The first half of November: 22 mostly dark and depressive Highlights!

It’s not often that we have to explicitly issue a trigger warning about depression, suicide and mental health topics at the beginning of a Releases of the Week article for not only one, but multiple albums discussed as highlights here. But here we are, such is the reality of our world. Some of these albums are written from an autobiographical perspective, seeking catharsis and – hopefully – closure through sharing these emotions of trauma by means of processing them into music. Others are written from an outside point of empathy to raise awareness. The Reticent’s new album “Please” addresses these topics head-on, which is no surprise for anyone who is familiar with their previous work (i.e. 2020’s “The Oubliette” tackled the topic of Alzheimer’s). The addition of many voice-over samples from interviews, some re-assuring or simply stating a matter of fact, some downright disturbing in their ignorance (‘The Scorn’), somehow make all of these important matters that much more real and tangible. However, we’re all here for the music, aren’t we? Well, let me tell you, in that regard is The Reticent’s “Please” equally one of the most important albums in Progressive Metal this year in addition to the topical importance. Check out Bob’s full review here: https://theprogspace.com/the-reticent-please/ Dario

After a three year long break following the release of their EP “From a Distance”, 2025 turned out to be a productive year for Ancient Fragments. You may have encountered them in our What’s Hot?! Update for Week 43. July featured their debut on stage as a band, and from there on the promotional train for their debut album “Vestige” started. Teasers throughout August to October, and on November 14th they finally poured “Vestige” out on the world. Right out of the gates the band hits you with October 24th single ‘Naïve’. Vocalist Pipi Gogerl takes the listener on a journey through the thoughts and personal world-view of someone suffering from self depreciation, depression and dark thoughts, all the while keeping you from slipping off the edge yourself by switching from small, delicate vocal lines to harsh guttural vocals, aggressive screams and beautiful melodic choruses at the blink of an eye. The band supports the mood of the album, effortlessly switching between broody atmospherical sections, angry, djenty bass-driven parts and more technical, guitar-driven, modern metal passages. There’s a few personal favourites on this album: ‘Naïve’ (I still can’t believe that song only lasts 3 minutes!), ‘Fever Dream’ (what a chorus and – wow – those technical guitar interludes!) and the emotional rollercoaster that is ‘Horizon’. If the album wouldn’t have been released in November, but much earlier in the year they would’ve easily made it into my top 3 most listened albums of the year. Marcel

Is it a good sign that I have to start to cry in the middle of doing my groceries? Stop in my tracks in awe and wonder? Multiple times? Almost have a heart attack while crossing the road? Well, I shouldn’t presume not to expect the unexpected when pulling up as of yet unexplored music onto my headphones when heading out… “HIGH”, the new EP by Armenian act Martinian certainly got the best of me on first listen. And continues to do so with every subsequent spins. Tigran Hamasyan, probably Armenia’s most popular musical export, has already shown the world the incredible richness of the Armenian musical heritage in both harmony and rhythm. Martin Shahbazyan and his fellow musicians dive very deep into that heritage with an outcome that is nothing short of spectacular. Emotionally absolutely devastating, heart-stoppingly beautiful, this is beyond the shadow of a doubt the musical sensation of this year’s autumn for me. And you can never go wrong with a bit of Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s Cello tones, can you? Dario

Continuing with another Fusion EP that left me equally speechless. TrotaMundo is a Brazilian duo comprised of guitarist Edu Destri and Drummer Luigi Paraventi. Session bass was expertly handled by Fernando Molinari and the last of the three tracks, ‘Absconder’, features a guest solo from none other than Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal. There is so much going on in the 23 minutes of “EVA” at such a high velocity, that I feel completely out of breath after another spin. And yet I can’t stop listening to it. There’s absolutely no way Instrumental Prog/Fusion can get any better this year. An astonishing accomplishment and seriously one that should put these massively talented musicians into the worldwide spotlight. Absolutely spectacular! Dario

Any release that has the name Rabea Massaad attached is bound to sound great. With a new project and constellation like Vower, the jury has to sit down and render a verdict regarding the songwriting first though before passing judgement. The songs on “A Storm Lined With Silver”, the first studio EP from Vower, know how to captivate with their Modern Alternative Prog Metal blend from the get-go though. Kind of like a heavier Karnivool in places. The powerful vocal performance by Josh Mckeown naturally sits front and center and is basically begging you to catch them live in 2026. Good thing they already have a few Europe dates lined up with hopefully many more to follow. Dario

On “Proplyd”, Chronochromie compile all of their 2025 single releases into one EP. And even though all five previous singles had successfully introduced vocals to the sonic world of the Canadian duo, the title track ‘Proplyd’ gets rid of them again to indulge in futuristic instrumental Dream Theater-esque shenanigans. The brothers like to keep things adventurous, interesting and unpredictable it seems. Throughout most stretches of the EP, I’m getting more Cynic and rather extreme vibes, so the initial DT reference might actually be a bit misleading. The Chronochromie sound of the two brothers Alexandre and Samuel David is in any case highly complex, cinematic and djenty, so it definitely should appeal to any lovers of modern Prog Metal sounds. It is highly energetic and sounds like it should be a lot of fun to witness live. Maybe there will be a huge opportunity in the coming year? Watch this (Prog)space… Dario

After this string of excellent EPs it’s high time we had a look at some more full length releases, don’t you think? And what better way to get back into the swing as with “As Ink In Water”, the second album by UK based Blackened Proggers of Asira? Eight years after their debut album “Efference” (which I’m unfamiliar with as of yet), the trio from reading is back with something very heartfelt and beautiful, perfectly reflected in the warm watercolours of the cover artwork. Don’t be frightened by the ‘Blackened’ tag, this is a deeply emotional affair with only a few outbursts here and there that should be easily tolerable for Progressive Metal fans who usually shy away from more extreme stuff. Highly recommended for anyone who loves gorgeously melancholic melodies and atmospheres. Dario

Diving even deeper into melancholy without any metal outbursts whatsoever is Hungarian duo Deposed King on their sophomore album “Letters to a Distant Past”. The gloomy sound is as nostalgic as expected with such a title, and I have a feeling that their sadboy vibes, even though in principle rather similar to anything Steven Wilson or Mariusz Duda would come up with, seem to hit even harder than the material those two legends have released because it doesn’t have to live up to such an extensive history. The music can flow freely wherever it wants to go, no matter if it’s more proggy/lead guitar centered or rather an electronic tangent elsewhere. The words ‘fresh’ and ‘nostalgic’ usually don’t go together, but in this particular case I have no better ideas how to describe it. Wonderful, mysterious, an open invitation to daydream. Dario

Kauan is the Ambient Post Rock band the whole prog world fell in love with, at least with 2015’s “Sorni Nai”. And how could they not with such a dreamlike atmosphere permeating every note? Now, ten years and three albums later, the dreams continue seamlessly with “Wayhome”, their newest record and one that is meant to play as a continuous piece. Close your eyes and let your mind be carried away to – wherever your mind wants to drift towards. Subtle, smooth keys and beautiful Viola touches will lead the way. Dario

With “In Situ”, Maudits continues to explore their sound and play with new ideas. The French trio has a background in gothic, black and post metal which is reflected in Maudits sound, as it takes a bit of all these genres, while mostly being an instrumental post-metal band. The newest release, however, surprised me: at this point, I had certain expectations of this band’s sound, and with the first two tracks, it sounded pretty much like what I was expecting: great melodic post-metal. But with the title track, it started going in an unexpected direction as it’s a very chill and quiet track, driven by the cello and acoustic guitar. What followed was Roads: first track with vocals, which was moody and melodic, and a bit gothic metal even, which made me check whether it’s still the same band – but then we got ‘Carré d’As’, featuring rapping in French, which made me scratch my head and think “well, this is cool!” “In Situ” isn’t your standard post-rock album: it’s full of interesting ideas, mood swings and genre bending which I absolutely enjoyed. If you like post metal with ambient undertones and strings, this album is for you. Alex

Perhaps the darkest atmosphere to drag you into an album since long: Hungarian Post Doom outfit The Devil’s Trade opens their fifth album “Nincs Szennyezetlen Szép” with ‘The Sleep That Dragged You Away’, a piece so dark and hopeless, yet endlessly fascinating. The following tracks with titles like ‘Weltschmerz’, ‘All This Sadness (Will Be Gone)’ or ‘Your Pieces Scattered’ are unsurprisingly not one bit lighter in mood, but I find a strange comfort in this oppressive mood. Is it disturbing? Yes. Is it still beautiful? Also yes. Or to say it with the album’s title (“Nincs Szennyezetlen Szép”): there is no uncontaminated beauty. Dario

‘An Avalanche of Shudders’ – in the best case this song title could describe the full-body goosebumps you get when the music hits you just right. The opening track of “Umbra”, the new album by Austrian Dark Post Doom project Ellereve, surely has other, more sombre topics in mind. Like many albums in this eclectic selection, this album is devoted to putting the dark and traumatic experiences of life to music. Led by vocalist and composer Elisa Teschner, they succeed excellently in walking the delicate balance of haunting confrontation and compassionate catharsis through shared emotions. A dark jewel to keep you company in the shadows. Dario

“Ptolemea stands as a portal between dimensions — where mysticism meets music, and sound becomes a tool for awakening.” A powerful statement from the bio of this Luxemburg-based project by Portuguese vocalist and artist Priscila Da Costa. And once you’ve listened to their second album “Kali”, you will know for sure that this is no pretentious press blurb. It is honest and real, just as the genre-defying music on it. Somewhere between Lingua Ignota, a very doomy version of Spellling and Anneke-era The Gathering at their most tribal, “Kali” is a powerful, compelling artistic statement that won’t leave you indifferent. An extensive European tour alongside Galician folk collective Sangre de Muerdago next year was hinted at in the press release, so I do hope those dates will be announced soon and they will lead them also through somewhere near me. To witness this kind of intensity live must be a transformative experience. Dario

November seems to be drenched in Post-y, Doom-y, Blackened and generally melancholy atmospheres all around. The Blackgaze-y variety comes from Ireland in the form of “To Rise You Seek The End” – or TRYSTE for short. What’s unusual for this kind of Post Blackgaze is certainly the powerful clean vocal approach, that yields an astonishing contrast and gives the project further edge and uniqueness. Amazing top notch quality in all regards (performance, songwriting, production), this is certainly one of those times where it almost beggars belief that this should really be their very first release, as it not only promises greatness, but already displays it in large swathes. Dario

We’re not through yet with the post-y stuff for the first half of November, but Belgian trio Tarmak’s take is definitely unique as well. Mostly without vocals, there’s a lot of instrumental fun to be had in most of the songs on their new album “Delete to Proceed”, especially in the rhythm department with bass and drums progging away while the guitars are mostly there for atmospheric purposes. All of that changes with ‘Wörtrilg’, where completely new emotional depths are unlocked. The last song suddenly gets very riffy, also a novelty it seems. A curious album and certainly one whose universe is just waiting to be discovered – not only musically but also through the visual aspect in the music videos to each song. Dario

Adding a good chuck of Math Rock and Experimental madness to another take on the ‘almost entirely instrumental album’ theme is Australian project Seims with “V”, their – you guessed it – fifth album. It is an album where frantic odd-meter synth math of ‘Preoccupations’ can exist side-by-side with the completely weightless take on melodic pop prog of ‘Forever the Optimist’. The chaos is calculated and meticulously arranged, often with a wonderful extended instrumentation to include string and brass instruments. Absolutely one of a kind. Dario

Staying in Australia, but leaving those post- and math- shores towards a hot Jazz/Fusion minute. In contrast to the two previous highlights, this one’s fully instrumental for a change, so there’s no distraction to all the solos and mad chops mastermind/composer/keyboardist SOLUNE (Solenne Messinis) and her crew are dishing up on “MINUTIAE.”, the debut album of SOLUNE’s new project Mad Vantage. It’s only logical that they shared the stage with Anika Nilles & Nevell in Melbourne, as the quite literal Fusion of Jazz roots spiced up with some Modern Prog Metal chonks, served by absolute monsters on their respective instruments, is definitely on the same level and exudes similarly exuberant vibes. Loving the colour theme of the artwork as well! Dario

Extending that hot Fusion minute for another minute or two with the latest Jack Gardiner EP, “Urushi”. Everything sounds so smooth and carefree, which is a rare delight in all this autumn doom and gloom (see many highlights above). Especially the collaborations with Mariko Muranaka (Cellist for Hans Zimmer a.o.) are absolutely wonderful – not only for cellists. As this EP should bring a smile to the face of many music lovers – not only guitarists. Dario

There’s one more Instrumental Prog Metal/Fusion album from the first half of November that we need to talk about: Niyoh’s “Viridian”. A little bit less Jazz, a little more Prog Metal though. Sick stuff nevertheless from Bremen (Germany) based Guitarist Daniel Nibbes featuring not only challenging guitar parts, but also a crazy solid drum performance by in-demand session drummer Simon Schröder (Oomph, Cypecore, Pinhead, The Hirsch Effekt/Live…). Both are definitely musicians to follow if you’re even remotely into Progressive Metal. Go check them out! Dario

Is the shadow without a man ‘Hidden In A Snail’s Shell’? Or the ‘Ghosts Of Time’? Or, ultimately, the ‘Lost Humanity’? Marco Ragni’s new EP “A Shadow Without A Man” sounds so mysteriously intriguing, like a 60’s or 70’s horror movie. It easily could be the soundtrack to one. And why not, Italians do a have a rich history of scoring horror movies with awesome Psychedelic Prog Rock, don’t they? Anyways, this is a cool little release and makes me curious about the next album from Marco Ragni. Dario

Don’t worry, you didn’t miss a work meeting and being called via Teams now. It’s just the intro to “Corporate Culture_FINAL_v2”, the crazy debut album from Double Mute, a new project from Jacob Rosenberg (Vitam Aeternam). Davidavi ‘Vidi’ Dolev (Seventh Station, Submasq) screaming his lungs out over some Drum’n’Bass (‘CEO’)? ‘(Another) Time Cop’, but this time it’s A Cappella? A synth-tastic Diego Tejeida remix? The most beautiful and frightening Wait Loop music ever (‘Please Hold’)? A song that is gradually progressing from full on electronics to Black Metal (‘Sell! Sell! Cell!’ feat. Fire-Toolz)? And that is not nearly all of the freaky things happening on this bizarre release. Definitely takes the cake as most/best/craziest Avantgarde album of this RotW edition. As long as I don’t have to see the horrifying – albeit very fitting, I gotta admit that – visuals. “Please stay on the line – until you die.” Dario

As if Imperial Triumphant’s output to date wasn’t intimidating enough for any musician, now is the time to finally throw in your towels once and for all: Bassist Steve Blanco sweeps through six piano arrangements of Imperial Triumphant songs (plus a beautiful Bach encore) like it’s nothing on “Imprints of Man”. I mean what the hell? Is there anything these three outer-space musicians from the 1920’s with golden masks can’t do? Absolutely astonishing if not downright jaw-dropping! (And you really can’t go wrong with a little bit of Bach around Christmas now, can you?) Dario