Pentesilea Road - Pentesilea Road
Pentesilea Road: The Band, The Album, The Song. That is lots of Pentesilea Road to love which becomes true over 70 minutes. Originally I was pointed towards the album when a Fates Warning FB page mentioned participation of both Ray Alder and Mark Zonder on this album. So I checked the album out on Bandcamp, ordered it after first listen and ever since the album keeps on growing on me. 70 minutes is with me for many bands too long, not for Pentesilea Road. Starting with the split, eleven songs of which four are instrumental and a twelfth bonus track is a repeat of one song with Ray Alder on vocals now. The four instrumentals are fundamental to making this album a succes. All four proper songs in the five-six minute range like all other songs and pretty different between themselves. From metal, via bluesy to jazzy it's all there while remaining heavy. Then the songs with vocals are mostly carried by Lorenzo Nocerino. Not that he can make us forget Ray Alder and Michelle Guaitoli, but his participations are as strong. Overall we have a progmetal album of the accessible side, which keeps on giving the more you play it. While staying in Italy Stranded reminded me slightly of Kingcrow, while Genius Loci brought memories of Time Machine to my mind. Defintely an album anyone into progmetal build around songs over instrumental show-off should hear. Finally the thank you note with the album was enigmatically signed Voorburg. If the band's mastermind Vito is living there (10km away) we should share a beer at Musicon or de Boerderij anyday soon when live music returns.
The Spectre Beneath - The New Identity of Sidney Stone
A UK progmetal band with a female vocalist whose voice I like. That must be the first comment as here the music is heavy and the voice stays far from opera. Actually it is hard to compare the voice of L. Lockser with anyone, but maybe the younger sister of Madder Mortem's Agnete is fair. Not the same power and Joplin links, but definitely as standing out on her own. But what is best is the music itself written by mainman Pete Worrall, which is thrashier than most progmetal bands. The first trio of songs blasts over us until we can catch some breath during Have You Waited For The World To Change. The second half of the album is a concept piece named the title of the album in six songs. A criminal burried alive apparently. I thought the overall sound of this band refreshing and very own, so again a recommendation for checking out.
Heyoka's Mirror - The Uninvited King
With a title like that my interest is awoken, as I would not let our king enter if he appears at my door.
Heyoka's Mirror has one problem to me and that is the bandname. I read a review of this album and when willing to check out the album I needed to refind the review in order to correctly spell the name in google. When doing so a similar route as Pentesilea Road was followed, listen on bandcamp and ordered. The music at first sounded like a heavier Haken. Than tunes of Pervy Perkin came to mind and in the end it goes so many places that trying to describe all becomes a futile exercise. So let me resume if you like dramatic bombastic and heavy progmetal that is not afraid to go weird and very fast in the vocals at times, you can not afford to miss these Canadians. Write down the bandname though as you will forget it first four times (or is that my old age?)
Witherfall - Curse of Autumn
With Curse of Autumn Witherfall now have settled themselves for good in the Champions League of Heavy Metal with light progressive traces. Their debut Nocturnes and Requiem (2017) and follow up A Prelude to Sorrow (2018) both made it to high positions on my end of year ranking. With their EP Vintage I finally saw them live, but that was acoustic only (still brilliant). And now a tour with Evergrey is scheduled for Autumn, we can only keep on hoping (against better knowledge?) But how about the album? Well they did it again. The surprise of the debut album is no longer there, but another album filled with strong songs is presented to us here. In .. And They All Blew Away we even get a progmetal monster of 15 minutes with drums taking care of by Marco Minnemann no huge surprise maybe. Anyone not knowing this band yet, should check out all their albms really.
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