25 highlights in an intense second half of March

A debut EP leading the Highlights of the second half of March 2025? Well, yes, and the decision to feature “Contemplation I” so prominently was a particularly easy one at that. The brand new Nordic Prog Metal project Ipomonia from Denmark, led by mastermind Maja Holst Partsch, just ticks all the right boxes and manages to sound fresh and familiar at the same time. A proper Prog Metal attack invading an atmospheric, melodic sound akin to Kalandra (for the atmosphere) or early Within Temptation (for the melodies). While that might sound a bit formulaic on paper, I can assure you, the opposite is the case. When music is able to wrap you in a warm blanket of melancholy, and provide you with a soothing, cathartic experience to lose yourself in, any other comparisons or descriptions pale in front of this most important quality: emotional impact. And this one hits deep. Add to that some beautifully melodious bass lines and solos from Iotunn-Turtleneck Eskil Rask, and you’ve got yourself the perfect little Best-EP-of-2025! Dare I hope for an equally impressive debut full length album around this time next year? Dario

Increasing the extremeness significantly on this journey through the best releases of the second half of March 2025 is “To Lift The Veil”, the debut full length from Spanish/US collaboration project Dissocia. Daniel R. Flys, best known for his ferocious vocal delivery in Persefone and Eternal Storm, teamed up with Wormed drummer Gabriel Valcázar to fully realize his swirling, psychedelic compositorial Extreme Metal visions within (or rather, including) his usual Progressive/Melodic Death Metal element. Not only does he excel here on vocal duties (clean & extreme), as expected, but his guitar and bass performances as well as the multi-faceted synth layers are equally as impressive. No wonder that this exhilarating Extreme Prog trip was picked up by Willowtip Records. Combining the highest quality with innovation and imagination. A guaranteed winning synthesis. Dario

It’s been five years since the Scots from Tiberius released their debut album, “A Peaceful Annihilation”, which was standing out with the memorable riffs, powerful vocals and insane energy, especially during live performances. With the new sophomore release, “Singing for Company“, we got more of that. It’s still Tiberius we know and love, with deep lyrics about the societal issues, a bit of power metal cheese and great compositions. But the band also threw in some surprises, like Spanish guitar, or the bagpipes intro in ‘Touch the Past’, as well as the special guest feature of Romy Ouwerkerk (Golden Caves). All and all, the album is consistently good and replayable, and while we had to wait long time for the product to be delivered, we can’t really be disappointed, all thanks to the hard work work from the lads at the Riffs Department, great (and timely) vocal delivery, creative drum parts, so I have no complaints to raise with the HR. Go and sing for the company, and grab yourself a copy! Alex

The biggest name in blackgaze is back with their newest album in 4 years since their divisive shoegaze/dream pop release, “Infinite Granite”. That’s right, American metal band Deafheaven returns with, not only a return to heavier music, but another masterpiece of a record titled “Lonely People With Power”. A mix of short and longer tracks, a versatile flow between songs, and a powerful performance that is very expressive; this release is no doubt some of the best in the genre from the last few years. Sitting through the album myself on the first listen, I could not believe how much better it got with every track! Absolutely beautiful music, I couldn’t recommend this one enough to anyone who loves the genre, or even completely new to it. If you want a little more details of what to expect, imagine a more blackened An Abstract Illusion; or if you’re not completely new to blackgaze/post-black metal, then compare to the likes of Alcest, Lantlôs, and Svalbard. Pulled in now? Good. Go spin it and see what the hype is all about! Colin

Oh dear, there’s so many awesome and exciting debuts and sophomore efforts (not even counting the third efforts), that I’m getting all dizzy in light of all the ‘there’s nothing interesting happening in music anymore’ folks. Here’s another mysterious case of: I don’t remember how the tab of this Bandcamp page suddenly appeared in my browser… French newcomers Within Fractals absolutely blew me away in a nanosecond with their vast, expansive “quasi-instrumental Katatonia/AtomA Post Djent with turntables – oh wait where do these orchestrations come from all of a sudden?”. That random sequence of words sounds alien to you and doesn’t make any sense? Well, listen to “Samsara” immediately then to get enlightened! Dario

The epic stories of Greek mythology have long been a staple of inspiration for artistic exploration in every sense of the word. Swiss-based Progressive Post Metal collective NevBorn have launched an artistic project of ambitious scope in 2023: “Alkaios”, based on the Twelve Labors of Herakles. “Part II · The Peacock” is out now, following an already impressive “Part I · The Eagle” two years ago. Just like its predecessor, it features four compositions clocking in around the 15 minutes mark each, running the full gamut of what’s possible in a Progressive Post Metal environment, balancing the well-known tropes of the genre with a fresh, poetic, story-telling angle, delivering a full-blown epic artistic experience that doesn’t stop at music, lyrics, performances and production, but expands to the visual side with stunning artworks to go with each of the songs. Dario

With their dark Prog Rock sounds, Toronto (Canada) based band Derev knows exactly how to entice listeners and lure them into their emotional tales of mental trauma and unrest. “Troubled Mind” is their second album after 2021’s “Leap of Faith”, and I’m delighted to report that core duo Armando Bablanian (guitars) & Michel Karakach (drums & percussion) have managed to keep session vocalist Adel Saflou (at least for studio duties). His emotive, full timbre elevates the Soen/Opeth tinged songs to the next level. Of course I’d be curious to hear the live renditions with Mike Symons, but for now I’m just happy about the continued collaboration of these three aforementioned musicians and the wonderful outcome that is “Troubled Mind”. Their combined musical magic definitely deserves to be heard by a wider audience. Dario

So, there’s this one Kscope band with a March 2025 release that is advertised everywhere as ‘the living, breathing definition of a supergroup’. They ain’t it, though. O.R.k. also released their fifth album already (!) through Kscope in March, and even though they don’t feature former Rush guitar god Alex Lifeson amongst their ranks, that description would fit them infinitely better. But “Firehose of Falsehoods” doesn’t rest on the laurels of its lauded members. Their goal has always been reaching new sonic goals in service of the songs they are crafting as a single, four-headed entity. The Edwin/Mastelotto rhythm section is as groovy and creative as ever. Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari & Carmelo Pipitone once more add a sense of unhinged Prog/Punk danger, balanced out with Soundgarden-goes-prog stadium-appeal. A contrast that really shouldn’t work on paper. But listen for yourself. It works wonderfully, and at times, even manages to stun the hell out of me. O.R.k. are still one of a kind and anyone even remotely into emotionally charged rock music should take heed. Dario

Ever dreamt of a less French, more British version of Taal (“Skymind”/“Mister Green”)? Well, me neither, but The Orchestra (For Now) is leaving us no choice at all with the release of their debut EP “Plan 75”. Its exuberant punk-ish energy, completely taking you by surprise and rolling over you like a drunk fever dream is easily matched in madness and scope by the advanced intricacies of the compositions and arrangements of the four pieces at hand here. ‘Wake Robin’ takes the cake with a main theme strongly reminiscent of a certain Crimson King, but unique enough to pass as homage. I have no idea who they are or where they came from (certainly out of nowhere from my perspective) and what business they have to make music that crazy (good) at such a young age, but if they continue to conjure up stuff like this, their proclaimed goal “We’re here to rule the world” might just be in arm’s reach! Dario

Just like the artwork for the whole of NevBorn’s “Alkaios” series so far (see above), the artwork for the output of Greek proggers of Calyces would equally make an impressive exhibition in a museum. “Fleshy Waves of Probability” is their second full length album, following 2020’s surprise hit “Impulse to Soar”, and even though they are often labelled as Post Metal as well, their whole musical energy couldn’t be further apart from that of NevBorn. Maybe they’re just sitting comfortably at the opposite end of the spectrum with a clear focus on raw, forward-driving, sludgy energy as opposed to slow, epic build-ups. Where Mastodon & Baroness meets Rush or something like that. New rhythm section with Loukas Giannakitsas on bass and double-bass and drummer Stavros Rigos (ex-Poem) are a perfect fit as well with their explosive performances. Next level Calyces is here. Dario

If this wasn’t a re-recording of earlier material, Nospūn’s new EP “Ozai” would naturally rank a lot higher within these highlights, as their style incorporates everything that’s hot about Modern Progressive Metal. A tiny bit less Haken-esque as on their debut album smash hit “Opus” that took the Prog world by storm two years ago, the re-recorded pre-Nospūn material from a time when the North Carolina bunch was still called Ozai, feels more raw and heavy, reminding me of Tiberius (see above) and a more Metal Caligula’s Horse. You see: with these two references, earworm-y melodies can’t be far. Curious to see if they’ll incorporate at least one “Ozai” song in their set at ProgPower Europe come October, but either way: I’m really looking forward to catching them live. Dario

Edit: Originally, this Highlight was placed just before Alien Weaonry (and it would have fit perfectly on the chat with their glowing cover artworks side by side), but the more I listened to “Ozai” the more I fell in love with it… So up it went.

Satiating my cravings for some proper dissonant Avantgarde Jazz weirdness in the second half of March was certainly “|Time: Machine|”, the debut ful length from Cincinatti, Ohio based sextet Fracktura. The alto and tenor saxophone parallel double attack paired with the airy, sultry mixed jazz voice delivery of vocalist Karis Tucker makes for a mesmerizing triple lead instrument extravaganza, while the first half final longtrack ‘Moments’ focuses more on clusters atop a droning, plodding drum and bass rhythm. The saxophone duo then splits in a call and response only to find each other again in those eerie dissonant harmony clusters. The adventure then spirals off when the vocals come in and the journey in this crazy time machine comes to an all too sudden end. Luckily there’s more craziness to be found in the following highlights, stay tuned. Dario

Swapping the saxophones with trumpet, the sultry vocals with (sparse) ferocious growls and overall ramped up in the extreme department (compared to the highlight right above this one), with tis “Upgrade” EP, New York based Improvised Sci-Fi Jazz Extreme Metal collective Sarmat has unlocked the next level of insanity. 21 minutes and 21 seconds of pure bliss. If you can handle dissonance factor 1000. Stands very well on its own, but works perfectly as an intro to what’s to come (see below)… Dario

Ok, what’s to come actually came out one week earlier already. And even though there’s some personnel overlap between Sarmat and Imperial Triumphant (producer Colin Marston and bassist Steve Blanco who played synths on Sarmat’s “Upgrade”), and the neighboring stylistics (with an added focus on Black Metal ferociousness in Imperial Triumphant’s sound universe), I have a feeling that “Goldstar” couldn’t be further from “Upgrade”. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the stuff on “Goldstar” is meticulously composed and arranged as opposed to Sarmat’s free-form improvisational approach. Of course, as with all Jazz based music, with solo parts that leave the freedom for going completely nuts (see Dave Lombardo’s guest drum solo and subsequent bass fun in ‘Pleasuredome’). Be that as it may, “Goldstar” has been dubbed the most accessible Imperial Triumphant to date. Good luck placing it in mainstream radio then. An acquired taste and the masochist urge of deriving pleasure from the most dissonant cacophony is still needed to appreciate the madness that is Imperial Triumphant. Heavenly. Dario

With an album title like “Scenes From The Dark Ages”, you’d expect either some proper Medieval folk music, or some epic Power Metal, I’d say.  New York based piano virtuoso Yelena Eckemoff subverts these expectations completely though with her new album that’s full of the finest Instrumental Jazz Fusion with subtle Classical influences. As the title suggests though, the fifteen songs on the album really paint pictures in your head, with the primary lead instruments in most of the songs being Carlo Nicita’s evocative performance on various flutes. The rest of the ensemble (including drum/percussion legend Trilok Gurtu) delivers on equally high levels, while maintaining a rather laid-back charm. “Scenes From The Dark Ages” is definitely too long with its 1 hour 45 minutes playing time, but there’s still a lot of great stuff to be discovered if classically infused Jazz Fusion is your jam. Dario

The output of most Neo Prog bands over the years has always been hit and miss for me. Be it Marillion, Galahad, Pendragon or Pallas. IQ is no different. For me personally, they peaked with  “Dark Matter”, they had some of their strongest material ever on “Frequency” and “Road of Bones” (in fact, some of my favorite compositions ever regardless of genre in the form of those two title tracks), but weren’t able to keep up the consistency throughout a full length release in my book. In 2019, they took measures to the extreme with the 100+ minutes double album “Resistance”. There was some good stuff on it, but also a lot of forgettable stuff that made it all a bit of a drag in the end. “Dominion” is IQ’s 16th full length album now, and with a playing time of under 55 minutes even, a pretty succinct affair for their standards. And I have to say, I quite like it (except for the uninteresting interlude ‘One of Us’). The opening epic ‘The Unknown Door’ takes a bit of time to really drag you in, but manages to bloom right in time. Quasi-title track ‘No Dominion’ is peak IQ again though, all synth-drenched to the max with Peter Nicholls’ dramatic wailings and Michael Holmes’ sharp guitar melodies on top. All in all a solid addition to IQ’s discography with highs and lows, that should be lapped up by fans of the band and Neo Prog in general regardless of my pickiness though. Dario

Being located in Germany myself, I’m pretty sure that Czechia is the one directly neighboring country without at least a few internationally known Prog, Rock or Metal bands (excluding Luxembourg maybe). So naturally I love being surprised by bands putting some underrepresented countries on the (scene) map. The Split from eastern Czechia managed to do that and have nailed a philosophical, darkly atmospheric sound in the middle of that wide triangle on their second album, “Mankind in Vitro”. Definitely on the proggier side of things while also maintaining a rather sombre feel, the duality of that contrast (or should I say ‘split’) makes for an interesting vibe throughout, one that fans of the heavier side of Riverside for instance might dig. As far as I understood from the credits, the trio doesn’t have a designated full-time singer, so I hope either one of the two sharing those duties on the album might be either available to join possible live-gigs, or even join them full-time in the future. Dario

2021’s “The Turning Wheel” by Chrystia Cabral’s Experimental Art Pop outlet Spellling was a genuine revelation, so I was quite intrigued about her newest release, “Portrait of My Heart”. And after some initial difficulties to get into it (which might have been down to the stylistic directions of the first couple of songs), I’m head over heels in love again with this unending creative well of excitement. ‘Destiny Arrives’ alone would be worth the price of admission, but “Portrait of My Heart’ just keeps on giving after that. Granted, not your usual Prog fare of course, but Experimental and simply amazing enough to warrant an inclusion in these Highlights. Dario

Steering back into heavier waters, Photon Flux is the solo project from Dutch multi-instrumentalist Sjoerd Folkeringa (ex-Hibakusha), and I have to admit, the guitar tones of the very first riff and the screaming vocals from Twan Driessen put me a bit off at first. The clean vocal delivery (often with harmonies) by Ilah van der Haas and Sjoerd’s excellent lead guitar work shining through here and there made me stay though. That makes “Hypofrontality” a solid debut in the Progressive Metalcore realm with lots of potential. With more of that crazy instrumental stuff like ‘Macrophage’ and more of those gorgeous clean vocal melodies, Photon Flux could go places! Dario

Next up, another debut album. The approach by Leeds (UK) based quintet Pravitas is decidedly more tech-y compared to the Photon Flux sound though. There’s plenty of variety in the instrumental parts, including bass solos (yes, they are awesome), or a slight orchestral undertone (‘Exile’). The relentless vocal onslaught can get a tad monotonous though. That is rarely the focus in Tech Death though. So, when it comes to that blistering shred attack, “The Parasitic Divine” slays all the way through. And when vocalist Chris Sellers suddenly switches into his Gojira gears like in ‘Defragment’, I can hear the stadiums calling (or is it the Bastille already?). Jokes aside, with the quality at hand it is a crime to see Pravitas’ streaming numbers not soaring already. Get in there and give them a spin! Dario

Maori Thrash Metal trio Alien Weaponry is back with another vicious attack. “Te Rā” (“The Sun”) is their third album, and while it might be their most accomplished one so far, they didn’t lose any of their grit, hunger and youthful energy. Their close, parallel two-part vocal harmonies and little ornamentations adoring the otherwise powerfully pummeling riffs are as much their unique trademarks as, naturally, the lyrics in their native Te Reō tongue. This album will easily further cement their status as a proficient, but still fresh and unique voice in the (mainstream) Thrash Metal circuit and beyond and I’m all here for it. If they continue at that pace, they’ll soon outrun Grip Inc. and Annihilator as my favorite Thrash Metal band ever! Dario

One of the most recent signings to the biggest Prog label (Inside Out Music): Sometime in February. The US trio from the Carolinas is all about that uplifting instrumental Prog Metal like Intervals, Plini, Arch Echo (minus keyboards) or, more recently, Connor Kaminski & Thom Pankhurst and “Where Mountains Hide” is their second album. For some people it might sound like showing off, for me it just sounds like the pure joy of playing music. And yeah, these positive, hopeful vibes are more than welcome, if not desperately needed in these dark times. Dario

Not even a year after their self-titled debut, Norwegian Prog Rockers Sykofant are back with a new release. The EP is entitled “Red Sun” and, fitting to that title and dusty mountains adorned cover artwork, there sure is some Western and Stoner twang shining through their unique blend of Progged up Hard Rock as well as some Psychedelic tangents sneaking up on you every now and then. Listening to the title track also gives me the distinct feeling they might have listened to pre-”The Wall” Pink Floyd at some point. Certainly not the worst reference I’d say and a most relaxing 22 minutes to be found on “Red Sun”. Dario

How much Metal can we get with simply a Symphony Orchestra and vocals without any traditional ‘Metal’ instrument? I bet Carlo M. Dini’s answer would simply be a resounding “Yes”! Just a couple of months after the full blown Symphonic Metal affair “Dark Wing Gospel”, the Amsterdam based composer released these amazing compositions in their equally full blown Orchestral versions. “In Glorious Red” is indeed a glorious celebration of the awe-inspiring orchestrations that made “Dark Wing Gospel” stand out in the first place. Black Yet Full Of Stars? More like guitar-less yet full of metal! Dario

Evergrey bass virtuoso Johan Niemann certainly knew how to surprise with his string of (mostly ambient) solo releases over the last couple of years (including the amazing collaboration with Keyboard guru Carl Westholm, Håbrand). With his newest solo endeavor, he returns to rockier territory, but probably not as you’d expect it. “The Vast Expanse” is an old school guitar album focusing on melody, tone and phrasing above all, certainly above senseless hyperfast shredding. Certainly channeling his early influences from the likes of Gary Moore, or the chill ends of the Satch/Vai school. “The Vast Expanse” is a straight-forward, mostly relaxed affair, thus all the more welcome in these hectic days. A nostalgic refuge in pure melodic bliss. Dario