Pinning down Bangladeafy is a tough ask. There are touches of Tech Metal here and glimpses of Prog Rock there, pushed through the filter of a Drum and Bass act as played by Lightning Bolt. An easier descriptor may be simply bat-shit bonkers, but there is a method to this NYC duo’s particular brand of vibrant madness.Continue reading
Tag Archives: Tech Metal
Skyharbor- Sunshine Dust
As a part of the early djent movement of bedroom projects that also birthed the likes of TesseracT, the multinational Skyharbor, despite gaining a decent critical reception, almost feel like the forgotten sons in comparison to many of their peers. Two excellent albums in Blinding White Noise and Guiding Lights (both Basick) saw a particularly innovative approach within that sphere, with increasing progressive influences throughout, yet didn’t see them quite reach the heights of the likes of the aforementioned TesseracT or Monuments. Continue reading
Mask Of Judas – The Mesmerist
With the UK’s Progressive/Tech Metal scene growing ever bigger and ever more packed, a band that provides any form of new ideas is surely going to be a welcome addition, right? On paper, Mask Of Judas sounds like an intriguing prospect which should offer some wide appeal with their brand of progressive metal with vocals that range from the recognisable growls to contemporary pop and R&B. The sad reality, however, is that, at very best, debut album The Mesmerist (self-released) can only be described as a mixed bag.Continue reading
Bad Wolves – Disobey
Whether you like it or not, Bad Wolves aren’t the next big thing. That’s because they’re already the current new big thing in metal. Thrust into the spotlight by a set of serendipitous circumstances surrounding their recording of The Cranberries ‘Zombie’, a version that Dolores O’Riordan herself was scheduled to record vocals for the week that she passed as part of her endorsement of the song, Disobey (Eleven Seven) is a multi-faceted contemporary, very heavy, yet commercial album that does a whole lot more than the frankly excellent cover version might suggest you should expect.Continue reading
TesseracT- Sonder
Over the course of three full-length albums plus numerous EP releases and reworked pieces, UK progressive metallers TesseracT have shown a propensity for continued change in their music. Making a firm impact on their first full release One, spearheading the then emerging Djent scene, even then they seemed on a different plain of thinking to their brethren and quickly began to branch out. The follow-up Altered State (both Century Media) saw more expansive structures and reduced before Polaris (Kscope) brought refinement, melodic and immediate songs; all throughout retaining enough core to still be recognisable.Continue reading
Caliban- Elements
With around twenty years and now eleven albums to their name, it is safe to say that Caliban are Metalcore stalwarts. Yet they remain one of the genre’s overlooked, even near forgotten, names. Having never reached the commercial success or the attention levels of the likes of a Killswitch Engage back in the day, the current resurgence in Metalcore today still sees them majorly overshadowed whilst While She Sleeps, Of Mice & Men and others ascend, even as far as to arena level in the latter’s case. Nevertheless, Caliban has always proven to be a reliable entity who continuously deliver strong (if not ground-breaking nor game-changing) material, with The Undying Darkness (All Blacks) and Say Hello To Tragedy (Century Media) being particularly strong efforts.Continue reading
Letters From The Colony – Vignette
With the Progressive and Tech Metal climate being so crowded and, at times, stagnant, any new breed of band has the unenviable task of trying to stand out from the hordes by bringing in any resemblance of freshness or innovation. Whilst there is undoubtedly an abundance of quality talents out there, all too often acts fail to leave much of an impression in comparison to many of their peers.Continue reading
Schiermann – Schiermann
Despite this being a début release, the name Schiermann is highly regarded in the contemporary progressive metal/djent community. At the helm is guitarist Chris Schiermann, who over the course of a decade of recording and writing music has befriended many titans in the genre, with the likes of Animals As Leaders, DispersE and TesseracT, and has taken inspiration from a wide range of influences and styles from such contemporary metal maestros to the virtuoso guitar players, most notably like Randy Rhoads. A wide palette that is abundantly clear on his début solo project release Schiermann (Purple Sun), which includes a plethora of guest appearances from such alumni as mentioned and thus offers a vibrant mix and character.Continue reading
Ne Obliviscaris – Urn
Since their full-length début back in 2012. Australian prog metallers Ne Obliviscaris have shown a tremendous boldness of vision but yet have not quite managed to get it to gel to perfection. Their amalgamation of extreme metal, complex tech-metal, progressive rock’s wide arrangements and added orchestral elements have proven equally impressive and daunting, and despite some moments of brilliance, they haven’t quite backed their talent up with a landmark release. That is until now, with third album Urn (Season of Mist) being an unprecedented step forward.Continue reading
The Contortionist – Clairvoyant
The transformation The Contortionist have undertaken since their inception has been quite simply staggering. From their heavier but still progressive-nuanced Deathcore-like début album Exoplanet (Good Fight), they evolved and changed (considerable line-up changes aside) into a much more melodic, post-rock and even jazz influenced outfit by the time of 2014’s Language only two albums later. Venturing even further down the rabbit hole, latest album Clairvoyant (both eOne) branches even further from their early Tech Metal roots, thus showing even further expansion and breaking of limits.Continue reading