AFTER LAPSE – Face the Storm

RELEASE YEAR: 2022
BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/AfterLapseOfficial/

Highly dynamic prog metal courtesy of the Spanish outfit After Lapse is what we have here, and these guys are a tight and capable unit, perfectly suited to evoking a sense of drama by means of strong choruses and heartfelt melodies.

The diversity of the material is appealing, and there is a fresh, vigorous approach to these meticulously crafted compositions that stands out. Covering quite a bit of musical ground and touching on the fragile and gentle as well as the tempestuous and raging, After Lapse deliver reflective and emotionally charged tunes whose layers and details are many, but the cool thing about the disc is that it strikes a really good balance between the challenging and the immediately engaging.

With its crisp, professional sound and fine musicianship, there is plenty for us lovers of prog metal to savor here, especially ‘The Lie’ and the sweeping instrumental ‘Thrive,’ and it hits that sweet spot between accessibility and lofty ideas. A couple of tunes halfway through lack momentum where one is left looking for a climax that never comes, but in general, this is a beguiling collection of songs. Recommended.