The Infinite

Firstly, there are plenty of good ideas within Black Medium Current, and I really do get why people would love it. To me though, it is a bit like the Oscar-winning movie, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once with just too many ideas being crammed into it's (admittedly, suitably lengthy) runtime. I also understand that the fault is entirely mine and my lack of sophistication, or maybe intellectual capacity, are the real reason I can't wrap my head around it's myriad of ideas, but I just can't hold everything it has to offer in my head all at once. Another issue for me is, frankly, the terrible clean vocals that are the real villain of the piece here. I much prefer the black metal sections because it means we get a few moments of respite from this vocal torture.

I did enjoy how they employ the keyboards and the occasional excursion into space rock was welcome. To be honest, though, I think Deathspell, Blut aus Nord and especially Oranssi Pazuzu do this sort of thing much better (or at least, more to my own taste). I have been determined to give it sufficient listens to allow it to reveal itself, but after four full listen-throughs, I have been relieved every single time when it has ended, so I guess it is just one of those albums that really isn't for me.

2.5/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Wtb5QsNObO9w62f7ThQNF?si=9fd067002816400e

1. VOLA – Alien Shivers (2018) (49)

2. Scar Symmetry – Chrononautilus (2023) (6)

3. Azusa – Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis (2018)

4. Queensryche – The Mission (1988) (20)

5. Oceill – Course Bottom (2023) (7)

6. Burst – I Hold Vertigo (2008)

7. DVNE – Court of the Matriarch (2021) (19)

8. Evergrey – I’m Sorry (2003)

9. Slugdge – Crop Killer (2018) (36)

10. The Ocean – Unconformities (2023) (22)

11. An Abstract Illusion – In The Heavens Above, You Will Become a Monster (2022) (12)

12. In The Woods… - The Cave of Dreams (2016)

13. öOoOoOoOoOo – No Guts = No Masters (2016) (18)

14. Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution – Odyssey (2023) (5)

15. Ne Obliviscaris – Misericorde II – Anatomy of Quiescence (2023)

16. Animals As Leaders – Arithmophobia (2016) (10)

17. Kardashev – Snow-Sleep (2020) (18)

18. Avenged Sevenfold – We Love You (2023) (37)

By sheer coincidence two of this month's feature releases are from a couple of the first new bands I got into after returning to the bosom of metal brotherhood following a hiatus for most of the Nineties. One was Fear Factory and the other was Amorphis. I heard Black Winter Day somewhere (probably on a Metal Hammer cover disc) and was impressed by it's combination of death metal sensibilities and folky atmosphere. I obtained copies of Thousand Lakes, Elegy and Tuonela and they were all on regular rotation back in Sonnyville. 2001's Am Universum was a bit of a damp squib for me, however and eventually my love for Amorphis waned as I dived further down the extreme metal rabbit hole and I haven't listened to them a whole lot since the mid-2000s other than the odd track from Thousand Lakes, so this review will be a bit like catching up with an old friend and finding out what they have been up to since last we met.

Well, it would be wrong to say they haven't changed a bit, but I would have to admit that they have aged very well. I thought that by 2015 they would have become more technical and progressive than they actually were and I suspected that they wouldn't appeal to me that much, but I actually found Under the Red Cloud to be a very enjoyable and accessible slab of metal. Melodic death and folk metal are combined in an alchemical formula that shouldn't appeal to me in the slightest, but in the Finns' capable hands become an exceedingly palatable cocktail. I don't think I can praise the songwriting highly enough, for them to be able to combine genres I normally run a mile from into such an addictive release is testament to their songwriting skill. The folk metal element is quite prominent, but even so it never even hints at the cheesiness that so dogs the genre in other, less skilled hands, but makes complete sense in the context of this album and it is hard to imagine how it could exist without it. There are a couple of tracks where this element really transforms the melodic death metal skeleton of the tracks into something special, the oriental-flavoured Death of A King and Enemy At the Gates with it's exotic Middle-Eastern atmospherics and brilliant keyboard work. One track that made me smile was Tree of Ages, not because of any inherent cheesiness, but because the irish whistle featured sounds a lot like that featured in Aussie punk's The Rumjack's An Irish Pub Song - a track I love for it's vitality and catchy Irish theme. Amorphis have always been skilled performers and their performances on Under the Red Cloud are terrific, Tomi Joutsen's superb death growl / clean dual vocal attack, Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari's riffing and excellent leads, the layering of Santeri Kallio's keyboards and the faultless rhythms laid down by drummer Jan Rechberger and bassist Niclas Etelävuori underpinning everything the band does, are all absolutely top-notch.

There are several guest musicians featured on Under the Red Cloud, all of whom's contributions add a sheen that raises the album above the crowd, not least the much-lamented Aleah Stanbridge who contributes female vocals to three tracks, most noticeably official album closer, White Night. The Österäng Symphonic Orchestra are also featured and I don't think their contributions can be underestimated either, lending the album a sumptuousness that lifts it above the mundane.

All-in-all I loved Under the Red Cloud and it just seems to get better with each subsequent listen. I'm really glad Andi nominated it for this month's feature (thanks Andi) as it has allowed me to catch up with an old friend and to realise that I have actually missed them over the intervening years. I'll have to backtrack over their discography now and see what other marvels they have produced over the last twenty years or so.

4.5/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Veil of Maya – Mother Pt. 4 (2023)

5/5. HOLY MOTHER!!! Veil of Maya is back with an awesome piece of synthwave djentcore!

Cynic – Veil of Maya (2023)

4.5/5. And speaking of Veil of Maya, the song that inspired that band's name, along with other songs from Cynic's famous debut Focus, is getting a revamp for the album's 30th anniversary. Sean Malone and Reinert would be proud. RIP the two Seans...

Between the Buried and Me – Bad Habits (2021) 

4.5/5. This one mixes extreme prog blast beats, triumphant sections, strange organ duels, and celestial acoustics, having a greater cauldron than in The Great Misdirect, along with a lyrical reprise to "Ants of the Sky" (from Colors) at the end.

Car Bomb – Antipatterns (2019) 

5/5. This one ironically has its own pattern in the structure. It starts heavy again with a breakdown before building up and collapsing into a cinematic ending of operatic synth reverb. The heat begins to cool down...

Slice the Cake – Westward Bound, Pt. 1 – The Lantern (2023)

4.5/5. The vocalist for this band can f***ing easily switch from cleans to growls, which is amazing, especially in the climax after a bit of repetition. Sheer poetry throughout the lyrics! "IF I GO WESTWARD!!!" Magic purity all over until the end riff!

Amorphis – Northwards (2022)

5/5. One of the best songs from Amorphis' latest album, a bit similar to Opeth!

Enslaved – Nauthir Bleeding (2015)

4.5/5. This one has the best of the clean vocals by keyboardist Herbrand Larsen, who would end up leaving the band a year after this album.

Green Carnation – Crushed to Dust (2003)

4/5. Now let's hear some more of that Amorphis-like style in a more punk-ish sound. A great song from a band I've been enjoying for a year and a half now.

Stone Healer – In the Spoke of Night (2021)

4.5/5. The album's fantastic intense finale for this offering. Hell breaks loose in the riffing, in a progressive balance with the band's more melodic side. Talk about a kick-A closing summary of their progressive black metal! However, the playlist is far from over, though I have one more song to comment on...

The Ocean – Swallowed by the Earth (2010)

5/5. An awesome way for me to head out, with spacey reverb in the midsection that helps The Ocean expand their new style.

Here's my review summary:

I can still hear some greatness from this band. They've never stopped recording and touring yet, and the amazing quality shows. With this album In Times, the band keep up their fearless ascension of their classic progressive black metal sound through the modern age. All the songs in the album are each 8 minutes long, with the title epic reaching under 11 minutes. They all walk the line between the complex melody of progressive metal and the violent extremeness of black metal, with each song have slightly more emphasis on one genre than the other. In fact, here's how I would tag the genres in the 6 tracks (with judgement submission for this album coming soon):

1. Thurisaz Dreaming - black/progressive metal

2. Building With Fire - black-ish progressive metal

3. One Thousand Years of Rain - black/progressive metal/hard rock

4. Nauthir Bleeding - black-ish progressive metal/rock

5. In Times - progressive/black metal with ambient bridge

6. Daylight - progressive metal/rock with black metal vocals

So based on what I've analyzed, there's quite some prominent black metal while progressive metal remains dominant by a slight notch. The progressiveness is blended together with their black metal roots. A beautiful and beastly offering like In Times needs some attention!

4.5/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Haken – Elephants Never Forget (2023)

3.5/5. OK, this starting move into a more prog-rock-ish style is a bit forgettable, but still worth enjoying. After a one-minute intro, the band's Gentle Giant influence kicks in, especially in Ross Jennings' vocals. That goes on for a minute until Haken's own classic sound enters, further taken another minute later into their typical chorus. Yet another minute later, it ends sounding closer to a bit of the industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails. At the 7-minute mark is an insane bridge to make up for the earlier drag. This is then followed a minute after by the progressive metal glory that I wish there could be more of without sounding too melodic.

Between the Buried and Me – Disease, Injury, Madness (2009)

4/5. The best song in this BTBAM album has a different execution but the same soft-hard blend. It starts in a progressive deathcore frenzy, then switches to soft and clean, all leading up to an excellent bluesy section in the second half. A unique standout!

Rivers of Nihil – Where Owls Know My Name (2018) 

4.5/5. This one is a bleak yet amazing song from another band that I should've listened to more of. The lyrics are some of the best here, and what makes it beautiful yet slightly laughable is the jazzy saxophone solos, one of them as early as the two-minute mark. Quite a groovy headbanger this track is! It will make you float out or orbit into the astral plane. I think I can hear where some of the more technical aspects of Lorna Shore came from!

Dream Theater – The Court of Tuscany (2009)

4/5. This nearly 20-minute progressive metal epic references a lot of the Thomas Harris novel Hannibal, specifically the eponymous Count of Tuscany. The epic is really solid, though not as much as I would've thought of it about 8 years ago. Still that over two-minute ending proves the band to already be on top of the world!

Rosetta – Ayil (2010)

4.5/5. Rosetta is one of the best bands of sludgy post-metal, and this song is d*mn amazing, like pretty impressive! The vocals remind me of Cave In's Caleb Scofield (RIP).

Ne Obliviscaris – Misericorde I – As the Flesh Falls (2023) 

5/5. Nicely done extreme progressive glory! I look forward to listening to and reviewing the rest of the album, including the second part of "Misericorde".

Voivod – Planet Hell (1995)

4.5/5. Killer bass from temporary vocalist Eric "E-Force" Forrest, along with raging rhythm the late Denis "Piggy" D'Amour. Though Negatron is an underrated album, it doesn't beat most of the albums prior.

The Ocean – Sea of Reeds (2023)

5/5. The Ocean continues to impress me with new singles to pump us up for their new album Holocene. They're another one of the best sludgy post-metal bands besides Cult of Luna. Loïc Rossetti can really execute his vocal ambition that he's had in the band since Heliocentric. That and the drumming by Paul Seidel are what make the band stay progressive. They still can't bring back the dynamic heaviness of Precambrian, and the ambience might remind some of the band Thrice. Nonetheless, they'll never stop their metal side. And the previous singles are slightly more captivating. Maybe there would be more of the earlier harsh vocals and guitars in the album, but we'll see when the album comes out over a month from now if they have them or not.

Slugdge – Transylvanian Fungus (2018)

4.5/5. Slug-themed sludgy progressive death metal, eh? Quite amazing, but not much to say here.

Scar Symmetry – Scorched Quadrant (2023) 

4/5. The Swedish masters of sci-fi progressive melodeath are finally back! This phenomenal sound is like late 90s In Flames modernized and sci-fi-ed. I probably would've loved it perfectly if the chorus didn't sound too much like Madonna's "La Isla Bonita", along with the cleans not sounding too quiet. I gotta check out their upcoming release!

Caligula’s Horse – Capulet (2017) 

3.5/5. Stunning yet a slightly bland soft ending. Still this playlist was a fun ride!

I found "The Great Misdirect" to be another very high quality progressive metal record from this mob. It must have been a huge task to put together as there's simply so much to it. The complexity & ambition in the composition is top notch while the arrangements regularly veer off in unexpected directions. I definitely like the heavier & the jazzier moments best & could probably do without some of the more experimental sections but there's not a weak track included in the six with only the alt-country song "Desert of Song" seeing the quality levels dipping a touch. The metalcore vocals are OK but it's the more progressive instrumental excursions that see the band drawing upon the Dream Theaters & Opeths for inspiration that are where Between The Buried & Me manage to differentiate themselves. I may still rate their "Colors_Live" live album slightly higher than "The Great Misdirect" but it's not by much as this is another excellent record that should tick most prog-heads boxes.

4/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Haken – Lovebite (2023)

4/5. I would've loved this band much more if I started listening to them like 8 years ago. Nonetheless, this song and "Nightingale" are good bangers, this one having addictive happiness despite the lyrics telling otherwise.

The Contortionist – Follow (2019)

4.5/5. This song is quite amazing, I wish I could've followed this band more.

Burst – Cripple God (2008)

5/5. This one's an awesome favorite, charging in with intense riffing and raw vocals that resemble Mastodon. Now that I think of it, this album is like a more ambient hardcore Mastodon. Then there's a beautiful softer verse before exploding into a furious attack of classic Metallica.

Ne Obliviscaris – Devour Me, Colossus (Part I) : Blackholes (2014)

5/5. The first part of this two-part suite starts off with a brutal riff and sinister growls give the song an evil atmosphere. Then you get an unexpected hit by one of the most brilliant drum grooves ever alongside emotional clean vocals and crazy riff-wrath. The bass draws you in further. Then all of the members unleash their instrument power at once with overwhelming section at once before transitioning to another quiet acoustic/violin section. The amazing violin solo soon gives in to more great clean vocals and some nice bass work... Then BOOM!! The brilliant chaos explodes in before quieting down again for that groovy bass riff. Soon the instrument layers of riffing and drumming build up with a godly guitar solo. Finally all the intense instrument power is unleashed together with the (male) beauty and the beast vocals before ending in joy and sorrow.

Queensryche – Bridge (1994)

4.5/5. An amazing soft bridge between the two halves of this playlist, with the guitar of Chris DeGarmo and the vocals of Geoff Tate. I suggested this song to be added to the playlist while my father and brother were on a trip to the U.S. I wasn't sure if they would make it back to my home country, but I'm glad they're still around. I'm currently 24 and I still would like my family to stay complete. My dad built this bridge that has connected between each other, and I don't want it to fall down. To be honest, though the song has more of a Cat Stevens vibe than progressive metal, but it's still beautiful.

Veil of Maya – Godhead (2023)

5/5. New Veil of Maya single? Are they returning with a new album?! I hope so, this is a hard-hitting single, and probably their heaviest since 2012's Eclipse!

Fallujah – Carved from Stone (2014)

5/5. A totally sick burner of heavy technicality! Gotta get more of this band...

Leprous – Contaminate Me (2013)

4.5/5. Horns up for one of the heaviest Leprous songs, featuring Emperor's Ihsahn!

Today Is the Day – Going to Hell (1999)

4/5. I wanted to get interested in the experimental wackiness of this band, Today is the Day, but I couldn't really. Still this is quite killer.

The Ocean – Parabiosis (2023)

4.5/5. The Ocean is back with their current album Holocene, expanding on the Phanerozoic saga, into the Holocene Epoch. This band is quite incredible, performing their music so well. They really evolved just like the Earth throughout all those different eras. I can't wait for this release, it's gonna rule! And this is an amazing way to end this month's Infinite playlist, until next time...

Here are some of my track thoughts:

Caligula’s Horse – Into the White (2013)

4.5/5. Yo. Check this song out, Infinite members. Period.

Sikth – Tupelo (2002)

4.5/5. This is a cover of a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, doing the original justice while keeping Sikth's identity.

Symphony X – The Accolade (1997)

4.5/5. A story is told through the vocals, a bit like the scenario of a medieval knight. It's quite excellent, and back when I was still listening to this band, I agreed that this is their best album. I love the Pantera-like riffing, balanced out with the mystical keyboards that especially appear near the 8-minute mark. F***ing powerful vocals from this man, Russell Allen ("A LEGEND FOREVER!!"). However, as I go into my own heavier direction, I've had enough of the Dream Theater-like melodic sound.

The World Is Quiet Here – Writhing Gate (2023)

4.5/5. Well it ain't gonna be quiet in this song! Holy f***, that breakdown midway through is a hard-hitter with psychotic vocals. This is something I would recommend to fans of Sikth, Dir En Grey, BTBAM, and pretty much any progressive deathcore band.

Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Lord of Liars (2021)

4.5/5. This anguish-filled song has a bit of strain, but Kurt Ballou takes the strain out on his guitar with cool results.

Haken – Taurus (2023)

4/5. Based on the singles from Fauna that have come out so far, you can hear the best this band has to offer, staying melodic with occasional electronics and nice rhythm, while having the slightly more extreme djenty riffs they've been using since Virus. The chorus can be a throwback to Affinity. The ending is quite beautiful, complete with a change of chord. No chance that I'll completely return to that band anytime soon though...

Ihsahn – Unhealer (ft. Mikael Åkerfeldt) (2008)

4.5/5. Ihsahn is known as the frontman of black metal band Emperor, and Mikael Akerfeldt is known as the founder of deathly progressive metal/rock masters Opeth. It's great hearing both of those men's work here, alongside the bass of Lars Norberg. You might just wake up with great inspiration for progressive metal creativity. Holy sh*t, both of their growls are fantastic! The year of this album's release is 2008, and that was one of the last years Mikael could channel his f***ing incredible growls from as early as Still Life. Absolute genius!

Enslaved – Havenless (2003)

4.5/5. I'm sure every fan of progressive black metal would like this song, but I feel slightly more comfortable focusing on the former than the latter. You can also consider this epic viking metal that's worth giving respect. This really works well for a march into battle, and if anyone's up for that kind of scenario, you can find it in that song. There's still some old-school Norwegian in the chanting vocals, while the band was already moving into writing lyrics in English. A little weird, but works greatly.

The Ocean Collective – Preboreal (2023)

4.5/5. The Ocean continues to rise, still shining as one of the great progressive/post-sludge metal bands. And f*** yeah, I think we found the missing link between the Phanerozoic and Heliocentric/Anthropocentric concept eras! I love this atmospheric tune despite sounding a bit different.

In Mourning – Isle of Solace (2012)

4.5/5. This song is amazing, especially the intro. I really need to get progressive melodeath back into my life.

Ne Obliviscaris – Graal (2023)

5/5. The soloing by Benjamin Baret will really blow your mind. What's more impressive is, violinist/clean vocalist Tim Charles let his daughter guess appear on violin during the last few minutes. There's not a single bad song from this band, and I'm glad this amazing playlist ended in a bang. I look forward to that album Exul!

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month's feature release for The Infinite, nominated by me (Shadowdoom9 (Andi)), is one of two 2002 EPs by Hertfordshire-based British progressive metal/mathcore masters Sikth, How May I Help You?. This is the release I chose to review in January's Infinite Review Draft, and what a discovery! The 3 tracks in the EP are some of the best I've heard in modern progressive metal and mathcore, and it would be a great introductory sample of the band's material, for any MA members here to test out their interest in both of those genres.

https://metal.academy/releases/3152

Waves of Visual Decay is one of those slept on albums that may only have been because of it's close release time to Nevermore's The Godless Endeavour. And it's clear to see why; Communic have taken the Nevermore influence and rolled with it on the same emotional level as classic Nevermore albums had. However, I do feel like Communic are closer related to Fates Warning than a Judas Priest or Iron Maiden Daniel. 

As for the record itself, it's exactly what you would expect from a comp to Nevermore. It's a well constructed, well performed progressive metal album that is easy to go down, rather than bashing you over the head with unending guitar solos. The individual tracks go down very smoothly as the more progressive songwriting techniques are complimentary. There are some heavy thrash riffs on "Frozen Asleep in the Park" and "My Bleeding Victim" and compliment the slower, melancholic moments on the title track and the closer "At Dewy Prime" very well. Not all of it works; I was less than impressed by "Fooled by the Serpent", but overall this is a very good album from a band whose influences should surprise no one. They might get in the way for some, but I feel Communic does more than enough to distinguish themselves from Nevermore.

8/10

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Haken – The Alphabet of Me (2022)

4.5/5. A weird yet very enjoyable start of this playlist, bringing back the wackiness of the band's earlier recordings while maintaining their recent power. Probably the most wonderous and creative electro-jazz-infused progressive metal blend since some of Plini's works!

Caligula’s Horse – The Tempest (2020)

5/5. Caligula's Horse has done their melodic progressive metal sound quite as well as, and even slightly better than, Haken. If you enjoy their earlier pieces like "Into the White", surely you can't miss this.

Altesia – Amidst the Smoke (2019) 

4.5/5. This one starts heavy before changing into beauty with polyphonic vocals. Clément Darrieu sings amazing melodies and great harmonies to combine with the rhythm.

Dream Theater – You Not Me (1997)

4/5. I used to really love this band back when I first started listening to progressive metal, beginning my journey with the genre's more melodic side. Good song, and I especially like the keyboards at the one-and-a-half-minute mark before the second verse.

Ostura – Duality (2018) 

4.5/5. A killer 12-minute progressive piece with a huge stunning sound! It's quite impressive how my 10-year metal journey led me from DragonForce and a small bit of Metallica all the way up to something almost massive.

Evergrey – The Essence of Conviction (2004)

4/5. Another good track from when my progressive metal interest was more melodic.

Xanthochroid – The Sound Which Has No Name (2017)

4.5/5. This is the cinematic finale of that album where the band has mastered it all. This is symphonic black metal within the orchestration, tremolos, and blast-beats, along with vocals ranging from unclean to clean, and the epic progressiveness is added once again to the brutality enough for to be proven worthy in The Infinite.

Textures – Singularity (2011)

5/5. I didn't become fully interested in this band until over a year ago, and I wish I could've found this band much earlier. The metaphorical imagery of water can really be associated with the artwork and lyrics.

Protest the Hero – From the Sky (2020)

4.5/5. This one continues going through the album's theatrics with hefty bass and riff energy taking the stage. A soothing piano section leads up to the song's glorious ending climax.

Ne Obliviscaris – Equus (2022) 

5/5. Ne Obliviscaris is back and staying as glorious as ever! The song and its video is dedicated to the victims of the 2019/2020 Australia wildfires that affected many people and animals there. I look forward to hearing more of this album Exul and all the epicness it has to offer. What better way to end this playlist is there?

I've given Act I a review, here's its summary:

Do you ever wonder if bands combine the epicness of symphonic black metal and complexity of progressive metal? This band can! They've done it with great magic that many other bands of similar styles lost over the years. However, it's not like a Christmas present that I've really desired (and it is close to Christmas as of this review) in some parts, but there's no way this will ever make me as disappointed as I was about Opeth's prog-rock era. Of Erthe and Axen (Act I) is quite an exciting thrill-ride, and it was definitely worth the 5-year wait fans of the band had since their debut. This is kind of a throwback to around the time of the album's release, when I was an older teen listening to other band of the more epic progressive metal shortly between switching to its extreme side and more modern genres. It really satisfies what I've expected! The band members have done a brilliant job turning this album into a near-perfect masterpiece. While I hear a good amount of symphonic black metal, the album is not entirely like that, balanced out with tremendous progressive metal. Even the story is planned out to be as structural as the music, setting up a climatic tale from beginning to end, told through heavier metal songs and softer acoustic/orchestral ballads. The heavier tracks showcase the symphonic black metal sound in the orchestration, tremolos, and blast-beats, along with vocals ranging from unclean to clean, and the progressiveness is added to the brutality. In the end, we have a beautiful first part of the Of Erthe and Axen saga. Will I ever be up to checking out the exciting conclusion? Not today, but perhaps one day when I'm fully up to exploring more of non-satanic black metal and the more cinematic progressive metal. And this epic offering has given me a bit of motivation!

4.5/5

I'm up for it! I look forward to some more Infinite release discoveries. May I please be added to the roster?

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Animals as Leaders - "Gordian Naught" (from Parrhesia)

4.5/5. Animals as Leaders is a band with some of the most technical-playing musicians in humankind, though I prefer progressive metal slightly more with vocal flavor. There's even a rare blast beat from drummer Matt Garstka.

Cult of Luna - "Blood Upon Stone" (from The Long Road North)

5/5. Too early for an apocalyptic climax, but never mind that, this is a perfect epic! The guitarists from the band Phoenix join in, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz.

Persefone - "Merkabah" (from Metanoia)

4.5/5. This one is the right choice for all those pattern structures to decipher. The near-end breakdown is more straight than everything else. The keyboardist/clean vocalist sings a sincerely catchy chorus.

Seventh Wonder - "Invincible" (from The Testament)

5/5. One of my favorite tracks from the new Seventh Wonder album The Testament besides "The Light"! It's far more than just a cheesy anthem, the mind-blowing melody is awesome, and what keeps me hooked is vocalist Tommy Karevik who's also in Kamelot, one of two power metal bands I still have time for (the other being DragonForce). Besides those angelic vocals, the band performs an impressive blend of fast guitar/bass riffs, complex drumming, and single-handed keyboarding.

Voivod - "Synchro Anarchy" (from Synchro Anarchy)

4.5/5. Still doing great while aging, I see! Guitarist Daniel Mongrain can do the skills to the late Piggy justice while staying fresh. Their earlier albums from the 80s are still bad-a** though. Rock on!

Ibaraki - "Ronin" (from Rashomon)

4/5. Alongside wanting to find a song in the playlist for me to listen to besides the ones I've requested, I've heard of Trivium frontman Matt Heafy's progressive black metal side-project Ibaraki and thought of checking it out at some point. Now's the right chance! A major motion picture should have this track as part of the soundtrack, it's quite excellent. And wow, who knew My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way can be a kick-A black metal shrieker?! Still I prefer Matt Heafy performing with the metalcore power of Trivium, but maybe I'll someday check out more of this side-project Ibaraki....

My time with progressive/avant-garde/post-metal has been rather turbulent this year while still staying in my position in The Infinite, so I didn't find as many new Infinite albums that would stick with me long as I thought I would, but I can do a top 5:

1. Seventh Wonder - The Testament

2. Dir En Grey - Phalaris

3. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy

4. Persefone - Metanoia

5. Meshuggah - Immutable

One honorable mention is the new In The Woods... album Diversum that I really enjoy, but I would need to give it more listening before it can end up somewhere in my list.

Here's my review:

Despite the fact that German post-sludge metal icons The Ocean have been regarded as one of the premier exponents in their field for a full two decades now, I haven’t been particularly impressed with my limited encounters with them over the years &, as a result, I’m afraid to say that I’ve got a fairly significant gap in my knowledge of their back catalogue when you consider my passion for the post-sludge subgenre in general. My initial experiences with the band came through their pair of 2010 albums “Heliocentric” & “Anthropocentric”, neither of which I had much time for which resulted in me giving The Ocean a wide berth ever since so it’s probably time for me to review that position given that they're so highly revered by fans of the more progressive end of post-metal.

2013’s ocean-themed seventh full-length album “Pelagial” immediately saw me pricking my ears up due to its highly professional packaging & execution. The technicality is the composition & performances is outstanding & compares very well alongside the gods of the progressive metal world. In fact, despite what you may read to the contrary, “Pelagial” isn’t actually a post-sludge metal record at all. If you look closely you’ll discover that there’s only really a short one minute interlude that fits that description across the entire 53 minutes duration of the album. Instead I’d suggest that what we have here is a progressive metal record at its core with the post-metal & sludge metal components being more or less secondary in the grand scheme of things. This imaginative & creative record will see your more educated metal fans picking out the influence of bands like Mastodon, Tool, Opeth & Dream Theater a lot more than the Cult of Luna & Isis references that highlighted most of The Ocean’s earlier works with the band only turning their focus towards sludgier territory for any extended period of time right at the end of the tracklisting via progressive sludge epic “Demersal: Cognitive Dissonance” & the pure sludge-fest of closer “Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes”. I’d suggest that it’s only the gruff hardcore vocal delivery of front man Loïc Rossetti that sees people being tempted into the sludgier genre tags but in truth he spends just as much time (if not more) exploring his cleaner & more melodic side of his creative repertoire.

“Pelagial” is an extremely consistent record with every one of the eleven tracks being very solid indeed. There are a few really impressive highlight tracks included (see “Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses”, “Abyssopelagic II: Signals of Anxiety” & “Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes”) but they don’t tend to be the lengthier inclusions which sees me tending to steer away from my higher ratings. The rest of the songs are all very well written & executed but I’m not sure they have the hooks to fully differentiate themselves from each other. I do think it was a bit of a strange decision to tie the two 9+ minute epics together at the back end of the tracklisting as this makes the album drag a bit & seem a little more elongated than it actually is. On the positive side of things though, both of the short interludes are outstanding inclusions & add a lot to the album in my opinion.

It's hard to be too critical of an album that possesses the sheer class that “Pelagial” undeniably does. It’s challenging in all the right ways & I rarely find myself losing engagement. Perhaps it’s just the victim of a little “style over substance” at times but it’s not easy to get the technically vs memorability ratio exactly right & The Ocean come a lot closer to the mark than the vast majority of their peers so I’d have to say that I’ve been converted by this record. I’ll not only be returning to it in the future but will also make a point of doing a little more experimentation with the band’s back catalogue in the future too.

For fans of Mastodon, Intronaut & Ghost Brigade.

4/5

I'd like to once again thank Saxy for allowing me to create the threads for his Gateway and Infinite playlists each month and including my really long submission in this one. However, I will skip out on commenting in this month's Infinite playlist. After breaking away from the more melodic genres from The Guardians, I want to ease up a bit on progressive metal, especially bands with a more melodic sound. I'm also currently busier than ever in the outside world on some days, and I need to put more focus on what's happening and not get my brain all whacked out from all the complexity the genre has, which I still like. Don't worry, I'm maintaining my place in The Infinite, but I just need to pace myself if I want my time in the clan for be more bearable for myself. With that said though, I'm still up to doing playlist suggestions and already have some in mind for next month's best of 2022 Infinite playlist. Plus I'm planning to comment on a good amount of songs in the Gateway playlist, so stay tuned for that...

I think I've spent enough time with this to form some actual opinions. I think this will definitely be an overlooked highlight of most people's 2022 lists due to how uniquely creative it is compared to the rest of the albums released this year. The Endless excels at creating its own little world of elements with the inclusion of more mood-setting keyboards and synths than is common in most Progressive Metal outings, let alone the female vocals taking up almost all of the front stage compared to the Black Metal adjacent harshes that only show up when they're really required to. I think I struggled with this one at first because, in all honesty, it's a pretty low-key record through and through. At just 40 minutes it sometimes feels like the album should be just getting started as the gorgeous closer "The Paradigm Mirror" peters out and ends the affair on a strikingly bittersweet note. It felt like there wasn't a whole lot there and I think that's where my opinion will start to differ a bit from Saxy and Daniel. I'm extremely glad this was featured as it would have definitely been a 2022 album I would have missed, but I don't think it has quite enough going for it to be a massive, landmark release. 

I think my favorite detail about this album is the distinct tone shift between the first and second half. The first sets up the expectation of having angelic vocals offset by the harshes, but "Liminal Veil" throws that completely out the window as vocalist Kelly Shilling adopts a completely different delivery as the album shifts into a more despondent and shadowy feel compared to the more ethereal sounding first half. I think there's a great balance struck between the heavier Post-Metal portions and the winding Progressive Metal musings too; I always leave wanting no more and no less of either style. I would have to do more digging and more listening to figure out an exact reason why, but I just feel like there's something left on the table with The Endless though, which is why it didn't absolutely floor me after spending more time with it. Maybe I'm one of the weird people who think that albums like this should be a bit longer in order to envelope the listener in the world. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to fully review this one but it'd be a welcome challenge to try and nail down exactly why I can't give this full marks, despite really enjoying it. 

4/5

Here are my thoughts on most of the tracks:

An Abstract Illusion - "Tear Down This Holy Mountain" (from Woe)

4.5/5. Greater start than that of the Gateway playlist, but again the experimentation can be SO MUCH in this over 11-minute epic.

Conquering Dystopia - "Lachrymose" (from Conquering Dystopia)

5/5. A beautifully haunting acoustic/electric descent from that torn down holy mountain, with Jeff Loomis (also from Nevermore) playing Jason Becker-like guitar melodies. This could almost work well with lyrics that can turn it into a Nevermore ballad sung by Warrel Dane (RIP). D*mn, there should be an orchestral version of this soul-melting tune! It makes me glad against the sadness, sounding intense while staying beautiful and melodic. There is even a bit of a Last of Us vibe here.

Ihlo - "Haar" (from Haar - Live Sessions From Pirate Studios)

4.5/5. Another nice progressive metal blessing! This amazing song can almost be a total winner. It's bands like Ihlo and VOLA that can guide you through the astral plane then take you on a wild ride through the crescendo. Of course, the intro can also blow your mind. This can nearly reach the f***ing height of g****mn progressive luxury! I wonder how if the name of the song is pronounced like how Germans or sassy pre-teen girls say "hair"...

ERRA - "Pull From the Ghost" (from Pull From the Ghost)

5/5. You can assume that my ongoing progressive metalcore search is an addiction, but the truth is, many of those bands rule! For this one, the guitar riffs sound so godly, and the angelic cleans battle against the demonic growls. Hardcore progressive metal has never sounded so ethereal.

Neurosis - "Water is Not Enough" (from Given to the Rising)

4.5/5. Great band, super-cool song, sick intro, karaoke-worthy vocals. The singing is by Scott Kelly, who has recently confirmed his departure from the band after a shocking revelation of his family abuse. It's not easy to make amends for serious wrongdoings that make you look like a total a**, but the music is still good, despite the outer drama.

Haken - "Nobody" (from The Mountain)

4/5. This can be considered a softer radio version of the song "Somebody", considering the shortened length and the acoustic instrumentation. This sounds so much like Anathema at that time, and I've already moved out of that kind of softness.

Psychonaut - "Violate Consensus Reality" (from Violate Consensus Reality)

4.5/5. You can never be highly disappointed by such a composition! The vocals by Colin H. van Eeckhout from Amenra really add that nice touch. Just how the f*** can this heartfelt emotion get so intense?! This is an immense post-progressive metal composition with awesome vocal power! Colin adds weight to the beautiful groove you cannot miss. It's like a great emotional timebomb! And I thought The Ocean was THE European progressive post-sludge metal collective... I can see and hear lots of magic fire here. Top-notch straight from the first minute!

Parius - "Contact!" (from Contact!)

4.5/5. A short, sweet, sick rocker! Throughout the first half, I wasn't sure about the OK riff. Then the bass and drums in the second half balance things out in greatness and leveled up my rating score a bit. I guess you can think of this like mid-90s Entombed gone Primus.

Liquid Tension Experiment - "Liquid Evolution" (from LTE3)

4/5. A beautiful short jazzy progressive interlude from this instrumental Dream Theater spinoff-band.

The Ocean - "Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions" (from Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic)

4.5/5. Then finally, we end the playlist with a bit of the energy from the Precambrian era (of The Ocean).

A bit of a contentious album here.

Ashenspire have some chops, no doubt about it. When I heard this record for the first time, I was absolutely floored by the compositional techniques used to tell some awfully grim stories. The technicality of Hostile Architecture never feels overindulgent or as a medium for instrumentalists to wank; their purpose was to further the narrative and I appreciate that in a subgenre that seems too ignorant to this concept.

But as I said in my review, it's the vocals that bring it down considerably. Despite what so many people would like to believe, it's the performance, not the content that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Artsy (political) post-rock has this obsession with plainspoken vocals that have no sense of flow, groove or momentum. And as someone who doesn't relate at all to the content on display, I felt like I was being lectured to by a teacher for a class I had no interest in taking, but need credit for in order to graduate. Rage Against The Machine's political music was a statement, whereas as Ashenspire has the passion, but none of the precision. This score would have been several points higher if it was an instrumental record.

6/10

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Between the Buried and Me - "(B) The Decade of Statues" (from Colors)

4.5/5. Between the Buried and Me was one of those must-have bands for me in the progressive metal realm. Sadly when I moved away from this band, it was too late to bring it all back. This album and Alaska, among a couple of their other albums, had g****mn great moments. One of the most beautiful moments is the 30-second ending that almost marks this song a brilliant highlight.

Cynic - "Elements and Their Inhabitants" (from Ascension Codes)

4/5. You further travel through the cosmos with this sweet tune.

Cyborg Octopus - "The Projector" (from Between the Light and Air)

3.5/5. This one's pretty good, but a little weird for me. Moving on...

Maudlin of the Well - "Heaven and Weak" (from Bath)

4/5. This one starts with a slightly weak slow intro, but gets more progressive and heavier before twisting into stronger aggression to f*** off that weak heaven.

Gojira - "L'enfant Sauvage" (from L'enfant Sauvage)

4.5/5. When I was still listening to deathly progressive metal bands like Gojira, I've recognized how well-done their songs have been, including this killer single, especially in the loose angry bridge. The title is French for "The Wild Child", fitting for something wild throughout this track.

Devin Townsend - "Moonpeople" (from Moonpeople)

5/5. Devin Townsend has brought back his heavy talent after his ambient album pair from last year. I'm glad we finally have a song from his upcoming album Lightwork. I have a feeling this album would be a heavier yet light end of the dark tunnel that is the pandemic...

Meshuggah - "Born in Dissonance" (from The Violent Sleep of Reason)

4.5/5. This is more dissonant yet simple, working well enough to get caught up in the game.

Enslaved - "Kingdom" (from Kingdom)

4/5. I admire the riffing work that sounds weird at first being arranged into amazing coherence. I've lost my fan status for this band since moving away from black metal at the start of this year, but there's majestic creativity that makes me acknowledge their Infinite position, especially the cleans. Though an instrumental version would work too.

Opeth - "To Bid You Farewell" (from Morningrise)

4.5/5. This track is an ending highlight to both its original album and its playlist, a mostly acoustic ballad except for 3 minutes of heaviness toward the end. Mikael Åkerfeldt uses his clean singing as his sole vocal style for the first time, delivering such an emotional performance, a nice break from his furious aggressive growls from other songs. It's not easy to absorb the complex structure, but it's an underrated song that deserves attention. The next few albums would continue the motive of including at least one prog-rock ballad, but shorter.

At least he's admitting to it.  But this is the kind of behavior that takes time to fully heal.  Hell, Meat Loaf saw three psychiatrists and he still couldn't get over his anger issues (though I don't think consistent family abuse was part of that).  I've worried about the bands status too, but this is the best decision Scotty could have made.  If Neurosis plans on continuing releasing music, they'll probably have to get some younger guy with a powerful voice the same way Alice in Chains did.

As a Devin Townsend fan and as someone who loves Empath, Deconstruction was still a bit of a sucker punch since I'm not too familiar with the middle portion of his discography. I always knew his style was overblown from Empath and Transcendence, but it took me a few years to eventually go back to Ocean Machine, Terria, or other albums like Accelerated Universe to get the full picture of Devin's music. Turns out he was a nutjob (in an endearing way) for way longer than I thought, since Empath was my first foray into the more insane and eclectic brand of Devin's music. I knew that Ziltoid was a thing but haven't gotten around to it, but I didn't realize that Empath wasn't exactly breaking new ground in the way I thought it did after listening to Deconstruction this month. All of the zaniness that I loved about Empath is shown off in full force here, but it's definitely more aggressive and a bit less mature. Devin's brand of sensory overloading walls of sound have always entertained me, but I'd say Deconstruction has more intrigue and interesting songwriting than his other, similar albums. 

This post was going to be about how Deconstructed fell into the same bin as most of Devin's other albums for me, but as I put off writing this because I couldn't quite gather my thoughts, I found myself listening to it more and more. To be honest, it's basically like watching a car crash or some embarrassing stand up comedy act that you can't look away from. It's such a stupid album in some truly irredeemable ways, but at the same it's it's incredibly good at being stupid that I've come full circle with it. Hell, it was apparently so stupid that I missed every single guest vocalist on here until I read Andi's post. I know my audio/voice recognition is really bad but this was a new low for me. I think part of that is because Devin is, in fact, a very talented vocalist with a ton of range so I didn't really notice it, but also because there's so much going on in each song that you hardly have time to figure out whether that random growl in the background sounded like Opeth or not. Once I wrapped my head around the different guests and their places in each song, the album as a whole got much more enjoyable as I'm always a fan of all-star lineups, for the most part. 

As other reviews have said this album is definitely an exercise in excess and throwing a gigantic middle finger to the expectation of professionalism in music. Granted I definitely wish there was a bit more professionalism here, considering I'm never a fan of toilet or fart noises. I'm sure there's some metaphor you could figure out regarding the music industry or the music scene in general, but Devin's antics tend to get the better of him throughout the entire album. Thankfully there are enough great riffs and soundscapes to make this a standout in his discography for me, but it's going to be an acquired taste no matter how you look at it. 

I've been horribly busy recently so trying to come up with things to say about albums has been the least of my worries, hopefully stuff like this will get me to be better about stream of consciousness writing because trying to form an opinion about this album has my head spinning. 

4/5

Wow, Saxy, it's incredibly nice of you for me that you've placed all 5 of my suggestions first before the rest of the playlist. Thanks for that! However, I'm still kind of straining from some of the more melodic genres, such as the melodic side of progressive metal, but don't worry, I'm still staying in The Infinite, I just need to pace myself if I want my time in the clan for be more bearable for me. I still look forward to submitting track suggestions for next month's Infinite playlist, and I have a special amount planned for then. In the meantime, here are my thoughts on over half of the tracks here:

Between the Buried and Me - "Specular Reflection" (from The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues)

4.5/5. Ah, one of my favorite BTBAM epics when I was still listening to that band. This can be reduced to a 7-minute radio edit and still be brilliant! The melodic and aggressive chills are a nice step up from the previous album The Great Misdirect. The clean singing sections can remind some of Circa Survive.

Dream Theater - "Hell's Kitchen" (from Falling into Infinity)

4/5. This instrumental is, contrary to the title, like transcending through Heaven's gates in magnificent mind-space. Still it did not beat the other Dream Theater instrumentals I liked when I was still enjoying this band, especially "Stream of Consciousness" which takes its title from a lyric in the epic coming after this track, "Lines in the Sand".

Leprous - "Restless" (from Bilateral)

4.5/5. A short catchy song with Einar Solberg's vocals ranging from peaceful to, that's right, restless!

Seventh Wonder - "Victorious" (from Tiara)

5/5. There's another reason why I would never forget Kamelot, and that's because of the powerful vocals of Tommy Karevik, who's also in this band Seventh Wonder. It's songs like this that make me enjoy the best of both worlds reigning victorious!

Veil of Maya - "Doublespeak" (from False Idol)

5/5. This song is aptly named because of both the singing and the growling playing out well in the lighter instrumentation. The chorus filled with singing really creates a beautiful aura along with rising drumming. The guitar tone lingers through heavy verses before the delicate chorus.

Threshold - "Silenced" (from Silenced)

4.5/5. I've practically forgotten about this band in the two years since I've given up interest in them after a mere two months, but now I remember them again with this excellent new song. Welcome back, Threshold! Absolutely sensational and could almost make an instant classic.

Cynic - "Infinite Shapes" (from Kindly Bent to Free Us)

4/5. Interesting choice, since this is from Cynic's small break from metal in Kindly Bent to Free Us. With that said, this was one of my favorite tracks from the album with the best lyrics there. So beautiful, especially the g****mn synthesized wolf howling at over the 3-minute part that then transitions into guitar. This is also the final album with the two Seans before their untimely passings in separate ends of 2020. RIP...

Mastodon - "More Than I Could Chew" (from Hushed and Grim)

4.5/5. A killer track from Mastodon's recent offering that marks their first double album. So f***ing beautiful, but what else can I say?

Novembre - "Jules" (from Materia)

5/5. An astonishing blend of progressive metal with gothic/doom influences, similarly to Green Carnation in the early 2000s. I think I might've found a decent re-entryway into gothic/doom metal, thanks to this track!

The Ocean - "Triassic" (from Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic)

4.5/5. This one has heavy dynamic groove and stays in a between clean soft melody and harsh aggressive riffing. They haven't unleashed their contained destruction yet until later on in that album.

Protest the Hero - "The Canary" (from Palimpsest)

5/5. This song shows intricate groove hooks alongside the captivating narrative. The charging pace and epic dramatic chorus really makes that song a sweet highlight.

I have strayed into unchartered waters by drifting into The Infinite feature release and I feel I may be about to alienate the clan residents somewhat with my attempt to review this release, but I am here now so might as well use the rope in my hand. I feel that in listening to Handmade Cities that I have just watched an eighties film were the protagonist has just overcome great evil (or maybe a serial killer) and I am revelling in the joy of the end credits having somehow missed the whole film. Sarcastic comment over, I promise.

If I focus on the talent required to make this album then I cannot failed to be impressed. It might not be my bag at all but despite there being more than one "WTF" moment for me, I could not quite bring myself to turn it off. Intrigue got the better of me even though I am not a fan of instrumental tracks (let alone full releases that are all instrumental tracks). It kind of reminded me of a Joe Satriani record I listened to years ago which although inoffensive never held my interest enough for me to ever explore it enough to truly get to grips with it. I guess that I find Plini to be decent enough background music and nothing more. Occasionally it does something interesting as it chops away at the aether around me enough to break through whatever it is I am focusing on to remind me that it is still there.

Overall, I find Handmade Cities just to be too safe a record for my extreme tastes, and whilst I acknowledge its merits I am coloured a dull, pastel shade by it. If I had the patience (not something that I have vast stocks of) then I would perhaps revisit over the coming days but I have to get my head around Spheres and that Parkcrest record yet as part of the monthly reviews and at least one of those has got me ruffled already this month so I feel they will be the focus of my attentions for the coming days instead.

2.5/5

Saxy, let me just say, you have done such as incredible job assembling this month's Gateway and Infinite playlists! This tracklisting has encouraged me to go through the entire playlist and find excellent tracks from bands I already listen to along with different bands in which some of them I feel up to trying some more songs from them. Well done, please keep it up! So let's get my track thought journey started:

Cynic - "Mythical Serpents" (from Ascension Codes)

4.5/5. A great opening highlight to show each member's skill! This is actually also in the January playlist, but never mind. Moving on...

Evergrey - "The Orphean Testament" (from A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament))

4/5. Evergrey strikes again with a good heavy tune from their new album released only a year after the last.

Charlie Griffiths - "Luminous Beings" (from Luminous Beings)

4/5. I was only a Haken fan for about a year before realizing that band was better off being listened to by me 8 years ago when my melodic side of progressive metal was dominant. With that said, I'm still delighted by such a h*ll of a prog-metal experience from that band's guitarist. This song's pretty great and so is the cartoony video for any biology lovers out there. Monstrous Haken-like riffs can be found especially near the 4-minute mark and in the intro chord. Great guitar skills from this man, with some Allan Holdsworth influence. Amazing how creative he can be! The drums also rule, though I don't know who's performing them. Blessings to this beautiful yet monstrous piece, along with the video aesthetics reminding me of Spongebob Squarepants. Call this song prog, rock, or metal, but what matters is this journey with lyrics warning us about the darkness of extinction. Crawl, walk, run!

Dream Theater - "The Shattered Fortress" (from Black Clouds & Silver Linings)

4.5/5. This was one of my favorite melodic progressive metal epics that marks the end of the band's "Twelve-Step Suite" and eventually, Mike Portnoy leaving the band after 25 years, heart-breaking many DT listeners. There's a lot to mention, so here goes: The volume heads up at the 3 and a half minute mark, then two minutes we have a f***ing great riff. At the 7-minute mark we have a Metallica-ballad-like section with narration, before throwing back to Octavarium a minute and a half later, even sounding close to Black Sabbath after a minute. And after some Paul Gilbert-like soloing and one more verse ("I am responsible when anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want my hand to be there"), the opening of "The Glass Prison" is reprised, closing the suite in full circle. EPIC!

The Contortionist - "Early Grave" (from Our Bones)

4/5. This one continues the aggressive vs. mellow pattern. Then we reach a climatic post-metal bridge with an outro that's probably the band's heaviest since their Language album from 5 years prior!

Between the Buried and Me - "Prequel to the Sequel" (from Colors)

4.5/5. Between the Buried and Me is another band I loved for a few years but have not gotten in touch a lot recently, other than this album's recent sequel Colors II. This one's quite awesome despite the recent remaster making not a lot of difference, other than making the bass and keys sound better while lessening the power of Adam Fisher (Fear Before)'s screams. Life is constant happiness...

Kardashev - "Cellar of Ghosts" (from Liminal Rite)

4/5. This one's quite powerful from start to end. F***ing sick instrumentation and growls at times. Rock on!

Diablo Swing Orchestra - "Exit Strategy of a Wrecking Ball" (from Pandora's Pinata)

4.5/5. The lyrics here convey the feeling of betrayal and not seeing the one you love again. That inspiring lyrical theme might one day make me up to trying Diablo Swing Orchestra despite crossing them out after a short month. This is a band of musical geniuses! Who knew swing and metal fit like a glove?! There's even a slight death/nu-metal scream section towards the end. The lyrics should probably have thicker meaning though, but I can identify with that situation well. High-quality unique swing-infused progressive metal here, am I right? Still there are other bands for me to enjoy in my nearly a decade of listen to metal...

Isis - "Garden of Light" (from In the Absence of Truth)

5/5. Such as this band whom each instrument has their own significant parts. An incredibly epic song with a f***ing awesome intro and outro. The album this song is in shows a more melodic/experimental side that the Isis band members would have in their later band Palms with Deftones' Chino Moreno.

Symphony X - "Seven" (from Paradise Lost)

4/5. This was one of my favorite Symphony X songs from when I was still commonly listening to that band and Dream Theater. It's decently long at 7 minutes, but I guess it's short in comparison with the longer progressive epics out there.

Polyphia - "Playing God" (from Playing God)

3.5/5. The first time I heard the jazzy riffing, I had a confusing "WT*" look on my face, but the majority of this is a beautiful listening experience. Note that this band's earlier material was basically just jazzy prog-rock.

The Ocean - "The Grand Inquisitor I: Karamazov Baseness" (from Anthropocentric)

4/5. This is part of "The Grand Inquisitor" trilogy that has killer heaviness. Enough said!

Novena - "Ghosts" (from Ghosts)

3.5/5. This one ends the playlist in an almost similar direction to the end of the Gateway playlist, sounding the closest to hard rock. In saying that, the male and female vocals sound pretty good. Though there could've been a better end to this playlist in which the rest of it is awesome.

Well I have to say that I fucking loved this release Xephyr. It took me by complete surprise. The size of this dudes balls must be absolutely astronomical to have pulled this off with his debut solo album. It's just so beautifully executed & emotionally engaging. I can understand Saxy questioning whether it should technically qualify as metal or not as the metal component isn't huge but I think it's enough for me to want to link it to Post-Metal as it invites me to recall some of the more stripped back & atmospheric works of bands like Kayo Dot, Neurosis & Anathema. The androgynous vocals are lovely, the strings are very well orchestrated & even though the 55 minute single-track arrangement may seem drawn out to many (if not most) metalheads I never find myself questioning the artist's patience thanks to his exceptional ability to build tension & atmosphere. This record is just pure class from start to finish to be honest & I'm sure it'll be right near the top of my AOTY list come January.

4.5/5

I'd like to once again thank Saxy for allowing me to create the threads for his Gateway and Infinite playlists each month and including my really long submission in this one. However, I will skip out on commenting in this month's Infinite playlist. After that incident last month that happened because I didn't ask for permission that time (among other reasons), I'm still not sure about commenting on tracks from clans with the more melodic genres (except for a few tracks that I still like from this month's Guardians playlist). I'm currently more focused on my other 3 clans, but don't worry, I'm still staying in The Infinite, I just need to pace myself if I want my time in the clan for be more bearable for myself and others. With that said though, I've already submitted track suggestions for next month's Infinite playlist, which I'm still up to doing. Plus I'm planning to comment on the majority of the Gateway playlist, so stay tuned for that...

Blood Incantation - "Hidden History Of The Human Race" (2019)

I’ve been meaning to give high regarded Canadian death metallers Blood Incantation’s 2019 sophomore album “Hidden History Of The Human Race” a proper review ever since giving it a few casual spins shortly after release but somehow it’s taken me a full three years to get there which is more of an indication of how broad my musical passions are than anything else as there’s a very lengthy queue for my attention these days. You see, despite really enjoying the record upon first listen it very quickly became obvious that it requires “active listening” to take in all of the nuances, particularly given the dense & cavernous production job & tendency to drift into progressive self-indulgence & atmospherics at times. But here I am, fully prepared for what’s in front of me & open to emulating the extreme adoration of metalheads around the globe if the merit’s there.

It's interesting that so many people comment on how great the production job on “Hidden History Of The Human Race” is because it has it’s faults in my opinion. It does tend to sound pretty murky at times which really works for a band like Incantation but can limit the effectiveness of a more complex artist like Blood Incantation clearly aspire to be. You can certainly make out everything that’s going on but a little bit more clarity & definition in those guitars could have elevated things a bit in my opinion. The cover artwork is another source of adoration that I find interesting. It’s an attractive image of course but does it successfully highlight the dark death metal atmosphere Blood Incantation are capable of or does it really come off as being a little try-hard & portray the band as a bunch of nerdy conspiracy theorists? I tend to lean towards the latter in all honesty but let’s not let that get in the way of what is really a very solid death metal record.

The programming of the tracklisting is a topic that needs unpacking because I think the band’s management got it a little wrong by opening with the most traditional death metal number & gradually getting more progressive & expansive over the four tracks. Brutal opener “Slave Species Of The Gods” doesn’t really leave you with an accurate depiction of what to expect from the rest of the album & I think it would have been a better idea to place it after “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)” in the track 3 position with the eighteen minute prog death epic coming immediately after it. In its current configuration though we see the album opening without much deviation from the classic Morbid Angel death metal model with the dense production job giving it an atmosphere that reminds me of countrymen Tomb Mold. Second track “The Giza Power Plant” sees the riff structures immediately getting a little techier with the first signs of a more expansive approach taking the form of some Nile-influenced middle-Eastern melodies & themes. But the real gold here can be found when Blood Incantation release the shackles that are holding back their self-indulgences & go for a completely progressive approach with instrumental third track “Inner Paths (To Outer Space)” being the finest example of this in my opinion. The first half of that track sees the band opting for a more stripped back & melodic post-metal sound before taking off into fully fledged progressive metal similar to Cynic & finally returning to their death metal roots during the climax. To my ears the first half of this track is the perfect amalgamation of the band’s influences & ambitions but that’s not to discount the strength of the gargantuan eighteen-minute progressive death metal excursion that is closing number “Awakening From the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)” mind you. This monster piece sees Blood Incantation working all of their various influences & components into the one composition that takes numerous exciting twists & turns through disparate locations like space ambient & doom/death without ever losing its natural flow. It can sound a little artsy (i.e. progressive for the sake of being progressive) at times but I think it offers enough musical substance to see it overcoming those aspersions & it ends up being the perfect way to end what was a relatively short album with a surprisingly large amount of ideas. It kinda reminds me of The Chasm’s more ambitious works in that respect.

So is “Hidden History Of The Human Race” the genuine progressive death metal classic it was made out to be at the time? Hhhhmmmm…. the short answer is no it’s not. The musicianship & execution is very good but I do think the vocals sound pretty generic. The sci-fi themes work well but I can’t say that I enjoyed the band’s progressive take on death metal as much as I do their major influences as I tend to think I’d be more likely to reach for Timeghoul’s 1994 “Panaramic Twilight” demo when I’m in the mood for this sort of thing. I just don’t think that Blood Incantation hit my death metal sweet spot as often as I’d need to be placing a record like this one on the very top shelf despite its obvious class & credentials. Still, this is a very high quality death metal release that oozes of underground credibility while simultaneously ticking more than its fair share of creative boxes so fans of the progressive death metal sound will undoubtedly find a lot to enjoy here.

For fans of Timeghoul, The Chasm & Tomb Mold.

4/5

I was really impressed with The Contortionist's debut album "Exoplanet" (4/5) when it was released back in 2010. In fact, I actually wore the t-shirt around for a couple of years there so I was really looking forward to seeing what the Indiana-based deathcore outfit had to offer when 2012's "Intrinsic" saw the light of day a couple of years later & I wasn't disappointed either. The pivot towards a more progressive & less extreme sound fit like a glove in my opinion & "Intrinsic" ended up being a really big record for me that year so I have to admit that it's always baffled me that people generally seem to regard it as a bit of a disappointment. I honestly can't fathom how any fan of progressive metal music doesn't really dig it to tell you the truth as it's so professionally put together & possesses an undeniable class throughout the very consistent tracklisting. Perhaps my original 4.5/5 rating was a bit extreme but I can find very little worthy of criticism here. The dreamy progressive metal stylings glide across your ear drums leaving a glistening trail behind them while the complexity in the song structures is as dazzling as it is effortless. The last three tracks are the clear highlights in my opinion & leave me with a really sweet taste in my mouth, particularly the wonderful "Cortical". I've always found the quality of closer "Parallel Trance" to be impressive too as it could easily have been drawn from a premium space ambient release.

There are a few more generic deathcore sections spread across the tracklisting which is probably the reason for me dropping my rating a touch but some the highlights of the album also come during the heavier moments too so I'm not complaining too much. Despite the obvious deathcore component, I'm not sure that there's enough of the band's original sound left to still be claiming that tag any longer though. This is a truly progressive metal record in every sense of the term so there's really no need for additional tags.

I originally favoured "Intrinsic" over "Exoplanet" but now I'm not so sure. They're both very strong albums in their own right with "Intrinsic" being a horribly underappreciated release from a band that wasn't capable of producing anything less than top class stuff. In fact, after this revisit I think I'd go so far as to say that The Contortionist are still the finest exponent of deathcore-based progressive metal that I've encountered & I'd take "Intrinsic" over similar feature releases like Slice The Cake's "Odyssey To The West" or After The Burial's "Rareform".

For fans of After The Burial, Slice The Cake & Kardashev.

4/5

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Wtb5QsNObO9w62f7ThQNF

01. Nevermore - "Sentient 6" (from This Godless Endeavour)

02. Between the Buried and Me - "Informal Gluttony" (from Colors)

03. Meshuggah - "Broken Cog" (from Immutable)

04. Ayreon - "Everybody Dies" (from The Source)

05. Fallujah - "The Void Alone" (from Dreamless)

06. Cynic - "6th Dimensional Archetype" (from Ascension Codes)

07. White Ward - "Leviathan" (from Leviathan)

08. Evergrey - "Barricades" (from Hymns for the Broken)

09. Kardashev - "Compost Grave-Song" (from Compost Grave-Song)

10. Lucid Planet - "Entrancement" (from II)

11. Isis - "Wills Dissolve" (from Panopticon)

12. Skyharbor - "Evolution" (from Guiding Lights)

13. Solstafir - "Her Fall From Grace" (from Endless Twilight of Codependent Love)

14. Edge of Haze - "Remains" (from Remains)

15. Haken - "Nightingale" (from Nightingale)

I have been trying to go the heavier modern route since starting my interest in metalcore and wanting to focus on that and modern progressive metal rather than power metal and melodic progressive metal a few years ago. At that time, I was tired of my taste going full-on melodic and wanted to refresh with heavier and modern sounds. It was great that you all kept recommending these Guardians releases based on my earlier ratings, and those helped me revisit my epic metal past. Those power metal and melodic prog-metal releases have indeed been enjoyable, but enjoyment isn't forever. If I lose some mood for some bands, I can move towards other bands and choose where to stay. And when I make these threads, it's kind of a warning so any changes wouldn't seem too abrupt and end up causing more confusion.

I have thought about your comments about my prog-metal favorites, Daniel, and you're right. A few bands like Leprous, Opeth, and Voivod have been my favorites in progressive metal for a couple years. While some of each band's albums are very melodic with one or a few being non-metal or close to non-metal, their earlier releases have some extreme elements, especially Voivod's 80s speed/thrash era. That's heavier than a lot of power metal or melodic progressive metal, I'm not sure what I was thinking! So I'll keep those bands (Leprous, Opeth, and Voivod) with me and continue listening to them for as long as I can enjoy them. However, those other 4 bands will still be out. I can do without those bands being very melody-focused with half of them being all-instrumental...

I did my review, here's its summary:

Odyssey to the West is the kind of album that progressive deathcore experts would have a listening marathon. That said, the deathcore aspect is a bit of a struggle. Slice the Cake's massive offering pleased many fans of the style and genre and gained the band great exposure. Though composer Jack Richardson had his own plan for the release that got foiled when it came out early and that resulted in the band splitting up for a few years. Setting that ordeal aside, this is worth listening to if you're up to 4 multi-track epics and 4 singular tracks, ranging from soft melody with emotional poetry to fast aggressive rhythm with growls of frustration. And when it's all over, you might just feel up to repeating this journey again. However, with some flaws around, it still doesn't peak total interest in this band for me. Nonetheless, this heavy theatrical progressive/melodic deathcore journey is practically BTBAM's The Parallax II: Future Sequence on steroids. Only the most adventurous can reach the heart of this odyssey!

4/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Hath - The Million Violations (2022)

4.5/5. Interesting way to start this playlist, with an ominous intro before you get hit hard by the progressive black/death metal action. Sounds absolutely killer, but don't expect to get that extreme in my taste nowadays.

Converge & Chelsea Wolfe – Coil (2021)

5/5. Then things quiet down in this song where Chelsea Wolfe's influence shines strongly, in a grand acoustic/orchestral rock single of heartbreak.

Slice The Cake – Unending Waltz (2016)

4.5/5. This sounds quite awesome, but the heavier parts, especially in the final minute, sound closer to Hath's progressive black/death metal. I'm not quite sure if this qualifies as having the deathcore elements you guys keep talking about.

Earthside – Crater (2015)

4.5/5. This also has amazing potential in the sound. The guest vocals by Björn Strid of Soilwork work almost as greatly as in Demon Hunter's "Collapsing". So simple yet close to epic! The intrinsic time signatures and ambient guitar fit with the vocals. There's no doubt how amazing this can be. I should hear some more of Speed's vocals. The album is mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren who has also worked with the spectacular Devin Townsend. About 90% of this song I like, especially the complementary guitar tone. Somehow I think of this as Breaking Benjamin gone The Contortionist. Could be longer though...

Meshuggah – Light the Shortening Fuse (2022)

5/5. Another hail of a killer song from the Swedish djent inventors' new album, for a f***ing awesome moshing future! Well, the album has come out last week on April 1, and we haven't seen the black hole Andrew O'Neill predicted in the History of Heavy Metal book, but I might see for myself when I listen to and review the rest of Immutable. Best of luck to us all! At two and a half minutes is a cleaner part that's the best here. I'm sure Jinjer has done the same in one of their songs.

Opeth – Burden (2008)

4.5/5. The beautiful ballad, "Burden" is a hint of the pressures from Roadrunner for a more commercial sound that the band would have entirely later. Still it is a really nice song reminiscent of 70s prog rock.

Enslaved – The Dead Stare (2003)

4.5/5. A great song from when I still listened to this progressive black metal band. From nearly the two-minute mark on, things sound so godly, and then at over the 3-minute mark, the fantastic riff brings it up to legendary status. One of the songs I love from this album in which the greatness would continue their next 3 offerings. I'm working on my metal taste away from black metal at the moment, but the beauty is something I wished I could've enjoyed more. So cool!

Playgrounded – Rituals (2022)

4/5. Very good, but a little too much on the rock side. Next!

Plini – Handmade Cities (2016)

4.5/5. Also closer to prog-rock while staying progressive metal, but it's quite brilliant. It's well-known for the guitar rhythm during its solo being plagiarized for that of the guitar solo in American pop singer Doja Cat's 2020 metal remix of "Say So". Despite the slight controversy, the original solo at the 3 and a half minute mark is so melodic.

Liquid Tension Experiment – Rhapsody in Blue (2021)

5/5. This is a more fascinating instrumental track, being a 13-minute epic based on a George Gershwin composition, originally performed during Liquid Tension Experiment's 2008 tour, with the middle section at slightly over the 4-minute mark inspiring the midsection of "The Count of Tuscany" from Dream Theater's Black Clouds & Silver Linings. So progressive and innovative! Then at nearly the 7-minute mark is a King Crimson-inspired bridge. LTE and Dream Theater make great connection between the two side-projects. The final soloing starting at nearly 11-minutes in is some of the most beautiful I've heard. Well done, guys!

Voivod – Brain Scan (1988)

4.5/5. This has some things worth mentioning including a jazzy chorus with complex drumming. You've read right...jazz! More of those jazz influences come from the otherworldly diminished chords of Piggy (Denis D'Amour) (RIP). His replacement guitarist Daniel Mongrain's former band Martyr covered that song before Martyr's hiatus.

Animals As Leaders – Red Miso (2022)

5/5. Animals as Leaders is another band with a new album having come out recently, and this song might just be my new favorite of them. Here you get to hear old and new riffs from Tosin Abasi. And then shortly after the two and a half minute mark is a sick breakneck 30-second djent breakdown, the most killer from this band! I really gotta listen to the rest of this album.

OK I know - I'm seven month's overdue with this one, but better late than never eh? Anyway here's my thoughts:

Leprous are a Norwegian progressive metal band led by Einar Solberg who is Ihsahn's brother-in-law and Tall Poppy Syndrome is their second album, originally released in 2009. Their music is very much like a heavier version of Porcupine Tree and, despite being fairly complex, is actually quite efficiently composed, with very little that is extraneous and redundant. The band are obviously extremely competent musicians but, luckily, don't feel compelled to prove it every two minutes and thus have eliminated any excessive wankery from their songs.

The album starts off quite strongly with the track Passing which undergoes several twists and turns, but does showcase one of the weaker aspects for me, which is the harsh vocals. They certainly aren't terrible, but they aren't the greatest either and I much prefer the cleans. As this is the only Leprous album I have heard to date, I don't know how this aspect develops on their later releases, but I would have liked to hear the harsh vocals done by someone more proficient, maybe a guest vocalist as, otherwise, Passing is a very good opener. Harsh vocals aren't a prominent feature of the album as a whole, so there isn't much damage done anyway.

The whole album is of a very high standard, but the final half an hour's three tracks elevate this to even loftier heights in my book. After opening with one of the album's heavier moments, Not Even A Name becomes a bit jazzy with tinkling piano and crooning vocals before the highly melodic (and somewhat catchy) chorus kicks in. It has quite a late-metal-era Opeth vibe, with Einar Solberg's clean vocals sounding very like Mikael Akerfeldt's although the harsh vocals are sludgy rather than death growls. The title track seems to be one of the lesser liked tracks, but I think it is my favourite. The heavy instrumentation and the spoken-word vocals combine to great effect as the band rail against the titular syndrome that society employs to keep talent suppressed and people in their place (a syndrome particularly prominent here in the UK sadly). No doubt the band drew complaints of being closet fascists or something for this, but any sane person knows that's utter bollocks. Me, I like a good bit of biting social commentary. Closing track White has a fair bit of the harsh vocals I dismissed earlier in my review, but the awesome guitar work and fantastic keyboards more than make up for that - I've always been a sucker for that Hammond organ kind of sound.

So in conclusion, I would say that initially this may not blow your socks off, but it has many hidden depths and requires several listens to get the full effect. The songwriting is stellar, with ebbs and flows, heavier and gentler sections gorgeously interposed with one another. Technically marvellous, both performance and production-wise this could proudly sit on my shelves between my Opeth and Porcupine Tree albums with no fear of being outclassed. Luckily the Tall Poppy Syndrome mustn't be in full force in Norway or this may never have seen light of day!

Good lists. I appreciate Sonny's list since it really plays into the last of my stipulations about getting into Prog while already being a metal fan. The inclusion of heavier, extreme metal divisions like Oranssi Pazuzu and Blood Incantation are a nice touch. But the inclusion of the Ihsahn track at the end makes a lot of sense!

I think in general, putting this kind of a list together for the Infinite clan is much harder than any other genre due to extended runtime, which is where Sonny's list could push a few people away. I think Andi's list is probably the closest to how I would put a list together, but with some slight alterations. It would probably look like this:

1. Dream Theater - Pull Me Under

2. Queensryche - Eyes of a Stranger

3. Tool - Schism

4. Mastodon - Blood and Thunder

5. Opeth - Face of Melinda

6. Devin Townsend - Deadhead

7. ISIS - So Did We

8. Agalloch - Not Unlike the Waves

9. Leprous - The Price

10. Animals As Leaders - Physical Education

Actually Saxy, I discovered prog at the same time as I discovered metal, around the mid-seventies when my two favourite bands were Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd (well three really, as I was a Zeppelin nut too, but they are irrelevant to this conversation). These were quickly followed by Yes, Jethro Tull, Judas Priest, Motorhead and Tangerine Dream as I expanded my listening. I have been a huge prog rock fan ever since, including a number of lesser-known seventies outfits and a number of neo-prog bands like Marillion, Magenta, Galahad and of course Porcupine Tree and Riverside. I even like Opeth's last few albums! I did have an issue with what I perceived to be prog metal though as I thought it all had to sound like Dream Theater a band of whom I am not the biggest fan and although I had been a fan of Opeth for a number of years I believed them to be an exception. Obviously, especially since joining Metal Academy, my ignorance has been dispelled and I have found many interesting prog metal albums through monthly features, playlists and forum posts. I would almost now venture that if I were to claim a fourth clan at some point it may well be The Infinite as the other possibilities i.e. The Guardians or Horde have too many sub-genres I don't enjoy much. In truth I would have to say that I probably prefer extreme prog metal to it's more traditional counterpart, but I have still found several straight-up prog metal albums to enjoy in recent times.

Also, in defence of my selected tracks extended runtimes, I've always been a sucker for really long prog tracks. Thick as a Brick, Close to the Edge, Karn Evil 9, Supper's Ready and Echoes are just a few of my favourite prog rock tracks so tracks like those from Venenum, Blood Incantation and Opeth's Deliverance will always find me an easy target. That said, they still have to be damn good though and length ain't necessarily a guarantee of quality.

I have listened through angL on a few occasions this past week.  As Saxy calls out it is a lot like Opeth at the peak of their powers with Blackwater Park and whilst this is perhaps a back-handed complaint, it is important to point out as I feel it sacrifices a lot of the albums identity.  Not to say that this a clone of course as there is reference aplenty to Ishahn's genuine brilliance and enough Emperor call outs to keep the corpse-paint wearer in me satiated.  

Overall I find it a very succinct listen with the overall track structures sounding very compact despite them exploring some lengthy ground in the process.  I am not moved enough to add it to my listening rotation but it has served as a nice variation away from my regular listening patterns this week.

3.5/5

Here are my thoughts on some tracks:

Moon Tooth – Carry Me Home (2022)

4.5/5. Here we go again with some groovy progressive metal to fuel my Infinite blood. It's quite f***ing catchy and can almost make an awesome standout. The singing is never disappointing at all. A f***ing innovative headbanger! The riffing has a bit of a He Is Legend-like Southern vibe. The singing rises to its climatic point in the final chorus.

Angra – Black Widow’s Web (2018)

5/5. Holy sh*t, Angra just brought in Brazilian pop star Sandy for this song! Her excellent high singing reigns the intro along with the post-solo bridge alongside Fabio Lione. Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy can also be heard throughout the song, doing her signature female growling alongside great background singing in the final chorus. Angra has even brought in some djent without losing their roots, especially in the breakdown at the 3-minute mark, rare to progressive power metal. A great band to come for the future that's near as f***. The chorus riffing soars through like dark clouds. This awesomeness deserves some great respect. While Sandy should've had more of the spotlight, Alissa provides the perfect contrast just like that of Kamelot's "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)". Alissa still has her growling power from The Agonist and Arch Enemy. People think Angra's not the same after Andre Matos left, but it's great to explore the band's other vocalist eras. They're still hailed as a spectacular band today!

Between the Buried and Me – The Ectopic Stroll (2015)

4.5/5. Another wicked song from when I used to listen to BTBAM, though I would've described this song much better if I kept my review for its album Coma Ecliptic. Some things you just can't keep all of.

Enslaved – Isa (2004)

4/5. This one's a nice recommendation for extreme progressive metal fans, but again, I'm out of the black metal game.

Slugdge – Salt Thrower (2018)

4.5/5. Ditto with this one, though there is a slight touch of brutal death, especially in the grand killer riff right in the middle. It is quite great with the music and the artwork screaming METAL. Plus the Opeth-like strength is another thing that inspired me to keep Opeth with me for a long while. And there is a bit of Mastodon/Kylesa-like sludge.

Cult of Luna – An Offering To The Wild (2022)

5/5. This highlight carries the strong atmosphere back into the sludgy heaviness, with additional instrumentation by Colin Stetson, best known for his film soundtracks including Hereditary. This cinematic composition expands into chaotic cacophony by the end of its 13-minute length.

Queensryche – Eyes Of A Stranger (1988)

5/5. The final song of Queensryche's concept album breakthrough, Operation Mindcrime, is the second most-memorable song of that album and has the best chorus. If you're wondering what's going on in the story, listen to the rest of the album to find out.

Leprous – Coal (2013)

4.5/5. The title track of Leprous' third non-demo album sounds much different, closer to technical groove metal in some parts.

Voivod – Iconspiracy (2018)

4.5/5. Such inventive beauty in this track full of creativity! Then there's a blast-beat-ish bridge in the middle that adds fresh interest by allowing the bass and strings to take the front stage instead of guitars. It's almost how, throughout these nearly 4 decades of their career, they've barely been bad at all, though the E-Force era caused a bit of turbulence. Voivod is quite unlike most other bands!

Jinjer – Home Back (2019)

4/5. Another underrated band that should be heard in far more than just their homeland. The lyrics tell quite a fascinating story, and have a bit of dark vibe added from the current situation in Ukraine where they're from. Stay strong! Also, some might be reminded of Mudvayne and System of a Down.

Persefone – Architecture of the I (2022)

5/5. This one begins with bass/keyboard elegance before an aggressively speedy rollercoaster of emotion. The savageness never bores me at all with the dark vibe helped out by the hardcore screams of lead vocalist Marc Martins. The percussion often reaching hyperblast levels up the chaotic massacre. A killer way to end this playlist!

There are four albums I use as a yardstick to judge exactly how close friends I can become with people. These are Reign in Blood, A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Watching From A Distance and this month's feature release, Still Life. If you love all four of these albums then we are virtually bloodbrothers. If you hate them all then call me Nemesis. Opeth may have made better written, performed or whatever albums, but for me this has an emotional edge over those others that the band never matched before or after. Oh, and Serenity Painted Death absolutely fucking kills! I will try to conjure up a review over the next few days (or weeks) but suffice to say, this is an exemplary 5/5 album for me.

There are those "top 50 progressive metal releases in 2021" lists on other sites, so I decided to see what are indeed the most popular 50 of the Infinite in 2021 (including EPs) in RYM. I'm actually busy this weekend, but after that, I'll work on similar lists for my other 3 clans. So here they are, with the number of ratings and average score:

#1 Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I (3077 / 3.57)

#2 Gojira - Fortitude (2983 / 3.24)

#3 Ad Nauseam - Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (2566 / 3.63)

#4 Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (2250 / 3.51)

#5 Mastodon - Hushed and Grim (2120 / 3.52)

#6 Papungu - Holoceno (1822 / 3.62)

#7 Thy Catafalque - Vadak (1368 / 3.56)

#8 Cult of Luna - The Raging River (1269 / 3.53)

#9 Kaatayra - Inpariquipê (1256 / 3.74)

#10 Atvm - Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless (1243 / 3.60)

#11 Amenra - De doorn (1121 / 3.49)

#12 Dream Theater - A View From the Top of the World (1020 / 3.25)

#13 Kaya Dot - Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike (1009 / 3.48)

#14 Portal - Avow (986 / 3.40)

#15 Dvne - Etemen Ænka (937 / 3.51)

#16 King Woman - Celestial Blues (905 / 3.49)

#17 Soen - Imperial (876 / 3.30)

#18 Diskord - Degenerations (865 / 3.53)

#19 VOLA - Witness (837 / 3.45)

#20 Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - The Helm of Sorrow (762 / 3.42)

#21 So Hideous - None but a Pure Heart Can Sing (758 / 3.61)

#22 Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon (755 / 3.27)

#23 Cynic - Ascension Codes (712 / 3.32)

#24 Lantlôs - Wildhund (678 / 3.28)

#25 Kauan - Ice Fleet (639 / 3.45)

#26 Black Sheep Wall - Songs for the Enamel Queen (638 / 3.38)

#27 Plebeian Grandstand - Rien ne suffit (638 / 3.53)

#28 Rivers of Nihil - The Work (624 / 3.33)

#29 Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (604 / 3.49)

#30 ERRA - ERRA (590 / 3.39)

#31 Big Brave - Vital (565 / 3.37)

#32 Fire-Toolz - Eternal Home (551 / 3.42)

#33 Ænigmatum - Deconsecrate (523 / 3.54)

#34 Furia - w Śnialni (510 / 3.14)

#35 Vildhjarta - Måsstaden Under Vatten (505 / 3.45)

#36 Krallice - Demonic Wealth (502 / 3.29)

#37 Whitechapel - Kin (485 / 3.43)

#38 Victory Over the Sun - Nowherer (436 / 3.22)

#39 Year of No Light - Consolamentum (430 / 3.41)

#40 Iotunn - Access All Worlds (427 / 3.45)

#41 Dordeduh - Har (415 / 3.51)

#42 Effluence - Psychocephalic Spawning (379 / 3.66)

#43 Jinjer - Wallflowers (364 / 3.29)

#44 Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix (350 / 3.40)

#45 Five the Hierophant - Through Aureate Void (343 / 3.38)

#46 Dola - Czasy (336 / 3.46)

#47 Bríi - Sem propósito (325 / 3.44)

#48 Fawn Limbs - Darwin Falls (310 / 3.34)

#49 Suffocate for Fuck Sake - Fyra (292 / 3.33)

#50 Enslaved - Caravans to the Outer Worlds (281 / 3.29)

Groovy new track from thrashy progressive metal masters Voivod. Thanks for this, Saxy! I've been quite busy lately, but hopefully next week I can get the new albums from Voivod, Cult of Luna, and Persefone. Not to mention Canadian thrash band Annihilator's Metal re-recording.

"The numbers Mason. What do they mean?"

I forgot to axe them when I copy/pasted them into the forum. They're just categorization numbers; basically making sure that I cover relevant content in addition to not just filling a list with obscure acts that no ones heard of before.

"Colors II" was on my list to check out in January but I sadly ran out of time. Between The Buried & Me's consistently strong "Colors_Live" live album really impressed me but it's been too long since I've checked out its studio partner to remember who I felt about it. Perhaps that's why I wasn't jumping out of my skin for "Colors II". Oh well... my loss I guess.

I think for the purposes of the site it must be tagged as progressive metal. True, there are singular forays into more extreme genres, but not sufficient of any single one to merit a genre tag. Zeuhl is a genre I have never really understood the meaning of as I am not well-versed enough in it to comment. Possible additional, non-MA, tags are heavy psych or just psychedelic rock. Especially early on, the vibe is very late 60's psych. To be sure it is an eclectic release and is not easily pigeon-holed, but I definitely don't hear anything even remotely avant-garde - it can't be, it didn't give me a headache! But seriously, none of the tracks listened to in isolation are especially challenging and are of fairly typically structure, so I don't see where avant-garde comes into it at all. It seems that some people think if you put a saxophone onto a matal record then it instantly becomes avant-garde. So, for me it is a Progressive Metal album for the purposes of MA.

Great review Saxy. You've summed "Crack the Skye" up beautifully. It's an undisputed classic as far as I'm concerned & I've also gone with a 4.5/5. It comes in a close second to "Leviathan" (also 4.5/5) in Mastodon's overall career for me. I guess I just prefer "Leviathan"s dirtier, sludgier sound that little bit more but there's not a lot in it.

Glad to help, Saxy! Here are some of my track thoughts:

Opeth - "Harvest" (from Blackwater Park)

4/5. Soft acoustic ambiance. A good start.

Rosetta - "Soot" (from Flies to Flame)

4.5/5. A beautiful inspiring throwback to the sound of A Determinism of Moralism. A great song to love in my life! This seems to lyrically pick up where The Anaesthete left off. It's truly a lookback to their doomy post-metal roots similar to Isis.

Mastodon - "Ancient Kingdom" (from Emperor of Sand)

4.5/5. More eclectic in an awesome way! Enough said...

Dream Theater - "Scene Four: Beyond This Life" (from Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory)

5/5. This is a longer song that has more of the great guitar soloing that are isolated from the concept without ruining it. The murder-suicide incident was mentioned in a newspaper article. Nicholas, doubting those events, has a conversation with an older man familiar with the case. Nicholas decides that the only way to move on is to solve this murder mystery.

Between The Buried And Me - "The Proverbial Bellow" (from Automata II)

4.5/5. I've had fun listening to this band and both parts of their Automata album that was split into two CDs, with this song starting the second. This 13-minute epic is so incredible, despite me leaving this band behind, that it's hard for me to explain in detail. Just listen for yourself while having a pizza or something!

Symphony X - "The Relic" (from Twilight in Olympus)

5/5. I love this one, especially the progressive solo, in this great album. This band, along with Dream Theater and Ayreon are how I started my love for progressive metal, back when my taste was more melodic. The bass and drums are awesome! The album Twilight in Olympus still doesn't beat their masterpiece The Divine Wings of Tragedy. Still this is absolutely underrated! There's epic neoclassical brilliance in the riffs and rhythms that reminds some of Yngwie Malmsteen. There's also a bit of Megadeth-like heaviness but not too much like that. Seriously, enough with the overrated mainstream thrash of Megadeth and Metallica, listen to this great progressive band instead!

Cynic - "Mythical Serpents" (from Ascension Codes)

4.5/5. A great highlight to show each member's skill! Moving on...

Haken - "In Memoriam" (from The Mountain)

4.5/5. This is a mind-blowing track that deserves greater recognition, and that final section at the 3 and a half minute mark is one of the most epic parts of a progressive metal song, even after ages since I left this band behind simply because it would've been more suitable for me, say, 5 years ago.

Stone Healer - "One Whisper" (from Conquistador)

4/5. Very great, but as I've said in this month's Pit playlist comments, a favorite genre of mine getting "blackened" at times isn't always the right deal.

Protest the Hero - "Tongue-splitter" (from Scurrilous)

4.5/5. This apologetic yet aggressive song takes some shots away from the usual self-loathing ("I'm not asking for your pity 'Oh woe is me' sarcastically"). That song really pumps me up with its adrenaline. Well done guys!

Vektor - "Charging the Void" (from Terminal Redux)

5/5. This is a great epic to prepare for the incoming elements of this album. New elements are mixed with older ones from previous albums. Another thing new is clean singing, here being sung by what sounds like a soul choir, bringing to mind Disney film soundtracks such as Frozen and Moana. Fortunately, there isn't any harm to the band's music and instead adds more atmosphere. Of course, the other new element is the superb concept, which is already written for this album, but I made my own in a review.

Converge, Chelsea Wolfe - "Tongues Playing Dead" (from Bloodmoon: I)

5/5. Jacob Bannon really shines in his vocals in this pummeling highlight!

My first impressions of Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike was pretty underwhelming. Toby Driver has made a reputation of not conforming to "traditional" progressive normality with projects like maudlin of the well and Kayo Dot. And I was less than impressed with Blasphemy so I had limited expectations. My first impressions were of a better production, but far less progressive than previous records from the band.

That is until I got to the second go around. And I found the songwriting to be significantly more diverse between individual tracks. Maybe not as diverse as Hubardo, but the avant-garde tag in this case is not in reference to its quirkiness, as has become commonplace in the genre lately. There is atonality, but it all makes sense together as part of a greater work. While "Void in Virgo (The Nature of Sacrifice)" is predominantly post-metal, the growth and obtuseness of the following track, "Spectrum of One Colour" with its heavier vocals, advanced harmony and busier fundamental is where this album shines brightest. On most albums, these would feel like major whiplash as it jumps sporadically between styles, but here they all seem to connect together. The primary formula is maintained through the genre swapping and is commendable.

The production is vastly improved as they remembered to turn on the bass amp during the recordings! The varying vocal stylings of Toby Driver are balanced well. The guitar melodies are fruitful and memorable, even as the solos descend into a darker place with atonality aplenty. The post-metal rhythm guitars and synths are textured well, and the percussion manages to be deceptively technical. My biggest issue, like with all Kayo Dot albums, is the length. Lots of good ideas can only prop up an album so much when they are primarily contained to the middle of the record. Although with this, unlike other Kayo Dot albums, it doesn't overstay its runtime with obnoxiously long tracks consistently. Only one track surpasses ten minutes and it's the closer "Epipsychidion". I liked this album quite a bit, but it took a few tries before it finally clicked with me. It may only be a seed, but it will sprawl to life with enough care.

8/10

In my attempt to blast through all of November's Feature albums Core made me remember how much I enjoy Persefone overall, but also how dense their stuff is. I've attempted to fully sink my teeth into Spiritual Migration and Shin-ken before but could never quite do it, and Core falls under the same issue. They've shown that they're incredibly consistent with creating the full technical, eclectic Progressive Metal package since I don't think this one is any worse than their others, but it would take me way more listens of this one as well as their other albums to really come to terms with their proficiency as a whole. A cop out I know, but Persefone is just one of those bands that doesn't make it onto my normal rotation of albums I want to relisten to even though I enjoy their material. Hopefully someday I'll find some motivation and time to try and pick apart their albums a bit more, so with that said I gotta underrate this one overall I think. 

3.5/5

Amazing playlist, Saxy! Though I don't have a lot of time to comment on all the tracks for this one, this is still a wild progressive ride, so here are my thoughts:

Evergrey – Forever Outsider (2021)

5/5. Right at the start, we begins the amazing race through the playlist with a song from an album with dark aggression and heavy energy. In Escape of the Phoenix, they've picked up the aggression from The Atlantic, including the down-tuned guitar. There might be slower songs to come in better pace than the half-boring half-incredible The Storm Within, but not as super-great as The Atlantic.

Sleep Paralysis – Altesia (2021)

4.5/5. Altesia is back with a new album Embryo. Brilliant piece, but I've already heard enough from this band.

Persefone – Underworld: The Fallen & The Butterfly – Act I: Clash of the Titans (2006)

5/5. The heaviness of this album Core continues in the beginning of "Underworld". It's too awesome for words, just listen for yourself!

Leprous – Contaminate Me (2013)

5/5. This is a heavy, intense, dark ending to the song's original album with aggressive atmosphere. There's a bit of djent in the guitars inspired by Meshuggah. Ihsahn guest appears, throwing in excellent harsh vocals that really add in the insane fury. This is more chaotic than any of Leprous' material, and makes up for a lot of the heaviness the earlier songs in that album missed out.

Dream Theater – Awaken the Master (2021)

4.5/5. Here's another highlight, the band's first song with djenty 8-string guitar, something Petrucci first experimented with in his project with Ernie Ball Music Man. Dream Theater should some more djenty experiments in their next album...

The Ocean – Calymmian (2008)

4/5. This is a small disappointment compared to the previous tracks of Precambrian, but it's still great and doesn't affect the album's perfect score.

Cynic – In a Multiverse Where Atoms Sing (2021)

4.5/5. Cynic was one of the bands I've abandoned during my death metal departure due to their earlier material. But it was also because I thought they were moving away from metal with their previous album Kindly Bent to Free Us and because of the loss of the two Seans. But guess what? This song is legit progressive metal and Matt Lynch's drumming is absolutely tremendous! Sean Reinert would be proud, and I would be up to check out Cynic's new album Ascension Codes. RIP both Seans...

Animals As Leaders – The Problem of Other Minds (2021)

5/5. And now, Animals as Leaders is coming back with a new single as well! This song is so d*mn amazing with rainbow-colorful guitars and no lyrics. I gotta look out for their new album Parrhesia, coming out in a few months.

maudlin of the Well – Birth Pains Of Astral Projection (2001)

5/5. Bummer about Maudlin of the Well not releasing any recent metal singles, still currently in hiatus, but this one is the over 10-minute epic of its album Bath, and this playlist (still kinda wishing for longer songs). It gets pretty weird throughout this song, especially in the riffs. After starting soft over 3 minutes, it switches to bad-a** death-ridden progressive metal to for any metalhead to enjoy. That's the last bit of death metal you would hear for that album.

Gojira – New Found (2021)

4.5/5. This is the kind of song that would make you wanna ride an elephant marching through a jungle and smashing trees with its trunk. And within this beautiful emotional work is a direct message about space travel happening later on in this decade.

Pain of Salvation – To the End (1997)

4.5/5. Good lyrics from another good choice for me. Thanks again for accepting my submissions, Saxy!