Release week of September 13 came along hot, blowing away the first autumn chill

Welcome to yet another episode of: “Oh, this could be my new favorite band. Oh no, they just called it quits… :’( “. Ubiquity from Belgium is/was the main creative outlet for Omnerod guitarist Anthony Deneyer (also featuring his Omnerod bandmates Romain Jeuniaux and Pablo Schwilden-Diaz on bass and drums respectively), and compared to his other band, “The Ascendant Travels Among the Stars” has pretty much Opeth’s “Still Life” written all over it instead of a dissonant Devin Townsend style… And similar to Piah Mater earlier this year, they fill this very clear influence with enough of their own flavor that it doesn’t come across as a rip-off at all. This sound and style has been very formative for my musical journey, so I’m an absolute sucker for it, and the fact that we had Piah Mater cover the more folky and jazzy tones of it this year and Ubiquity keep the death metal heaviness within these sonic realms makes me very happy. Now as long as Omnerod hurries up with that “The Amensal Rise” follow-up I’ll be ok, otherwise I might need to schedule a trip to Belgium in order to make sure these immensely talented musicians will provide us with some more amazing music in one form or another. Dario

Receiving full marks for five albums straight here on The Progspace is a rare thing, if it was ever achieved before. Texan emotional cinematic metal powerhouse Oceans of Slumber managed to drive home this quintuplet of masterpieces with their newest offering “Where Gods Fear to Speak”, their label debut on French dark metal forgery Season of Mist. And rightfully so, since their unique brand of southern gothic doom prog is still unmatched far and wide. The return of the extreme metal ingredients suits Cammie & Dobber Beverly with their fellow musicians excellently and proves once more their uncompromising approach to composition and artistry. Oceans of Slumber are one of a kind and I can’t wait to see them live again, even if it will mean I’ll sob through the whole concert like a little baby thanks to its cathartic capacities. Read Bob’s full review here and listen to “Where Gods Fear to Speak” right away! You won’t regret it if there’s a beating heart in you after all. Dario

With their captivating, dreamy sound, Norwegian/Swedish band Kalandra sure knew how to make an impression supporting Leprous on one of their European legs of the “Aphelion” tour last year. With “A Frame of Mind” they present their second full length album now (the 2022 “Norse Lands” soundtrack not included), and I must say, whether or not they let a song explode in a massive climax, they always manage to employ absolutely spellbinding elements in their sound and songwriting. Granted, the heavier passages have a slightly deeper impact but I’d guess that’s just the nature of things and Kalandra’s nordic folk inspired sound is nothing but deeply connected to and with nature. Absolutely mesmerizing and if you want to experience all of this live, don’t miss them on tour in Europe right now: https://www.kalandra.no/ Dario

New York based instrumental trio Consider the Source have provided a steady supply of world fusion for well over a decade and I’ve been following them ever since they toured together with Munich based jazz metal inventors Panzerballett some 11 years ago or so. Their newest album is called “The Stare”, sports a slightly disturbing, but awesome cover artwork, and features five “Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion” bangers from another galaxy with some of the sickest bass and drum performances of the year. Lest forget the fret- and fretless work of Gabriel Marin, perfectly highlighted by the impeccable production and mastering from Grammy-league folks like David Prater (Dream Theater) and Howie Weinberg. Instrumental awesomeness par excellence. Dario

When I came across New Jersey based guitarist and composer Manuel Barbará and his solo debut album “Moonrise” in 2021, I saw myself blown away by his modern instrumental style, combining mighty heaviness with dreamful electronic sounds. Finding inspiration in a wide range of classical, neoclassical as well as contemporary artists and bands, his new EP, “Whisper in a Storm”, lines up here as well, offering epic shredding within a spacey atmosphere fitting to the Blade Runner theme. While the playing is highly sophisticated and not an easy listen due to its dissonance and complexity, there’s still this djenty grooviness that keeps me vibing with it. Recommended ffo modern Progmetal in the veins of Tesseract, Periphery and Meshuggah. Katha

Thanks to Forever in Transit, I now know that Buffalo (New York State) is closer to Toronto in Canada than to New York City… What else have I learned from this up and coming prog metal quartet? Well, for one, that their new album “A Coming to Terms” features one of the best prog metal anthems of 2024 with ‘Streams of Thought’. And once again that top notch prog metal not only comes from the big established names like Haken or Leprous these days. Led by multi-instrumentalist Dan Sciolino, Forever in Transit have dropped a little underground gem with “A Coming to Terms” and established their name to watch out for even more, bigger future awesomeness. Dario

(Mostly) instrumental atmo djent from New Zealand: Sunder present their second album, idiomatically titled “Better Late Than Never”. But I got to say, their release cycle, with their debut album “Lunar” being released in 2021, follow up EP “Quantum in 2022 and now the sophomore album, is a lot faster than many other bands who really take their time in between releases. The guest vocals on two of the eight tracks by Kody from Seas of Conflict and Eissa from Latvian modern/alternative prog metal force Morphide spice things up in a very welcome, powerful fashion. But the real star is guest guitarist Keegan Donovan (Heavy Metal Ninjas) with his mind blowing guest solos on ‘CUPA’ and ‘Bees Whacks’ (twice even). More of that please! Dario

Coming along with an international line-up, as we can hear Danish vocalist Henrik Brockmann (Royal Hunt, Evil Masquerade), Italian guitarist Luca Sellitto and bassist Carmine Vivo (both Stamina), as well as Swedish drummer Viktor Enebjörn (Darknd, Forever Still), the new band Timeless Fairytale has “A story to Tell”. While the cover artwork of this debut admittedly didn’t speak to me, a Vicisolum release will at least spark my interest, and I’m happy I gave it a chance. The album starts a bit tame, but things evolve quickly, and latest with ‘New Dawn’, they got my full attention. The used ingredients clearly serve the Power Metal tag, but it’s not that high paced and over produced like most albums within the genre nowadays, more of a 80s/90s inspired in its sound. The story itself is presented with a strong vocal performance and catchy melody lines. On top of that, fans of neoclassical infused prog will find a lot to sink their teeth in, which makes Timeless Fairytales’ first album worth a few spins. Katha

With new releases from the likes of The Spirit, Groza, Anomalie, Agrypnie, Servant & Chaos Invocation, Germany based AOP Records have quite some ‘hot irons in the fire’ currently, as we would call it here in Germany, if you’re looking for quality black metal of any kind. And even though I haven’t listened to all of the aforementioned, I dare to say that Firtan’s newest epos “Ethos” might just go down as the most important black metal album of 2024. Don’t ask me how or why, as I’m still kind of new to this kind of metal sub-genre, but “Ethos” delivers everything I’d wish for from a black metal album – and so much more. The fierce atmospheres Firtan manage to evoke and keep up for the 50 minutes runtime of “Ethos” are simply addictive and won’t loosen their grip anytime soon. Just in case this is not talked about as a genre-defining moment right away, trust your prog brothers for once: there’s no such thing as a better black metal album this year! Firtan is on tour in Europe right now with Bucovina, Finsterforst and Countless Skies. Don’t miss out! Dario

One typically doesn’t associate the sunny climate of Spain with melancholic music. However, there are some nice and gloomy bands out there, one of them being Helevorn from the island of Mallorca. To my shame, I must admit that I hadn’t heard of the band before, even though they have been around for 25 years before releasing their fifth album, called “Espectres”. So, what can we expect from these veterans?

Directly from the start of the album, Helevorn make their intentions clear: to create a melancholic atmosphere for the listener to drown in. Musically speaking, “Espectres” offers us a classic gothic metal sound with references to bands like Paradise Lost, Moonspell and Tiamat. The vocals offer a balanced mix between cleans and growls, with some sporadic female input to add to the gothic atmosphere. Sometimes things get a bit more upbeat, sometimes a bit doomier, and there is even a guest contribution by Saturnus vocalist Thomas Jensen to finish the album in a rather morose fashion. All in all, Helevorn have succeeded to create a lovely album full of gloomy bliss, making “Espectres” a perfect start for the autumn season. Lykle

Legendary is a term not to be used in an inflationary manner, but when it comes to Tony Levin’s career, it may just be valid. Spanning over decades since the 1970’s, his credits read like a who-is-who of Rock history. The Progspace readers are likely most familiar with his work from King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, or Liquid Tension Experiment (alongside a partial Dream Theater). Levin is back with the 8th solo album to his name, aptly titled “Bringing it Down to the Bass”.

A package full of sonic surprises, the album starts off in the manner you’d expect from a virtuoso bassist – a type of Jazz Fusion akin to Marcus Miller, if you take away the slap. Playing a range of different techniques and instruments (even the funk fingers are back, reminiscent of the classic opener to KC’s “Discipline”), a heavily distorted fretless bass sticks out immediately as a characteristic voice.

Even when it takes a Metal turn on ‘Boston Rock’ (with Dream Theater and LTE partner Mike Portnoy), it can’t shake a major Zappa-esque flavor to it. Levin is certainly having fun with it: A cheeky ‘Für Elise’ tease on ‘Give the Cello Some’, reveals why the supposed distorted lead guitar had been sounding a bit unusual.

As albums these days are primarily heard as streaming playlists, he proactively instills a vinyl ritual with an explicit ‘Side B / Turn it Over’ song. The second half of the album turns remarkably experimental, with lavish vocal arrangements and trippy ambience sections.

Bassist’s solo records tend to be niche-y, and this one is no different. The second half of the album, especially, reveals that “Bringing it Down to the Bass” is a master’s work of complete freedom, with no restraints or limitations. In large parts, it is not easy-listening fare, but for the connoisseur of a unique listening experience, it surely has exotic flavors to offer. Bas

Denver’s Nightwraith seems to get labeled as a melodic death metal band everywhere, but the sounds you’ll find on their third album “Divergence” are so much more diverse and bountiful, with proggy dashes of synths alongside a healthy dose of black metal in a rather folky, airy Enslaved-style. Add to that some cool guest parts like the baritone sax in ‘One Flower’ or Dreadnought’s Kelly Schilling adding a mesmerizing touch to ‘Whispers of Dragonflies’ with her flute, and you’ve got a diverse and unique cocktail that’s inherently Nightwraith. Don’t miss out on the Bandcamp/CD only bonus track either – a very surprising rendition of Pink Floyd’s ‘Us and Them’. Dario