Starting the second half of 2023 with Manic Whales, Blackscapes, Fens and more…

Berlin based atmospheric extreme proggers Seyr follow up their very promising debut full length “Flux”, that was released not even a year ago, swiftly with an equally impressive single-track EP called “27 Million”. Included within the 16 minutes playing time are the two latest singles ‘Opaque’ and ‘Tide of Mourn’ and both work equally well as standalone songs as well as part of the whole suite. Haunting acoustic passages and proggy extremeness go hand in hand with Seyr’s sound and neither side gives off the air of being an added spice for the other, seemingly dominating extreme. Both sides (and all shades in between) complement each other and form a delicate, yet powerful entity. Bring on that second album, fans of Mastodon and the likes should rejoice. And listen to “27 Million” in the meantime. Dario

Typically “English” Prog Music, Part 1: I Am The Manic Whale’s 4th album is the “Bumper Book of Mystery Stories“. And while I do have to admit that I actually don’t find it that mysterious sounding overall, it’s a fun, adventurous album full of epic progressive rock, evoking that classic Spock’s Beard era like not even the Pattern-Seeking Animals or even less the Flying Colors do, and probably not even Neal Morse’s latest solo works. By the time we reach the end of the final epic ‘We Interrupt This Broadcast…’ (that huuuuuge last coda/reprise!!!), I wish the broadcast wasn’t about to be interrupted. But alas, The Fens are beckoning with a completely different side of English landscape/sounds. Read on below… Dario

Diving into some black metal territory, Fen return for their 7th studio album “Monuments to Absence”. Hailing from East Anglia in England, Fen take their name and influence from the region of The Fens in the English Midlands, known for its miles of sprawling marshland and emptiness, and a perfect setting for the tone of an atmospheric black metal band. Fen have always been on the more progressive side of black metal, with lengthy tracks taking the listener on expansive journeys. Whilst nothing hits the 10 minute on “Monuments to Absence”, this album still reaches a total run time of 67 minutes, and there’s still plenty of variance within their dissonant bleak sound. At times it feels like there’s no limit to the expansive scale of their bleak atmosphere. From aggressive harsh vocals and blast beats, to melodic clean passages with progressive elements like tempo and time signature changes, and the occasional clean vocals when the instruments allow for it, that provide the listener with a rest from the aggressive onslaught. For fans of bands like Agalloch, Enslaved and Winterfylleth, Fen are the masters of aggressive black metal with gorgeous bleak atmospheric and melodic overtones. If that sounds like it could fit your taste then Monuments to Absence is an incredibly rewarding listening experience, and one of the heaviest in Fen’s catalogue. Sam

Even though Swedish trio Blackscape appear as a new formation on the metal scenery, the attentive reader could probably recognize the one or other name in the line-up, which features Tage Andersson on guitars / bass, Thomas Ohlsson (The Project Hate, STASS) on drums, and Lawrence Mackrory (Darkane, F.K.Ü.) behind the mic, who is also responsible for the mighty production here. “Suffocated by the Sun” is their debut, but it’s obvious from the beginning that there are experienced musicians and song-writers at work. The overall sound is dark and mind blowing, dominated by heavy riffs, relentless growls, and a rhythm section on fire. On the more progressive side, we can hear the soaring lead guitar adding great, virtuosic parts, which brings in a welcomed variety to the songs, and the strong, clean vocals delivering some accessible melodies. The bonus track offers a nice, instrumental surprise and a change of pace at the end. All-together, Blackscape unleashed a beast that would clearly be a blast in a live setting as well – Crank it up! Katha