Progressive Metal Reviews
Although I have a somewhat conflicted relationship with the progressive metal genre, the bands that tackle the style well tend to do so exceptionally well. If you like your time signatures odd and often changing, your song structures unpredictable, your chords and harmonies sophisticated, and your songs long, make sure to check up on Kevy Metal’s progressive metal reviews from time to time. You can find all my progressive metal Album of the Week reviews right here.
However, I did not start properly tagging my reviews until a couple of years in. If you are looking for something that doesn’t show up, it might still be there. I recommend using the search bar at the bottom of the page if you are looking for something specific.
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Album of the Week 05-2022: Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy
When Nevermore’s best albums are discussed, their swansong ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ almost never comes up. This may have something to do with their rather unceremonious split less than a year after its release, because of which the album was never properly promoted in some parts of the world. But while…
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Album of the Week 01-2022: Gonin-Ish – Shinin Sanka
Let’s start off the year with a challenge by reviewing an album which I really like, but is a nightmare to describe. Even by Japanese standards, Gonin-Ish is a strange band. Comparisons can be drawn to the likes of Sigh, but despite Anoji Matsuoka’s occasionally harsh vocals, Gonin-Ish is not…
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Album of the Week 49-2021: Edu Falaschi – Vera Cruz
There is something ridiculously ambitious about ‘Vera Cruz’, the new solo album by former Angra singer Edu Falaschi. For starters, it is a concept album and despite the story being fictional, quite a bit of research has been done to make sure the circumstances are historically correct. Musically, ‘Vera Cruz’…
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Album of the Week 40-2021: Enslaved – Utgard
Enslaved is one of the most interesting bands in the contemporary landscape of extreme and progressive metal. And yet, my interest in them waned a little when keyboard player Herbrand Larsen left the band five years ago. His warm, soothing voice was an important part of what made their latter…
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Album of the Week 28-2021: Rakshasa – Hyakka Sousei
Rakshasa came to my attention while searching for bands that sound like Onmyo-za. They don’t really; both bands have an approach that combines heavy metal with traditional Japanese elements in their sound and aesthetics, as well as an emphasis on female vocals – pretty much exclusively in Rakshasa’s case –…
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Album of the Week 27-2021: Coroner – Mental Vortex
My relationship with Coroner’s fourth album ‘Mental Vortex’ through the years has been a strange one. It was released right in between the two Coroner albums that used to be my favorites. Because of that, I used to think it was not thrashy enough to be as good as ‘No…
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Album of the Week 24-2021: Galneryus – Union Gives Strength
During the period leading up to the release of ‘Union Gives Strength’, Galneryus consistently referred to the release as a “special album” in marketing outings. So what’s so special about it? They probably did not want to give the impression that it’s one hour plus of new material, as roughly…
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Album of the Week 09-2021: Witherfall – Curse Of Autumn
Witherfall drew my attention with their sophomore album ‘A Prelude To Sorrow’, which to this day I consider a masterpiece of dark progressive power metal. At the time, my hope was that the other activities of vocalist Joseph Michael and guitarist Jake Dreyer did not go at the expense of…
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Album of the Week 48-2020: Them – Return To Hemmersmoor
Is it possible for a band to be better than the one they model themselves after? Them seems to prove it is. Starting life as a King Diamond tribute band, Them eventually started writing their own material that in my opinion surpasses anything the horror metal master ever released. It…
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