Tag: progressive metal
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Enslaved and Yob in Toronto – March 19, 2015
Enslaved, Yob, Ecstatic Vision and Kosmograd Live at the Opera House, Toronto, Ontario, March 19th, 2015 A show like this was by most in the extreme metal community of south-eastern Ontario considered a must attend. There a are a couple reasons, one being that the last time Enslaved was supposed to be in town they couldn’t make…
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Elderoth – Mystic
Elderoth are the brainchild of a certain Collin McGee, and his singular vision has produced a unique metal sound. Many years ago, the great Ritchie Blackmore said a wise thing (this was around the time of the release of the ground-breaking Rainbow Rising album): this was that so few guitarists had taken inspiration from Middle…
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id. – Sagittarius A
If this EP is anything to go by, a full-length album from id. will be an intriguing prospect. The band are indeed masters of their respective instruments and their song-writing is strong. Musically, they are very reminiscent of Opeth on ‘The Greatest Secret Never Told’. ‘Humanity’s Cry’ has a very quirky individual sound, and points…
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Nightingale – Retribution
When most music lovers who favour the heavier side of things think of Sweden the first genre reference that comes to mind is Swedish Death Metal, but over the past 20-plus years bands and people like Opeth, Katatonia and Dan Swanö having been trying to change that. Returning to the ranks of the progressive, classic, technical and…
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Viathyn – Cynosure
Once again, another self-release that would put a major label to shame, this is of the same quality as many a band on, for example, Nuclear Blast. The music is very heavy, but progressive, and very heartfelt, reminding me of folk music in its feel and atmosphere. The song-writing is superb, which is how it…
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Laika – Somnia
This band have taken their monicker from the unfortunate Russian dog who became one of the first animals in space: Laika. Unusual name for a band, but no less so than Leprotic Acid Spitting Amoebas From Angola (NB: I made that name up off to the top of my head – if a band with such…
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“We Fear Nothing!”: Lacuna Coil, September 27, 2014
Lacuna Coil, Starset, and Incura Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at Crocks, Thunder Bay, ON It’s 2014, but apparently bands’ buses are still breaking down and leaving musicians stranded on the side of the highway. Hence why I’ve got nothing to say here about The Devil You Know (otherwise known as that band that former Killswitch…
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The Body Politic – Egressor EP
Taking their name from a Clive Barker story, The Body Politic share a similar desire to take their art in new directions. Opening track “Vtam Agere” is the perfect intro to the EP, short ,modern and original, and something that would work well in film soundtrack. Second track “Armature” shows the band to be technically…
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Cynic – Kindly Bent to Free Us
Around the late ’60s, progressive rock was born. Those who adopted the infant genre went forth from England, blew minds, and progressed, taking the music to fantastical new heights and, admittedly, a few indulgent new lows. Around the early ’90s, progressive death metal was born, and its practitioners went forth from the Everglades, banged heads,…
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MaYan – Antagonise
Mark Jensen has become one of the more prominent and prolific composers and musicians in the prog/power/gothic metal arena these days. And his Mayan project is his nod to some of his European contemporaries like the quirky genius Arjen A. Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Stream of Passion) or the power metal overlord Tobias Sammet (Edguy,…