11 Highlights, 80 more releases: November starts with a bang!

After the release of Violent Jasper’s stunning debut album “Control”, I just couldn’t get enough of these distinct electronic leanings in a dark, emotional Prog environment. Luckily, there’s been an album called “Disposable Identity” that came to the rescue on Monday already (or rather a couple of weeks before in the form of a promo email). The brainchild of German composer and multi-instrumentalist Ophelia Sullivan, known for their more electronic focused work released as Aphexia and Ecstasphere, but also for their guest performances with Prog Metal shooting stars Soulsplitter around their debut album “Salutogenesis”, “Disposable Identity” is the first work to be published under their own name and it successfully merges the aforementioned electronic and Trip Hop elements with darker Post Rock and Experimental Chamber Pop vibes to an accomplished diverse and immersive experience. Probably my favorite song on the album,  ‘Rest Your Trigger On My Finger’ might pass as an odd Prog Metal experiment where the guitars have been swapped with a string ensemble and the drums replaced by odd computer beats. The culmination of eight years of work, “Disposable Identity” is an artistic masterpiece of contemporary music, where limitless compositions and meticulous arrangements transcend the mere ‘pop music’ format and put the Prog with a capital P back into progressive music. A true revelation. Dario

My attendance at 2023’s Prognosis Festival in Eindhoven back in April introduced me to the boundless talents of Mexican vocal wonder Râhoola (Raúl Guerra Jiménez) during his amazing set with Vitam Aeternam. A couple of beers later after the show, I learned from him and the Norwegian legend Ottoegil Sætre (Gymnocal Industries/Karisma Records), that there’s indeed a crazy Rock Opera in the works that is going to be released later this year that’s all Râhoola. Well, it’s finally here. At least Act 1 is. A Flying Fish’s “El Pez Que Voló” turned out to be the wet dream of any Progger who loves Danny Elfman, Queen, Les Misérables and Oliver Twist equally, just as I expected it to be. Exceptionally exuberant, I’ll be very disappointed if this is not going to be picked to be Broadway’s next hit musical. Ok that might be a bit of a far shot, but still, the sheer talent, imagination and scope of this masterpiece simply screams to be performed on a big stage. Apparently there’s going to be 4 acts, so more crazy music abounds. Can’t wait. Has Tim Burton called yet to acquire the film rights? Dario

Ok, with 12 EPs to be released within 12 months you might think it’s bound to be some that might not quite mark to be included as a highlight in our Releases of the Week. Toehider’s record is spotless so far though and there is simply no way I can let #04, the “Horse EP”, pass by without the RotW Highlight treatment. And there is one simple reason for it. That reason is called ‘How Do I Dial It Down?’, it’s the 7+ minutes centerpiece of the EP and the crazy lunatic Mike Mills just decided to go full on Mozart for the unrelenting outro. Not that the rest of the song up to that point was anything less amazing, but that truly took me off guard and I simply can’t get enough of it. As far as I’m concerned, it could’ve lasted significantly longer. But I’ll take what I can and hey, there’s always gonna be another Toehider EP in less than a month. Until then I’m gonna listen to some more “Horse EP”. And a “Dispospable Identity”. And some flying fishes. And some Atmospheric Black Metal. Just don’t dial it down, like ever!? Promise, Mike? Dario

Hailing from somewhere outer space (or was it Seattle? 😉 cosmic tech-death force Xoth just landed to bring some interstellar turmoil into your earthly living-room with “Exogalactic”, but will you dare to open the mighty, mystical portal to their third album? Inside, you’ll find ‘Reptilian Bloodsport’, ‘Manuscripts of Madness’, and ‘The Parasitic Orchestra’ among others for your heavy listening needs, with all 8 songs coming along with complex compositions. The music is brutal and beautiful at the same time, offering no rest over the 40 minutes of playing time: While the drums turn everything into (star) dust with their pummeling beats, well supported by the hard-hitting bass, the mind-blowing riffs draw us deeper into this huge sound maelstrom. The relentless growls tell the different space-themed tales in a rough way, standing in contrast to the incredibly virtuosic guitar playing that adds melody and accessibility to their work. With their perfect blend of prog, thrash, and tech death, Xoth might easily deliver one of this year’s extreme metal highlights. Katha

Jo Quail, London based composer and cellist, enchants us once more, this time with the two-part album “Invocation / Supplication”, each part centered around a different vocal talent. “Invocation” features Heilung vocalist Maria Franz, while O.R.k. frontman Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari is let loose on the “Supplication” part. There’s always something very primal and spiritual in Jo Quail’s compositions and soundscapes, and this is no different. An invocation to the autumn spirits. Dark and mystical. Dario

“The Dream” might be a seemingly small little Atmospheric Alternative Rock album from German septet Sammary led by drummer Sammy Wahlandt and fronted by vocalist Stella Inderwiesen’s emotive timbre that could be  easily overlooked. But that would be a huge mistake. Granted, the first two songs are definitely not my favorites, but starting with a beautiful guest synth solo by none other than Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson), the album starts to develop an irresistible undertow that draws me into its melancholy dreamlike mood, and it just keeps getting better and better. More of the latter please, beautiful stuff! Dario

Six Days of Calm is a new name in the post-rock scene, coming from Germany with their new release “My Little, Safe Space”. And the music fits the name very well: beautiful piano melodies, with the addition of the atmospheric guitars and strings. The album is nothing groundbreaking, but they use the formula quite well, producing a very pleasant post-rock album to listen to. ‘Sorrow’, however, is a song I had to go back to and make sure it’s still the same band. Pop bits with the beautiful tones of a guest vocalist on the orchestral background creates a very melancholic and soothing atmosphere. “My Little, Safe Space” leaves a very pleasant aftertaste. So if you like atmospheric/cinematic post-rock bands, like God is an Astronaut or Explosions in the Sky, definitely give this one a spin. AlexK

In the Avantgarde department, there’s also a couple of important and/or interesting releases this week The second album this year already from French/Japanese collaboration PoiL Ueda (“Yoshitsune”) and more French weirdness from Chromb (“Cinq”). Not quite French, but almost, is Belgian Avantgarde Chamber Prog collective Univers Zero. “Lueur” is their eleventh album (at least according to the Progarchives) since 1977, and their first in nine years. Univers Zero play the kind of Chamber Prog I have a deep fascination and appreciation for, but rarely the stamina to really take a deep dive into a band’s discography (that often reaches way back into the seventies). Maybe I should change that. I mean eleven albums in almost 50 years of band history is not that much. Anyways, I’m enjoying “Lueur” quite a bit as it soothes my craving for something weird – but not too weird. If this is not weird enough for you, I recommend checking out those PoiL Ueda and Chromb albums… Dario

Somehow, I’ve been on a little (Atmospheric) Black Metal trip lately and it’s been a joy to discover the incredible variety and quality this particular subgenre has to offer. The French seem to have a particular knack for it, but while longstanding genre innovators Blut Aus Nord have been carrying their torch of dwelling in eternal dissonance for almost 30 years now (and their 15th album “Disharmonium – Nahab” even making our Highlights as well back in August), their countrymates in Pénitence Onirique present their third album “Nature Morte” via Les Acteurs de l’Ombre Productions, kind of The Artisan Era for (French) Atmospheric Black Metal, and the more I dive into this dead nature, the more I’m enamored with its endless source of harmonies to bathe in. The instrumental interlude ‘Lama Sabachthani’ is the perfect example with its beautiful melodic bass solo. But all this talk about harmony and melody shouldn’t divert from the fact that this is a Black Metal album through and through with a fair share of blast beats and ungodly shrieks. Dario

“Lazarus”! This album is far too entertaining to be prog! Osaka Rising is a hard rocking duo from Erfurt, Germany and their heavy rock manages to do just that (ROCK!) without any guitars even! A drum-kit and a hammond organ are enough to rock your socks off, paired with killer hooks straight out of the 80’s songbook, all these ingredients are more than enough to warrant a fun album front to back and if you’re patient you’ll even witness a grandiose Doors meets Purple meets ELP finale with the epic closing title track. Unique and not to be overlooked by the musician police nor the party crowd. Dario

Putting a creative outlet to rest as an artist can be quite emotional, especially when it’s such profound music both artistically and emotionally like Lingua Ignota’s harrowing survivor anthems. “The End Live at Islington Assembly Hall” marks the end of Kristin Hayter’s Lingua Ignota moniker and revisits material from all of her studio releases in an intimate piano/voice only setting, making this an incredibly intimate and immediate experience. Kristin Hayter continues to make music, now under the name Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter (the first album “SAVED!” was just released two weeks ago and we missed it, how could we?), but the Lingua Ignota era is put to rest with this impeccable live document. Endlessly spellbinding. Dario