Tag: intervals

It’s great to see the upturn in interest of Intervals. They are getting endorsement from Wolfgang Van Halen with a support slot on some of his headline shows.

This is album number five for the band and Aaron Marshall has knocked it way out of the park on this one. Super cool use of keys, samples, sound design, and programming alongside the heavy grooves and Aaron’s killer playing. I love every second of this masterpiece and I have probably played this more than any other album in a long while.

Mnemonic has to be one of the best tunes I have heard in forever. It’s like listening to a dance song but for metal tech kids. The grooves and rhythms are just epic and the playing is so melodic but insanely good. Galaxy Brain is very similar but with added depth and chunk to the mix. I was trying to get my head around this whole concept of Memory Palace and the thing that keeps popping into my head is “if music was a video game.” Not sure if that makes sense, but it’s the best my aging brain can do.

Go and listen to this on iTunes or Spotify and then go and buy a physical copy from those nice people at Sheet Happens. It will be the best decision you will make this year.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

This is one of the early EP releases from Intervals in 2012. It’s just 5 tracks of djenty Prog metal grooves from the brain of Aaron Marshall. The band’s sound has moved on massively since this release and a lot of that really low end grunt has gone. So, if you are a lover of supreme low end grooves then this release should be high on your list.

Of the five songs here I really do like them all but my favourite of the bunch is the final track Epiphany. It’s more laid back than the others (at the start anyway) but the grooves are so cool and the lead playing is just beautiful.

I love most things that Aaron Marshall puts out and this another gem.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

After the release of their first album (A Voice Within in 2014), everyone apart from main man and killer guitarist Aaron Marshall, left the band. This is the follow up record, The Shapes Of Colour.

If you’re a fan of instrumental prog metal with emphasis on the geeeetar then you will love this. He is joined on drums by the amazing Travis Orbin who was in Periphery early on. I love everything about this album, especially the way Aaron does not lose the sense of melody in his playing and doesn’t just throw notes to impress.

Fable is just a superb piece of music with so much groove to the playing, and adding the sax is just genius. It’s one of my favourite Intervals pieces. Black Box is just insane. Super fast playing with the eye always on the melody, and the added heavy riffage is just great to the ears.

If you’re a prog metal fan who loves well crafted instrumentals, or your are a guitar nut, you will love this.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the band’s fourth studio album, released in 2020. The band formed in Toronto in 2011. What started as a band is now a solo instrumental project, with guitarist Aaron Marshall having hired guns as band mates. Originally, the band were treading a path very similar to Periphery, who were flag bearers of the new djent wave of bands. I can still hear similarities in the rhythms. But now Aaron has taken an almost Joe Satriani style of playing melodies as leads for the main part of songs.

If you like modern, technical, progressive, instrumental, metal music then you will really dig this. I love the fact that the vocals are gone as the music can breath on its own. Stand out tracks are opener 5HTP which just smokes with stunning rhythms, grooves, and some killer guitar. I love the melody on Lock & Key with the added keys, and the grooves are so good. Favourite track is Signal Hill, a lot of different vibes and grooves with even a straight up 4-4 beat. The middle section even has a return to old djenty vibes. With all the changes, I am stunned Aaron is still around. But, the band are touring heavily in 2023 so if they are near you go and check them out.

9/10 from The Grooveman.