Progressive Coma Metal, Cascadian Death Metal or Brazilian Avantgarde Prog? All of that and more in our 12 highlights for the first half of August 2026!

With three extraordinary Progressive Death METAL tracks, Exist’s “Beyond Purpose” secures the top spot in our first-half-of-August release round-up. Clocking in at 17 minutes, this EP shows the Maryland-based quartet at the very top of their game, following the exquisite Progressive Death METAL album triple “So True, So Bound”, “Egoiista” and “Hijacking the Zeitgeist”. Featuring members of Cynic/Death to All (vocalist/guitarist Max Phelps), Revocation/Void Sector Zero (Bassist Alex Weber) and Iapetus (drummer Brody Taylor Smith), Exist are easily among my favorite current Progressive Death METAL bands and deserve a lot more attention in the scene. I really hope they’ll be able to hop onto a killer Progressive Death METAL tour here in Europe soon. Oh and a blistering Dave Davidson (Revocation) solo never hurt any Progressive Death METAL release. But hold your horses: this is far from the end of Highlight worthy Progressive Death METAL releases from the first half of January. Just continue reading… Dario

Coma Control, your only source of true progressive coma metal is back. Two years after their first sign of life, “Perennial”, the band from Finland presents close to 50 minutes more excellent music on “Shed the Sleep” (no, not sheep), in their very own Opeth meets BTBAM style. A well of great melodies that keep excellent balance with the heavier parts, seamlessly embedded quirkier moments as well as unique stand-out moments like the wonderful lead motif in the closing epic ‘Immersed in Whispers’, applying beautiful classical harmonies subtly underneath or the bass solo of sorts in the same song. All that and everything in between makes “Shed the Sleep” a must listen for fans of progressive metal hitting that sweet-spot between melody, technicality and a healthy dose of heavier moments. Dario

From Finnish progressive coma metal to Cascadian Death Metal from the north-western corner of the US: “Moonwake” is the debut album by one-man project Echoes of Theia and even though I have no idea what it actually means, the atmospheres mainman Greg Dunbar manages to conjure up on it truly sound nothing but Cascadian to me. Once again wonderfully balanced, this time leaning a bit more towards the death metal, but never leaving that graceful melodeath element out of sight. The absolute riff fest that is ‘Deluge of Fire’ is a real feast for the ears and the crushing weight of doomy riffs hits even harder after ethereally floating parts like in ‘Gravity’. Definitely got the potential to challenge some Scandinavian competitors, maybe with a full band in the future. Dario

Seamlessly floating into the Post Rock/Metal parts of this edition with “The Emerald”, the new album by Tasmanian Instrumental Metal merchants Observers. The atmospheres conveyed here through entirely instrumental music, screams both forest and vast cosmos at once, a feeling the gorgeous cover artwork captured brilliantly. Faint hints of cosmic black metal (‘The Eye Tree’) complete the otherwise predominantly doomy atmosphere, spruced up intermittently by surprisingly shreddy bits. But the main thing here is definitely the focus on celestial atmospheres. Portals to other worlds in the midst of the ‘Forest of Doom’. Dario

Operating in classic instrumental post rock spheres, UK based quintet Din of Celestial Birds is taking their listeners to summits, temples, the second star to the right. And hopefully somewhere beautiful, somewhere you belong. Quite the journey that takes off with the first notes of the title track and lands 40 and a half minutes later. A bit exhausting overall, or rather engaging I would say, like every proper journey. Stunning how they actually manage to let ‘Migratory Patterns’ begin to form before your eyes with that distinct pizzicato pattern… Dario

On their third album “Celestial”, crazy Brazilian Avantgarde Proggers Papangu demonstrate impressively how it can be possible to mix up a cocktail with beyond eclectic influences that might not even fit together on paper. Zeuhl, black metal and forró on one and the same album let alone the same song? How? Why? Well, because it’s fun, and especially awe-inspiring since it all was recorded live in the studio – on magnetic tape. Gentle Crimson Giants might be the godfathers of Papangu’s sound, at least as far as the prog side is concerned. But their ancestral lineages could be a thousandfold, judging by the wild mix of styles on display here. Yet it works and immediately develops its very own charm. Dario

In between these “Imagined Spaces” of Jakub Tirco’s solo work, I hear hints of David Maxim Micic and Plini, always in search of the perfect balance between atmosphere, mood and emotion on the one side and technicality on the other. Using one’s skills to paint musical pictures is probably the highest achievement any guitarist (or musician) attempting an instrumental solo album could aim for if they don’t want to fall into the trap of either making bland music that just lacks vocals or going down the flashy road where everything is a flex and a workout (equally boring for the most part). Jakub uses his musical canvas in an exemplary fashion, branching out towards some sonic experiments that simply wouldn’t fit in with the rather restricted modern prog metal framework of his band IONS. Always tasteful and with a focus on an overall soothing atmosphere, these “Imagined Spaces” invite you to spend some time there. They feel like home. There’s just one question left: is “The Owl Who Sees the Dawn” also refusing to sing? Dario

Full on pummeling Symphonic Death Metal that doesn’t lose an inch of heaviness to the sprawling orchestrations: Violence System bring the full package on “The Hollowing”, their follow-up EP to 2024’s equally favorably reviewed “Chronophobia”. The icing on the cake: some blistering guitar solos scattered throughout. Well done. Dario

Keeping their very own kind of quirky is Israel-based project Elephant Zero on their debut outing, “Doomsday”. Interspersed with ridiculous bits like hip hop beats or 8bit breaks, the psychedelic blend of instrumental synth metal is dangerously fun-inducing on the fast lane to neon circus prog city. Like an intergalactic fun fair. Dario

Indulging deeply in the djenty side of progressive death metal (or rather the death metal side of djent) is Systemic Absence from India. The four songs on their debut EP “Delusion of Agency “ collect their first three singles in remastered versions together with a brand new song into a hard hitting 24 minute release that definitely should put them on the radar of fans of the genre. The unexpected keyboard solos are a nice touch and a unique selling point they definitely should build upon. Dario

Whether it’s a total relentless riff machinery (‘Zealotry’), floating spacy psychedelic goodness (‘Holographic Heirloom’), or an alternating mix of both (‘War Hatchet’, ‘Interpreting Dreams’), Chicago-based instrumental trio Coyote Man hit so many times the bulls-eye on their new album “Prosthetic Memories”, that I don’t mind having to skip the final vocal track that just somehow ruins the flow before I hit repeat. Ready for takeoff? Dario

Manes-mastermind Tor-Helge Skei is a true architect of the dark arts, especially the sombre, sometimes disturbing electronic explorations in addition to his metal merits. Holissstik is a new chapter in his sonic book, a collaborative meditation on isolation if you will, uniting the talents of many musicians and vocalists from all over the world. Conducted by the Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and producer, “Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude” manages to unearth a universal language for solitude, found through the human need for collaboration and artistic exchange. The outcome is absolutely fascinating and thought provoking. Dario