Finally, December concluded the musical year 2025 in rather extreme fashion

When I highlighted Lychlake’s excellent new album “Witchcraft & Harrowed Souls” back in October last year, I already mentioned how much I was looking forward to the new offering from Lychgate. Little was I prepared for how much I would end up loving “Precipice”. The unholy love-child of Stravinsky, Fripp, Ihsahn and Beyond Twilight playing Avantgarde Black Metal drenched in organ sounds? This just had to become a big part of my December (and January) soundtrack – and it did. One of the best Extreme Prog albums of 2026 without a doubt, especially if you want to look beyond the ‘melodic mainstream’ of An Abstract Illusion, Fallujah or Rivers of Nihil. As a December release notoriously overlooked in most of all those premature Album of the Year-lists, but it definitely would have deserved a top spot in many of them. Dario

You wanna know what roughly the other 50% of my December/January soundtrack was? “Obstinacy: Sisyphean Dreams Unfolded” of course, the new album from North American Experimental Avantgarde Extremesters of Fleshvessel! If those three (excellent) Prog Death bands mentioned in the review above could feel like Pop in comparison to Lychgate, Fleshvessel goes so full-on-all-out crazy, that “Precipice” might almost feel like easy listening. I’m exaggerating of course, but this is certainly not only next level shit, it must come from another dimension altogether. Flutes, Recorders, Triangles, a musical Saw, bass clarinet: those are only a few of the ingredients that are required for this trip. “Obstinacy” easily features some of the most jaw-dropping performances I’ve heard in a long time, and some of the craziest musical, compositorial ideas at that. And if that wasn’t enough: vocalist Troll Hart delivers one of the single-most awe-inspiring performances I ever had the privilege to hear here! I dare you to find someone more versatile and her range is simply off the charts. Like completely. “Obstinacy” is absolutely peak Avantgarde Prog and should be lapped up readily by that crowd as well as the more adventurous explorers in Extreme Metal. A masterpiece! Dario

In terms of instrumentation, Void Paradigm might be the antithesis to Fleshvessel’s maximalism. A simple Vocals, Guitars/Bass and Drums trio line-up. This second I, Voidhanger representative that’s completing this December-Highlights-top-picks-trio goes very deep though with its unique form of French Avantgarde Black Metal. One single 38 minute song, divided into two parts. “Tout Ira Mieux Sans Nous”, Everything Will Be Better Without Us. A statement that couldn’t ring more true looking at the current state of the world. However, as long as we’re here, we’ll have thought- and meaningful works of art like this one to keep us company in our misery and despair. And that is something worth hanging on for, don’t you think? Dario

December seems to be reserved for killer Extreme Prog releases, and this next one is no different: Sidian’s “Where Our Silence Comes To Die”? By far the most technical of the lot, it doesn’t come without atmosphere and emotion. On the contrary. Be it the melodious melancholy kind or cathartic rage, it’s always there at the heart of it. An accomplished statement of artistic attention, simultaneously marking the end of the project sadly. “Where Our Silence Comes To Die”? More like where Sidian’s music will live on eternally. (Read more about the background of Sidian in general and the function of this album in particular in this excellent write-up over at Atmostfear-Entertainment.com) Dario

Moving on to some Death Metal of the Symphonic variety. Apparently the fourth EP already in less than two years, Sinnarch’s “Augur of the Blighted” makes good use of orchestral and choral samples to spice up the otherwise forward-driving, pummeling Death Metal onslaught. Simple but effective and a lot of fun if you’re into Septicflesh, Dimmu Borgir, Fleshgod Apocalypse and the likes. This one-man-project is neither on social media nor on digital streaming services, so go follow him on Bandcamp. Dario

Speaking of Fleshgod Apocalypse: let’s conclude this Extreme run with some Cosmic Technical Prog Death featuring none other than Francesco Paoli on session drums, shall we? But that’s not even the best part on “Entanglement”, the second album by Italian trio Sun of the Suns. That is clearly the atmospheric ingredients here and the more they shine through, the more the music starts shining as well, culminating in the final ten-minute title track. More of that kind of stuff please! Dario

At last, we’ve still got some December releases that are not Extreme in any other capacity than extremely good. Less than a year after “Songs from the Wormhole”, the 71 minute Space Metal Opera by Cologne-based one-man-operation JRNY-X (formerly known as The Eternal Journey Project), here’s another almost half an hour full of epicness somewhere between Ayreon and Star One in the form of the “Phase Shift Protocol” EP. More Tom De Wit (TDW, Dreamwalkers Inc., Bane of the Talebearer) singing about sci-fi stuff? Don’t mind if I do. Enjoy! Dario

Holding up the torch of Instrumental Post Rock/Metal in December was UK based quartet L.O.E. (Last of Eden) with their new, second album, “Chiaroscuro”. Ethereal, dreamlike atmospheres abound and invite you to dream, occasional voice-overs, seamlessly embedded in the music, invite you to reflect and contemplate if you choose so. Just a bit more than half a year after the release of their last EP “I Was Not Magnificent” in May, L.O.E. cement their status in the international Post Rock circuit with the monumental release that “Chiaroscuro” definitely is. To top it all off, they even put a full live session of the album up on YouTube. Check it out! Dario

Finally wrapping up this year with our 414th review: for his debut album “The Grid”, Brazilian-born guitarist and composer Raj Santos enlisted the help from some killer players like Megadeth-drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and top-notch bassists like Tye Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies), Fernando Molinari (Trotamundo) and Thiago Baumgarten (Kiko Loureiro). Enough with the name-dropping though, as the songs themselves, can definitely hold up on their own with a keen sense of melody and not too overly technical shredding for the sake of shredding. A worthy Instrumental Prog Metal conclusion for the musical year 2025. Dario