The eclecticism is very high in our February highlights selection!

Phantom Slaughter and Wroth Septentrion are back and invite us to visit their “Necropalace” on Worm’s new magnum opus. Taking their self-proclaimed Necromantic Black Doom to new exhilarating heights (or rather deepest caverns) with incredible attention to detail that comes with a full VHS-style music video for the epic closer ‘Witchmoon: The Infernal Masquerade’. If the thought of sultry, blackened Gothic Doom atmospheres topped by Yngwie Malmsteen like neo-classical shred by the one and only Wroth Septentrion (Phil Tougas of First Fragment) is not enough to convince you, maybe the prospect of a final extended guitar duel to end all guitar duels with the legendary Marty Friedman will lure you into Worm’s lair? Too bad he wasn’t available to dress up as a vampire with full corpse paint for the video as well… Dario

For the initiated, a new release from Tigran Hamasyan is always a sensation. Even though I had heard his name floating around in the Prog scene for many years already, it wasn’t until his 2024 masterpiece “The Bird of a Thousand Voices” that I fully immersed myself in his genre defying sound worlds. And while “Manifeste” feels a bit more abstract here and there, the one thing that captivated me most is still there: a deep, universal sorrow, paired with a quiet, small flame of hope that’s always there, no matter what. This music contains healing qualities and by god do we need them in these times. Dario

Australian Prog Quintet Karnivool is probably the only band that can easily double the amount of fans they are pulling for a concert in Munich over the course of 10 years – with only releasing one single in the meantime. With four albums in 20 years they haven’t been exactly productive in terms of new music, but having one of the most important Alternative Prog albums of all history with “Sound Awake” in their discography has to count for something, right? “In Verses” is the first Karnivool album since the inception of The Progspace (“Asymmetry” dropped in 2013, The Progspace was founded in 2016), but just as with the massively successful Europe “Regeneration” Tour 2013, listening to the new studio material feels like they’ve never been away. Or to put in other terms: the 13 years between “Asymmetry” and “In Verses” didn’t feel as long as the gap between “10.000 Days” and “Fear Inoculum” simply because the songs on “In Verses” are actually engaging and interesting. Ok, enough hot takes, go listen to some Wolverine now (see below)! Dario

Just as Karnivool’s Ian Kenny, Wolverine’s Stefan Zell is a vocalist who possesses such an immaculate and pure timbre (maybe with a tiny little bit more vibrato), that the melodic intent of any composition will always immediately focus on his performance. “Anomalies” is the sixth full length album of the Swedish Progressive Metal act, on which the Swedish quintet is further solidifying their electronic influences that already crept in more and more on “Machina Viva” ten years ago. Wolverine doesn’t sound like Katatonia at all, but just as with their countrymates, I couldn’t decide whether I prefer them indulging in dark Prog Metal vibes or letting the Electronic sounds take over. The immediacy and inevitability of their 2011 masterpiece “Communication Lost” is not quite reached throughout the entirety of “Anomalies”, but I wouldn’t miss their unique voice in the Prog Metal universe for the world. So: glad to have you back! Please come back more often! Dario

There’s always something sadder to be found, right? And in this case, we don’t even have to go far from Sweden, their neighbors in Norway are always up to give you that fix of melancholy. Precisely the gentlemen in Laughing Stock, who’ve been the authors of some of the saddest music I’ve ever heard, namely on “Zero Acts 1 – 4” and “Shelter”. Now, they’re back with “Life in Seven Dreams”, their eigth album, and if the song featuring Tim Bowness (a prime purveyor of British Art Rock sadness) feels like the least melancholy of the eight songs of your album, I guess that says something already. This is for the gloomy hours to keep you company. You are not alone, not even in a dream within a dream. Dario

As far as one-person-projects go, Fedor Kivokurtsev delivers the full package on “Solar”, the new album published under the Echoes and Signals moniker. A full, warm sound; excellent instrumental performances (everything except the drums played by Fedor if I understand the credits correctly); masterfully accomplished songwriting that manages to sound accessible yet fresh and proggy throughout. What ultimately sells the whole thing though is his wonderful baritone timbre, vocal performance and beautifully melancholic melodies. With those, “Solar” proves easily to be an excellent follow up to “Between Mars and Venus” and a great addition to the Echoes and Signals discography. Dario

It was a few months ago that I first heard the work of composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Stefano Primaluce thanks to a dear friend’s recommendation, just to learn that he already had released a bunch of music over the past years under the same moniker. His newest creation is “Way of Perfection”, a deeply immersive Prog Metal album blending complex instrumental structures with emotional intensity to explore inner transformation, discipline and transcendence as a metaphorical path towards perfection, and quickly grabs the listeners attention with its great melody lines and playful instrumentation. The focus is clearly on singer Falco who carries us through the whole album with his expressive voice, but also the other musicians get their moments in the spotlight during the instrumental interplays. Recommended ffo music in the vein of Journey or Martin Miller’s “Maze of my Mind”. Katha

“About Sitting On Fences”, the debut album from Augsburg (Germany) based Contemporary Jazz Prog ensemble Kabasse might indeed be about sitting on fences. Sitting on the fence between Jazz and Prog for example. Between carefully constructed compositions and free-form improvisation. However, the instrumental sextet seems to have made themselves quite at home on any fences. The organic interplay of mallet, string, key and wind instruments is weaving all those sounds together as if they’ve forgotten all about fences. One thing is clear though: I’m not on the fence with my opinion about this album. A clear win and an early Instrumental Jazz/Prog highlight of the year. Dario

After 8 years since their debut album, Mexico’s Phendrana are back with their newest full-length effort titled “Cathexis”. This is quite a varied piece of music, blending progressive rock, atmospheric black metal, funeral doom and chamber music, with non-traditional instruments added on top as well. Some of those instruments are performed by special guests, including Adrián Terrazas-González on woodwinds (ex-The Mars Volta, T.R.A.M.) and Ulises Juárez Mendoza on cello. Project leader Anuar Salum names bands like Camel and Opeth as influences, and no doubt the additional vocals from Daniel Droste of Ahab on the closing track adds to the death doom influence as well. With only 4 songs, each piece stands as its own exploration through music, which makes you wonder where they will go next. I’m hoping we won’t have to wait another 8 years to find out! Colin

Our local Tech Death expert Andrei Dan called  “Atma Conflux”, Abstracted’s 2022 debut full length album “…one of the most impressive, gargantuan and multi-faceted prog death metal releases I’ve heard in recent years”. Not an easy task to follow that up with something equally impressive. Four years later, the Brazilian six-piece is back with their sophomore effort, “Hiraeth”. In true Progressive Death Metal fashion, it is a multi-faceted affair that enhances your usual techy Tech Death affair with melodic and atmospheric elements. Well-known parts of the puzzle arranged anew in a quite unique way. Fusion elements shine through here and there, first in bass and drums mainly ‘Sirens’, later in a blistering guest guitar solo courtesy of Igor Bollos on ‘To Quench This Insatiable Thirst’. Never enough of those. Somewhere between BTBAM and Alkaloid, Abstracted carve their own path. Dario

There’s a lot of Post Rock bands out there and I’m sure avid followers of the genre have the luxury of being provided constantly with a lot of good sounding releases. However, in such a saturated climate, especially with a type of sound that usually follows established patterns and has a rather repetitive nature by design, anything truly unique and special becomes the exception rather than the norm quickly. Adorned with delicate string arrangements, NL-based project Thistle Sifter reveals a few exceptionally beautiful passages on its latest album, “Forever the Optimist”. Songs like the lead single ‘One Fleeting Glance’ or the shimmering ‘Weightless’ elevate the entire release above the norm. On mini-tour in Europe right now (starting today), check out the dates: https://thistlesifter.com/live Dario

Over 30 years into their existence, UK based Trip Hop/Post Rock collective Archive is still painting vast, diverse and atmospheric sonic landscapes, and their newest album “Glass Minds” was all over my feed so I had no chance but to finally check out what the buzz is all about. Well, what can I say? Whenever I heard someone talk about Archive in the past it was always with a sense of wonder and awe, and the word magical was used frequently, especially where their live performances are concerned. Without having heard their back catalogue I can attest that everything they said is true, at least regarding the studio work, solely based on the digestion of “Glass Minds”. I have no reason to believe the opposite though and I am happy that I have finally omitted that blind spot from my own personal musical map. The inclusion of “Glass Minds” among our February highlights has just made our selection that much more eclectic, but it was not a deliberate token pick for the sake of eclecticism. It is here because it belongs here. Dario

Technical Retro-Futuristic Sci-Fi Jazz Thrash. A style that might be too jazzy for the Tech Death and Thrash Metal crowd. And naturally too Extreme for the Jazzers. Despite this massive “sitting between chairs” as we would say in Germany – or maybe precisely because of that – UK based quartet Cryptic Shift seemed to be the talk of the town in Progressive Metal circles throughout February. Their slightly overambitious second album “Overspace & Supertime” takes off where they left us with the equally impressive and totally nuts debut full length “Visitations from Eceladus” six years ago. And while its bonkers stylings and rough sound might be just a tad too crazy and raw to become this year’s “Absolute Elsewhere”, it will have an absolutely ecstasizing effect on those enlightened underground niche nerds who’ve got the acquired taste for this eclectic kind of whackyness. Dario

A stream of molten lava: the perfect depiction for a Post Metal album that is sitting rather on the extreme end of this particular subgenre’s spectrum. Presumably released in reversed order, French Post Metal collective Ingrina conclude their “Lys” (“Light”) trilogy, started with “Etter Lys” (“After Light”) in 2018, with “Nåværende Lys” (“Current Light”), six years after “Siste Lys” (“Last Light”). The fact that a primarily electronic, industrial piece like the penultimate ‘Laws’ fits perfectly between the crushingly heavy Post Metal anthems is rather telling. A testament to the consistency in creating an oppressive atmosphere. Apocalyptic. Dario

Indulging completely in the slow, hypnotic grooves of Psychedelic Stoner Doom is Finnish trio Mount Palatine. “Wormholy World”, their new album released early February through genre specialists Argonauta Records, does feature extended jams despite its heaviness. With equal measures of Psychedelic and Doom influences, Jean the Baron, Count Boogie and Lord of the Groove seamlessly blend the best of multiple worlds though into one coherently flowing Wormholy flow. Dario

“Atoned in Metamorphosis”, the new EP from quasi-Extreme-Music-supergroup Predatory Void is a perfect example of a release that manages to unfold its full impact only in a live setting. Especially the vocal delivery of singer Lina R gives the more melodic passages a slight Post Punk feel that is not entirely my cup of tea, I have to admit. The live experience was thoroughly convincing though, and I really couldn’t decide what feels more brutal, the Black Metal blast-beat parts or the slow Doom heaviness. Either way a pretty grim, dark and desperate affair. Dario

After the two entirely instrumental releases last year (“Monsterpiece” and “Fever Dream”), I was quite surprised to find out that Honduras based guitarist German García has added some vocals to his repertoire on his latest offering, “Kintsugi”. But fret not, his signature high octane, (mostly) non-cheesy orchestral Progressive Metal remains instrumental for most of its duration clocking in at just over 40 minutes. In ‘The Ominous Suite, Pt. II’, he even goes into full Bach counterpoint mode, making for an interesting mix of Yngwie meets Dimmu style. The darker, more classical timbre present in the two last songs tickles my vocal fancy much more than the Power Metal stylings of ‘The Cry of the Reckless’, reminding me of a certain Norwegian Khan or more precisely the terribly underrated Estonian X-Panda. But that’s just personal preference. German García is definitely on a roll here and if his 2025 release frequency is any indication, we might even see another EP before the end of the year. Dario

Having followed 8-string wizard Manuel Barbará since his impressive solo debut “Moonrise” in 2021, I was excited to hear about his third release coming in February 2026. It is called “Nomad”, and features five new songs as well as the mesmerizing ‘Mirrors’ trilogy (from 2021) in a reproduced, even better version.

Musically speaking, “Nomad” is a guitar centered, instrumental album with loads of mighty, bouncy riffs alternating with dreamy soundscapes, and – that’s what I think is quite interesting for this kind of style – nearly no “real” solos. Like a nomad, Manuel’s guitar takes the listener over different paths that are sometimes harsh and frightening, then looking around the next corner, come along magical and beautiful. This way, we wander from wild to calming and back, yet as for a real nomad, there are no repetitions. All-together a challenging but rewarding listen if you are into marvelous, dissonant sound layers melted with complex rhythm patterns. Katha

The Scien7ist, despite the number seven in his pseudonym, is also playing 8-string guitars. On his new five-song EP “REFLECTIONS”, the Andalusian guitarist excels especially when he weaves classical harmonies into his djenty modern Instrumental Prog Metal, like in the opening banger ‘EVOLVE’. That’s not to say that the rest of the tracks can’t hold up against that. Flamenco influences, bouncy riffs and a crystal clear yet punchy production make sure of that. Dario

Concluding our February (mostly) instrumental Prog Metal quadruple with “Stages to Osiris: Rebirth”, a reworked version of Divided by Design’s debut album originally released in 2020. After “The Fear of Being Forgotten” and “A Canvas for the Universe” the third album in a row to make our Releases of the Weeks/Months highlights, and rightfully so. The compositions might be six years old now, but they sound fresher than ever and should have any Instrumental Prog Metal aficionado eager for new material by this accomplished UK trio. Dario

When I first discovered Nordic Folk Rock collective Kalandra in 2023, they were on tour with their fellow Norwegians Leprous and more or less the only thing I knew about them was that they had some kind of smash hit in the Gaming scene due to their involvement in some soundtrack. Little was I prepared for the mesmerizing, delicate beauty that unfolded with each song. So I welcomed the release of their 2024 album “A Frame of Mind” as well as the subsequent headline tour with open arms. What a wonderful thing that we’re able to relive that tour now, as they recorded the show “Live at Lafayette” in London. Providing a magical 78-minutes retreat from the worries of life, I’m looking forward to revisiting this often until we’ll finally get some new Kalandra music. Dario