent, mouthy enunciation, while on other tracks he sounds completely different, with a more lucid, Chris Cornell-like delivery.

Rating – 7 / 10

Notable Tracks – “The Tower Bell”, “Spoil the Child”, “Weightless Now”

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music

Amorphis – Queen of Time

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal, Folk Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Amorphis is a popular prog folk band from Finland with a lengthy discography that I haven’t had a chance to explore yet (This is actually true of most of the bands on this month’s column). ‘Queen of Time’ thus provided a perfect opportunity to do so, and several flattering reviews got me excited.

Here’s what I think though – the album is consistently filled with good songs but only on a very few instances did one get me off my chair. In fact, I’d say there are two to three great ones. The first is “The Bee”, a glorious combination of folk strings and wonderful vocals, exemplified in the addictive chorus. The song reminds me of “The Cave” from Orphaned Land‘s new album, both in structure, influence and the fact that they are album openers. The next great track is “We Accursed”, which has a beautiful flute intro and an extraordinary bridge incorporating the best keyboard solo (by Santeri Kallio) I’ve heard this year. “Amongst Stars” changes things up by including Anneke van Giersbergen as a guest vocalist exchanging verses with Tomi Joutsen (cleans) and Tomi Koivusaari (harsh, on the backing vocals) during the chorus alongside gentle piano melodies, followed by a competent guitar solo.

The rest are still good, no doubt, but don’t score high on the originality scale. “Message in the Amber” has folk connotations that have been done a plenty before while the vocals are slightly nasal. The oriental ensemble again sounds like Orphaned Land (a similarity that is also present on the bridge of “The Golden Elk”, though I’ll admit the strings are extraordinary on that one) while the soft Enya vocals feel misplaced. “Daughter of Hate” is an example of when sax goes in metal and when not: The first bits are too abrupt and short but the subtle ones before the final verses have more depth. “Wrong Direction” has very solid guitar riffs but the vocal verses are generic, while the symphonic “Heart of the Giant” is well executed, especially on the bass and the keys. “Grain of Sand” and “Pyres on the Coast” each have their moments, with the delicate string break of the former and the combination of the orchestra and Koivusaari’s aa and oo on the outro of the latter. But none of them end up being larger than the sum of their parts.

‘Queen of Time’ is indeed a good, consistent album with 10-tracks that that barely have a dud among them (“Message in the Amber” being the only real candidate) but excites rarely. In fact, it is uncanny how similar it is to the Ihsahn‘s album below…

Rating – 8 / 10

Notable Tracks – The Bee, We Accursed, Amongst Stars

Links (Album): YouTube // Spotify // Apple Music

Subsignal – La Muerta

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Rock, Neo-Prog (Clean Vocals)

I’ve been in the search for a competent neo-prog (or happy-prog as I call it) album for a while, especially as, since the turn of the year, I’ve not found even one that is excellent (read a score of 8). What’s usually missing is the consistent ability to engage the listener through appealing vocal passages balanced by above-average instrumentation variation (I believe this a pre-requisite for the genre). Till now it’s been one or the other. I enjoyed the new Kino, which has the former but not much of the latter, while the new Spock’s Beard has plenty of the latter but almost none of the former. Other efforts such as Kindo‘s Happy Forever After is much better on both ends but loses its steam in the second half.

Subsignal‘s La Muerta on the other hand ticks all the boxes of what to expect from the sub-genre. Arno Menses is sensational as the front-man. With his slight tinge of an accent, he recites verses with sufficient emotion and energy, while delivering the chorus with a rich exuberance. The best of vocalists and songs inadvertently coerce phrases to stick in your head long after you’ve stopped listening to them. This is indeed the case for “I died, you died, we died in friendly fire” on “Even Though the Stars Don’t Shine” and “All we have is this moment, All we have is this knowledge” on “The Passage”, among several others. His best performance appears on “The Approaches”, a relatively simple composition on the guitar improvised by sensational vocal flourishes on the outro. The final track even has an soft duet with Marjana Semkina (iamthemorning) alongside calm piano harmonies.

The instrumentation is equally varied and noticeable. The keys in particular have several moments to shine, with the title track including an exchange of solos between the synth and the guitar. “The Passage” has another notable solo while pleasant piano pieces are sprinkled all over the album. Catchy tracks are generally a combined effort of the vocalist and the underlying riffs. “Every Able Hand” especially has understated guitar picking during the verses which gives the bass and drums space to shine, before jumping into life during the chorus. “Teardrops will Dry in Source of Origin” is a very simple yet beautiful instrumental track that employs only the acoustic guitar.

Even with the overall consistency, few of the tracks miss the mark. “When All the Trains are Sleeping” has a folksy guitar intro that is promising but the rest of it sounds very similar to the others. The verses as well as the chorus of “As Birds on Pinions Free” get too wordy, while the instrumental bridge is slightly incoherent with the rest of the track, a fault also present on the longest song of the album, “The Passage”.

Subsignal’s La Muerta is a beautiful album that brings me joy both through its vocals and instrumentation. Prog fans with a preference for clean vocals shouldn’t miss this one.

Rating – 8 / 10

Notable Tracks – The Approaches, Even Though the Stars Don’t Shine, La Muerta

Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music

Ihsahn – Àmr

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals)

My first point of contact with Ihsahn was through Arktis. A very memorable effort, it really showed off the avant-garde nature in the artist’s songwriting skills. A cocktail of memorable riffs, deep and screechy screams, surprising electronics and guest vocals from Einar meant it was high up on my favourite albums of 2016, even though it includes a track that I always skip (The final one). But the novelty factor of this cocktail has slightly worn off since then, and while ‘Àmr’ is still a fling with different sounds and ideas, it doesn’t pack as much a punch as its predecessor.

The opener, “Lend Me the Eyes of Millenia” bursts into life with the synth, as Ihsahn’s signature screeches come into action. It extends into the use of the orchestra with blast beats, before eventually getting repetitive. “Arcana Imperi” is the riff-heavy pre-release that wouldn’t sound of place on ‘Arktis.’, and neither would “One Less Enemy”. The former reminds me of “Disassembled” in its buildup, but it doesn’t unfortunately have the presence of Einar Solberg that creates the remarkable clean/harsh dichotomy of the former track. “Sámr” is probably the most ambitious track on here, not in its electronic undertones or its progression, but more in the fact that Ihsahn it is an entirely clean track that really stretches his limits as a vocalist. It just slips because it switches into a quick, hurried solo in place of persisting with the more appropriate, Gilmour one that it hints at initially. “Where You Are Lost and I Belong” has a mysterious sound created by a combination of subdued riffs, piano and mitigated drum beats.

My favorite couple of tracks come one after another with “In Rites of Passage” and “Marble Soul”. I like the former in particular because it acts as the kick in the backside that the album needs it at the mid-way point, with its nu-metal intro and powerful super-imposed vocal verses. The drumming by Tobias Ørnes Andersen is particularly adept and the much sought-after electronic break fits in well with the track’s theme and the consequent soft vocals. “Marble Soul” is equally well-written, conjuring an imagery fit for a horror book with its eerie opening and the first few lyrics confirm our fears –

“Shadows seep through the pores

Of a rain worn, marble statue

And drain the fading colours

From the depths of my eyes”

On a quick side-note, this is the first time I’ve paid attention to Ihsahn’s lyrics and it must be said, the man has a way with words. The final two tracks “Twin Black Angels” and “Wake” are passable material without being stand-out.

Like the ‘Queen of Time’, ‘Àmr’ is a good album filled with tracks that have the signature Ihsahn sound all over them, but ultimately fails to surprise as often as its predecessor did.

Rating – 8 / 10

Notable Tracks – In Rites of Passage, Marble Soul, Wake

Links (Album): YouTube // Spotify // Apple Music

Alkaloid – Liquid Anatomy

Genre (RYM) – Progressive Metal, Technical Death Metal (Mixed Vocals)

Alkaloid‘s debut album ‘The Malkulth Grimoire’ is among the best debut efforts I’ve ever heard, and definitely one of the best prog as well as technical death metal albums of the decade. For those who are new to the band, it is a super-group filled with popular ex-members of The Necrophagist and Obscura, including what could be my favourite drummer currently, Hannes Grossmann.

The debut album had unique compositional ideas that really brought the word ‘progressive’ justice, and when I first listened to the pre-releases of the new album, I was excited beyond my mind as the band seemed to be better than ever in their songwriting. “Azagthoth”, the first of the pre-releases has a folk-ish guitar effect that moves into a robotic solo intro by Morean, followed by a potent chorus with a solid underlying riff. Things looked even better on album opener “Kernel Panic”, a perfect way to introduce yourself to the band. The members’ 80s Yes influences are evident in the catchy riff intro and vocal delivery, and phrases such as “Spin, spin go the baryons“. The several vocal imposition effects are achieved expertly: the transition from rough cleans to harsh (at 1:49) is particularly drool-worthy, and the solo fits beautifully. While this would be easily a serious contender for song of the year on its own, “Chaos Theory and Practice” baffles you in an entirely different manner. After a muddled intro coalescing a heavy riff undertone with alien-ish guitar effects, the track goes into a spectacular dance of reggae-paced guitar notes with short phrase articulation. The clean to harsh vocal variation is stronger than ever, and is much more visible than it ever was on the debut album. I’ve gone in a weird manner of analyzing the tracks, in chronological order of pre-release, but this ties into how I concluded on the album’s overall quality, so bear with me.

I saved the rest for when the full album was fully out, and I’ll say it. It may match up to ‘The Malkulth Grimoire’ in adventure but doesn’t in consistency, even though the latter lasts longer. Among the rest of the tracks, I consider “Liquid Anatomy” the best, with its ballad-ish verse construction and its nostalgic tone (Reminding me of “Collapse” from ‘Terminal Redux’). The album is filled with staggering solos, but the one here might be the cream of the crop, reminding me some of Guthrie Govan‘s finest executions. All the other tracks have their strengths and deficiencies. “As Decreed by Laws Unwritten” has more riffs than many death albums have in their entire length, but the chugs soon get weary, especially in its outro. “In Turmoil’s… ” has an excellent jazzy breakdown, and the bass is conspicuously upped in the mix on this track, giving the track more flavour. “Rise of the Cephalopods”, the ‘epic’ that this time hasn’t been divided into different tracks a.k.a “Dyson Sphere” has an excellent concept linking the previous album with this (“Chaos Theory…” hints at it too), but doesn’t do too much different from what the other tracks of the album already have by then. Plenty of strong riffs, great vocal transitions, expansive solos: all excellent raw materials that don’t turn into the best finished product because the glue isn’t as well applied.

More often than not expectation can the biggest undoing for most forms of entertainment. An album that would otherwise have been a surprise is now a very slight disappointment. Like a few other albums I tend to bump the score up when I believe it includes some truly extraordinary tracks, and ‘Liquid Anatomy’ definitely has its share.

Rating – 8 / 10

Notable Tracks – Kernal Panic, Chaos Theory and Practice, Liquid Anatomy

Links (Album): YouTube // Spotify // Bandcamp // Apple Music

⊗ ALBUM OF THE MONTH⊗

Thy Catafalque – Geometria

Genre (RYM) – Avant-Garde Metal, Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals)

What is Avant-Garde metal after all? Wiki says “non-standard and unconventional sounds, instruments, song structures, playing styles, and vocal techniques”. This sounds very much like progressive metal, ain’t it? Look no further, because Thy Catafalque‘s ‘Geometria’ is probably all you need to understand this definition.

When you explore a band for the first time, which for me was through ‘Geometria’, everything catches you by surprise. For firsts, the sheer variety in composition is a source of marvel. “Hajnali Csillag” has a bass-heavy minimalistic build-up, akin to early Porcupine Tree, with an agonizing violin providing variety. When it finally bursts into life, the fruit is sweet and particularly touching. Martina Horváth, a guest vocalist, explodes into Hungarian dulcet verses as a divine hook embraces your ears. “Szamojéd freskó” blasts into speed with a thudding double-bass and a few verses from the vocoder-heavy harsh vocals while its ‘metal’ outro seemlessly transits into the electronic intro of “Töltés” so much so that you don’t realize that it is a new track. “Gőte” has a sax and bass solo that offers variation to what is already an album that is screaming ‘avant-garde’ . But there’s more – “Sárember” combines all things heavy with the violin after a few verses, while “Lágyrész”, one of the best of the album, dives into Tamás Kátai‘s early black metal roots by combining guttural, low vocals into riff-heavy guitars with the bass beautifully mixed-in. “Balra a nap” is a straight up folk-song with competent electronic components.

What is even more impressive is how perfectly everything slots in, like pieces of a puzzle, if I’ve to use a bad cliche. On paper, the varied and perhaps unconnected instruments and electronics have all the potential of ending up as a garbled mess, but like for most avant-garde bands (Igorrr comes to mind), the ingenuity of the composer, Katai in this case, ensures it is bigger than its parts. The listener would probably need a few listens to adapt to everything presented on the plate, but once in, the ride is a long and very satisfying one. I would also suggest for a newcomer, ‘Geometria’ is a safe and definitely accessible entry into the ban’s underrated discography.

What the album suffers from is the inherent repetitiveness in a few of its tracks. “Hajó” doesn’t offer anything different from its neighbours in the album, and neither does “Sík”. “Ének a búzamezőkről” is much slower and unfolds in an almost doom-metal like fashion, but meanders along its way. Despite this it never feels like they interrupt the album’s flow.

‘Geometria’ is undoubtedly worth your time, and is arguably the most progressive album of the year, the word being used in its literal sense. Why the need to understand lyrics when the music is so good in itself, right?

Notable Tracks – Hajnali Csalling, Lágyrész, Balra a nap

Rating – 8.5 / 10

Links (Album): YouTube // Spotify // Bandcamp // Apple Music

⊕ Disappointing Albums – May 2018⊕

I attempt to cover only reviews of albums that are above average in my eyes (5.5 + out of 10) and skip over those that fall under the limit. However there are three (!) albums, from fairly bigger names in the prog circles that have disappointed me and I would like to explain why. So here are a few unrestrained thoughts on them.

Lunatic Soul – Under the Fragmented Sky

As a huge fan of Lunatic Soul’s last effort, ‘Fractured’, (Which even appeared high on my best albums list of 2017) this new ‘parallel’ EP is probably the biggest disappointment for me this year, even if it didn’t exactly promise new material. Tracks such as “He Av An”, “Trails” and “Shadows” are too laborious and repetitive. The few redeeming features such as the good string picking a few minutes into “Trails” and the surprisingly rare bass riff (with respect to usual Lunatic Soul) on “Shadows” are few and far between. The shorter songs are only slightly better – The title track has a lovely, melodious chorus, reminding me of the first two albums, while “Rinsing the Night” has a mysterious chord progression. “Untamed” uses the keys well too, but none of these songs have really stuck with me. The only track that has is “The Art of Repairing”, which wouldn’t sound out of place on ‘Fractured’. It progresses well from its electronic foundation, adding samples, subtle strings and other variation to keep things running. Even during this track, I’m not as convinced about the final vocoder section (which is also awkward on the outro of the title track).

Let’s just say I’m confident the new Riverside album would turn out much better.

Spock’s Beard – Noise Floor

Spock’s Beard is a band that I’ve heard a lot about but never got the time to explore. So I was a bit pumped to check it out but have been left largely unimpressed. Most of the album has some 70s and 80s prog worship going: I particularly see a lot of influences from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis in composition (the keys particularly stand out) and variation. Unfortunately while the influences are right, the band completely misses out on the catchiness, emotion and storytelling of that album. The first two tracks, representative of the flaws present in the album, have all the right foundations but never grow beyond them. There is a distinct lack of flow to the vocal passages, with Ted Leonard taking over from Alan Morse, and the high notes sound strained. Another disappointment is the instrumental “Box of Spiders”, which ends up more as a technical exercise rather than a build-up to something more than the sum of its parts. Most of the songs also meander way too long during the bridge sections which destroys promising passages. Even the better tracks on the album, “Somebody’s Home” and “Have We All Gone Crazy Yet”, suffer from this but their verses have well-constructed guitar melodies, sufficient instrumental support and variation in vocals to keep you content. “So This is Life”, the slower deliberate track in Pink Floyd spirit is one of the better efforts too.

What ultimately Noise Floor lacks is both the instant appeal of a few other “happy-” neo-prog albums I’ve covered year, such as Kino‘s Radio Voltaire and Kindo‘s – Happy However After, or the astonishing technical prowess of other 70s prog worships that are Steven Wilson‘s The Raven that Refused to Sing and Wobbler‘s From Silence to Somewhere. A final word on the bonus EP, which has a few succinct, snappy tracks such as “Days’ We’ll Remember” that skip out on discursive bridges and might appeal to the neo-prog fans.

Gazpacho – Soyuz

I’ve heard excellent things about Gazpacho. ‘Demon’ especially seems to be universally adored and I was looking forward to exploring their discography but ‘Soyuz’ has put me in a quandary. What is immediately striking about the album is how languid it is. Over the length of “Soyuz One”, the opening track, variation is scarce: Jan-Henrik Ohme sings with the same tone; and the bass and post-rock guitars which seem promising at first don’t get to anywhere. There are awful sound samples sprinkled all over the album. Examples include an awkward nobility-era melody at the outro of the opener and a perplexing old Hindi track on “Sky Burial”. The Radiohead worship is evident not just in vocal delivery but in buildup, with “Hypomonia” particularly sounding like “Creep”. The production is not ideal either, with the bass way too loud in the mix on the “Soyuz” duo and “Sky Burial”, particularly. The instrumentation is on the backstage here, barely proving support and atmosphere. There’s the one track I like and that is “Emperor Bespoke”: Ohme’s vocals are sweeter even if the lyrics are dark, the strings suddenly have an identity of their own and the piano springs into life.

I’ll put my foot down and say this is not progressive rock, but that is not even why I am disappointed by it. I adore Radiohead and other prog / art-rock albums such as the last one from Bent Knee. ‘Soyuz’ just doesn’t offer anything new or unique, with its Thom Yorke vocals imitation, bare-threads instrumentation and poor experimentation in bizarre sound samples. I will eventually give ‘Demon’ a go but I’m not definitely as eager as I was before listening to this.

April and May 2018 Prog Albums on review standby for May edition:

Dream the Electric Sheep – The Giant’s Newground

Poly-Math – House of Wisdom / We are the Devil

⊕ SPOTIFY PLAYLIST – BEST OF MAY 2018 ⊕