“Actions speak as loud as words!” is the roared hook in ‘Leech’, a combustible, fist-swinging mid-album anthem, as Incite know that, five albums in, there is no resting on their laurels. One of a host of bands caught in a mosh, struggling and jostling for position to tip them from the mid-tier; definitely proficient but without that mainstream or commercial weight to establish them as true heavyweights in their field.Continue reading
London’s Khaidian, while not exactly new to the UK’s DIY metal scene, start 2019 off with ambition to set themselves apart from the herd. Not content to be catalogued as one thing or the other, the foursome present to us their debut record Penumbra (Armalyte Industries) in the hopes to push Metal’s boundaries with their blend of poly-rhythmic technicality and electronic flair.Continue reading
Whilst the initial blaze of the Djent movement may have extinguished, it is clear today that the embers are still burning. The likes of TesseracT, Skyharbor and Uneven Structure may have distanced themselves somewhat from that original sound but are still strong and creative forces, whilst the likes of Monuments are still embracing that core style and firmly delivering.Continue reading
Despite a heavy music scene that is abundant in talent, not many of India’s Metal bands have appeared on the radar outside of their native country. Aside from the likes of Demonic Resurrection especially, Bhayanak Maut and (although more an international band) Skyharbor, India’s Metal scene is still a hidden entity to many on the outside. With a formidable live presence and with an exciting debut full length in Miasma (self-released), if there is any justice, Mathcore mentalists Orchid should be poised to be the scene’s next breakout.Continue reading
In the decade since Djent first hit the scene boasting algebraic riffs, yet also throwing back to the likes of Tangerine Dream’s spell-binding atmosphere. With Meshuggah being the catalyst and the lead that many of the scenes alumni would take inspiration, at the outset, it was a thriving community of bands and their ravenous fans.Continue reading
Minimal waffle, maximum music – I’m very aware that there is too much music and not enough time! I’ve had close to 1,000 albums pass through my inbox this year alone (I’ve probably only been able to listen to about a third of them), and what I’m presenting are my favourite albums of 2018, the albums that I’ve connected most with, that matter most to me, one way or another.
Hope you find something new to get into… Continue reading
Djent never really took off as the next big thing, but it did spawn a few world-class bands that are probably more happy simply living under the Progressive Metal banner. And tonight London’s Shepherds Bush Empire hosts two of the scenes leading lights, Between the Buried and Me and TesseracT.Continue reading
Even amongst a thriving but crowded Tech / Progressive Metal scene, Northampton (UK)’s Voices From The Fuselage have the potential and the quality to stand out. With a label re-release in 2016 and the presence of former TesseracT vocalist Ashe O’Hara at the forefront, their previous album Odyssey: Destroyer Of Worlds provided a benchmark album for UK Progressive Metal with a rich and layered sound combined with towering melodies and near pop sensibilities, showing them to have real crossover appeal.Continue reading
Back in the early days of the djent scene, British metallers Monuments were seen as one of the early originators of the style and rose alongside the likes of Textures and TesseracT (plus, of course to some influential degree Meshuggah and SikTh), yet seemed slower than most to ride the tide of momentum, with a full-length debut release coming significantly later than other bands from that cadre.Continue reading
Progressive metal is an ever-crowded field. What is progressive can vary depending on whom is listening and certainly by which band is playing. The virtuosity and creativity of the genre certainly has its fanatics and in order to stand out from the pack, you have to really bring it. New York City’s instrumental maestros The Astral Cadence have spent several years between wood-shedding at the studio and performing live to make a name for themselves in the scene and now their hard work has paid off with their self-released debut, Paradigm. Continue reading