Over the last year or so, I’ve received a handful of emails asking why my site doesn’t have a search function. The short answer is that WordPress wants more money for it than I’d like to spend.
As a workaround, I’ve compiled links for every review I’ve written for this site into a new Page: the Post Archive! It’s got all my reviews in chronological order, newest to oldest.
I’ve got it organized by post type, album and artist, and genres covered in a given post. I may not have a proper search bar, but now you can go there and Ctrl+F for whichever artist or genre or post type you like.
Band: END! Begin | Album:The END! | Genre: Progressive folk | Bandcamp
This collection of four instrumental pieces is a solid follow-up to END! Begin’s fantastic debut LP. The overall mood is a bit more energetic and less torporous here, and I really appreciate getting to see this other side of the band. “Cherry Blossoms” in particular draws a lot from rock music, which is a very exciting blend.
Score: 78/100
Band: Mellow Beast | Album:Grimble, The Worm | Genre: Psychedelic rock | Bandcamp
Mellow Beast’s latest record sees him expand upon the musical universe he has established. The story of this record takes place right after Reactor, his 2023 release. Throughlines are obvious in the music, and there are even connections to earlier releases. The mood is spacy and often-hypnotic while also imbuing some Gong-ish fun and whimsy.
Brighton’s Plaintoid are black with their sophomore album, Flare, two years after their debut. The band maintained their lush, jazzy air while also imbuing their sound with a bit more muscle. On repeated listens of Terrapath, at times I do wish the band had a bit more contrast in their sound. Here, they’ve successfully added a bit more while also maintaining their unique character.
Holotropic is a Slovak extreme metal five-piece that skillfully weaves a base of technical death metal with elements from further afield, ranging from classic prog to ambient to Middle Eastern folk. Individual is their second release, and this short-but-mighty album demonstrates impressive breadth and depth of skill.
Has it really been ten years since the last time Corima released a record? Not quite, actually, but close enough; nine years and three months is a massive gap for any band that isn’t Tool. Their fourth release overall and their third on Soleil Zeuhl, Hunab Ku, continues with the naming conventions of their previous two releases.
Hunab Ku is a Yucatec Maya term meaning “The One God.” Corima’s previous album, 2016’s Amaterasu, was named after the chief deity in the Shinto pantheon, and their 2012 album, Quetzalcoatl, took its name from a prominent Aztec deity. It should be noted that “Hunab Ku” is a colonial-era term used primarily to refer to the Christian God, and it later found use in New Age beliefs. Some have tried to use this term to assert the existence of a precolonial Maya monotheism, but as far as I can tell, this is not a well-supported historical position. I recommend reading the Wikipedia article I linked. (I’m hardly an expert on the Maya, but I’d love to learn more. Should there be any Mayanists in my audience, drop your book recommendations in the comments!)
Thank you for indulging me in the anthropological aside; I did study to be an archaeologist, so I love stuff like this.
The music on Hunab Ku is an exhilarating brand of zeuhl. The band’s Magmatic influences are plainly worn on their sleeves, but they infuse a lot more crunch and grit into their music. Violins and saxophones bring some tonal distinctiveness, and everything here flows together smoothly as one continuous composition.
I don’t know what keeps drawing progressive and technical thrash metal bands to outer space, but it seems to be working. Vektor, Droid, Voivod, Obliveon, and plenty of others have plumbed the depths of the night sky for inspiration, and Cryptic Shift continues in this proud tradition. Their 2020 debut, Visitations from Enceladus, is a phenomenal work, with the 25-minute “Moonbelt Immolator” being one of the greatest metal epics of this century.
Their newest release, Overspace & Supertime, is a monumental work, clocking in at nearly 80 minutes over just five songs. Their brand of cosmic, death-tinged thrash is a powerful canvas for their sci-fi storytelling.
Band: Hällas | Album:Panorama | Genre: Progressive rock, Hard rock | Bandcamp
I saw this record getting a lot of hype online, and I can’t say that I get it. On a structural level, at least, the opening epic is well-built, and the occasional fun twist does occur. But my biggest issue with this release is the sound palette. This sounds like schlock-rock acts from the ‘70s and ‘80s tried their hand at prog. The vocalist reminds me of Dave Cousins of Strawbs, which is different, at least. But I don’t particularly like Journey or Foreigner or Styx, and these guys are clearly drawing a lot of influence for that particular vein of cheesy arena rock. Everything is overblown and uses trite, tired musical tropes. That results in an exhausting listen. Oddly, the four shorter songs on this album feel much more tedious and drawn-out than the 21-minute opener.
Score: 62/100
Band: JUZZ | Album:JUZZ (II) | Genre: Progressive rock, Jazz-fusion | Bandcamp
Juzz, a jazzy instrumental six-piece from Galicia, has put out their sophomore album. It’s similar in tone and style to their debut, if perhaps a bit more rock-oriented. Moods morph fluidly across this album’s runtime, ranging from hard-rocking numbers to Tangerine Dream-inspired space-synth passages. These songs also show greater focus than their debut, so I am happy to see that evolution in their writing style.
Fleshvessel’s 2023 debut was an incredible statement in modern progressive metal. This Chicagoan act wove together black metal, jazz, modern classical, and experimental music to create a striking, singular record. This ambition (and tendency toward prolix album titles) continues on their sophomore release, Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded.
Mirkwood Spiders is a Swiss band that continues in the proud tradition of bands like King Gizzard and (sometimes) Stoned Jesus. Fuzz-drenched, occasionally-bluesy psychedelia swirls and storms as this four-piece weaves their magic.
Yurt is a band I’ve been following for a while, and I have featured them on this site once before. They’re an experimental rock band based out of Dublin, and they’ve always got something exciting up their sleeves. Their music draws inspiration from various strains of metal, punk, psychedelia, and avant-garde styles of music. My personal favorite of theirs is III – Molluskkepok, but their new record, VI – Rippling Mirrors of the Other, is a solid addition to their discography.
Artist: Unda Alunda | Album:Dark Wonderful World | Genre: Progressive metal, Djent | Bandcamp
This is one of the better djent records I’ve heard in a while. Djent still isn’t my favorite style of metal, but this album has a lot to offer. There are fun, jazzy riffs, exciting builds, and dazzling solos. The soullessness common to djent is minimized here, as these feel like actual compositions and not just instrumental wank-fests. Certain songs run a bit long, but aside from that, the record is a success overall.
Score: 76/100
Band: Cervello | Album:Chaire | Genre: Italian progressive rock | Links
Two things first: Firstly, I had a hard time finding this album. I don’t know who is in charge of marketing for Cervello, but they’re doing an awful job. Secondly, this was released with a live album, which I will not be reviewing.
Cervello is one of many Italian prog bands who put out one album in the 1970s before vanishing. Cervello’s sole release prior to this was the 1972 album Melos, and it’s one of my favorites from the era. I didn’t have high hopes going into this, especially considering other dull reunion records I’ve covered recently, but I was pleasantly surprised by Chaire. That may also be because almost the whole original band returned for this. Everyone except their original drummer appears on this album. (Compare that to Semiramis’s recent “reunion” where the drummer was the only original member to return.)
The music here is surprisingly vital, energetic, and original. That classic Italian prog flair is omnipresent, and the compositions are mostly engaging. Some cuts are better than others, and the record sags a bit in its second half.Synth tones can sound a bit dated, or the production can be too glossy, but this is a solid record on the whole. I especially love the more energetic tracks, where the connections with their first record can really be heard.
The Elite Extremophile 