Issue 2025-029
Final Gravity — Stormchaser
After the first listen, my initial intention was to point straight out that the proggiest thing on Stormchaser by Final Gravity is the spacesuit man on the cover – and end the review there. Revisiting it later made me change my mind, so let's dive in.
Final Gravity is an LA quartet, dwelling in the areas of grunge-aware hard rock with some deep American vibes, and while there's no Neal Morse-style American-prog sound on Stormchaser, it doesn't make a challenge to track influences from undeniably US Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice in Chains, King's X and even some pop-punk, the latter especially noticeable in the nonchalant atmosphere of the EP.
The genre amalgam is played on rock-solid level – considering that the musicians have a Berkeley degree in music, and with firm knowledge of how this type of music should be played: with groove, precision and good vocals. The vocalist Melissa Lightning sounds confident, cheery and true to rock spirit. And – last but not the least – Final Gravity shows nice songwriting skills, a bit conservative, but clearly not resting within basic harmonies. Automatic Pilot is an instant earworm, for instance, and other songs like The Story of Forever compliment the band's writing capabilities as well as those of performers.
Would I love to hear more “prog and Hammonds” here? Yes and no. Yes, because I like prog, and “no” because the music is fine just the way it is. Cover for Rush's Entre Nous sits well with the rest of the material, and the song is not only a good choice itself for a cover, but also allows the band to stretch its muscles a bit harder. Sheer professionalism and focus on material to be played live deserves anyone's respect including mine. Not prog (hence the rating), but not bad music either.
Fluctus Quadratum — Laplacian
Fluctus Quadratum, based in East Sussex in the UK, started as a prog-loving father/son duo consisting of Jopheus Burtonshaw (keyboards, synthesizers, guitar & bass effects, composer and producer) and his father Rick Burtonshaw (drums) in 2019. Soon thereafter, they gained record company backing and played their first gigs, still without vocals, which subsequently were assumed by Curtis Adamczyk. Their first album was the EP The First Wave, released in 2022 as a quintet with additional musicians on bass and guitar, written and arranged by Jopheus, reviewed very positvely on our site.
Laplacian, again composed, arranged, and produced by Jopheus, including mastering and artwork, is the first full-length studio album of the band, this time acting as a trio. For live performances, they are currently supported by Mark Worledge (guitars), according to their website. I did not know this band before, but the first words of the description on their website "Fluctus Quadratum are a synth and keyboard-led progressive rock band..." were sufficient for me to want to review this release.
"Synth and keyboard-led progressive rock" indeed says it all in describing Fluctus Quadratum's music appropriately. That means in return that the other instruments play a subordinated role, especially the guitar is missing out a bit and mainly is confined to play occasional solos, plus some acoustic parts. Instead, quite often, several layers of keyboards are used simultaneously: wall of sound of strings, organ, mellotron snippets, piano arpeggios, topped by a synthesizer solo. Even a keyboard freak like me occasionally got a "a touch too much" feeling.
Jopheus mentions Steven Wilson, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and ELP as his main sources of inspiration. I was not able to draw too many parallels with these bands (maybe except for Steve Wilson), instead the music seems to be closer to neo prog for me, as played by Marillion, Jadis, and Sean Filkins. In addition, some keys-led names from the German prog scene, such as Choice, Tritonus, and Epidaurus, unfortunately fallen into oblivion, came to my mind, as well a Aliènor, whose album The Raven I had the pleasure to review for our site. With floating waves of strings and mellotron, rhythmic breaks just used selectively, a polished, melodic sound without dissonances, dreamy piano, restrained dynamics, and a mid-tempo format of most of the songs, Fluctus Quadratum's music also shows some elements of ambient to my ears.
Despite being catchy and accessible, I perceive the music, with its often long passages of synth and guitar solos underlaid with Mellotron and strings, its soothing, calm, and mellow vocals, and its not always immediately recognisable song structures, as not rhythmic, dynamic and varied enough for my personal taste. However, these just happen to be some of the characteristics one associates with neo-prog. What's more, the elements of ambient music that Fluctus Quadratum incorporate, by definition, do not put their emphasis on rhythm and dynamics, but rather on mood, atmosphere and relaxation. This makes the band sound quite original, and indeed, their melodic music with a touch of melancholy is perfectly suited for winding down and letting your mind wander - something that helps nowadays.
With respect to the production, it may be due to the music file format on the basis of which I wrote this review (and to the quality of my sense of hearing), but to me the sound did not always adequately reflect and express the details of Fluctus Quadratum's music. To me, it would have deserved the vocals to be given a stronger presence and punch in the mixing process, and a clearer perceptibility of the rhythm section, especially the drums - whenever the keyboard walls of sound come to the forefront, bass and drums become subordinated. This is a little unfortunate insofar as the music indeed has its subtleties and nuances, but they do not always come to the surface completely. This fact is not the case throughout the entire album, though.
The keyboards are omni-present, something that, as a keyboard afficionado, I have nothing against at all. If only they were a bit more analogue at times! I am happy to be proven wrong, but I assume their sound has have been produced digitally. Whenever the piano is the lead instrument, such as in the virtuoso piano-only song The Grey Room, and in the short Bridge To Suffering, this becomes quite evident.
Of course, all this represents my subjective impression. For me as reviewer it is easy to talk a good game here, not having the slightest clue of what it takes in terms of efforts, time, commitment, process stages, needs and financial resources to produce an album of high quality. I recommend this album to prog rock fans who like melodious, keyboard-driven, calm, relaxing neo prog with little twist and turns, no rough edges and ambient touches. Fluctus Quadratum should be kept on the radar, given Jopheus as the protagonist of this band, being in his early twenties, has got 'youth on his side' and considerable talent, something that gives room for quite some potential in the years to come. Furthermore, the album is appetite-wetting to find out how the band sounds live.
Duo Review
Magic Pie — Maestro
In one of my reviews written recently, I noticed that "I had not heard of this band prior to writing this review" probably was the most frequently used statement during my review-writing career. I am glad that with respect to Magic Pie, this fact is not applicable whatsoever. I very much like this band hailing from Moss in Norway, founded in 2001 by Kim Sternberg (guitars, vocals, composer), being the only member still present since the beginning. Besides him, Magic Pie consist of Eirikur Hauksson (lead vocals), Lars Petter Holstad (bass, vocals), Martin Utby (drums), and Erling Henanger (keyboards, vocals). Compared to Magic Pie's previous release Fragments Of The Fifth Element, which came out in 2019, the line-up is stable except for Martin being the new drummer.
With the first album Motions Of Desire released in 2005 and Maestro now being the band's sixth studio album (all of them being very positively reviewed on our site), it is fair to say that Magic Pie seem to follow the "haste makes waste" principle concerning their release pattern. I have listened to every album of the band over the years (and still occasionally do), and each time, the wait for the following album was worth it. And how does it look this time?
Let's start with some remarks on the narrative of the lyrics. Following them whilst listening, I was not sure whether I should call Maestro a concept album. But somehow, I have the impression that there is a common thread running through these lyrics, which revolve around longings, the pursuit of perfection, self-doubt, heteronomy and uniformity, so that they are thematically connected. And what about the music?
Most of the Scandinavian prog bands that I like (and these are many) fall into two categories: on the one hand, the rather gloomy, melancholic, and more folk-influenced ones, representatives of which are Anglagard, Anekdoten, Viima, Sinkadus, and Jordsjoe. On the other hand, the more symphonic prog, upbeat sounding ones, such as The Flower Kings, Kaipa, Moon Safari, Brighteye Brison, and Wobbler. Magic Pie doesn't really fit neatly into either category, but to me, they are closer to the latter than the former. Taking the representatives of that category and adding Spocks Beard, and Transatlantic influences and, above all, including similarities with the music of Deep Purple, and especially Dream Theater, probably brings you close to what Magic Pie sound on Maestro.
The opening track is the best representative of this style. It could have figured on a Dream Theater-album as well and incorporates many features Magic Pies's music is known for from their previous work: complexity, virtuosity, changes of mood, tempo, and time signature, strong presence of keyboards, emotional mono- and polyphonic vocals, dynamic guitar work and joint and individual keys/guitar soloing (excellent, that jazz-rock e-piano solo in the middle section, followed by a catchy and virtuoso guitar solo).
The ballad By The Smokers Pole contrasts with its beautiful simplicity, touchy and emotional vocals and a goosebumps-producing guitar solo. It reminds me of Deeps Purple's When A Blind Man Cries and is my favourite track on this album. The following songs are comparable to the opener, albeit with a slightly reduced complexity and a stronger tendency towards hard rock/progressive metal elements. Name It To Tame It, and Someone Else's Wannabe are a bit "DT-ish", the airplay-suited Everyday Hero would also have fitted on a Deep Purple-album.
The good thing about this band's music is: if it says Magic Pie on the label, it is Magic Pie inside. Listeners familiar with this band are likely to have their expectations met — for better or for worse. Over time, Magic Pie have developed a recognisable sound. That has not prevented them from slightly modifying the emphasis and some elements of their style on each album, and to keep the quality and their musical abilities at the same high level. This makes Maestro appealing both to fans who like the band (as I do), but also to those wishing to familiarise with their music.
If one goes through the various reviews of Magic Pie's music that our site has produced, certain parallels and similarities in each of them cannot be ignored with respect to style, key elements and influencing bands. What can we conclude from this? Does it mean that the band hasn't evolved over time? Or is it a sign of them remaining true to themselves and their style and keeping a consistently high musical quality over a long period of time? I tend to favour the latter interpretation. Sure, prog rock-wise, Magic Pie do not reinvent the wheel. But they have been able to once more come up with a catchy, complex yet accessible, very well-played and arranged album, despite the fact that the previous one dates back almost 6 years already.
As far as my impression is concerned, it's not as if this album doesn't differ in nuances from its predecessor. To me, the progressive metal/hard rock tendencies (the "Dream Theater/Deep Purple"-factors) seem to be more present than on the previous releases, and the overall complexity somewhat reduced, making the recognition factor a little less obvious this time. This does not entirely meet my personal preference regarding the band's music, but that does not prevent me from highly recommending Maestro to all lovers of complex, virtuous, catchy, melodic, accessible music with a harder edge. Indeed, it once more was worth the wait.
By the way: the length of this album compared to some of the previous ones would have given room for additional songs. This factor plus a statement from Eirikur that substantial parts of the forthcoming album already have been recorded fuel my hope that this time, the waiting period may be shorter. I cross my fingers that it is not a case of "the wish was father to the thought".
The publicity headline for this latest release from Magic Pie boldly labels the Norwegian ensemble as "Prog Metallers". True, this may contain some of their heaviest material to date but overall, I would describe their style as a harmonious combination of prog, mainstream and hard rock. Lead vocalist Eirikur Hauksson, who is one half of the band's songwriting partnership, is a metal fan while his collaborator, guitarist Kim Stenberg, favours prog rock. Something they have in common is an ear for a good tune and a flair for imaginative arrangements which is abundantly clear on Maestro, the band's sixth studio album.
Unsurprisingly, Magic Pie are no strangers to long songs and opener Opus Imperfectus Pt. 1 – The missing chord clocks in at a prog friendly eighteen and a half minutes. It boasts a sweeping, symphonic intro before unleashing the band's full might complete with syncopated dgent riffs and fiery soloing. Keyboardist Erling Henanger's engaging piano fills sweeten the thoughtful vocal sections which are embellished with a hint of Queen style harmonies. The new boy in the band, drummer Martin Utby, combines powerfully with bassist Lars Petter Holstad as the piece weaves its way through six sections. Only the jazz fusion flavoured instrumental jam around the eleven-minute mark breaks the momentum.
By the smoker's pole is a moody ballad with multitracked guitar backing, contrasting with the lively Name it to tame it where Hauksson channels his inner David Coverdale. Stenberg's histrionic solo demonstrates that he also has a metal itch that must be scratched. At a little over two minutes, Kiddo... is an ambient diversion with acoustic guitar that leads into the effervescent Someone else's wannabe. It's one of the strongest tracks, brimming with Dream Theater inventiveness and bravado and boasting a lead guitar hook that's a real earworm.
The penultimate song Everyday Hero was released as a single and once again it's the dgent chords that do the heavy lifting. Henanger provides tasteful organ support and a noodly synth solo. The chorus is memorable, and strangely, the song reminds me a little of Sweet during their mid-1970's transition from glam to hard rock. Opus Imperfectus Pt.2 – Maestro returns to the theme of the opening track and the opening line 'Music was his passion' will strike a chord with all of us, I'm sure. It's a memorable track with wall-to-wall vocals and a strident guitar coda that brings the song and the album to an all too sudden close.
Maestro is another worthy addition to the Magic Pie collection and while musically, they tread well-trodden paths laid down by old-school bands like Deep Purple, they maintain their own identity and the high standards established on their previous albums. Full marks also to the multi-talented Jacob Holm-Lupo who is jointly responsible for the vibrant sound.
Pentesilea Road — Sonnets From The Drowsiness
Pentesilea Road is a project lead by Vito Mainolfi from Italy. In 2021 this project released their self-titled debut album Pentesilea Road. From that first release Michele Guaitoli (vocals) and Ezio Di Ieso (piano, keyboards) are still doing their stuff and are present on the new album Sonnets From The Drowsiness. Vito himself did the bass on the debut album but now there is a new bass player with Giovanni Montesano. Next new member is Alfonso Mocerino on drums. Biggest change compared to the previous album is that there is only one vocalist. Previous album had four instrumental songs and Michele Guaitoli had to share the vocal duties with three other vocalists. This time on Sonnets From The Drowsiness there are no guest appearances on the vocal section. On the instrumental section there are still a few guest appearances. Paul Prins is guest musician with a guitar solo on Mare Nostrum and The Other Corner and on Aria we have Mario D'Amario on accordion.
This new release has a total of eighteen songs with a total of over one hundred minutes of playing time which is a quite lot.
Style-wise, Pentesilea Road travel a road between progressive rock and progressive metal. The start of the album with instrumental song Ode To The Reflective Mind has a lot of progressive metal. Inside Out also has that progressive metal sound with a heavy keyboard solo. This progressive metal part of Pentesilea Road made me think of Vanden Plas, Redemption and the later albums of Evergrey.
But then with Pulse, the music takes a bit of a shift with more hard rock elements. The groove of Pulse is a bit more easy listening and I do like the Iron Maiden melodic twin guitar solo. Strangely, this song was chosen by Pentesilea Road to be the first single. It might be the most accessible song on this album, but it does not represent the whole album. Do not discard this album if this first single does not bring enough progressive rock vibes, if you are looking for more spectacular stuff than Pulse then you can find enough on Sonnets From The Drowsiness.
On Solitary Walk the main theme is more interesting for progressive rock fans and now the sound moves a bit towards Queensrÿche. The album grabs influences from a wide variety of the somewhat heavier progressive rock bands. I can hear influences from Everon, the heavier era of Pendragon, Sieges Even, Soul Secret and Fates Warning. On some occasion, like the instrumental Mare Nostrum, the progressive metal sounds surfaces and it becomes more technical. On instrumental songs like these there is more room for the keyboard to step up front, but most of the main themes and melodies are carried by the guitar. For a progressive metal band the solos are very melodic instead of showing of some technical trickery there are mostly melodies which I really like.
The song September's Ghosts provides some more bombastic elements and would have been a great album closer. It has a nice, stretched ending and to me it feels like a perfect end of the album. But it is not, we still five more songs to go. The energy levels were decreased by September's Ghosts and slowly and gradually the power is turned back on. On that part you might say Echo Of Silence sounds like a new start to a new album. After the energy level has been turned on again with Remember Now the amount of power is turned down again. Instrumental A Relentless Elegy Of Laziness at times sounds a bit messy but is a return to the progressive metal side of the band, which is extended into The River Bend.
After almost one hundred minutes of music the lengthy closer The Physiopathology Of Every Day Dream is just a bit too lengthy and too stretched. Sonnets From The Drowsiness is an album that grabs my attention for a long time but over one hundred minutes is a bit too long. If September's Ghosts was the closing song then still it would be over an hour of music. I do not remember getting to the end in one spin but I heard all the songs and liked each spin.
Sonnets From The Drowsiness is a good release by Pentesilea Road. For me, it is just a little too long. I must say I never thought I would be writing this in a review. But I did not find any songs that can be labelled as fillers. Sometimes I just start listening at song number seven or twelve instead of at the beginning because over one hundred minutes back to front is a bit too much. Still this album found its way to my ears many times and I enjoyed every spin. Even if the single Pulse does not appeal to you, do yourself a favour and listen to the album.
Primrose Path — Renuminations
Australia has long been a hotbed of impressive music acts, and has a name for quality prog. Joining the ranks of Caligula's Horse, Be'lakor and Karnivool, we have newcomers Primrose Path. Formed in 2021, they come to us now with their debut album - Ruminations
We start with the dreamy Irrelevance, soft keys soon lead to pulsating guitars and drums, with the bass providing some meat to the track. Lindsay Rose lets us know what they can do, soaring between angelic and aggressive vocals. Next, Propensity leads us down a dark path with foreboding chords and Scott Henry continues to add to the weight of the track with some chugging bass work matching the force of the drums. Unrepent swiftly joins, with some modern Gojira type grooves.
Melodious fretwork is laid down by Brenton Lush to match the power behind Rose's vocal delivery. Henry further thickens out the sound by adding some deep and harsh growls to the background, resulting in a thick sounding track that is filled with weight. Harm finishes side 1, and starts as a lighter prog track, more similar to the likes of Devin Townsend. Heavy, but with an air of light to it, the tracks is a catchy modern metal masterpiece. Everything from blastbeats, to soaring choruses fit to belt out at the top of your lungs. This one covers all the bases.
Side 2 begins with Persona Non Grata, a thoughtful and provocative piece that places the group firmly in the list of quality melodic metal acts. It has both emotive sections along side harder hitting chord progressions. Obstruct has a quieter start with some clean chord work but soon gives way to some rolling drum work and darkening tonality. Second-to-last, Shifted is the shortest track here, but is a heavy and haunting number. It strikes with a sinister sound, but also breathes otherworldly ideas through the music. HEX lands with a punch as we are greeted by harsh vocals and near djent (but thankfully not quite) thudding string work. The drum work keeps an air of threat to the song with the semi-auto double bass drums as the rest of the band builds and layers over this for a menacing and powerful closer to the album.
The album is a fantastic blend of dark, almost-but-not-quite gothic metal, mixed in with accessible prog sensibilities. Rose has an outstanding set of vocals on her, not to mention the superb musicianship and tightness of Lush, Henry, Taz Gallant (rhythm guitars), Ashely Doodkorte/Herb Bennets (drums) as they provide a stunning backdrop of music that covers everything from melancholy to aggression.
Only downside is, as this is the debut album – how on earth can they top this for the next one? And more importantly, when can I hear it? Fans of Gojira, Townsend, Caligula's Horse, Madder Mortem and Oceans of Slumber
Shepherds Of Cassini — In Thrall To Heresy
I have to admit I didn't know Shepherds of Cassini before this, even though we covered their previous album from 2015 and gave it a superb score. Sorry guys, I missed that one. Discovering their latest album In Thrall To Heresy has been a very pleasant surprise.
Coming from New Zealand, the band brings a unique flavour to progressive metal, not just because of their musicianship, but also thanks to the presence of a violin as a central part of their sound, which immediately sets them apart. The album is heavy, atmospheric, and ambitious, with long compositions that take their time to develop but never lose focus. The opening track, Usurper, already makes it clear that we're in for something different: the violin doesn't just sit in the background, it leads, weaves, and sometimes even challenges the guitars. That tension gives the music a dramatic edge that reminded me a bit of bands like Tool or Karnivool, especially in the rhythmic patterns and moody textures, but Shepherds of Cassini always sound like themselves and not as mere copycats of the aforementioned bands.
What I enjoyed most is the balance between heaviness and elegance. Tracks like Red Veil carry real weight, with powerful riffs and tight drums, but it's also full of space and emotion. The violin melodies bring a human, almost classical element that contrasts beautifully with the metallic edge. Vocals are used tastefully: sometimes clean, sometimes harsher, and they support the mood without overdoing it. Slough and Abyss are the others two long songs here and they both sounds great, with slower and heavy parts combined with softer passages and clean and calm vocals. Abyss would be my favourite track if I had to choose one. Vestibule and Multineers work as some kind of interludes or introductions, and they both prepare the listeners for what comes next. Not a bad thing.
I've always had a soft spot for psychedelic elements in metal, especially when a band can blend them in naturally. One of my favourite examples of that is Lucid Planet from Australia, and while Shepherds of Cassini are a bit heavier and less electronic, I definitely got some of that same hypnotic, mind-expanding feeling here. There's a meditative quality in some sections, but also a constant sense of motion and transformation. It's progressive in the best sense of the word, in my opinion.
It's clear that In Thrall to Heresy is a concept album, and even though I didn't catch every lyrical detail on the first listen, the atmosphere is strong enough to communicate a sense of a story. There's tension, darkness, introspection and finally, a kind of resolution. The closing track, Threnody, is a gorgeous instrumental ending that left me thoughtful and wanting to listen again. For me, this is a solid 8 out of 10 and I have a feeling that score will go up with more listens. I'll definitely be going back to check out their earlier work. If you're into progressive metal with a strong identity and some different flavours, don't miss this one.