Progressive RockMetalPost-rock
Here’s a selection of July’s new releases. More information at www.totumrevolutumpress.com. Music coverage in Catalan.
From Togo comes the debut of this band, which took 15 years to release, likely due to the scarce opportunities and resources available on the African continent. They’ve labelled their sound “asrafo-core”, a kind of fusion of nu metal and African music. Beyond the curiosity factor, this is a very solid metal record from an emerging band well worth keeping an eye on.
A more than decent record from this legendary, hugely veteran band, probably the most interesting of the so-called Big Three (Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin). Used as we are to seeing old glories put out albums of questionable quality, it’s a real pleasure to see these venerable legends operating at a level plenty of young bands would envy. Proper classic hard rock, with Don Airey’s magnificent keyboard work standing out, alongside a solid showing from new guitarist Simon McBride, who’s hit the jackpot and, on top of that, has brought the average age down to 71.2.
What can be said about this progressive-rock landmark band that hasn’t already been said. A more than notable record, proving the years don’t seem to touch Pierre van der Linden, though they do show a little on Thijs van Leer, since every track here is instrumental, with him saving his voice for live shows. Joined for years now by Menno Gootjes and Udo Pannekeet, we get a Focus that develops tracks in a language close to jazz with a touch of jam, but also one capable of great finesse in the ornate melodic development of guitars and flutes.
Hail Spirit Noir “Fossil Gardens”
With a name like that, you might expect, and you’d be partly right, a band offering up doom metal. It goes a bit further than being a record stuffed with genre clichés that ends up parodying itself, though. Yes, there are exaggeratedly romantic performances, guttural screams over blast beats, unintelligible saturated distortion… but alongside all that, we get melodic work in opposition, carrying a certain flavour of eighties dark wave.
A slightly corny neo-prog record with production that could use some work. We won’t deny it’s made with real love by its veteran members, and it’s packed with ideas that could be shared with bands like IQ, or their fellow countrymen Kayak. It ends up making for a pleasant listen, with a certain revival feel to it.
If anyone thought neo-prog in Scotland ended with Pallas, they were wrong. And after listening to this band, they might start thinking it would’ve been better if it had. A record made by yet more veterans, with love for the genre, but one that’s come out dated and cheesy.
Dutch musician Adrian Jones’s intermittent project gives us a new instalment. Working within the parameters of ambient rock, with a touch of Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree, the whole record is built on mid-tempo songs or passages where musical textures try to fill out the album’s content. The result is fairly flat and simple, unpretentious, with some shortcomings in production and execution.
A surprising record from Finnish musician Olli-Pekka Laine’s project, fusing the principles of the most extreme metal, especially vocally, with vintage keyboards and arrangements. To sum it up quickly, it’s like listening to a band like Ghost playing black metal.
Oh Hiroshima “All Things Shining”
Post-rock fans are in luck, because here’s this genre at its very best. Without escaping the slow or mid tempos, we get powerful, forceful songs that, despite being fairly homogeneous in composition, never become tedious. Highly recommended as a painless way into post-rock. One note: if you like Hokusai prints, you’ll find the cover lovely.
For the most diehard fans of Italian progressive rock. The production is close to demo-quality and has plenty of room for improvement, and the playing has its shortcomings too. The compositions aren’t particularly notable, but being sung in Italian, they’ll transport you back to earlier eras when Premiata Forneria Marconi, Le Orme or Banco del Mutuo Soccorso were doing more or less the same thing. If you’re not too demanding, you might enjoy it.
Second record from this German guitarist. A very smart move, bringing in another excellent guitarist and instrumental-rock expert, Nick Johnston, on production. Focusing on the album itself, we get a set of calm, relaxed tracks, very melodic and free of harshness. Suitable for all audiences, though it’s better suited to background listening than to close, active attention.
Fourth album from these Virginians, now reduced to a trio, who remain faithful to their prog-metal-adjacent style, with a few hints of Indian sonorities and clear influences from bands like Fates Warning or Dream Theater.
Another new release comes from this Norwegian band, which we could describe as somewhat dated neo-prog, into which they weave flute passages that inevitably point straight at Jethro Tull whenever they show up. The intent to fuse both worlds is present, especially on their opening track, running almost twenty-three minutes; but, when it comes down to it, what they’ve put together ends up feeling more like a collage than a whole.
The band formerly known as Mammoth adopted a new identity in 2018, once the project was left in the hands of Wes Thrailkill, a guitarist who honours the lineage of names on the level of Allan Holdsworth or Ron Jarzombek. He’s back in action with an album of what’s called tech metal, whose roots trace back to the legendary band Watchtower, with current reference points like Animals As Leaders, for example.
Despite having come out in June, we’re making room for this Barcelona band, since it can be genuinely hard to reach your own neighbours’ ears sometimes. The platforms available to the Catalan scene are very limited, especially within the prog family.
What we hear is dark, almost doom-tinged progressive rock, with a classic feel and a flavour of a Dario Argento film score performed by King Crimson. The atmospheres and musical development are fairly free-flowing, built on concepts reminiscent of the seventies. We hope to see them live soon, and in the meantime, you can drop by their social channels to offer support, financial included.
Writer: David Sàez