Welcome to the February Progress Report. We have a bit of an odd duck for a column this month, in that a lot of the releases featured here are only very marginally prog. Still, with slim pickings to start the year we dug in and gave all these albums a fair shake, looking for any sort of progressive tendencies we could find, and certainly enjoyed it. Next month will see a bigger focus on prog, but in the meantime check these albums out and support any artists you find interesting.
Ratings are on a five star scale.
Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra – The Escapologist (Self)
Jason Bieler might best be known as the leader of ’90s metal outfit Saigon Kick. That band stopped releasing new music decades ago, but they are still kicking around (pardon the pun). However, Bieler flexes his guitar, vocal, and songwriting skills in a number of different ways, including on The Escapologist.
Cheekily attributed to his band The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra, The Escapologist isn’t really prog (like we alluded to in the intro), more just a well-crafted hard rock album. Bieler has a knack for hooks and laces his songs with humor, both of which lend to a fun and engaging album, and he and his band flesh out these demos with aplomb. Certainly worth checking out.
Rating: 3.5
Destroyers Of All – In Darkness We Remain (Self)
Also not really prog, In Darkness We Remain is the third album from Portuguese death/thrash outfit Destroyers Of All, and first since 2019. While primarily steeped in the stylings of those genres, the band also brings in other influences such as black metal, hard rock, and yes, prog metal.
Destroyers Of All imbue their music with plenty of technicality and ferocity, laying waste to riffs and vocal melodies alike. The album wraps up with an extremely heavy take on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” a fitting end to a head-banging outing that will certainly please all the death/thrash fans out there.
Rating: 3.5
Gin Lady – Before The Dawn Of Time (Ripple)
Our third album this month follows a now-familiar pattern: not really prog. Gin Lady are a Swedish band whose roots are firmly entrenched in the early ’70s, and here on their seventh album (and first with Ripple) Before The Dawn Of Time they bring to bear all their talents to deliver an amazingly warm and authentic take on the sounds of yore.
The first thing you’ll realize upon spinning Before The Dawn Of Time (and you should spin it; this kind of music is made for vinyl) is that this is a beautifully sounding album. Lush production augments the stellar songwriting and performances of Gin Lady, making for an incredibly enjoyable album that, despite being only somewhat progressive, is our pick of the month.
Rating: 4
Obscura – A Sonication (Nuclear Blast)
Possibly the most recognizable name in our column this month, Obscura return with A Sonication, the middle entry in the German veterans’ current trilogy of releases. Obscura are nothing if not ambitious, both in project scope and musical technicality, and A Sonication, continues along a path that closely follows 2021’s A Valediction.
Much like that album, A Sonication is more tech-death than prog, but no less engrossing. Intense drumming and dizzying riffs leave the mind gasping for breath, and the replay value of this album is high, with new twists and turns unfolding on every listen. This is a worthy follow-up to A Valediction.
Rating: 3.5
Pattern-Seeking Animals – Friend Of All Creatures (GEP)
Okay, our first album that one might truly consider “prog.” Pattern-Seeking Animals have been releasing a lot of music in recent years, with Friend Of All Creatures being their fifth album in just seven years. Fans of the band know what to expect: a very melodic and approachable take on progressive rock.
Interestingly, this whole album was written and produced by keyboardist/guitarist John Boegehold, but that does not dim the contributions of the other three members. Friend Of All Creatures continues the charming and affable prog rock we’ve come to expect from Pattern-Seeking Animals and is as expected a worthy addition to their discography.
Rating: 3.5
Rioghan – Kept (Inverse)
Our last album this month fits in with most of the others in that there are hints of prog but other styles dominate. Rioghan are a Finnish band billed as prog/alt-metal/gothic metal, and Kept is their second album. The band is led by outstanding vocalist Rioghan Darcy.
The problem here is one of identity. Rather than melding their influences into a prog/alt/goth style, Rioghan lay down songs in each genre individually, making Kept a hard album to pin down. The songs are hit and miss with the variety of vocal styles, but the modern production, some strong arrangements, and a skilled vocalist make this more hit than miss, and worth a few listens.
Rating: 3
