36 highlights for the month of February: certainly a new record!

It’s been a bit of a trend to release like half of an album as singles over the course of one or more years even, before properly unleashing the actual album in its entirety. And by that time, you’ve kind of already overplayed all those songs and the second half is not really able to excite you anymore. Aussie newcomers Primrose Path ran that risk as well, at least on paper, but once you listen to their explosive debut full length “Ruminations”, you will come to the conclusion that they actually never really did. All eight tracks are far too adrenaline-inducing and exciting to lose their fascination anytime soon. Far too awe-inspiring is the energetic and emotive delivery of vocalist Lindsay Rose, one of the most diverse vocal performances I had the pleasure of hearing in a long time both in style and range to be perfectly honest, as is the ultra-tight instrumental backbone, backed up by session-interim drummer Ashley Doodkorte of Voyager fame. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect such a perfect monster of a lesson in Modern Prog Metal when I first laid my ears on their 90s The Gathering-tinged debut EP outing “Matriffe” a few years back. This will be hard to top not only as a debut full length but as far as Progressive Metal releases in general go. And yes, I’m aware we’ve not even completed the first quarter of 2025. Dario

A lot of negative things have happened on the world stage since the beginning of the year that nobody had on their bingo cards, as the saying goes. As far as positive surprises go, the return of legendary German Prog Rockers Everon must have been the Prog sensation of the year nobody saw coming. “Shells” seamlessly continues where the now trio around mastermind Oliver Philipps left off after 2008’s “North”, as emotive as ever, or even more so, if that was even possible. “Shells” serves as much as a towering epitaph to Everon’s late drummer Christian ‘Moschus’ Moos, who unexpectedly passed away way too early last year before the completion of the album, as it is an absolutely stunning testament to the still prevalent boundless creativity of Oliver Philipps. It continues the legacy of one of Germany’s finest Progressive Rock bands ever with a gift of a masterpiece that stuns the attentive listener at ever corner with the band’s darkest and heaviest material to date, not forgetting the tender moments of pure beauty and soul-piercing lyrics. The start of a new Everon-era!? (And don’t miss out on our interview with Oliver Philipps, right this way: https://theprogspace.com/everon-interview-2025/ Dario

With such a stacked release month as February 2025, it might come as a surprise to have ‘just’ an EP at the third place already. Seventh Station’s “On Shoulders of Giants” is anything but merely a little EP. It is a stroke of genius, not only because the original compositions are all adaptations from some of the greatest 20th century composers. The jaw-dropping Avantgarde Prog Metal arrangements by guitarist Dmitri Alperovich and keyboardist Eren Başbuğ let Shostakovich, Schnittke, Kopetzki, Villa Lobos and Vaughan Williams shine in a completely new, daring, unexpected light. Topped off by Subterranean Masquerade’s Davidavi ‘Vidi’ Dolev’s most insane vocal performance since OMB’s “SwineSong” twelve years ago, this is hands down the most perfect marriage of dead serious and completely ridiculous. And for that accomplishment it deserves to be heard. Dario

Melancholy has been synonymous with Finnish Metal since forever. And the face of that classic Melodic Death/Doom has barely changed his classic, traditional and male male look in about three decades. Rioghan has been challenging and rejuvenating that cliché with her Gothic, Steampunk and Modern Prog Metal infused take on her very own melancholy vibes for around eight years now – and still does, even more accomplished now on her second full length album, “Kept”. And while there are certainly traces of both Leprous and Katatonia still present in her DNA (Einar Solberg and Jonas Renkse co-wrote some songs on the 2022 debut “Different Kinds of Losses”), she has found her very own, unique voice with “Kept”, one that’s versatile enough to even go from the most electronic (‘Distance’) to the most organic, even featuring violin and accordion (‘Hope’) while still retaining that coherent, recognizable Rioghan sound. Dario

With “Shards”, Norwegian Cinematic Chamber Pop quintet Dim Gray present their third album already, following up their breakthrough sophomore record “Firmament” with some strong new material. Heavily (or rather softly) relying primarily on Oskar Holldorff’s ethereal voice and lush, semi-acoustic arrangements, this affair strikes me as the missing link between Meer and Coldplay in the best possible way (yes, I love some of the more psychedelic, dream pop Coldplay deep cuts like ‘All I Can Think About Is You’… got a problem with that?). A much needed counter-balance to all the extreme stuff I’m devouring at an alarming rate lately… 😉 Dario

With a nomination for the 2024 The Progspace Awards for Best Progressive Rock Album with Haven of Echoes’ “Memento Vivere” under his belt and the imminent return of his Progressive Death Metal band Spires (just announced at the very beginning of the year), British vocalist/guitarist/composer Paul Sadler kept busy and released the follow up to his 2020 solo debut “Soon To Be Absorbed” in the form of “The Irrational” EP. Going fully acoustic this time, the delicate arrangements of the acoustic guitar/violin/cello core trio and of course his wonderful voice take the spotlight here and invite you to immerse yourself in something that I can very rationally describe as pure beauty made sound. Read Bob’s full review here: https://theprogspace.com/paul-sadler-the-irrational-ep/ Dario

“Mobula” is the brand new, fourth solo album from iamthemorning piano wizard Gleb Kolyadin. Compared to the 5 to 10 minute songs on 2022’s “The Outland”, its focus lies more on shorter, miniature-like compositions that flow wonderfully and manage to induce a dreamlike, meditative state if you’re inclined to accept it. A host of well-accomplished guests on various additional instruments (most notably percussionist Evan Carson) add to the cinematic, ethereal quality and round out an excellent addition to the body of published work from an extraordinarily talented musician. Dario

Almost a decade after “World of Grey”, Dutch Prog Rockers The Aurora Project are back with “EVOS12”, the first part of a new two albums spanning concept piece. Song structures and synth sounds do have a certain Neo Prog vibe to them, yet the synths are not as overbearing in the mix as with a band like IQ for instance and some odd curveballs like the reggae feel in ‘Have Some Tea’ certainly help to give their sound a bit of a unique edge in a genre where basically all has been said already before. Some more heavy riffs on the upcoming second part would still be much appreciated. The juxtaposition of sleekness and grit suits them well. Dario

Almost 5 years after their debut, “Raya”, The Belgian trio Pothamus are back with another fantastic release. It makes sense that “Abur” took so long, since it seems like every tone was carefully curated. It feels like this is a further extension of the “Raya” universe. The trance-inducing repetitiveness of the melody allows for layering different sounds and creating this spacious, grand atmosphere. I love the mixture of clean vocals and growls, which compliments that experimental post rock sound perfectly and keeps things dynamic. This 46-minute album in a way feels like an ancient ritual. Evelina

Spacey Progressive Stoner Metal with a tendency to explore longer Psychedelic Instrumental passages here and there is what you’ll get on “In Thrall to Heresy”, the third album – and first since 2015’s “Helios Forsaken” – from New Zealand based quartet Shepherds of Cassini. Electric Violin would probably not the first instrument you’d expect in such an environment, but it fits in perfectly both as a lead instrument and enhancing the riffing with a wild, exotic twang like in the gargantuan main riff of lead single ‘Red Veil’, my introduction to their sound, and an excellent one at that. Elsewhere, drifting off into Riverside-ish territories like on ‘Slough’ comes a bit unexpected, yet adds another well-fitting dimension to the diverse sound universe of the Shepherds of Cassini. One well worth exploring. Dario

I have no doubt whatsoever that “A Pathway to the Moon”, the seventh full length release of the very prolific Canadian one-man Blackgaze project Unreqvited will become a huge breakthrough and propel the name out there into the Metal mainstream. It is a polished, professional musical journey to the moon and stars that encompasses a lot subgenres executed in perfect precision that might alienate some longtime fans who prefer a rawer underground approach, but it’s still hitting that sweet spot of emotion only ambient, melodic Blackgaze can find if you let it. Dario

A healthy dose of Blackened Atmospheric Death Metal is dealt by the new Dutch project Xavernah in the form of its debut release “Absence”. Mastermind, composer and producer Ramón Roest has assembled top notch players to fulfill his musical visions (Blackbriar/Phantom Elite bassist Siebe Sol Sijpkens among others), and his compositions touch either end of the Extreme Metal spectrum from fierce ferocity to ambient, sometimes eerie introspection. In that way it might be even similar to Unreqvited’s “Pathway to the Moon” (see above), however as much it features less clean vocals, it has also retained a raw, dangerous edge rarely found in bands that have risen from the underground to bigger popularity. In that sense, I wished that Xavernah would stay that way for a long time to keep that exciting element. On the other hand I must say, this stuff deserves to be heard. A conundrum. Dario

“I play guitar and record old fashioned originals.” Now that’s an understatement if I’ve ever seen one. Found in the Facebook bio of Paris-based guitarist/composer Maxime Even, it quickly becomes clear that those old fashioned originals their creator is referring to here are actually some excellent instrumental prog metal tunes, if his newest, third album “The Cure” is anything to judge his skills by. But it’s not only about skills of course. Emotionally engaging with enough melodic surefootedness to draw you into the turmoils of adulthood, the purpose of these compositions is never showboating for the sake of it, on the contrary, chronicling Maxime’s very own story it creates familiar moods and tells stories about passion, resilience and growth (without the need for words), all themes most of us can probably relate to. Another thing I can very much relate to is getting James Christopher Knoerl (Aviations/Brand of Sacrifice/Gargoyl/The Anchoret etc…) to do session drums for the whole album. You can’t go wrong with that guy. Whether the young person on the cover artwork is looking back or towards what’s to come, I still can’t say though. Maybe both? Dario

We’re staying in France with our next highlight and I even get to reference the incredible Gargoyl again (can hardly wait for that second album): Liquid Bear created some equally awesome Grunge Prog on “Second Life“, however all the more Pain of Salvation “Road Salt” (or even Dark Suns “Orange”) leaning instead of the King Crimson/Voivod dissonant avantgarde shenanigans of the Canadians. And with all that cool fretless guitar riffing everywhere, those lush, emotional psychedelic moments hit even more surprisingly. Unpredictable, unprecedented and thoroughly unique. Dario

With “The Escapologist”, Jason Bieler continues his streak of poignant commentary about the decline of civilization (in realtime), musically oscillating between truly unhinged Prog Rock madness (especially in the first two songs) and more straight forward fun, absolutely befitting the album’s title. In both cases the only other (at least equally legendary) musician I can think of is Devin Townsend. Easy listening, silliness, deep thoughts and batshit crazy madness sometimes don’t have to be that far apart. That is certainly true for both exceptional talents. At the moment, I prefer “The Escapologist” over the “PowerNerd” though. Dario

Evergrey meets Progressive Death Metal before descending into an Atmo-Djent breakdown? Hell yeah count me in! Berlin based trio Across Oceans is continuing to impress with their third EP in a row. They might have used up a good percentage of their clean vocal ammunition in the aforementioned opening salvo (‘Frayed’), but just like with their Texan counterparts Framing Skeletons, it doesn’t matter at all which vocal style is employed at any given time. The result is always fitting, and always killer, no exceptions. The time is right for a full length album if the quality of “Oceanica”, “Pacifica” and “Coralea” is anything to go by. Dario

This might be officially the first Highlight for a release from a Honduras based project here on The Progspace. German García is the guitarist of Progressive Death Metal outfit Symphony of Madness, with the music released under his own name he strives to bring other influences into an Instrumental Progressive Metal tapestry, most notably orchestral and (neo-)classical vibes. And I have to say that on “Monsterpiece”, his second solo album, he absolutely succeeded in reaching that goal. The programmed drums could be a little less sterile, but the huge orchestrations, killer guitar and bass work as well as an otherwise powerful production more than make up for that minor little stain. Highly recommended for fans of Dimmu Borgir as much as Adagio, Symphony X and the all too underrated hidden gem that is Koyaanisqatsy’s 2000 masterpiece “From the yearning to burst the perpetual circle”. No vocals needed, perfect as it is. Dario

I almost missed out on the release of the new, fifth Naxatras album simply entitled “V”. And that would have been a bloody shame since it is one more gem of a Psychedelic Rock masterpiece that the Greek quartet added to their rock solid discography. Three years after their breakthrough of sorts, “IV” (or maybe it was just the one I discovered them with), this is 42 minutes of pure spacey synth goodness and hypnotic grooves. Try not to dance to that. Or actually, don’t. Just give in to the urge of moving your body and expanding your mind. Dario

Carrying on the torch of Instrumental Post Rock/Metal is another trio, this one from France though: Astreyane. With the consistent quality that is present throughout their debut full length, “Vertigo”, there is definitely no need to fear for the future of the genre. What I like especially about the sound and compositions of Astreyane music: all three instruments (guitar, bass & drums), are equal partners in creating these Post soundscapes. Definitely a new band to watch out for. Dario

Sheffield based Post Rock quartet Gilmore Trail called it quits. Ah well, this is a type of ‘discover a band with their last release just a the moment they decided to disband’, for me at least. For anyone familiar with them, or for all Post fans in general to be honest, they leave behind one last swan song in the form of “Wildfire”, an ambitious 15+ minutes EP/song that incorporates everything that makes Post Rock (including a guest appearance by Electric Post Cellist Jo Quail). Hello and Goodbye. Dario

One Hundred Thousand’s new release “Liminal” on the other hand is very much vocal centered. At least the first 30 minutes of it (the second part is actually the same songs in instrumental versions though…). The five-piece from New Jersey cooks up a catchy “European” Modern Prog Metal sound not entirely unlike Karmanjakah,  VOLA or Monuments, but maybe with a dash of US Alternative Metal à la Deftones thrown in to spice things up. In this case, I couldn’t think of any other use of the instrumental versions though other than using it for Karaoke, but maybe I’m missing something. Oh yeah I guess I am: the vocals… 😉 Dario

Ukrainian intricate groove bulldozers of Jinjer have been an absolute unstoppable force and tight unit ever since that ‘Pisces’ live session went viral some eight years ago… But they never rested on any laurels, on the contrary, they kept pushing on, perfecting their craft to the extreme to tremendous, well-deserved success. “Duél” is their newest album and it’s once again chock full of that brutal groove that just makes me smile on end and they’ve even managed to sound tighter than ever if that was possible at all. All the while not falling into the trap of polishing the mix too much and reaching a sterile end product. Their very secret weapon: drummer Vladyslav Ulasevych’s bell-work. Makes me smile even more. Check out Andrei’s full review right here: https://theprogspace.com/jinjer-duel/ Dario

Out of the ashes of Spawn of Possession rises Retromorphosis. “Psalmus Mortis”, the Psalm of Death, is a filthy feast of old school shreddy death metal, far away from anything over-quantized and sterilized modern tech death. The blistering shred attack from Jonas Bryssling and Christian Münzner is relentless and doesn’t let up one bit over the album’s 42 minute duration. Pure f***ing joy. For more old school death, continue reading below… Dario

Equally relentless, but with more emphasis on the riffing, Norwegian five-piece Celestial Scourge plow through 30 minutes of succinct brutality on “Observers of the Inevitable”. Featuring members of such veteran bands as Blood Red Throne, extremely talented Prog Thrash upstarts Vorbid, and Melodic Death Metal gang Deception, I can’t help but observe the inevitable and witness a killer album coming together. More please. From all of those bands. Dario

The endless stream of French Atmospheric Post Black Metal of the highest order continues with “Wilhelm”, the second part of a Kierkegaard-inspired trilogy from Paris-based outfit, Decline of the I. Equal parts nihilistic and bleak, but at the same time with a sacral grandeur, their sound incorporates everything I love about this type of Black Metal. Where darkness and danger meet the ethereal and sublime – that’s where Decline of the I shine. Dario

I remember a period back in high school in which I blasted “The Garden of Earthly Delights” daily. Naturally, I was very happy to find out that Apocalypse Orchestra will be releasing their sophomore album this February. Prepare for a blast from the very, very distant past with “A Plague upon Thee”. The Swedish band takes us back to the Central European medieval times with their splendid blend of instruments, expected for that time period (to name a few – bagpipes, mandolin, hurdy gurdy) and modern metal sound. The choir adds to the epic feeling, but also to the historical accuracy of the music, considering those were the times of the Crusades and the Holy wars. I’ve got one more thing to say – Ni! Go check the album or I’ll have to do it again. – Evelina

The first of two great Nordic Metal albums that were released on February 7 is Ereb Altor’s “Hälsingemörker”. According to Metal Archives, it’s the tenth full length album from the Swedes since 2008 already. It’s my first encounter with their sound though and their commitment to the “if Borknagar went all in with the Epic Viking Metal part of their varied sound” yields a perfection and primal universality to this particular subgenre. So without diving into their extensive back catalogue I’ll just go out on a limb and assume that they have honed their craft continuously and with relentless dedication to arrive at that point. I am sure their Viking ancestors are very proud and Ereb Altor have ensured their glorious welcome to Valhalla now once the time comes. Dario

The second one is Saor’s “Amidst the Ruins”, and even though Caledonian Metal is of course not the same as Scandinavian Viking Metal, their roots reach back to similar periods of Northern European history, and I believe they also share a similar history of christianisation and forced eradication of their once strong faith, what is now known as ‘pagan’. Maybe I’m completely wrong here, but those are the vibes I’m getting from the five epic songs on “Amidst the Ruins”. Musically, I guess I’m a bit more drawn to Ereb Altor’s style I must say, but I feel Saor is accomplishing the same level of quality here with a similarly deep connection to their local roots, musically, lyrically, and spiritually. Dario

Faced with the self-imposed task to reach the 36 February highlights with one more release in order to fill the 6×6 grid of the cover artworks, I had 15 marked down for further inspection for that very last spot. Simply drawn in by a few (sub-)genre descriptors, I put on “The Distaff”, the new album by Edinburgh-based project Maud the Moth – and was blown away by all the complex emotions thrown at me by mastermind Amaya López-Carromero and her co-conspirators. The sheer endless depth of this Neo-Classically tinged Singer-Songwriter Avantgarde Post Gothic masterpiece (ok, I’ll stop throwing together random subgenres now) is absolutely mesmerizing and leaves you exhausted and enthralled. The only artist that even remotely reached this level of accomplishment in similar sonic waters would be Lingua Ignota. But regardless of any comparisons dropped to try and lure you, our cherished readers, in to listen to this awe-inspiring, incomparable oeuvre: you should try it for yourself. You really should! Dario

Punishing Post Metal/Sludge is what you’re gonna get with “K L P S”, the new release from Swedish 4-piece KOLLAP\SE. Their bandname also stylized as K L P S elsewhere, so that makes this a quasi-self titled effort, and the crushing heaviness and anger is balanced out with a soothing, melancholy atmosphere, turning this into a cathartic sonic experience. Dario

British multi-instrumentalist Dominic Sanderson might be one of the younger musicians in all of our February highlights, his music sounds like straight from the very early 70s though. In other words: progging it up to the max with lots and lots of Mellotron, Hammond, Fender Rhodes and all that jazz. Flutes and saxes and acoustic guitar. Weird and quirky vocals. It’s very chaotic and very raw and I daresay that it might be too much for fans of most Prog Rock produced today (or since the 90’s at least to be perfectly  honest), but exactly therein lies the very charm of “Blazing Revelations”. Dario

Even more saxophone, albeit in a distinct Experimental Avantgarde Math-Jazz surrounding, can be heard on “Vicious Twee”, the debut album from Brisbane, Australia based quartet Dropbear Lodge. All members contributed two compositions to the album (apart from drummer Benjamin Shannon, whose hectic centerpiece clocks in at over 13 minutes though), but despite all their different backgrounds, approaches and compositional focuses, the core sound remains weirdly Dropbear Lodge. Is this how they play Jazz in Australia? I don’t know but their anything goes mentality might just make “Vicious Twee” the most proggy album on this list… Dario

Evocative, haunting and dark: Cammie Beverly always knew how to enchant Extreme Metal in the context of her main band Oceans of Slumber with her sultry, heartfelt vocals. Now she has finally made the step and made a (short) solo album, completely pouring her pure, raw emotions into seven tracks of Dark Southern Gothic Alternative Pop (or whatever you want to call it). “It’s a sanctuary. A place where stories live, breathe, and echo. A refuge where pain finds solace and shadows dance with hope.” says Cammie. The latest Oceans of Slumber album “Where Gods Fear To Speak” surely might have seen the Texas Prog Doom powerhouse tread new ground, bold and daring as always, but I got to admit that Cammie’s melodies haven’t been able to pierce my very heart and soul as deeply since 2018’s “The Banished Heart”. So if you’re a fan of this exceptional vocalist at all, this is an absolute must hear, even if your usual diet consists of nothing but Metal. Oh and congratulations to Cammie (and Dobber) on the birth of your daughter! 🙂 Dario

The perfect little companion album to Cammie Beverly’s “House of Grief” (see above) is “The Mourners Songbook”, a beautiful collection of cinematic, partly piano centered soundscapes and miniatures by Cammie’s husband, Dobber Beverly. Primarily known for his blasting drum skills not only in Oceans of Slumber, but also in even more extreme Black & Death Metal or Deathgrind outfits like Necrofier or Terror Corpse, but his skills on the grand piano and his penchant for vast soundscapes have always been an integral part of Oceans of Slumber’s unique signature sound. Now that he allowed himself to dive deeper into these aspects of his creativity, it becomes even more clear that his talents in both fields match up. So I’d absolutely love to hear more of this kind of stuff in the future, be it audio only or as the soundtrack to a real movie or series. Dario

More soundscapes, less piano: Brand new Swedish supergroup duo Johan Niemann (bass in Evergrey) & Carl Westholm (Bakelit, Hollingshead, Carptree, ex-Avatarium) have joined forces under the banner of Håbrand to explore the vast, boundless fields of electronic and industrial epicness. I’ve been a huge fan of Westholm’s keyboard and synth sounds ever since my first encounter with them in Jupiter Society’s massive Sci-fi Prog Doom trilogy, and I was already really excited of the ambient expolaritions of my beard-brother Johan Niemann that he published under his own name over the last years. On “Shining. But Dead”, these two masters of their craft clash for a massive, monumental journey that could easily go on a bit longer if it was up to me. Or how about a lot longer? Dario

Swedish Metal-related Electronica, part 2: Niklas Sundin, ex-Dark Tranquillity guitarist and accomplished cover artwork artist, returns for a third foray into Electronic realms with his solo project Mitochondrial Sun. ”Machine Dialetics” has less of those cinematic industrial vibes compared to Håbrand, rather dwells in pure synth miniatures for most of the time. Like a metal-informed Tangerine Dream for the lack of a better comparison. In any case a perfect closer for this diverse run through some of February 2025’s most exciting highlights. Dario