Progressive Technical Metal is a weird little sub-genre that popped up after Dream Theater became popular – then the media wanted a table to put all these bands in. This was released in 2009, and is the band’s second album, which I think was the same year that they appeared on Dream Theater’s Progessive Nation tour. I first heard of them a bit before when they were on a three band bill with Fair To Midland and Periphery.
I love heavy instrumental music the more technical the better and this ticks all the boxes for me. Opener, Bloom, is a wonderful exercise in how many riffs and grooves can we put into one song and keep it very melodic. Sargasso Sea is a lot more of a laid back tune and feels almost like a soundtrack to a movie. The Great Plains follows and has these huge sounding picked arpeggios that repeat over and over that slowly change and evolve into a more laid back vibe. Giants closes out Side 1 and is the heaviest piece yet with some killer drums from Pat Skeffington.
Age Of Tides kicks off Side 2 and has a very busy opening with the riffs and picked chords dominating everything. Glacial Planet starts with the most serene peaceful opening, and quickly turns heavy with a complete contrast. City In The Sky has the most normal riff and beat on the whole album, until they get bored and make it very complex. The album closes with Dunes, and it’s a return to the ever repeating picked notes that underpin the whole song, while differing melodies play over the top. I appreciate this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I do get off on albums like this as I find them challenging and very rewarding.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
