Tag: progressive metal

Impossibly difficult to categorize into any nice, neat genre, Norway’s Drottnar originally formed as Vitality, in 1996. They began playing death metal, but changed names when their sound shifted towards black metal. The band’s sound continued to evolve more and more, incorporating progressive and technical elements into something more avant-garde over time, while still retaining elements of black metal, death metal, and other extreme sounds. It is this level of experimentation and excellence that both sets them apart from their peers musically, and simultaneously makes their music less accessible to the general populace of listeners–even amongst fans of heavy music.… Continued →

Everyone has their gateway. That first band or artist that got them into a particular style of music. I got into Christian rock in 1988, first hearing and enjoying artists like Petra and Russ Taff, and then quickly moving on to Jerusalem and Whitecross. But this band right here–Sacred Warrior–was my gateway to true Heavy Metal with a capital HM. They had no pop songs, no sleazy hooks or glammed-out looks, but their debut album Rebellion was full of heavy riffs, melodic (but not glam) vocals, and super-heavy and dark chord progressions.… Continued →

Haven was a heavy metal/power metal band from New Jersey active in the late 80s and early 90s. The band released two stellar full-length albums for R.E.X. and a third independent release that moved away from heavy metal into hard rock and alternative territory. Fans were often divided on Haven, particularly over the vocals. They were kind of a love ’em or hate ’em thing. Personally, I really enjoyed the unique style. There were enough similarities to Geoff Tate (Queensryche), Mike Lee (Barren Cross), or Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) to draw comparisons, and yet there was a roughness to the high-pitched vocals that made them stand out.… Continued →

The Awful Truth–the best band that (almost) never was! In the late 80s I was huge into King’s X and what would soon become known as the “Houston sound.” It was part progressive metal, part groove, part rock, and lots of harmonies thrown in. I’d started hearing about this new band (at the time) called The Awful Truth, who had recorded their debut album for mainstream Metal Blade Records, and sadly broke up before it even came out. In fact, by the time the album was released, two thirds of The Awful Truth had formed a new band with two other members, the now-legendary Galactic Cowboys, increasing that groovy-metallic Houston Sound to yet another band.… Continued →

Recon was a Christian metal band active in the late 80s and early 90s. They were one of the earliest true “power metal” bands in the Christian scene. They played a traditional form of heavy metal that was augmented and supplemented by progressive tendencies and tempos that sometimes approached speed metal. The band released a pair of cassette demos, first in 1989 and then 1990, and also had a song featured on the most excellent California Metal II compilation where I first heard the band. Vocalist Vett Roberts sang in a high-pitched operatic style not too unlike Jimmy Brown (Deliverance) or Geoff Tate (Queensryche), or possibly even a more musical version of King Diamond (Merciful Fate).… Continued →

Many fitting tributes have been written about the one and only, the mighty drummer/musician/song-writer/animal rights activist Ted Kirkpatrick. So much has been said about his life, his music, and his impact that I can’t really add much here. Ted’s incredible musicianship is impossible to overstate. He was revered even by the most ardent anti-religion folks, for his musicality alone, including folks like King Diamond and Marty Friedman. While I never got to meet Ted, I did have the chance to see Tourniquet live once. It was their first tour with Luke Easter as the new lead vocalist.… Continued →

Wisdom and Wages which is the new project from Jason Wisdom who is quite the musician and prolific songwriter, are releasing new music which includes and instrumental “Christmas” EP. Check out two songs, below. More to come from this project in 2022. Love this progressive metal Christmas music and it’s what we need right now. Can I get a righteous headbang of a yes?… Continued →

Galactic Cowboys, along with King’s X & Atomic Opera, are bands that should have gone mainstream, but were unable to do so more than they did. GC is one of the best 90s bands imho & have so many great ones. Chose this one as has some great lyrics that mean a lot to me & I can also play the bass line & drums to it. Few of the members are Facebook friends & I see several people bring up this band in groups that I am in.… Continued →

British progressive power metal band Balance of Power is what I would consider a unappreciated gem in the genre. Forming in circa 1995, they have release 5 full lengths & one comp. Vocalist Lance King eventually joined in 1997 & left in 2003 & I would think he is the most well known member as he was in Pyramaze, Avian, Defyance, Ilium & Shining Star, all of whom I have heard over the years. Today’s SOTD hails from the Perfect Balance LP which does not have an appropriate cover so I chose the one we here.… Continued →

Is it a bit pompous to call your band “God”? Maybe. But what’s particularly interesting about this band is we know nothing about them. Band members are completely anonymous. Is it even a band, or a solo project? Where are they from? No idea. Because the project is completely designed to “Challenge you to consider Him as well as your life & death through the power of music,” they figured the best way to do that was anonymously. And you know what? I can respect that.… Continued →

Veio is a crossover Oregon band that has a progressive metal sound akin to Tool & Deftones & being a fan of Maynard’s voice, I was happy when I found about this band on another Christian online radio site. Their mainstream song was Flare of Defiance & they have toured with other crossover bands Red & Starset . They formed in 2010 through Craigslist when the 2 originating brothers decided to start a band with their name being inspired by a Da Vinci sketch. Today’s SOTD is in prep for the new album that they are starting to write, but also, check out their cool cover of Filter’s Hey Man, Nice Shot.… Continued →

I’ve reviewed 3 different releases from Shadow Puncher (for 2 different publications), and one of the things I’ve noticed is the diversity of sounds and influences on each project. While the one-man band from Norway functions within the death metal genre, each release has a different feel. The earliest material had a strong thrash influence, then moved into a djent-heavy sound. This EP is the first to utilise keyboards in a prominent way, thus adding a progressive element. After a 1-minute ambient keyboard intro, “One End of Heaven” rips into the speakers with brutal rhythms, blastbeats and plenty of time changes.… Continued →

When Extol’s first album came out in 1998, the Christian hard music scene had been dominated by hardcore and the then-developing metalcore sound. This was being spearheaded prominently by labels like Solid State Records (a division of Tooth & Nail), and Facedown Records. Enter Norway’s Extol. No one quite knew what to do with them. Sure, there was still an active underground metal scene, but Solid State had not signed any heavy metal bands yet–only hardcore bands that dabbled in metal. But Burialwas a full-on heavy metal cacophony, bridging subgenres–progressive, black, thrash and death metal–often within one song.… Continued →

Today’s introduction is for the underground technical/progressive metal band – When Forever Ends. The band comes recommended by a friend so I gave this song “Breach The Borders” a solid listen and was pleasantly surprised with the production & technicality of it all. This band pulls all the best elements from bands like August Burns Red, Impending Doom, For Today, Oh Sleeper, and AILD into one amazing blend that will keep listeners on their toes. They unleash this unrelenting fury of melody technical metal into a fireball of fist pumping worship that will instantly make a fan out of any metal head.… Continued →

Canadian metallurgic alchemists The Beckoning have posted a new song on for streaming. Mixing progressive, gothic and extreme metal sounds to pleasing results, the track clocks in at a lengthy 10:36! Let’s hope this is a sign of a new album soon. The track can be found on their Bandcamp page.… Continued →

Canadian progressive death metallers The Beckoning have been making noise since 2010.  This release combines two earlier demos—Desolate (2014) and War (2012) into one remastered full-length.  Truly progressive, this 4-song clocks in at over 29 minutes, making it either a very long EP, or a full-length with only 4 songs, depending on one’s perspective. While the formula has been done before—screamed/growled vocals + clean/operatic vocals + heavy riffing + melodic leads—it works well here.  Founder/drummer/vocalist Roy Turple pulls off the screamed and clean sung vocals, and when he chooses the latter approach, resembles Jimmy Brown or Eric Clayton. … Continued →

This mysterious band has been making music since 2016.  Their website states, “GOD will challenge you to consider your life, death through the power of music.”  While I am in contact with the band members, repeated requests for information regarding the member(s) have been unsuccessful—even to the point of denying my request to know which country the band is from. This is the second album from the band, and there are two more planned—each one with a conceptual theme.  God I focused on the nature of God, while God II as the subtitle suggests, is all about the person and work of Jesus Christ. … Continued →

The extreme progressive metal band, The Beckoning  have announced the new title of their upcoming re-release, their first release through their new label, Nosral Recordings. The album is a release of their EPs, Desolate and War, put together and simply titled The Desolation of War. The tracks have been remastered by Luke Dinan (Children of Wrath) and will be available December 29, 2017. If you haven’t listened and downloaded their music before, you are in for a shock. There’s not one band you can truly compare them to.… Continued →

The Beckoning has officially left the collection of bands that are independent. The label, known as Nosral Recordings, has signed the progressive metal band and are re-releasing their EPs War and Desolate as one collection. The label is growing rather considerably for something formed earlier this year. … Continued →

Check out this review of Fleshkiller's debut album, "Awaken"

Fleshkiller, the new progressive metal band from Ole Borud of Extol, has released their debut music video. The song is called “Warfare” and it is brutal. The band will be releasing their album, Awaken on September 15, 2017 through Facedown Records. Check out “Warfare” below! … Continued →

The progressive melodic death metal djent band, (longest genre explanation ever), Bloodline Severed has teased some new things. The band is working on new material. Unfortunately, after the release of their previous album, Process of Progression in April, the band apparently went through some lineup changes. Founding member John Snyder have left the band. The band has also teased a new project coming up, but no further mention other than it is a possibility. No name has been announced, no lineup, or anything else has been announced at this point.… Continued →

BioGenesis are very excited to announce their latest single ‘Brood of Vipers’ off the new album ‘A Decadence Divine’ which was produced by Kruse FX. ‘Brood of Vipers’ tells the tragic story of the Salem witch trails and the hypocrisy that went along with those early Salem witch hunts. The new album ‘A Decadence Divine’ was just released on May 26, 2017 and has been getting great reviews from critics and fans alike. The album is available in physical and digital formats at all of your favorite retailers or pick up a copy here today and get a free BioGenesis limited edition guitar pick.… Continued →

The progressive thrash metal band, Believer has began to release their long-awaited new music. Though not all at once. It seems that they are releasing them two songs at a time, or at least this EP only had two tracks. This EP, just called 1 of 5, has two tracks: “Home” and “888”. The band formed in 1986 as Deceiver, but changed their name to Believer the next year. They released three albums though the label R.E.X. Music and then went their separate ways in 1993.… Continued →

The prog metal act Mantric has announced they will be entering the studio in April. For those who don’t know who Mantric is, they are the members of the band known as Lengsel, formerly of Solid State Records. The band formed in 2007 in Oslo, Norway. The band has hosted all the members of Lengsel, David Husvik from Extol, and Anders Lidal of Benea Reach. Mantric is currently independent. The band released an EP and a full-length in 2015 and have released the vinyl for them in July last year.… Continued →

It has been announced that Ohio’s prog/death band, BioGenesis, will release their long awaited 3rd album in March of this year. The album will be titled “A Decadence Divine” and will be released on Roxx Records. Their new song “Tears of God” can be heard below. Let us know what you think in the comments below and if you plan on picking this one up.… Continued →

How common is metal in Asia? Does anyone know? The genre of metal is a rare one to say the least, especially over in Asia. Final Surrender is one of the pioneers of the genre there. The Progressive metalcore act has been working hard on this album. Their debut album, Empty Graves, was released 4 years ago. The album begins with the single “Nothing But Void”. The track brings elements of techno music, Progressive metalcore, and thrash metal. There is plenty of work going on with the drums and percussion.… Continued →

Today, I am posting a list of Christian Metal bands from the old days that aren’t mentioned very often when talking about Christian metal. Most of them tend to be Nu-metal, ironically, even though the 90’s was the time for Nu-Metal/Rapcore. 5. Oficina G3 Oficina G3 is a Christian prog metal act from the late 80’s. Forming in 1987, the band began as a heavy metal/hard rock band, influenced by Stryper and Petra, but progressed into a Progressive metal/nu-metal/metalcore-ish band. This band was most likely thrown out, due to this period, when the Christian thrash scene had just hit it’s stride, with the Big 4 of the Christian scene: Deliverance, Vengeance Rising, Tourniquet and Believer.… Continued →

Final Surrender, a Bangalore-based Christian folk/progressive metalcore band, took to the streets of India with their new album, Nothing But Void on October 26, 2016. The band formed in 2007, but didn’t progress until 2013, when the band released Empty Graves in 2013. The band released Nothing But Void in India only, but has a release date for United States and the rest of the world, released by Rottweiler Records. The album is due to be released around the rest of the world on January 13, 2017.… Continued →

Following 2012's modest "Return to Life," War of Ages return to form with "Supreme Chaos." But, is this album a worthy addition to WOA's impressive discography? Find out here.