Issue 2026-020

Astral Kompakt — Goldader

Andy Read

They hail themselves as "instrumental stoner rock from Cologne, Germany". This will be a pretty short review because add in the words "psyche", "prog" and "doom" and that sort of says everything you need to know about whether this album is for you.

Okay, I'll give a little bit of background. This is the band's debut album and it has been out for a little while now. The trio is building up its profile with a consistent series of gigs.

There is a prog-worthy complexity to the compositions thanks to the use of odd time signature and meters. The music, however, isn't overcomplicated; the threesome tends to stick to the central themes in unity. There is however plenty of variety and depth to reward repeat visits to unearth its little intricacies.

Astral Kompakt (promo photo)

Opening in 10/8, Pirsch lulls you into a false sense of psyche-calmness before exploding into a feast of stop-start metal riff-mongery. This lasts exactly the right amount of time, before the psyche calm is restored.

The title track is exactly what title tracks should be; a central statement of the band's ability and intent. I really enjoy the lead guitar soloing on this one. I also really enjoy the psyche flavours injected into Welwitschie's doomy riffing. The unusual transition into the closing section works very well.

I do find Batavische Träne I overly repetitive. Part 2 does it slightly better. But this central part of the album is the weakest for me.

The fuzz is kept to a minimum across the album which is a big plus-point for me. It is present for the audio-onslaught that is Ruin. Bludgeoning stuff. Which leaves us to see out this album with the rather bouncy Levitas.

While the general premise is the same as instrumental post-rock bands, of which there are many, the clear stoner and psyche sounds that dominate here, bring a very different character. Not so many bands have selected this approach. I'm thinking Electric Wizard, Karma To Burn and Sleep or maybe King Buffalo or Khan (without the vocals of course). This sound appeals much more to me, than post-rock.

I like the cover artwork too. It goes very well with the dark green vinyl.

Anyway, I think you've got the idea by now. I've really enjoyed spending some time with Astral Kompakt. If it sounds like your thing, then you know what to do next!

John Bassett — Son Of A Nun (Born Again)

Mark Hughes

Way back in 2003 I received a CD with the curious title of Son Of A Nun by a young artist going under the equally curious name of KingBathmat. Over the following years there came a further six KingBathmat CDs, his progressive rock outlet as well as six releases under the name of Arcade Messiah (progressive stoner metal), two by Sacred Ape (synthwave/electro rock) and one album and two EPs under the musician's own name of John Bassett (singer/songwriter).

Then, in 2020 after the last album by Arcade Messiah the releases stopped coming. In 2023/2024 there were a few devoutly religious single releases under the name Hugo Talks to go with a podcast which was largely also very religious but also covered some so-called conspiracy theories (which included climate change, but let's not go there!) which, although anonymous, were by Mr. Bassett. I'm all for people believing in whatever they want but we can totally ignore Hugo Talks for this review as it is not at all germane to the current issue.

I recently had an e-mail from Mr. Bassett announcing a new album under his own name. Well, not entirely a "new" new album but a reworking of most of the debut KingBathmat album. The rationale behind this is that on listening to the original album for the first time in years, he was disappointed by the terrible sound and mix of the album. Not wanting to leave the album as it was as part of his musical legacy, he decided to re-record the best of the songs using the experience and better equipment he has accumulated over the ensuing 23 years.

In his own words, "The songs deserved better production, better performances and the perspective that only time can give". Naturally, the songs have changed over the years, there have been changes to the lyrics throughout, with one song, Not Born To Share, having a change of title to Lord Hear My Prayer as Bassett couldn't decide what the original title was trying to say. Musically, things have changed with a purer sound less reliant on plug-ins and effects and the introduction of a lot of strings pulled in from the Berlin String and other libraries that are fabulously natural sounding, particularly on Weather The Storm. Alongside the refined arrangements, some songs have updated structures and the new vocals sound very similar to the originals even after two decades of ageing!

Four original tracks have not been re-recorded. King Of The Fairies, more of a rocked-up Irish jig was more of a tip of the hat to Horslips who were a particular favourite of Bassett's at the time but didn't really fit on the album. Although saying that, Unfortunate Soul does feature a brief jig-inspired riff played on electric guitar but the overall heaviness of the song is unlikely to induce any comparisons to the more folky Irish act. Beg & Steal, Asking The Gods and No Compromise were songs that, in Bassett's opinion, have not stood the test of time and he no longer has an affinity with and so it would not be entirely appropriate to create new versions of them.

Skin, was recorded, along with four other songs, back in 2003 but not included on the original album but released as part of a free multimedia CD that came with the initial orders of the second KingBathmat CD Crowning Glory. Why he chose to remake this one and not any of the others is not known; perhaps he thought it would be inappropriate to relaunch his musical career with a new version of The Horseshit Song!!

I freely admit to being somewhat of a John Bassett fan. Indeed, I have reviewed all of his releases for DPRP and they all hit the quality mark. So there it would be unlikely that this new version would be a disappointment. On the contrary, the songs have a completely new lease of life. The sound is richer and more expansive and Bassett is a natural at arranging strings to enhance the rock instrumentation.

In conclusion, this new recording is much improved over the original release and will hopefully re-ignite interest in Mr. Bassett who is certainly deserving of more attention. Although he has stated that he also intends to re-record the Crowning Glory album as he is not satisfied with the way that one sounds either, there is new music on the way as well as he never stopped writing during his hiatus. So plenty to look forward to!

I Sincopatici — La Corazzata Potëmkin

Jerry van Kooten

It's not a new thing to write soundtracks to old movies. I've always liked Nash the Slash's Nosferatu and the more recent Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari by Toundra.

Italian act I Sincopatici now put their music to the 1925 Russian film Battleship Potemkin. While on their previous album, a soundtrack to L'Inferno from 1911, Claudio Milano was singing, this one is completely instrumental. Lacking the operatic acrobatic stunts gives a lot more room for the actual music, moving away from an avant-garde Zeuhl to a dark mix of Italian prog and classical with just a bit of RIO. I prefer this much more.

Francesca Badalini wrote the music and plays guitar and piano. The music fits the original film and is beautifully dark. It surprisingly gets a little heavy here and there with distorted guitar. Dramma sul ponte is mostly piano with violin (by Silvia Maffeis) over the rhythmic tracks by Andrea Grumelli (bass) and Teo Ravelli (drums).

In Il morto chiama you get the sense that this is a soundtrack. The first part drags a little, probably following the film and trying not to disturb it. But it grows slowly in intensity. Subtle touches of guitar licks add spicy extra layers of sound.

The haunting violin is back in the next track. And the final track brings back the heavy riffing with touches of piano over a driving rhythm section. Slightly complex, I can almost imagine the film, even though I have never seen it (but did check parts of it out to know what it's about and its style). The tension between the extremes is making for a lovely listening experience.

The 40 minutes might look short, but I love albums of 40 to 45 minutes. With this type of music it's a perfect length. The original film appears to last for 74 minutes, but to be honest, I am not very interested in the actual film and I accept it was the inspiration to the music. It's a listen that leaves an impression, one you need a bit of silence to digest and come back from. This is music to listen to with the lights out and a good whisky in your hand, the last thing of the day.

The Imperfectionist Collective — Solitaire

Sergey Nikulichev

Self-ironically titled The Imperfectionist Collective is a solo project of Leo Koperdraat of Fractal Mirror fame. The latter (fame) has admittedly rather moderate spread, but all the same, three releases of the band received favorable reviews from DPRP along the years (check Garden of Ghosts and Close to Vapour, for instance). On Solitaire, Leo maintained his collaboration with Fractal Mirror's drummer Frank Urbaniak, although this time it was limited to lyrical input and mixing. Brett Kull of the mighty Echolyn also helps with mixing once again, as he did previously with the FM releases, so eventually not that many changes are made in Leo's creative entourage, as of 2026. Moreover, Kull is joined by another “prog star” guest, Rhys Marsh, known for his subtle, stylish approach to music he performs. So, what can possibly go wrong, with such aces on hands?

Several things did, I am afraid. I guess we, listeners, never know what happened, but most of the album sounds questionable, if not downright bad. As soon as the intro is over (these grim days intros no longer tell anything about the albums they open, right?), the main weakness is demonstrated blatantly. The electronic percussion, which substitutes the drum parts, unsupported by any coherent bass lines. The electronic percussion itself may not be the worst thing in today's music, and many performers prove that in good hands it can sit well with the material. It doesn't do it on Solitaire, being simple to the point of banal, and impertinent to the point of contradictory.

Weak vocal delivery, clichéd lyrics, and instrumental scantiness do not help either and subjectively bring the whole material outside the prog field, which ideally has high-performance standards. The only thing in common may lie in the non-commercial approach. I am thinking Solitaire would rather have more in common with 80s / 90s indie-darkwave or synth-pop, when attempted by neophytes, than with prog rock as we know the genre. Think early days of New Order or Wolfsheim (but both these non-prog bands evolved to something professional, eventually).

Any redeeming factors? Yes: the sophomore and the penultimate tracks (Forgotten and Reincarnation) are actually good. The former is reminding me of the ESP Project atmosphere, and few people love ESP Project more than I do. And the latter is, simply put, a really decent composition with emotional peaks and valleys, nicely constructed dramatic effect.

Apart from these two moments, I didn't enjoy the material much, which left me with a feeling of being half-baked and recorded for no other reason than an attempt at self-expression, rather than strife for something aesthetic.

Phil Vincent — Thirst Trap

Edwin Roosjen

Phil Vincent is a multi-instrumentalist that has been recording albums since 1996. The man is a busy bee, playing for multiple bands and since 2019 releasing a solo album every single year. Vincent plays melodic hard-rock, and when listening to Thirst Trap I hear a lot of familiar influences. Mostly hard rock bands, lots of 80s bands like Kiss, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Scorpions,etc.

Get Even is a heavy rocker, some double bass drumming and catchy chorus and nice breaks and changes. Scene Of The Crime opens like a Mötley Crüe song, this song has a lot more swing to it and brings more to the table than the opening song. It Was Good While It Lasted is a nice song but does not hold the level of Scene Of The Crime. It is a descent rocker but just like the opening song nothing really special. If you are looking for a song to bang your head to, then this is a fine one.

It's All A Lie starts with an ominous keyboard tune played almost continuously throughout the song. Another descent rocker, but for some reason this song appeals to me more. The pattern of a standard rock song and then followed by a more interesting song continues with Can't Break The Chains and Consequence and again with Only One Way Out and Through The Storm. The album Thirst Trap is turning into an on/off experience for me.

And then suddenly I hear a familiar riff, and I hear lyrics I have heard before. Phil Vincent brings a cover of Never Say Die from Black Sabbath. A nice rendition, but after a couple of spins I turn to the original. Sorry to say that after a few times, this one is a skipper. Then we get two lengthy songs before the official part of the album is completed. Interestingly, the start of Afterthought sounds more like Black Sabbath than the cover of Never Say Die. I don't know what it is but the song sounds unfinished, it is not a demo, but the sound is different from the other songs on this album. The plastic drum sound, as if playing to a test tape, is not helping.

And then on the title track Thirst Trap the sound is normal again. This is probably the most interesting song on the album. The first half is really rocking with some interesting changes. This title song completes the official release — this is what you get if you listen to this album on a digital/streaming platform. The rest are bonus tracks that appear on CD and vinyl. Just like on Afterthought, the sound on these songs is a bit different. These short songs do not really have the feeling of being a finished song. Do not really know what the added value of these extra songs is.

Thirst Trap has entertained me for quite a few spins and holds some fine music. If you like melodic hard-rock, then you can give this album a try. You can also try other Phil Vincent releases, and you will find many songs of interest. As a whole, it does not feel really solid. A few songs that I started skipping already after the first spin. I hope listeners will make it to the interesting title track Thirst Trap.

Yrja — Basalt Towers

Calum Gibson

A country of contrasts, from the ice and glaciers to the volcanic activity – Icelandic music is no stranger to reflecting this. One such expert in this is Guðmundur Óli Pálmason, known for his work as the driving force behind Solstafir, and as one of the masterminds of Katla. Now, teaming up with Marek Stanisławczyk and Henry Barboza, the trio have formed Yrja and dropped their first EP, Basalt Towers.

In The Sadness Of Their Homes starts us off with intricate riffs before slowing down into a heavy and thick sound that really drives the point of the title home. It is a song that bleeds despair and emotion, with superb vocal work from Pálmason (and as always, finely crafted drum work too). Following this, Words of Creation comes along. A bleak, yet melodic number, it drifts between soft and gentle cleans to relentless anguish. If a track was to be held as the standard for post-black/doom metal, I would put this forward as a prime example.

The second half of the EP begins with Alls sem áður heilagt var. This one leans more into the post-metal side of things, with the music forming a solid wall of sound that is laden with atmosphere. It is a sonic representation of landscapes strewn with snow, both beautiful and desolate. Finally, we end with Ocean of Dreams. This closer takes the bleakness and wall of music from the previous ones and turns it up, creating a track that is blissfully forlorn in execution and sound.

The only downside to this EP, is that it is an EP so is over quick, and also that the quality of music is such that it may be difficult to top. For fans of the genre, this is a must. For fans of any kind of post-metal, I would strongly advise it as well. Fans of Empyrium, Kauan, Eldamar or Thurisaz will enjoy this.