The Pitch: Instrumental progressive metal EP from Austin, TX band Chronologist. FFO Animals as Leaders, Mendel, Sarah Longfield
What I Like: Following up the excellent album Cartographer, Chronologist have dropped 4 new songs under the title Equinox, the first in a new 4-part concept series set to release on each Solstice and Equinox of 2019. Much like the other artists listed above, this band melds a number of different styles together from aggressive, djent-infused metal to jazz and post-metal. Opening track "Névé" is my personal favorite, kicking off with a very ethereal, feel-good hook before transitioning into a series of very expressive leads and grooves. Once again, no need for vocals here; the guitars do more than enough talking. "Emigrate" is another great one, turning up the proggy riffage and closing with a Periphery-esque banger that sounds as if the playback device is running low on batteries. Across the board, Equinox delivers on engaging songwriting, killer jams, and epic solos.
Critiques: Nothing here I haven't really heard before. I few new ideas might help them stand out more.
The Verdict: If you're in that niche audience that enjoys instrumental prog as much as I do, you can't really go wrong with Chronologist. Their songwriting is always layered and interesting, and it comes with an admirable level of consistency. All 4 of these tracks are a welcome addition to any music collection, and I'm looking forward to hearing the other 3 releases in the series.
Flight's Fav's: Névé, Emigrate
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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