16 Highlights for the first two release weeks of August!

“There has never been happier music about – well, the end of the world in a nuclear catastrophe.” That’s what I wrote about A.C.T’s previous EP, “Falling”. The same can be still be said about 2 ½ years later after the release of “Eternal Winter”, the fourth, latest and final in this series of EPs (or mini-albums?) by the Malmö based masters of Super-Melodic Prog Rock. If you’re unfamiliar with them so far (how would that even be possible if you’re calling yourself a Prog fan?), imagine a version of their country-mates PreHistoric Animals that is at the same time proggier – but also a lot poppier. Irresistibly catchy, the perfect antidote for the coming autumn blues or general lingering Weltschmerz equally. Whether they’ll be running for the long form again next or sticking to the quicker turnaround they’ve tried and tested now, I don’t care. As long as they keep releasing awesome music. Dario

I’m so very happy to report that this Releases of the Weeks round-up for the first two weeks of August has indeed brought an opening triple firmly in the melodic realms of Progressive Rock. Here, in between two long-standing legends, we have a brand new band from Poland with their debut album. Cobalt Wave’s “Men. Mind. Machine” doesn’t sport the cheesy uplifting vibes on its sleeve though like A.C.T. though. Comparisons to Riverside are never far away with any new Polish Prog Rock bands, and yes, there are some similarities soundwise. All in all they can stand on their own feet already though in their very own pensive, melancholy waters, as shown best in the mini epic ‘Starbound Explorers’ and my personal favorite, the mournful ‘Weltschmerz’. A welcome new player on the Progressive Rock stage. Dario

I am not the biggest expert when it comes to the back catalogue of US Prog Rock band Discipline, I’ve got to admit. But listening to their new album, “Breadcrumbs”, I can’t help but think: is this the most British sounding band ever to come out of the US? Mastermind Matthew Parmenter’s voice certainly reminds me of a certain Peter Gabriel more than once. No hints of Neo Prog though (as was the case with most British Prog bands that started in the 80s and had a singer that sounded like PG), rather jazzy vibes, sometimes bluesy. Slowly unfolding. Like a staircase maybe? Dario

Eight years after releasing their self-titled debut album (and winning Wacken Metal Battle Canada), Toronto-based Progressive Death Metal quartet Centuries of Decay is back with their sophomore record, “A Monument to Oblivion”. If I had known them before, if I had known how exceptionally good this would turn out, I might have said ‘highly anticipated’. But I had no idea what was coming. Seven songs, most of them clocking it around the eight to nine minutes mark, one hour of world class Atmospheric Prog Death, independently released. Could’ve been on Season of Mist or Willowtip though, such is the quality throughout here. The attention to detail is stunning and the execution simply amazing, down to little things like the tiny little ritardando at the very end of the first track, or the perfect balance of the harsh, aggressive lead vocals and the melodic backings providing mood and atmosphere. If it wasn’t for some Swedes lying in wait with more Abstract Illusions, this might very well have been the best Progressive Death Metal album of the year. It comes pretty damn close though. Dario

Solo experimental metal artist Garry Brents is out with his most anticipated album under the Sallow Moth name (he has maybe a *few* other projects), and it’s a follow-up to last year’s “Vial” EP. “Mossbane Lantern” is a collection of short stories that reflect on different travelers’ experiences with their journey to find this lantern, and it’s all told through songs of aggressiveness and technicality. The album musically is considered progressive death metal with lots of techy brutal deathgrind elements thrown in, and even has some jazzy chiptune interludes thrown in, which is really not heard often in metal. This album is just lots of fun with great riffs scattered around, so you’ll be headbanging with a big smile on your face. Fans of Wormed, Cephalic Carnage, Slugdge, and Afterbirth will certainly get a kick from this record. Colin

68 minutes of dark, dissonant Avantgarde Prog Death/Black Metal? Hell yeah, count me in if it’s anything “Like a Mountain that Lies in Pain”. MALARIII’s sound might be a bit like Fleshvessel minus the flutes and stuff maybe. But lots of Sax instead (‘Toteninsel’). The chants give the whole affair a kind of orthodox, mystical flair (‘Blessed Be’/’Mare Tranquilitatis’). ‘Oblivion Wells’ feat. The Last Dodo flows into an endlessly hypnotic undertow of an outro riff. The final ‘Tu les piétines’ indulges fully in its Black Metal atmosphere. A dark masterpiece of Avantgarde Extreme Metal. Dario

We stay in heavier realms and take a closer look at Technologist’s debut “Reborn”, that caught my attention first through the dystopian yet beautiful cover artwork. Hailing from Manchester (UK), they time-travel into the year 2050 with us. Humanity has continued to abuse the Earth, the natural environment is on the brink of total destruction. Yet there are still some good people fighting to protect the world, and the Technologist is one of them. The music behind the story is brutal yet melodious, melting the raw energy of Death Metal with a great proggy variety, best compared to Luna’s Call in style. Vocals switch between anthemic cleans and mighty growls, riffs and grooves are mostly fat and pushing, with some lighter interplays in between. Considering the band just came together in 2022 makes the album even more impressive. Katha

Puerto Rican Prog Metal quintet Moths is certainly not the first (metal) band to dive into the concept of the seven deadly sins. Nor will they be the last. But their versatile, sometimes quirky sound is quite fun and very unique. As if Aussie shooting stars of Primrose Path had continued more down a Psychedelic/Stonery/Doomy path after their first EP instead of embracing the more modern sounds of their excellent debut. “Septem” is Moths’ debut full length as well, and I sure hope there’s much more to follow… Dario

What better way to go into a bit of an instrumental block here than with two of the best contemporary instrumentalists on electric guitar and drums respectively teaming up for the very first time (as far as I know) for an album full of fingerlicking good fusion tunes? Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree/King Crimson) & Nick Johnston (solo/Mastodon) have created a marvelous gem combining their talents on “Early Mercy”. Nothing new under the sun, just pure excellence and class. Dario

With Progressive and rather technical music styles most of the time leaning towards darker sounds, it’s always so refreshing to hear some actually uplifting stuff here that doesn’t break out into anything comically funny or anything of that sort. ‘hard easy listening’, as Plini puts it. The ‘new school’ of instrumental guitar music, spearheaded by the very same, has provided a steady flow of that kind of music with amazingly consistent quality, and Melbourne-based violinist turned guitarist Josh Debreceni is no exception. With keyboard prodigy RO1’s guest spot on “Introspection Odyssey”, I was made aware of his talents, now it’s time for a classy continuation with “Introspection Odyssey II”. Dario

Really digging a lot deeper into fun moods instrumentally and indulging in four times the runtime compared to the rather short ‘Introspection Odyssey’ EP (see above), is Challenger Deep from Atlanta, Georgia with their new album, “Point of No Return”. ‘Not so hard easy listening’, one might say, but not without finesse and instrumental accomplishment. Works both as background music to chill out to as well as technical exercises. Partly at least. No doom and gloom guaranteed throughout though. Dario

Concluding our instrumental quadruple is a real curiosity. By all trades of the book, this one should actually be some Pagan Metal thing most things considered. Band name (FearTheBear), album name (“The Northerner”) or even the artwork and fonts. In the end it all comes down to only one thing though: the music. And that is closer to Gösta Berlings Saga and Mike Oldfield than to anything remotely metal at all. ‘The Subtle Art of Not Bending Over’ definitely won me over as best track of the album and if they manage to reach that songwriting quality throughout their next album, a spot among the best instrumental albums of that year should be attainable for the brave northern warriors. Dario

Usually, I’m no fan of often cringey portmanteau band names. This one is both so subtle and sounds like a legitimate word of its own though, at least to these non-native ears, so I guess I’ll let it slide this time. I’m talking about the Tech Death quartet Obvurt, and true to their particular sub-genre’s cliché, they obviously hail from Canada. “An Alternate Dimension” is their second full length album and first to feature the legendary double-guitar made famous by Michael Angel Batio on four songs, in this case wielded by Obvurt frontman Philippe Drouin. Hence, lots of tippy tappy shred, with a good amount of underground Death Metal grit to balance things out. Dario

It’s been six years since “Mordial” came out, so it’s nice to get some new material from Car Bomb! The NYC musicians blessed us with thet new EP “Tiles Whisper Dreams“. The release has this old school mecha anime aesthetic tied to it, which fits soo well with the machine-like sounds the band integrates. The odd-rhythmic, heavy madness is one of a kind and just of the quality you’d expect from them. The guitar work is always so impressive and captivating. For those who haven’t heard of them I could describe it as Meshuggah on steroids and sci-fi comic books. Car Bomb also draw inspiration from various artists and like to slip little references in their music and this time is no exception. Give it a listen and see if you can spot them. I hope that this 11 minute EP was a warmup for a longer release to follow soon! Evelina

Kayo Dot is an American band dating back to 2002. They are no strangers to experimentation and have a diverse discography, but their last release “Every Rock, Every Half-Truth Under Reason” has to be their boldest work to date. The music sucks you in this dark, liminal space from the very first song. The whole album is an eclectic mix of obscure sounds, drone elements and dissonances, odd rhythmic patterns, melancholic clean vocals and black metal-esque growls. It borders on the line of being completely bone-chilling and engaging and curious enough to keep you listening. One of the inspirations behind the album was to write music so atypical and non-algorithm based, that it can’t be made by AI. Even if i didn’t know that, I can safely say that the way that the album made me feel is so specific, no machine can reproduce anything remotely close to that. In the very base of it all there are the primal feelings of fear and agony, expressed in a very human way. The type of way you understand on a subconscious level and gets your heart rate up, before even rationalising why you react that way. The record is heavy and probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s definitely a one of a kind experience. Evelina

If Kayo Dot is a bit too heavy for you, but you still like beautiful anxiety-inducing music, no worries, Anchor and Burden got you covered! Their album “Sunken Fleet” is one of the most curious things I’ve stumbled across lately. The soundscapes created in this album start out very spacious and start to progressively fill up with alien-esque sounds in dissonance. Soon before you realise it all becomes filled up and claustrophobic. The pacing and the defined sound of the drums in that chaos makes me feel uneasy, as if I’m being hunted for sport. But there’s something so alluring about all of this, you get in a trance. That’s avant-garde doom jazz post metal at its finest. Evelina