56 new releases with 4 highlights for your proggy listening needs

Following a spectacular run of critically acclaimed releases from the likes of An Abstract Illusion, Parius and more, Pittsburgh based underground metal specialists Willowtip Records share another musical treasure with The Anchoret‘s magnificent debut album “It All Began With Loneliness”. The brand new, international progmetal project around mastermind Eduard Levitsky also features singer Sylvain Auclair (Heaven’s Cry, Karcius), drummer James Christopher Knoerl (Aviations, Gargoyl) and keyboardist Andy Tillison (The Tangent) among others, and combines classical prog rock elements with modern metal energy by melting fusion sax, flute solos, mellotron vibes and heavy riffs to unique, intense soundscapes. The whole piece is incredibly creative yet always flowing, with splendid, soulful musicianship and expressive vocals, and offers loads to discover even after multiple listens.

But at the end of the day I have to admit that, even though having spent already countless, wonderful hours with this masterpiece, I’m still struggling to find the right words to describe it. What actually began with loneliness, as Ed started to write these songs during the lockdown isolation, has become something very special in my ears, heart-breaking and soul healing in one, touching me in a way as only music can do…

Highly recommended to dive into their mesmerizing sound layers and see if The Anchoret’s music unfolds its magic for you as well. Katha

French proggers Mirage continue their EP journey with “Chapters” after “Museum” (2019) and “Stories” (2022). Sitting comfortably between the more classic lush prog rock sounds of bands like Mostly Autumn or Panic Room spruced up with a dash of modern prog and fusion hints à la Plini or Mimesis, the five songs make for a sweet listen. The beautiful artwork of the EP and also the four singles deserve a special mention as well! Dario

This week, Greek painter Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design) appears even twice in our highlights, as he created the bright cover for symphonic powermetal band Pyramaze (find the review below), as well as the rather gloomy artwork for “Decrowned”, which is the 2nd album of Israeli progressive techdeath quintet Structural – And as different as they look they also sound…

Throughout the 45 minutes playing time of “Decrowned”, we can hear well-balanced sound textures by a band that skillfully melt brutality and melody. On the harsh side, we have relentless screamed and growled vocals, the distorted, mind blowing guitar work, and pummeling drums, coming along with pushing, complex rhythm patterns, yet with a certain groove. The bass delivers incredibly fast runs with a hard-hitting tone, sometimes supporting the guitars with the same melody lines, sometimes on its own, winding paths, which are highly recommended to follow. On the melodious side, we have the rather clean-sounding lead guitar, alternating between furious and virtuosic playing, and a well-placed background orchestration adding some extra harmonic elements. While over the first few listens, the rough aspects of Structural’s music are very dominant, it quickly reveals more and more details that make “Decrowned” a real highlight for me. Katha

Having been around for over 20 years in different forms of manifestation, 2023 sees the 7th album of Danish-American band Pyramaze, but the 4th with a consistent line-up. While their earlier work clearly had a proggy approach, which still can be seen in their description here and there, the quintet now followed the path of their previous record “Epitaph” and developed their music even more into the symphonic powermetal direction for “Bloodlines”. The star on the album is (again) singer Terje Harøy for me, as he comes up with a very strong vocal performance, invites you to sing along with his beautiful melody lines and catchy choruses. Regarding the instrumentation, keyboards and background orchestration are omnipresent, deliver epic harmonies, and also the drums can be heard very well, but guitars and bass would deserve more spotlight in my ears, as they tend to drown in the mighty mix unfortunately. If you don’t mind about that, “Bloodlines” can be an amazing listen, and when you’re up for some earworms, you might find several of them in here 🙂 Katha