Browsing Tag

prog rock

Square go for baroque in their theatric prog-punk rock single The World is Square.

Posted on 23 April 2021

With more funk and insanity than Mr Bungle’s debut album and a touch of baroque eccentricity writhing in the electrifying mix, Square’s chaotically enthralling Avant-Garde Rock track ‘The World is Square’ is a wild ride right from the intro.

The trio of three Canadian composers who are all accoladed in the contemporary scene made their debut in 2017. James Maxwell, Edward Top and Alfredo Santa Ana combined their eccentric visions, experimented with complex time signatures and allowed alchemy to crawl from the progressions that are as pleasantly disturbing as The Residents’. With Vancouver’s indie legend, Nathan Dillon’s, talent at their disposal, their powerful tracks that are unapologetically not everyone’s cup of tea hit with maximum artful impact.

It’s hard not to be drawn into Square’s experimentalism when they introduce listener’s to their sound with the following descriptor.

‘Multicultural, overeducated, and ironically trying to justify art-making in our current (dis)information age, Square asks a unique musical question: what happens when you know all the rules, and where all the roads in life lead, and somehow still get lost?’

For the full Square experience, you’ll want to check out the official music video which premiered on March 29th via YouTube. 

You can check out the full EP from Square via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wave Armory take us to the pit with doom-prog new single ‘Iron Lung’.

Posted on 3 March 2021
Wave Armory by Wave Armory

Fans of loud, melodic alt-rock could do no better than checking out this, the first single from Joe Butterfield’s (QUIIET) new project Wave Armory. That’s not intending to be diminishing or ‘box-finding’, either – ‘Iron Lung’ is very definitely modern and progressive, whilst bringing together a bunch of classic 90’s and 00’s grunge and alt-metal influences; there’s a very definite ‘Dirt’-Era Alice In Chains vibe going on with the feedback and heavy drop-tuned riffage, the vocals gently effected and set back in the mix a la Stayley or Cornell. That ‘Rusty Cage’ Soundgarden edge comes across in the excellent doomy stomp of the guitars, too, the bass and drums plodding in the very, very best sense of that description, absolutely inviting the listener to slam, mosh, and wreck before the wah-driven solo takes over, the chorus sticking in your head long after the vocal ends.

Wave Armory’s debut EP – from which ‘Iron Lung’ is taken – is out across streaming platforms now. You can practically hear the circle-pits opening up in anticipation already.

Check out ‘Iron Lung’ here; follow Wave Armory on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Moon Rabbit Retreat have released their psychedelically interstellar single ‘Sine Language’

Posted on 27 February 2021

Mixing alt-rock, prog, electronica, jazz fusion, and elements of funk, is never an easy task, but New Jersey experimentalists Moon Rabbit Retreat do just that with their new single ‘Sine Language’.

There’s something for everyone here; seventies TV incidental music, soaring meandering Rick Wakeman-esque keyboard excursions, Pink Floyd-like multi-layered catchy choruses, Neil Peart drum explosions, and some epic synth and guitar sounds, across the nearly seven-minutes of this, the lead single from their new EP ‘Habitat’ (available from the band’s website or from Bandcamp). It’s excellent, with ascending interwoven parts which feel at once familiar and encompassing and never exclusionary, some epic musicianship, and a pretty fitting play on words for a track title, too. It doesn’t come much better than that.

Check out ‘Sine Language’ – and download the album – from Moon Rabbit Retreat’s website; follow the band on Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

 

ourfathers. added nuanced maturity to the progressive post-rock genre with their colossally evocative single ‘an offering.’

Posted on 12 January 2021
Movements II by ourfathers.

It was only a matter of time until an alt-rock artist simultaneously exuding influence from Sigur Ros and At the Drive caught our distinction-seeking-attention. The latest progressive post-rock hit ‘an offering.’ from ourfarthers. has left us ensnared.

Admitting that tracks by emo artists appease your angsty soul may be met with all manner of snobby pretension from insufferable aficionados, but an offering. isn’t a track easily torn apart. Maturity can be hard to find in tracks which deliver burning unbridled emotion, but discernibly, an offering. is the needle in the evocative haystack.

With quiescently melodic increments sidled next to rip-roaring breakdowns when all restraint is thrown away with visceral abandon in sonically anthemic style, an offering. is enough to make your soul quiver.

an offering. is available to stream and download via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dimitri Toonen – Not Home Today: Cinematically Haunting Prog Rock

Posted on 14 December 2020

Lifelong musician, Dimitri Toonen released their debut Alt Rock album ‘Leave My Mind Sometimes’ on November 20th, discernibly, sharing their soulfully captivating sound with the world was criminally overdue,

Leave My Mind Sometimes could easily rival Porcupine Tree’s album Fear of a Blank Planet in terms of emotivity. Yet, this progressively passionate release sets itself apart with the cavernous, gentle complexity.

The standout single Not Home Today bears none of the hallmarks of a self-produced single. It’s a deftly orchestrated pool of escapism twined with lyricism which compels you to delve deeper into the consciousness-consuming release.

You can check out Not Home Today for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Fiddle Revolt serve a cinematic smorgasbord of Blues, Indie, Reggae and Funk in “Disconnected”

Posted on 25 October 2020

Hit play on the latest single ‘Disconnected’ from The Fiddle Revolt and slip into a cinematic smorgasbord of Indie, Blues, Reggae, Funk and Soul.

The drawn-out notes in the prelude which slip into offbeat rhythms in the preceding verses are all too efficacious at drawing you into the intensely direct soundscape which is lyrically-led to start. But once the semi-orchestral instrumental arrangement starts to amass momentum, you may find yourself divided between the confrontationally resolving lyrics and the alchemy which is breathing between the melodies.

With such a distinctive sound, Disconnected isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Yet, anyone who appreciates less than archetypal time signatures and progressively rewarding tracks will definitely want to drink in the ingenuity.

You can check out Disconnected for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

AJ John invites listeners on a progressive journey with their Alt Rock single “Waste My Time”

Posted on 4 July 2020

If you like your smooth Bluesy accordant Rock with a side serving of raw emotion, you’ll be as captivated by up and coming artist AJ John’s progressive Rock Ballad Waste My Time (The Laze) as we were.

With the Jazz infusion in Waste My Time, Time Signatures have been disregarded in the extended soundscape which could only be described as epic. The instrumental textures and tempo may be light for the most part, but each progression will leave you more immersed in AJ John’s ingenuity. The momentum gradually builds throughout the soundscape until Waste My Time becomes a colossal offering of Anthemic Rock. We definitely didn’t see that coming.

Waste My Time is just one of the singles which you’ll find on the artist’s 2020 album “Till the End of Time” which shatters Rock archetypes and constructs a brand-new Alt-Rock experience.

You can check out AJ John’s single Waste My Time along with the rest of their album Till the End of Time by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sidetrack Walker – Will to Leave: Viscerally Atmospheric Progressive Neo-Classical

Posted on 15 May 2020
https://sidetrackwalker.bandcamp.com/track/will-to-leave

Berlin-based artist Sidetrack Walker has released their most captivating soundscape to date. Expect the human psyche to stare back at you when you hit play on Will to Leave which is just one of the tracks found on their latest album The Art of Starvation.

The Neo-Classical melodies perfectly capture tense, fraught and honest emotion. Under Sidetrack Walker’s deft orchestration, the progressions spill more resonance than even the most meta of lyrics ever could.

But what blew me away the most about Will to Leave was the sheer distinction. Sidetrack Walker’s tendency to pull from a myriad of genres such as Neo-Classical, Dark Folk and Prog Rock allowed their sound to spill an alchemic amount of atmospheric intensity.

You can stream and download Sidetrack Walker’s single Will to Leave along with the rest of their album which was released on April 24th for yourselves via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Leese – Say Goodbye: Meet Your New Guitar Hero

Posted on 14 May 2020

If it’s been a while since you’ve heard guitar licks slick enough to make your jaw-drop, delve into the arrestive debut single Say Goodbye by breaking Alt Rock artist Leese.

From Thrash to Speed Metal, to Melodic Rock which any fans of Incubus would appreciate, there’s no telling what kind of aural curveball Leese will throw at you next. But each of the seamless seismic shifts in style is as fixating as the last. The grungy Lo-Fi vocals are also an incredibly welcome addition to the perpetually evolving track.

Say Goodbye would have been a hit even if Leese only relied on their technical guitar ability, but there’s so much more in the dynamic mix. With the growling basslines around the ethereal Cradle of Filth-style atmospheric layers, and solos which would give Herman Lee a run for his money Leese is a magnetically absorbing track which you will undoubtedly want on your playlists.

It’s safe to say that we’re pretty stoked to hear what comes next.

You can check out Say Goodbye for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dark World Carousel – Einhander: Ensnaringly Progressive Alt Rock

Posted on 5 May 2020

If you are under the impression that there are no new avenues to take Alt Rock in, Dark World Carousel’s standout single Einhander will smash those perceptions into oblivion.

Einhander kicks off with a Dark-Alt-Folk-style prelude before the progressive track picks up rhythmic momentum and transforms into an electrifyingly serpentine feat of Alt Rock complete with volatile ensnaring vocals.

Yet, Dark World Carousel doesn’t stop there. There’s yet another seismic shift in the soundscape which allows Einhander to experiment with the chaotic insanity of Symphonic Death Metal.

It’s a monster of a track which doesn’t just depend on sheer speed and intensity to leave you gripped. I never thought I’d have the pleasure of indulging in a track which offers reminiscences of Soundgarden and Nekrogoblikon. Dark World Carousel offers a dynamically adrenalizing sound which is all too easy to get obsessed with. Get them on your radar.

You can check out Dark World Carousel’s single Einhander for yourselves by heading over to Reverb Nation.

Review by Amelia Vandergast