Who are these talented guys? Well, here is their bio (from ethosband.com):
Ethos is an American rock band from Rome, Georgia, formed in 2009. The band consists of Austen Earp (lead vocals, piano, guitar, synthesizer), Matthew Palopoli (lead guitar), Nick Riggs (bass, vocals), and Tribb Robison (drums, percussion). Known for their fusion of heavy rock riffs, classical piano, syncopated rhythms, and melodic vocals, the group exhibits a technically rich yet accessible rock sound with roots in Alternative rock, Progressive rock, and Post-metal. Ethos explores songwriting through the power of impression and are fascinated with music’s inherent ability to affect emotions, giving them an innovative edge that demands attention.
Their debut album, Vessels, was independently released in 2012, featuring high energy, emotive music by integrating the classical, progressive, and alternative genres. The record was written and recorded during the greater part of 2011-2012, produced by frontman Austen Earp, and mastered by Rodney Mills (Atlanta, GA).
Ethos’ most recent release, Evergreen, is an acoustic EP consisting of stripped-down versions of songs from their 2012 debut release, along with a brand new song, “Evergreen.” It features the use of the violin, cornet, and dobro, ultimately proving how diverse the band can be.
I recently discovered this song by Alan Stewart that the good people at Numberphile posted. It’s a prog tune based on the digits of pi and tau. Now, before you turn up your nose at the thought of combining random digits with music, give it a listen. It’s quite good and packed with mathematical puns. For example, the camera makes a complete circle as the tune unfolds.
Following the critical success of their 2013 release Heights, New Jersey-based instrumental band damascus is back with a new full-length album, When Last We Met. Like its predecessor, the record was recorded and mixed by Frank Marra at Treehouse Sound in Jersey City.
On When Last We Met, the group continues to explore and experiment in the space where post-rock, progressive metal, and droning ambient collide. The record offers some of the band’s most dynamic music to date: from soaring riffs and crushing grooves to delicate harmonies and acoustic passages, the band has never woven together more diverse textures and styles, though it remains totally accessible and immediately enjoyable.
The band is joined for the first time by Craig Vandenberge, whose double bass adds yet another dimension of thoughtful lyricism to the album. With its longform arrangements, oddly familiar time signatures, and overwhelming catharsis, When Last We Met is music to fascinate and delight.
The record was mastered by Erik Kvortek at Trax East Recording Studio. It will be released for free stream and download at damascus’ bandcamp website on November 25th, 2014. A limited vinyl pressing by SlyVinyl Records is planned for early 2015. Visit http://damascusnj.bandcamp.com to stream the title track now!
damascus is: Brendan Bianowicz, drums; George Eppinger, guitar; Gil Morejón, guitar and keyboards; Edwin Rivera, bass
Australian alternative prog rockers, Opus of a Machine are set to release their debut album entitled “Simulacra” on November 16th. The band has crafted a release that has full potential to top many of the year’s top lists.
We talked with guitarist Zachary Greensill about the album, songwriting, inspiration, and even dogs.
First of all, what’s behind the name, “Opus of a Machine”? Is there an interesting story behind its choosing?
Depends on what you consider interesting! Funnily enough, the name comes from a Youtube comment I noticed about a particular well-known guitarist in the progressive scene that noted that the guys phrasing sounds like “the opus of a machine”. “Opus” is Latin for “work”, but most people know of it from the phrase “magnum opus”, which translate to “great work”. The name stuck out to me for a few reasons because of what it says about music and art. What would a machine with all the knowledge in the universe consider art? And more importantly, what gives us the ability to create art? Is it intuition? Or is just a series of electrical impulses, coupled with thousands of years of genetic and cultural programming? And if it’s the later, what makes us any less than any other machine?
What first attracted you to the sound and scope of progressive rock?
I think I enjoy the idea of creating progressive and unique themes not yet explored. The focus for me personally will always be “what makes the song as good as it can be?” as with any genre of music. However, I lean more towards progressive elements because it allows me to be more exploratory in my song writing. I love how bands like Radiohead, Devin Townsend or Pink Floyd weren’t only amazing songwriters but also had this element of experimentation to their music that set them apart from everyone else. Progressive ideologies allow us to be as unique and identifiable as we don’t have to subscribe to any given genre.
Your debut album, “Simulacra” is scheduled for a November 16th release. How long did it take you to complete work on it?
Depends of where you start! Some songs are around 3 or 4 years old and were written with little idea of where they would go in the long run. Recording began around two years ago and became a little stressful with the balance of touring with Caligula’s Horse (my other band) and working/studying. During that time, I was still fleshing out song ideas for the album, so it wasn’t as structured as most albums where you’d spend time writing, than pre-production, than recording, mixing etc. Overall, it took us a good 2 and a half years to fully complete the album.
Tell me about the process that informed the album.
I wrote most of the album with a large chunk co-written by Mitchell (Legg, vocalist/guitarist) before the band was even formed. When the band formed we immediately jumped into recording, which was already a crazy experience considering how stressful trying to record an album can be on friendships, especially new ones, but we made it work.
What was the inspiration behind “Simulacra,” any stories behind the choice of name, writing songs, planning of the album, anything that might help shed some light on it?
The album itself is a loose concept album, with a vague about a protagonist’s life. However, the “protagonist” is really just an avatar for themes such as loss, abuse, love, religion and perspective. The whole album is tied together by the title track, which is about cycles of themes that manifest themselves in different ways.
Do you have a favorite tracks from the new album or any moments that you’re particularly proud of?
For me, I’m extremely proud of the last track, Tuatara. It’s a bit of a prog cliché to end an album with a long drawn out track, but the way that song came together was without any preconceptions of length or album sequencing. I love the flow and emotional heaviness throughout the track. Plus, it has some of the best moments to perform live. That song is a treat.
Which bands in particular inspired your work on “Simulacra”?
Devin Townsend was a huge influence in the production of the album for me. I love the dense, wall of sound production and the idea of creating space and mood with layering. But so many bands inspired different aspects of the album. Karnivool, Meshuggah, Tool, Opeth, A Perfect Circle, Oceansize, Radiohead and Devin Townsend were some of the bands that stand out as key influences for the album.
Do you plan to promote the album live?
Absolutely. We’ve got an album launch show planned in our hometown of Brisbane on the 22nd of November; a week after the album is released to celebrate the release. After a short break around December/January, we plan on getting out and playing a good amount of shows in support of the album. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we’ll hopefully get down to some of the major cities of Australia early to mid next year.
Are there any recent prog albums that you might recommend? This year’s been incredible for music so far. Australia, in particular, has produced some of the greatest records this year.
Prog albums? That’ll be a tough one as I don’t listen to too much prog myself, but album that has come out this year that have been highlights have been Slipknot’s “5: The Grey Chapter”, Closure in Moscow’s “Pink Lemonade”, Animals as Leaders’ “Joy of Motion” and Voyager’s “V”.
What does the future look like for Opus of a Machine?
Pretty great, I’m stoked to hear the reception of “Simulacra” considering it’s been so long. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s going to be interesting and I can’t wait.
Do the band members of Opus of a Machine have dogs? Do you like dogs?
Hahaha, we’re all living in tiny apartments, so we haven’t had a chance to get dogs, but my girlfriend is obsessed with dachshunds so maybe sometime in the future we’ll get a dog. I’m definitely a dog person. Cats are not my bag.
Opus of a Machine’s debut album “Simulacra” is out on November 16th. Pre-order it now from Bandcamp at a discounted price and free shipping.
Please send your love and support to Brad Birzer. He needs to devote Progarchy time to other projects, but we honor him for all the incredible passion he has poured into this most excellent site, and we pledge to keep the flame alive!
Review of Lunatic Soul, Walking on a Flashlight Beam (Kscope, 2014).
Birzer Rating: (6/10)
Let me begin by offering my Mariusz Dudas streetcred. I love Duda’s voice as well as his compositional skills. He possesses a profound sense of flow, allowing his music to move seamlessly from emotion to sentiment to feeling and back again. His voice is the kind that pulls one in, calling for full immersion. I’ve also always appreciated his lyricism, especially given that he’s not a native English speaker. He always seems to know the perfect lyric for the music and the perfect music for the lyric.
For a decade, I’ve been following his work. For a while, I thought I saw a continuity in all of his work: First Three Riverside Albums—Lunatic Soul—ADHD—Lunatic Soul. Lunatic Soul, beautiful and gorgeous in its own way, seemed the perfect interlude to accompany the drama of Riverside. For better or worse, this scheme has broken down almost completely now, especially after Shrine (Riverside) and Impressions (Lunatic Soul).
For any of you who have heard Riverside or Lunatic Soul (and I assume it’s all of you), you know have very captivating the music is. Walking on a Flashlight Beam is a reviewer’s purgatory. It’s quite good and well worth owning—a must for any fan of Riverside and Lunatic Soul—but it doesn’t captivate in the way that the first two Lunatic Soul albums did or the first four Riverside albums. Duda’s lyrics are as good as always—despite the weird pedestrian title of the album—as is his sense of flow. But, the flaw in this album is that it attempts to make the Lunatic Soul sound fresh by adding in a bizarre mixture of sound effects, many of which sound like old, recycled Depeche Mode noises from the early 80s. It’s not as extreme as, say, U2’s Pop, but it is leaning in that direction. So, a conundrum—all the things that make a Duda album here are great, but the attempt to experiment and innovate sounds false and clunky. Admittedly, Walking on a Flashlight Beam is sounding much less clunky after several listens.
Just to experiment, however, I played the first Lunatic Soul album immediately after listening to the new one. The first made my soul soar. This one made it want to soar, but it merely hovered.
This is a previously unreleased track from the Ghost album sessions. It’s called Blue Filter, I played it live a lot around the time when the album came out..
I’m selling some of the my gear on Ebay. The Kaossilator I used on the song Lake Man on the Ghost album and delay pedal from the Stabbing A Dead Horse tour.
Other than that it’s heads down writing and recording new material for new projects/Fierce And The Dead and the next solo record. One gig coming up in Milton Keynes in on the 31st January with Solstice.
Progarchy 