The Trunk 16/9/2018: Review Roundup Special

It's been a while since our last Review Roundup Special. Let's remedy that, shall we? It's a bit of a mixed grab bag this time, with a few releases both newer and older getting some attention, so it's high time we shed some light on them. We'll be grouping reviews by the album to which they apply, and in each case you can click on the album title to be whisked away to the Bandcamp page. Without further ado, bring on the reviews!

Argos - Unidentified Dying Objects

The Progressive Aspect - "The PR information describes them as 'maybe the most British-sounding progressive rock band to come out of Germany', and I think that is a spot on description... It has taken me a long time to write this review, partly due to my enjoyment of the album. When I play it I just become immersed in the sounds, forgetting that I should be taking notes!"

Jerry Lucky - "Overall there’s a nice blend of melodic lyrical lines mixed with extended instrumental passages moving songs emotionally one way or the other... I love the fact they include a variety of musical influences and execute them so well."

Echoes and Dust - "With the sounds soaring through the skies, Argos is taking the listener on a magic carpet ride from start to finish."

Profil (French) - "In short everything is there and everything is going very harmonious way to a gradual end... I am captivated, moved and never bored."

Eclectic Shadows (Greek) - "They are just interested in the composition and play for the song rather than for themselves... if you urgently need a prog dose to keep breathing, maybe this album is for you!"

Matt Baber - Suite for Piano and Electronics

Echoes and Dust - "Joy is wrought and wrangled from that wide, toothy grin and any sense of darkness or danger is swiftly doused in a shower of gleeful sounds. From the start to the finish, this work seeks out and finds jubilation in every potential sonic corner."

Mike Kershaw - Arms Open Wide

The Progressive Aspect - "Arms Open Wide is an album well worth investigating, filled with interesting sounds and intriguing lyrics, all played with great touch and skill."

PROG Magazine - "A marked leap forward that brims with artistic confidence... It's his most ambitious and complete work to date."

Eclectic Shadows (Greek) - "Mike has created a very interesting album, far from manners and replicas, with serious lyrics and really interesting progressive music, an album that progressive rock fans will have to check."

Shineback - Dial

Progradar (?) - "If you want rocky guitars, it’s here. If you want extended prog rock structures, you get them too. If you want synths and electronic drums you get those. Above all you get songs that really pay you back for multiple close listens... Is it good? I’m biased of course, but yes I think it’s fantastic."

Progressive Music Planet - "And once you’ve embraced Shineback, go and check out Valdez as well (also on Bad Elephant Music). This is how the poppier side of prog SHOULD sound."

The Trunk 3/6/2018: Review Roundup Special

June is upon us! Good grief, it came around fast. This week we're doing another Review Roundup Special, this time collating the many rather excellent reviews we've had for the now-legendary The Euphoric. Without further ado...

Jez Denton for Progradar - "The Fierce and The Dead have made an album of deep complexity whilst retaining a simplicity within the riff structure that drives the album on and doesn’t allow it to become samey or repetitive... The band are happy to confound, confuse and surprise in composition and performance which makes this album a fulfilling and satisfying listen."

Lee Davidson for Prog Metal Madness - "it's a bloody banger with ear-worms aplenty which would make Khan’s wrath uncontrollable!... a beautifully written and paced album which writhes through many different styles and moods and will leave you wanting more."

Real Gone - "This album is so obviously the work of The Fierce And The Dead and yet parts of it sound like nothing the band have attempted before. Always pushing forward – true progression – it’s a very satisfying listening experience."

Indie Buddie - "The Euphoric is a tight album, it’s cool well crafted and one wild ride and is sure to be awesome when performed live."

The Prog Mind - "It recalls the sounds of the 80s and 90s without actually sounding like those decades outside of the great use of synth... The Euphoric leaves the heart and humor of the band intact, but you will also find more experimentation with loud and soft tones, too."

Susan for Progressive Music Planet - "There are touchstones to music of other eras – I hear the 80s! – but the music is uniquely and passionately the band’s own... If you enjoy the work of instrumental bands such as The Dixie Dregs and Explosions In The Sky, please give The Fierce and The Dead’s The Euphoric a listen."

Zachary Nathanson - "Matt, Kev, Stuart, and Steve have shown that they are new captains of the millennium falcon and being a part of their ride as they make the jump to light-speed into the cosmos... The Fierce and The Dead are in my opinion are a family that works together. And The Euphoric is the growing spark."

Here Comes The Flood - "When the band locks into a groove they can transcendent, trippy, pastoral and - yes - metal. The Fierce And The Dead have found a middle way between sounding spontaneous and in control simultaneously... See your local bookie about the odds for The Fierce And The Dead."

Pete Blum for Progarchy - "And have I mentioned that it rocks?  That’s one of the things that I love the most about The Fierce and the Dead.  As they speak, as they provide passage, as they make serious music with what always sounds like a light touch, as they practice their aural alchemy, they also always rock."

Phil Lively for The Progressive Aspect - "The riff may be all, but, as I have explained, there can be too much of a good riff. One must know when there’s just enough and this must be arranged and moulded into a song. A great trick – if you can master it! I think that, and their astonishing live performances, is what The Fierce And The Dead do so well and it is at the root of their popularity and success."

Paul H for Musipedia of Metal - "As the album progresses there is plenty to captivate the listener... it is certainly well worth devoting time to give it a spin."

Any or all of that sound good to you? Pick up your copy here.

Status Update

Matt Baber has crested the horizon and is now running full tilt towards us, inescapable, merciless. In unrelated news, his album's almost out! Suite for Piano and Electronics comes out in less than two weeks, and we highly recommend preordering now to get hold of it as soon as humanly possible.