(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal x 4, Fishy Fretless Fusion & more!

(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal #1: Scarred from Luxembourg plunged into the unknown after releasing their meticulously, obsessively crafted self-titled album almost 2 years ago: they retreated to a remote cabin in the woods and let creativity take over freely and completely. The mesmerizing, atmospheric result can be heard on the 4-track EP “p A t i E n C e”, sounding nothing like their previous works. Hypnotic and unexpected. I have no idea how Scarred’s future material will sound, it might be still as much a mystery to them as it is for us at this point. I’ll check it out once it’s here nonetheless, that’s for sure! Dario

(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal #2: From Luxembourg to Canada: Montreal-based duo Messora have something special for us: “BURN” is an absorbing, dissonant, daring piece of music best listened to in one sitting, reminiscent of Opethian melancholy only in the quieter parts like ‘WAKING’, ‘CHASM’ and ‘CALLING’, while a lot of the heavy stuff goes into expressive and extreme avantgarde territory. Culminating in the dazzling conclusion ‘WINTER’, “BURN” is nothing short of breathtaking and a true work of art! Not to be missed by the adventurous extreme metal lover. Dario

(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal #3: Portuguese quartet Sullen continues their “Nodus Tollens” series with “Act 2: Ascension”. I was immediately hooked when I heard the a-cappella intro to ‘The Prodigal Son’, the album opener and one of the singles for “Act 1: Oblivion” before the release of the full length around March 2021. There’s no a-cappella part on “Act 2”, but it’s still a great album that deserves to be heard with lots of intriguing vocal melodies and harmonies, thrilling slow-burning build-ups and a little surprise keyboard guest solo from Derek Sherinian. As “Act 2” also seems to be the final act in the “Nodus Tollens” opus, I’m already looking forward to whatever they come up with next. Dario

(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal #4: From Canada all the way to the Middle Eastern Kingdom of Bahrain, a most unlikely and unusual place of course to find a metal band, “Deceptor Creator” is the debut full length album by Ryth. They describe their style as blackened death metal, but the progressive tendencies and influences are clear and come to the forefront in the gorgeous clean vocal parts as well as some shredding guitar solos. Or some tasty duel leads bringing the epic. Watch out for some good metal from Bahrain! Dario

From 4 [(Experimental) Progressive (Death) Metal] picks to some crazy slapping, grooving and ‘singing’ (fretless) bass: Dutch bassist/multi-instrumentalist Barend Tromp has got some mouth-watering proggy fusion stuff for the esteemed connoisseur on his new album “Juvenile Fish Tales”. For fans of 90’s Crimson, Ozric Tentacles, or the occasional Stick Men extravaganza, served with an extra dash of spacy jazz grooves and Sitar. And a side of fretless bass legend Michael Manring on one track. Sounds a bit fishy? You bet! And I don’t even like fish that much. Only the musical ones or so it seems. Dario

Collage is most certainly the most traditional of all the bands highlighted today – although traditional more like in a classic Neo Prog sense than everything else. Their history apparently goes all the way back to 1985, with four studio albums between 1990 and 1995 under their belt according to the Progarchives, but disbanding in 2003. Now, almost 10 years after their reunion in 2013 there is finally a new album from these underground legends and forefathers of Polish Prog. While I can’t say I’m familiar with their earlier works to be honest, I was aware of the band(name) for some time already and now “Over and Out” is my first proper musical encounter with them. Plenty of keyboards and synths and expansive song structures evoke the heydays of Neo Prog and while a lot of my listening habits nowadays stray to more extreme stuff (see above), I have to say I really enjoyed this little nostalgic holiday, yet I’m wondering what they wanted to tell us with the album title, which is not as ambiguous as Porcupine Tree’s latest reunion album. Well, time will tell, but for now Neo Prog fans can enjoy “Over and Out”. Dario

“Entire of Itself” is most certainly the most ‘out there’, experimental record of all Highlights this week. Coming from the creative mind of sound magician Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, The Opium Cartel…), a legend in Norwegian prog circles, this ambient trip of 51 minutes and 21 seconds features a lot of field recordings and noises, yet keeps me on the edge of my seat for the entirety of its duration. Thoroughly engrossing and enrapturing to me, this kind of sonic art is most certainly an acquired taste. Some might find it boring or irritating, but once you unlock the beauty within itself, you won’t be able to escape it. Exceptional and one of a kind. Dario