53 Releases, 9 Highlights, and a wild mix of styles

Looking for some melodies to fall in love? The Swedish duo Rydholm Säfsund (former Art of Illusion) got you covered. While the project switched to a rather bulky, new name, also due to the change in style from AOR towards a more Musical-like sound, the overall vibe of “Kaleidoscope” is incredibly light-feeted, with many Funk, Rock and even Pop elements. Instrumental-wise, percussion and bass deliver hot rhythms, on which amazing brass harmonies unfold. Guitar and keyboards keep themselves mostly supportive in the background, unless they step into the spotlight for short solo sections. Lars’ vocal performance shines bright over the great, instrumental arrangements – One can literally hear him smile while singing his huge melodies with an impressive easiness. All-together, the 12 songs on “Kaleidoscope” are a heart-warming, entertaining listen, coming along as colorful as its cover thanks to the diverse song-writing, awesome production, and outstanding vocals. In case you’re up for some funky grooves and catchy melodies in between the upcoming mosh pits to dance into spring –  Here we go 🙂 Katha

Staying in fun waters, the british prog fusion Trifecta of Beggs, Holzman & Blundell is back with album number 2, “The New Normal”. Leaning far more into the weird but endearing humour of Mr. Beggs than they did on their 2021 debut “Fragments”, this affair is fairly entertaining and despite its 19 songs (but ‘only’ 55 minutes runtime), no idea overstays its welcome in the slightest. The grandiose fusion moments are few and far in between (or in other words: I would have loved some more of them), but on the other hand, the whimsical humor both in spoken word and musical motifs, gives the whole thing a distinct, unique personality. It’s mostly the personality of Nick Beggs, I’d assume, but there are certainly worse personalities to have. And then again, those three could probably play anything and I’d be lapping it up willingly. Whether it*d be whimsical, wistful, whacky, extravagant or emotional. Plus, their ‘Stupid Pop Song’ is instantly hummable. What’s not to love? Dario

Ready for the progressive death metal highlight of the week after two rather light(-hearted) affairs? “Hijacking the Zeitgeist” is Exist’s fourth album to date – and definitely the greenest yet… An understandable development after black, blue and red, but let’s talk about the music: with members also active with legendary bands such as Cynic, Death/DTA Death to All and Obscura, both the musical universe and exorbitant skill levels seem like a given. And while there’s no doubt about the latter, I’ve always found the way Exist compose, arrange and produce their songs quite unique while certainly informed by all the greats that came before them in that particular field. I could always do with more sick fusion breaks like Sanjay Kumar’s guest solo on ‘Thief of Joy’, but regardless of this minor personal preference, the main guys behind Exist, guitarist/vocalist Max Phelps and bassist/vocalist and Alex Weber have created yet another rare and distinct progressive death metal gem with “Hijacking the Zeitgeist”. Don’t forget to check out Bas’ interview with both of them to find out more about the background of this album! Dario

Being a huge fan of the Greek Rock and Metal Scene as well as their mythology, a band named after the legendary sorceress Circe from Homer’s Odyssey is supposed to gain my attention, and in 2021 quickly won me over with their great debut “Κτηνωδία“. After some big band-related and personal changes, the trio is back with a new album which is called “ΚΥΚΕΩΝΑΣ“, and a musical reflection on where Khirki are mentally this period of time, with each song focusing on different aspects that change comes with, like anxiety, dealing with failure, but also hope and exploring new horizons. With their amazing blend of Anatolian spiced Rock’n Roll and a good pinch of proggy twists, they  tell Greek tales in their very own way. Dominated by heavy, rough-sounding riffs, powerful bass lines, and captivating melodies, the use of traditional instruments and infectious rhythms brings something special to their music. In between, they also offer more thoughtful moments, like the beautiful ‘Συμπληγάδες‘ or the touching sea shanty ‘Father Wind’. All-together, “ΚΥΚΕΩΝΑΣ“ is a strong, second album, on which the trio convince as band and individual musicians. Crank it up! Katha

The kings of groovy dissonant death metal are finally back with a new album after their acclaimed 2021 release “Malignant Reality” turned some heads, fusing chunky riffs and discordant chords. “Infinite Mortality” is Replicant‘s second release with Transcending Obscurity Records, and has definitely transcended beyond just being one of the label’s highlights for this year. This is such an insane release for 2 reasons; the riffs don’t stop, and it’s one of the catchiest albums you’ll find in the genre. Plenty of proggy elements scattered across as well, I would even say that this is basically dissodeath for Gojira fans. Other comparisons observed would be Gorguts, early-Pestilence, and Growth (from Australia). If you want an exciting and fun metal album, or you want an easier way to get into dissonant death metal, this is one of the best places to go, I guarantee you. Colin

Independent German group GRIND are back with their sophomore album, “Grace and Misery”. After a solid treat of a debut with deathgrind goodness, this newest release steps it up a notch and goes into post-metal territory, with hints of melodeath and blackgaze as well. A pleasant surprise for anyone wanting something fresh, and this really tickled my recent itch for that blend of hardcore riffs and atmospheres! Stellar production on top of that, fitting the mix of styles throughout. It makes me think of a mix of Brutal Truth and Fuck the Facts, with a tinge of møl and Dawn of Ouroboros. This year has been consistent in providing us with intriguing new music, and “Grace and Misery” is high up that list! Colin

Sleepmakeswaves, a well-established post-rock band from Australia, released their new studio album “It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It”(which is ironic, considering it’s a very long name, but for post-rock, it’s the industry standard) in April, and with this record, they continued shaping their own sound of post rock.

Punchy and sometimes aggressive guitar riffs give a very refreshing contrast with the mellow reverby-guitar soundscapes characteristic for the genre.

But fear not, atmosphere lovers, they got you covered there; beautifully crafted piano soundscapes adding layers to the composition, so there are mood swings within one song.

It’s one of the post rock albums I can recommend for the workout playlists, as they are quite energetic and loud at times, and I’m all for it.

This might not be anything groundbreaking, but it is a standout release in many regards; Some post-rock bands leave a pleasant aftertaste and the wish to come back to it, and Sleepmakeswaves is definitely one of these bands. Alex

The Vision Bleak have always been among the more interesting bands in the gothic metal genre. In line with their innovative nature, the band managed to mix gothic, doom, black and symphonic metal in a natural way, creating a fairly unique sound that they called “horror metal” themselves. However, it seemed like the band was going inactive after 2016, not having released anything ever since. Almost symbolic for the demise of the entire genre, with many bands retiring or moving on to different musical styles.

Much to my surprise, The Vision Bleak return with a brand new album in 2024, called “Weird Tales”. Ambitious as always in their creativity, the band have created a concept album which is actually meant to be one song, cut up into 12 tasty pieces. Stylistically, the album is in line with its predecessors, taking a progressive approach to gothic metal with a wide vocal range from deep growls to smooth, poppy cleans and low crooning in the style of Type O Negative and Moonspell. Musically, “Weird Tales” tells the story in typical horror fashion, blending different metal genres together into a surprisingly coherent tale. The atmosphere is spooky, at times gloomy and always covered under a veil of darkness. If you’re feeling adventurous and you’re in the mood for some horror stories, this album will not disappoint you. Lykle

After two albums from 2017 and 2021 that somehow seem to have passed me by, Luxemburg-based extreme prog quartet Mindpatrol is back with a little “Monster” EP that leaves a bit of a question mark behind for me since the first song ‘Tenma’ sounds so wildly different to tracks number two and three, and I don’t think it’s only the massive orchestrations from Louis Viallet or the haunting guest vocals by The Hirsch Effekt’s Nils Wittrock. Be that as it may, if ‘Magnificent Steiner’ and ‘Nameless’ are any indication of the things Mindpatrol are capable of, the sky’s the limit for this pleasant surprise. They close “Monster” with a nice cover version of the System of a Down classic ‘Aerials’ that is neither bad nor particularly outstanding, so what remains is the incredibly strong 15 middle minutes and I hope they will continue in that direction on future releases. Dario