Infinite Rising “Awakening”

    Just as our galaxy is a place that has fueled human curiosity and inspired wondering minds, the Italian trio Infinite Rising combines their fascination for space and Sci-Fi movies with a passion for progressive rock and metal music that traverses through a plethora of captivating musical landscapes. The band’s debut album, “Awakening,” is a dynamic sounding instrumental release which combines technical talent with breath taking cinematic like touches. 

    Musically, Infinite Rising seems to be very efficient in terms of their technical talents, reminding me of such acts as Scale the Summit and Animals as Leaders. They really do an impressive job at building such complex compositions through the use of various time signatures as well as riff structures. The three band members, Federico Albanese (guitar), Silvia Pistolesi (bass) and Alessandro Formichi (drums), have really great chemistry and the music flows with a graceful synergy. “Awakening,” is a very refreshing release that not only demonstrates the group’s highly skilled technical talents, but also their keen compositional efforts and ability to have everything flawlessly come together. 

  The album features six tracks with the opening song called, “Nocturnal Skywatchers.” From the very beginning of the song, you can tell that these three musicians are extremely creative when pertaining to how they use their instruments to tell this complex progressive story without any words. Also, the production and recording quality adds so much to band’s sound and really highlights the guitarist’s brilliant tone. Plus, the bass parts during the track sounded so fluid and vibrant to compliment the mesmerizing guitar notes and precise drum rhythms. On the second track, "Cosmic Sunset," the band begins with some frantic scale runs and eventually transitions into a more metal sounding jam. I thought the lead guitar playing was very virtuosic and it really demanded your attention as the guitarist shredded throughout the composition. 

  As a huge fan of Rush, I really liked the bass playing on the third track, “Perpetual Mood,” which reminded me of Geddy’s playing on albums like “Roll the Bones” and “Counterparts.” That bass tone just hits you with such bombastic force, while at the same time offering up these funky and unbelievably catchy fills. The drumming is also very well executed and on the fourth song, “Orbital Inclination,” the different time signatures and rhythmic patterns has your head completely spinning. It can be very challenging to come up with instrumental tracks, as sometimes you might get overwhelmed by the constant tempo changes along with the endless technical arrangements. However, Infinite Rising did a solid job keeping everything sounding tight and making sure they did not deviate too far from their vision. 

  Personally I thought the final two songs on the album were the most fascinating pieces of music with the fifth song, “Eternal,” being a truly profoundly progressive science fiction themed odyssey. I am a huge fan of atmospheric elements and I thought the band incorporated some haunting celestial atmospheric sounds to compliment the dynamic arrangements. The final song on the album, “Emotion Galaxy,” features a spectacular piano arrangement, which allows the conclusion of this album to be a very soothing experience. Again, I thought the overall execution when pertaining to how they went about arranging their songs was without a doubt one of the band’s greatest accomplishments on this release. 

  When looking back at the entire release, “Awakening,” is an unbelievably creative and skillfully crafted album that brings together progressive rock and metal elements to explore infinite sounding possibilities. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys progressive instrumental rock and metal music, because when there are no words the music allows your mind to create these mental images and drift away into the comforting complex melodic landscapes. I look forward to more music from Infinite Rising and I hope the band digs deeper into some of the musical concepts I heard on the fifth track, “Eternal,” as that is easily the best song off the album in my opinion.
Even though there are still mysteries about the galaxy which we do not yet know, Infinite Rising is able to provide us with a soundtrack to listen to as we ponder about the vast starry frontier above us. 

Check out the video for the song "Cosmic Sunset" below:

Infinite Rising's website:

https://infiniterising.co/

Scale the Summit "V"

    Without lyrics, a band must use their instruments to craft vivid musical landscapes for listeners to lose themselves in a world of constant creative wonder. Scale the Summit seems to have a reputation for creating magnificent instrumental progressive rock pieces, and it definitely shows on their fifth album.

    These musicians are well recognized among the progressive rock and metal community for their highly talented musicianship. All of them are knowledgeable music makers who know how to compose a piece while fully utilizing their special talents. I personally did not find out about the band until their last release, “The Migration.” Unfortunately, I only listened to a few songs from that album and seemed to not follow the band very often. However, after listening to their new album, “V,” I am definitely going to listen to their past releases and try to keep more up to date with the band.

    Scale the Summit has awakened my inner appreciation for progressive rock and reminded me what endless splendor the genre still can offer. I am fan of older acts like Rush, Yes, early Genesis and Dream Theater, so hearing a modern metallic approach to progressive rock is very refreshing. I also want to make note that Scale the Summit is one of the few bands I have heard in a while who really pays attention to the recording of their music. They make sure that the vibrant qualities of each note ring out to perfection when presenting a piece of music on this album.

    All the songs on “V” are exceptional musical achievements and I find myself having a hard to determining which one is my favorite. The album just flows from beginning to end without any boring moments. Of course, this album is for a fan who appreciates progressive instrumental rock, so any fans of simple type rock and metal might want to be careful, or else their heads might explode. The opening track, “The Winged Bull,” begins as if one was floating across an ocean while the guitar and bass riffs slowly build up in the background. The drums come into the picture with excellent timing and the different directions that the guitar parts go off in is a great example of guitar dynamics.

    Tracks two and three, “Soria Moria” and “Pontus Euxinus,” continue the progressive instrumental drive of creative joy. I really enjoyed the bass lines on “Soria Moria,” that added a noticeable kick to the piece. “Trapped in Ice,” really grabbed my attention with the quicker paced intro riffs and the song features some fluid leads.

    Another track I want to mention is, “The Isle of Mull.” The music starts out with this bizarre science fiction themed noise and then the guitar player makes his presence known by playing through different scales. The last song I shall make note of is, “Oort Cloud.” I might be able to argue that this is my favorite song on the album, because I always start listening to album by going to this track first. I am simply amazed by the song’s soothing progressive rock atmosphere. Scale the Summit masterfully constructs the music with great attention to detail and the instrumental imagination is extremely vast.

    Any fan of progressive instrumental rock will be taken away by Scale the Summit’s, “V.” These musicians are unbelievable at times when playing on this album. The dedication to making such challenging and dynamic compositions is what helps allow Scale the Summit to standout in the world of rock music. The future of progressive music looks to be going strong as bands like Scale the Summit keep reaching new musical heights with each new release.

Scale the Summit's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/scalethesummit?fref=ts

Tempel "The Moon Lit Our Path"

    Sometimes an artist does not need words to tell a story. In the history of rock and metal, instrumental songs can be epic tales of wonder and amazement. Arizona duo, Tempel, is one of those bands that does not need words to tell a creative musical tale. These guys just have some awesome sounding song titles and creative musical compositions.
    Overall, this second release titled, “The Moon Lit Our Path,” is a more determined attempt of what can be heard on their debut release, “On the Steps of the Temple.” The band pushes their compositions and atmospheres into more technical and diverse sounding realms. Also, there is a chronological development that can be heard while listening to all five tracks on this new album. Each one is recorded with great consideration for detail. The drums and guitar arrangements are complex at times, but still maintain this dark heavy thunderous sound.
    “The Moon Lit Our Path,” can be best described as progressive metal mixed with elements of black metal and atmospheric rock. When I really listen to this album I can honestly say the progressive approach displays this band’s musical talents and determination. There are multiple parts that feature different tempos, time signatures and even parts that trade the heavy distorted guitar for a vibrant sounding acoustic guitar. I think the acoustic guitar incorporation added a unique flair to the music’s overall atmosphere.
    These songs seem to be placed in a certain order that if you read the titles, they tell a story of what is going on this album. Track one, “Carvings in the Door,” is the introduction and the band develops the instrumental track to reflect that feeling of discovering something that grows into a monumental sound. Loud bombastic riffs seem to continuously build up to this chaotic climax. The following track, “The Moon Lit Our Path,” begins with a sludgy riff that expands over the course of the track. Eventually the music takes on this calming vibe that reflects the bands more progressive doom like style.
    I really enjoyed tracks three and four on this album, “Descending into the Labyrinth” and “Tomb of the Ancients.” These songs featured some dark riffs and then could also display a mellower side with the acoustic guitar parts. “Tomb of the Ancients,” is probably my favorite on the album and begins with this haunting acoustic intro that compliments the album’s dark captivating cinematic theme.
    Probably towards the beginning of the final song, “Dawn Breaks Over the Ruins,” I was struggling a little bit to keep interest. An album of complex progressive instrumental metal songs is definitely a difficult task, because some listeners might not be used to this type of music. However, I was not completely disinterested and thought the finishing track offered enough diverse arrangements to keep me engaged.
    Once the last note fades off into the shadowy distorted musical sky, one must take a moment to reflect the effort and musical imagination that Tempel put into this album. “The Moon Lit Our Path,” is a really solid instrumental metal album that features a variety of styles. If you can handle vast extreme sounding instrumental landscapes, I would recommend you check this album out immediately! 

Tempel Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Tempelofficialband