Band: Asceta | Album: The Fool Leading the Blind | Genre: Progressive rock, Avant-prog | Bandcamp
The new album from this Chilean instrumental ensemble features some daring and exciting music. Chamber music plays a major part in Asceta’s sound, with the band frequently channeling early RIO acts. The 21-minute title track is often tense. Reed instruments, tinkling piano, and wobbly, wonky rhythms constantly keep the listener on unsure footing. I also really like the 10-minute closing song, which is relatively guitar-forward by this band’s standards. The three songs in between are good compositions, as well, but they feel less necessary. Maybe they could have been shortened, or maybe one could have been left out altogether. Despite that, The Fool Leading the Blind is an engaging and creative record.
Score: 80/100
Band: Dreadnought | Album: Wars of Spirit // Wards of Light | Genre: Progressive metal, Post-metal | Bandcamp
Dreadnought‘s newest album sees some rare churn in the band’s lineup. Longtime keyboardist and co-vocalist Lauren Vieira has left the band, with guitarist/flutist/lead vocalist Kelly Schilling taking over key duties. Coming four years after The Endless–an album I initially gave a very positive review to, but which hasn’t quite held up over the ensuing years–WoS//WoL features a pretty daring evolution in their sound.
Gothic metal–most notably Tiamat–is a huge influence on this record. The synth tones are both lush and airy, but Dreadnought still manages to retain a lot of their powerful doom metal riffage. The occasional folk and jazz flourish shows up here and there for some nice contrast. Dreadnought was never shy about including minimal, ethereal moments on their records, and this one is no exception. If anything, that ethereal quality is more pervasive than ever. The band also dips their toes into electronic music on “Aeonwar”, to mixed results. And the closing “The Twilight Protectorate” features some wonderful, victorious-sounding sci-fi synth tones. I really respect Dreadnought for switching things up on this album and evolving their sound. The end result is pretty solid, overall, though there are some mild stumbles here and there.
Score: 78/100
Continue reading “Odds & Ends: November 2, 2026”
