February starts in dancey and brutal fashion equally

Kyros start out February for us in the most vibrant, poppy kind of way. These productive youngsters released “Celexa Dreams” in May of 2020, but have hardly been sitting still since. It seems that during the covid period they’ve naturally progressed their sound from prog rock oriented with synth pop influences to their current progressive synth pop with rock undertones. Coming from someone that doesn’t normally dance, “Mannequin” is very danceable! Its catchy melodies ranging from Big Band-like passages flowing into video game soundscapes of ‘Showtime’, chorusses like ‘Illusions Inside’ (featuring Dominique Gilbert) that will get stuck in your head for days on end, and the intricate beats of ‘Ghost of You’ that reminds the listener a little of Janet Jackson‘s “Rhythm Nation”-era funk. The production of this album is so layered, trying to comprehend the whole within the first few listens is hardly possible, and yet it is able to grab you melodically within these few listens. With “Mannequin” Kyros delivers a masterclass in making extremely layered, difficult music sound deceptively simple, catchy and poppy, with delicious synth and guitar solos as the cherry on top of the cake. Marcel

Before we start our descent into gradually heavier territories this week, let’s take a moment of dreamy respite in plantoid’s psychedelic alternative jazz-rock “Terrapath”-lands. The Brighton based quartet is effectively tilling these soils with as much precision as authentic joy and exuberant youthful energy is a great part of the deal here. And the gorgeous artwork just adds to that enticing mystery that beckons me to a stroll on that “Terrapath”. Will you join me? Dario

Dante’s Inferno is a gladly taken concept within the Metal scene, yet each musical interpretation is different of course. French Prog trio Theraphosa invite us to crawl with them through the nine circles of Hell and witness the core of all sins, but also to wonder about our inner self. With some Haken-esque, djenty chord progressions here, mystical soundscapes and choir appearances in between, and a good pinch of Alternative Metal vibes there, they deliver an overall modern sounding, well composed album. It’s not that kind of highly complex or sophisticated Prog, but somehow draws me in with a tension that doesn’t want me to stop listening…. If the claim as best dressed musicians within the genre (did anyone include Novena’s Harrison White here already?) might help us during our journey through the Underworld – I don’t know – but the music on “Inferno” clearly does, leaving me impressed by this rather random discovery. Glad it found its way to my ears 🙂 Katha

Andorran Progressive Death Metal masters Persefone are ready for change. Just like second guitarist Filipe Baldaia, new lead vocalist Daniel R. Flys got the upgrade to full-time member after a two years live trial period. The compositorial main duo of guitarist Carlos Lozano and keyboarder/clean vocalist Miguel “Moe” Espinosa as well as the powerhouse driving forces of Sergi “Bobby” Verdeguer on drums and Toni Mestre on bass remains unchanged though, so it is still undeniably Persefone what they have to offer on their new EP “Lingua Ignota: Part I”. Something sounds different though, and I don’t mean the lead vocals, something fresh and unexpected permeates the sound after 2022’s “metanoia” seemed to mainly perfect and, in some cases rehash, the brilliant formulas the six Andorran’s found with “Spiritual Migration” (2013) and “Aathma” (2017). So injecting some fresh blood into their cosmic universe might have just been what they needed to take the next leap of evolution in their band history. With “Lingua Ignota: Part I”, Persefone underline their status as a force to be reckoned with within Extreme Prog and I’m excited to see (and hear) what possibilities they will explore with Daniel Flys’ addition as a permanent member. To witness them live, don’t miss out on the upcoming European tour with support by Hypno5e, Stellar Circuits & Lampr3a, starting on February 10 in the Netherlands. Dario

Ferocious blackened Post Metal straight out of Berlin’s premier Post-Everything and -Anything forge Pelagic Records: Bipolar Architecture present “Metaphsyicize”, their second album and label debut. They pull out all the stops within this particular subgenre and then some, adding depth and unprecedented heaviness as bipolar counterpoints to whirring post- and blackgaze ambiences. Truly excellent stuff unifying the strengths of various subgenres into one coherent Bipolar Architecture sound. Heavily recommended! Dario

Now this is an interesting one right here: combining Tech Death, Mathcore, Avantgarde Extreme Jazz and some more into one weird, mind-boggling mix are UK based extreme metal weirdos Utopia on their sophomore album “Shame”. Look elsewhere if Easy Listening is what you’re looking for, this is extremely challenging stuff to unlock with unwavering determination through multiple attentive listens for those who dare to wrap their wide open mind around it. Fleeting glimpses of rare beauty are juxtaposed with mathematical cacophonies to staggering effect. Spellbinding. Dario

We’re off to another challenging Extreme Metal adventure with Enterprise Earth who bring us “Death: An Anthology”, sounding as brutal as the title and cover artwork might suggest, and most of the attributes of the previous review could be used here as well. Overall, they deliver bone-crushing Deathcore with an insane vocal performance, but also manage to interweave other stylistic elements that woke up my proggy curiosity. Sometimes, the technical parts get a bit out of hand, even though they should  be seen as part of the artistic expression, as the ‘Face of Fear’ won’t come along with a lovely melody, isn’t it? Yet there are these wonderful, little moments when they move away from the brutal Deathcore paths, like during the instrumental interlude of ‘Casket of Rust’, and we can dive into absolutely stellar guitar solos that clearly make a difference for me here. I’d also like to mention the fantastic drumming, that came into the spotlight during yesterday’s show in Munich, where they stopped by on their current tour with Suffocation (find all remaining dates here), and to see them playing this highly complex music live left me really impressed. Katha

Hailing from Montreal, Canada, Voidchaser embark on an odyssey of their own on their debut EP “Odyssey”. A journey that leads them and their listeners through a variety of realms within Progressive Metal, Sludge and Sci-Fi territories with varying success. Parts of the final ‘Crusader’ hint at upcoming greatness though, and the strong possibility of an even greater hit rate on future releases, making Voidchaser a band to be watched. Dario