Keeping it up at 10 highlights: September isn’t letting up one single notch

Around 1 ½ years after their stellar debut EP “I: Human”, Copenhagen heavy prog quintet Être are back with the continuation: “II: Humane”. Back in March, we here at The Progspace were very happy to premiere ‘Pandora’, the first single off of “II: Humane” and together with the second single ‘Apolune’ the strong opening double of the EP. But if you thought those might have been the most epic songs on it already, guess again. ‘Apricity’ and ‘For Aeons’ almost qualify as mini epics with around 8-9 minutes of runtime, and the musical as well as the emotional content strikes an equally epic chord. The shorter ‘Refraction’ in between those two however starts off a bit more laid back and mellow (after the powerful a capella ending of ‘Apricity’), but the dark and ominous undertones soon come gradually to fruition in an intense four and a half minute steady elevation of the harmonic motif. Simply breathtaking and a powerful testament to this exciting new voice in modern prog straight out of Denmark. Bring on “III: Inhumane” and hopefully a full European tour and/or some festival appearances in 2024 presenting the complete trilogy live! Dario

6 years after calling it quits, Dutch symphonic metal sextet Stream of Passion is looking to extend their musical legacy further after the initial four studio albums with a brand new EP. Last Friday and Saturday, they celebrated a triumphant return on the live front as well at the legendary Dynamo in Eindhoven, but all those who couldn’t make it there, we’ve got at least the five new songs on “Beautiful Warrior” to marvel over and get our own fix of the long awaited Stream of Passion reunion. With excellent backup from the extended Ayreon-camp with Ben Mathot and Jurriaan Westerveld on violin and cello respectively as well as Sandlane Master Joost Van Den Broek in charge of the production and the songwriting together with founding members and driving forces Marcela Bovio (vocals) and Johan van Stratum (bass), Stream of Passion have crafted five new powerful hymns to be blasted at lots of more shows in the future hopefully. Dario

Completing our opening triple of fantastic EPs is “Crossing Borders”, the second EP of French prog rock quartet Cinétiqua. Truth be told, a few days ago I wasn’t aware of this wonderful band, but a simple message on Facebook alerting me to this release arrived at just the right moment, so I could dive right into their wonderfully dreamy and groovy sounds. Even though the flute is the main lead instrument, Cinétiqua sounds nothing like Jethro Tull at all. A slightly mystical, folky flair is running through their veins and their music is a wonderfully playful invitation to just dream away. Just a very cool, very French affair, not only because of the lyrics somehow. Perfect for a hot late summer Sunday like today. Drift away. Dario

Looking at the visual art of Canadian instrumental progmetal project Pomegranate Tiger, the attention to detail is immediately apparent, whether for the cover of their newest album “All Input Is Error” or the accompanying videos. Telling the sci-fi story of a super advanced AI that tries to convince the world’s brightest living philosopher to merge with itself in order to save civilization from collapse, the music picks up the concept seamlessly with a mix of mighty cyber metal shredding, highly complex rhythmic patterns, and futuristic, electronic sounds. The duo’s skills and playfulness are jaw dropping, taking us through 10 diverse, very technical compositions with which they create a dark, dystopian atmosphere. While most of the album is heavy and pushing, they round off their work with some calmer yet not less intense pieces, making their input no error at all, but clearly one of this year’s highlights for fans of sophisticated, instrumental wizardry. Katha

Power metal hasn’t always been a genre I’d go to for general music listening. However, if it’s blended with other genres and made heavier than your usual power metal, then it’s bound to not only grab me, but end up pretty high in my favourites list. And here we are with the sophomore album by Boston’s Ice Giant titled, “Ghost of Humanity”. It’s a concept that tells the story of the last survivors on Earth who travel through space to find a new home. This album goes all out with the epic songwriting; lots of symphonies, awesome riffs, tasty and technical drumming, soaring vocals, all expressed through a pretty organic yet clean and punchy production job, which was done by Brian Westbrook of Sonic Titan Studios (Lich King, Barishi, Bellower, etc). You may also recognize the keyboards on here, as they were performed by Vikram Shankar (Redemption, Silent Skies, Lux Terminus), and with the artwork done by Nightjar Illustrations, you know it’s going to be a promising offering. The music itself on this album can be identified as progressive power metal with thrash and melodeath influences. Kinda like if Wilderun went a little more on the technical side of things, but just a touch. Fans of Manticora, Wintersun, Desultor, and Control Denied will also definitely get a massive kick from this release. Even if you’re not much of a power metal fan, this is an album that can turn some new people onto the genre. Seriously, you will not be disappointed with giving this one a listen! Colin

Experimental as ever, Pixie Ninja’s third full length “Hypnagogia” is another foray into rather unknown and unique territory. The Norwegian trio consisting of Marius Leirånes and Jostein Haugen as well as Swedish drummer/producer Mattias Olsson is treading decidedly murkier waters compared to similar bands like Gösta Berling’s Saga for example. Yet a common denominator could be the krautrocky repeating patterns and the extensive use of analogue synthesizer sounds. At times, “Hypnagogia” could easily serve as a soundtrack to a horror flick from a next generation Dario Argento or something like that (‘Alpha Waves’ especially). The second half of ‘Dance Macabre’ even reaches a super doomy heaviness due to its rumbling bass tones. A unique take on instrumental music. Dario

If you’re looking for some more uplifting melodies, but you don’t wanna miss a certain punch in your music either, the new album from Australian prog rockers Southern Empire might just be the thing for you. Sporting a somewhat heavier guitar tone compared to bands of a similar melodic progressive rock ilk, Southern Empire might have lost some of the darkness prevalent on the two previous albums, but luckily still retained just about enough of it. “Another World” comes not even 2 weeks after Unitopia’s comeback album, so it seems like keyboardist Sean Timms kept quite busy lately and fans of that particular Aussie prog rock hub are really getting spoiled with new releases these days, starting with United Progressive Fraternity’s huge double album “Planetary Overload – Pt. 2: Hope” back in July. All three of these releases keep their very own flavor though, so there’s no sense of oversaturation with music that sounds too similar. 2023 seems to be a fantastic year for progressive rock, especially of the Australian variety. Dario

Australia is well-known for its diverse and evolved prog scene. Osaka Punch definitely deserves a place among the finest, with their newly released album “Mixed Ape”.

One might be cautious seeing a pun in the album name (which is not too unexpected, given how the band called themselves), but don’t let that discourage you. “Mixed Ape” is a very fun journey I truly enjoyed. One might just call it a prog record, but it really is much more than that – a good mix of instrumental prog (going quite heavy at times), funk, pop, some alternative metal and even some jazzy breakdowns. Vocalist Jack Venables’ delivery is very theatrical and does stand out a lot, together with funky bass lines by Brenton Page.

The theme of the album, like its sound, goes all over the place (I suppose, one can expect that from the album called “Mixed Ape”, took me a while to get it), and the album includes songs about global warming, getting too old (for this shit) and being yourself.

You don’t know what to expect next in this album, and in this case it’s a good thing. I truly enjoyed this album and I have a feeling that Osaka Punch might just fill the aussie-shaped void in my soul after Twelve Foot Ninja decided to go on hiatus.

FFO: Twelve Foot Ninja/The Butterfly Effect/any wacky prog you can think of! AlexK

I have to admit I’m not the best thrash connoisseur, but when it comes with a strong progressive approach, I’m surely all ears. In case of Danish-American hyperthrash metal band Terminalist, who already landed their first spaceship here in 2021, I was keen on hearing where their journey would take them next. While “The Great Acceleration” was a commentary on the (future) space race and the inherently destructive side of technology, science fiction fantasies have been shelved for their new album in favor of a fierce analysis and castigation of contemporary crisis-ridden society, as “The Crisis as Condition” is a simultaneously detached and impassioned look at the present. Musically speaking, they developed even further since their already amazing debut, whether in terms of song-writing, musicianship, or the overall sound experience. The final result is an ambitious, powerful record with mighty riffs, hard-hitting yet groovy drumming, marvelous, playful guitar solos, and raspy, haunting vocals. You will find a lot of the earlier mentioned thrash elements in their compositions, but they don’t mind to embed whatever style suits the songs, from extreme to melodic influences, making “The Crisis as Condition” a great listen in its entirety. Katha

Swedish five-piece A.C.T is the band that would have been if early 90s Dream Theater had fallen into a magic potion full of catchy melodies. After five full length albums, four EPs and one DVD (2016’s “Trifles And Pandemonium”) comes a full fledged live album now, right in time to hype it up for the 20th anniversary of “Last Epic” (which will be celebrated with a special concert next weekend). Get your dance moves out and prepare your voices to sing along. In your living room, under the shower, in the Metro commuting, at work, in the fitness studio: any place is a good place to sing and dance to some A.C.T music to put a big smile on your face – and hopefully everyone else around as well. 😉 Dario