Few young bands excite me quite as much as Traversus does. There is something about the way the Dutch quartet mixes the complexity of progressive metal with the accessibility of melodic rock music that simply works. Traversus manages to avoid the pitfalls of both styles in a way even veterans often can’t: the dense riffs and intricate rhythms keep the melodicism and the song structures from becoming too predictable, but the music never becomes impenetrable, because the band always leaves space for Madelief de Groot’s sonorous, passionate vocals. Despite being more adventurous than 2023’s ‘The Only Way Is Through’, ‘Navigate’ offers exactly that.

Compared to their debut EP, ‘Navigate’ explores the extremes of the Traversus sound a little more. Joey Wessels’ riffs are heavier and knottier than before, the chord work occasionally being reminiscent of something Leprous would do, without sounding too much like them. The verses and choruses, on the other hand, appear to leave even more space for De Groot to deliver gorgeous melodies. That doesn’t mean those sections are simple; just listen to how much is happening underneath De Groot’s voice in the chorus of ‘Maybe in Another Life’. Traversus is clearly aware of how all their different strengths enhance each other.

Despite spending more time around the fringes of their sound, Traversus sounds a great deal smoother on ‘Navigate’. Possibly this is because of how new bassist Diko Eleveld glues the sound together, but I suspect it’s also a simple matter of evolving as songwriters and having a clearer idea of the direction in which to take the band. This is no sleight on ‘The Only Way Is Through’, but the band just sounds more confident, and the songwriting is more subtly dynamic, without losing the way Wessels and drummer Liam de Groot feed off each other during the more crazy instrumental sections.

Another advantage Traversus has over many more progressively inclined rock and metal bands is that they managed to make every song on ‘Navigate’ distinct. ‘No Way to Silence Me’ is built upon a jumpy riff that is almost a modern rock riff, were it not for its odd timing, closer ‘Dead Hands’ is an atmospheric rocker that almost qualifies as a semi-ballad, while ‘Maybe in Another Life’ is heavy and dramatic. My favorite song here is probably ‘Eye to Eye’ for its whirlwind of a riff and its unpredictable dynamics, though the dark and explosive, yet surprisingly accessible ‘When the World Goes to Waste’ comes close.

In the past, my go-to description for Traversus would be a more progressive Alter Bridge with female vocals. That’s still not entirely inaccurate, but ‘Navigate’ finds the band well on their way to a sound of their own that combines existing elements in a way that I have not heard quite this way before. What makes Traversus so interesting to me is that they are accessible enough for mainstream rock festivals, yet heavy and complex enough for the metal crowd. Not many bands manage to strike that balance quite as well as Traversus does on ‘Navigate’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Eye to Eye’, ‘When the World Goes to Waste’, ‘Dead Hands’