Categories
Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Lime Shark – The Money Clock

Lime Shark, at first, sounds laughable, many progressive bands do. As the tracklist moves on you start to “get it.” This British band is less of a progressive rock band and more of a rock band with progressive leanings. The similarities to the harmonies of King’s X and driving bass rhythms from Rush are not apparent at all, allowing the band to exist as their own entity. Subsequent dives through The Money Clock reveals an album that does not bask in progressive over-achievement but relies on the simplification of melodies even in non-conventional time-changes.

The Money Clock certainly takes its time to present its best material, as “Burn” does not adequately grab the listener. The style and sonics are most interestingly not conventional, and at first can appear un-listenable. However, it is the third track, “Blindside”, that properly portrays the band’s intentions and as post-millennial, hard-driving, and accessible.

Categories
Music Reviews Pseudo-Progressive

Jordi Clapés-Bot – Right Sides EP

Jordi Clapés-Bot’s Right Sides kicks off with the title track, “Right Sides”, and features a haunting atmosphere with a sense of vicereal mystery and does not deviate much from the motif. Instead, Clapés-Botadds poses new ideas, experiments on top of his constant compositions and keeps the groove going by introducing contradictory sentimentality.

“Geometrical Views” features a bass line with a immediate hook, but abandons it for duel-melody, a guitar against whale song like effect. “Rocks” is placed at the center of this EP and its dark, cinematic leanings has you questioning whether you are the only one in the room or if there is someone in the back seat. All the while sustaining the beauty in the lightly plucked strings.

Categories
Music Reviews Progressive Metal

Kingcrow – Phlegethon

I am always skeptical about reviewing albums submitted to ProgSnobs, but of course the one or two that turn out to be excellent always revives my interest in continuing the blog. Kingcrow‘s Phlegethon is one of those albums, pure progressive metal on their own terms. It is well-composed, well-paced, and the entire album never outlasts the spectacle.

The first song “The Slide”, more of a prologue, includes the use of traditional progressive rock album opening tropes, the sound of the sea on the beach and a haunting single-note piano. It works. It segues into “Timeshift Box”, a hard-driving and well-composed instrumental that sets the tone of the album and frames the band’s progressive metal style.