GREEN LABYRINTH – Sequences

RELEASE YEAR: 2023  BAND URL: https://greenlabyrinth.net/ The Swiss outfit known as Green Labyrinth was a completely new discovery but a welcome one for me as their eclectic take on highly dramatic and epic prog metal suits my mood these days. As I stated before, this primarily falls within the progressive metal sphere, but one could make…

AFTER LAPSE – Face the Storm

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND 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…

VANDEN PLAS – Live & Immortal

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.vandenplas.de/ A very cool live album by the prog metal outfit Vanden Plas is what we have here, and this particular recording, which dates back to late December 2016, sees the band in full flight on home turf in Germany. Live & Immortal captures the epic riffage, shifting moods, memorable moments,…

ZERO HOUR – Agenda 21

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/zerohourtowers Progressive metallers Zero Hour are back following a long hiatus and knowing that these guys are capable musicians, I was curious as to how this brand-new effort of theirs would sound. After countless spins and listening sessions, I must admit that I find “Agenda 21” somewhat uneven and a bit…

SEMBLANT – Vermillion Eclipse

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/semblantband The Brazilian outfit known as Semblant, which was conceived back in 2006, have returned with their fourth full-length assault and what we are served here is a basically a mixture of modern melodic metal, power metal, gothic metal, and arguably also subtle hint of prog metal. That the six members…

SUNRUNNER – Sacred Arts of Navigation

RELEASE YEAR: 2022  BAND URL: Sacred Arts Of Navigation | Sunrunner | Fastball-Music (bandcamp.com) I was intrigued by the album artwork and the song titles to “Sacred Arts of Navigation” by the US quartet known as Sunrunner and very much looking forward to immersing myself in the 11-track opus, but sadly, their particular mixture of prog…

LALU – Paint the Sky

RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/laluprog/ An incredibly diverse and intriguing mixture of prog rock and prog metal that somehow manages to pay homage to some of the legendary outfits from the 70s and simultaneously sound current and have a modern sheen to their eclectic style is what we have here, and “Paint the Sky” by…

THE MURDER OF MY SWEET – A Gentleman’s Legacy

RELEASE YEAR: 2021 BAND URL:The Murder of My Sweet | Facebook   This is my first encounter with the act known as The Murder of My Sweet, which features Angelica Rylin and Daniel Flores, and the quality of this brand-new opus of theirs made me go back and check their previous outputs in order to…