Album Review: Sigh – Goh-Ka

Band: Sigh | Album: Goh-Ka | Genre: Progressive metal | Year: 2026

From: Tokyo, Japan | Label: Peaceville

For fans of: Enslaved, Between the Buried and Me, Opeth

Sigh is one of the longest-running and most influential progressive metal bands out there. Starting off as a symphonic black metal band in the early 1990s, they quickly took a more experimental turn and never looked back.

Goh-Ka is the band’s 14th full-length release (or 13th, if you want to categorize last year’s re-recording of their 2007 album, Hangman’s Hymn, a little differently). This album is based on kusōzu, a Japanese artform depicting the nine stages of decay described in Buddhism. These are used as a means of meditation on impermanence.

The music here sticks to Sigh’s usual style. But where the last album of theirs I listened to–Shiki–left me unimpressed, this is one of their strongest outings. Avant-garde, progressive, and Japanese folk elements play large parts on this album, and the use of recurring musical themes ties everything together. Japanese folk was more prominent than usual on Shiki, and that trend continues here.

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Album Review: Kraanerg – Aria for Labellum Tongues

Band: Kraanerg | Album: Aria for Labellum Tongues | Genre: Avant-prog | Year: 2026

From: Minneapolis, USA | Label: Independent

For fans of: Frank Zappa, Papangu, Sigh, Cardiacs

Bandcamp

Kraanerg is the brainchild of composer and multi-instrumentalist Nat Bergrin, and Aria for Labellum Tongues is their third full-length release (and their second as a full band). This was my first exposure to Kraanerg, and I was very impressed by what I encountered. Western classical music plays a massive role on this record, both in terms of instrumentation and structure. Plenty of bands will shoehorn in some violin, but not many display the ability to integrate classical influences quite like this band does.

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Album Review: Mastodon – Marrow Deep

Band: Mastodon | Album: Marrow Deep | Genre: Progressive metal | Year: 2026

From: Atlanta, USA | Label: Loma Vista

Bandcamp

Mastodon is a trailblazing band in the realm of modern metal. As it stands, prog-sludge is one of the most popular varieties of progressive metal, at least by the sheer number of bands playing in that style, and much of that popularity can surely be attributed to these Atlantans.

In revisiting their discography prior to writing this review, I noticed something of a parallel to Metallica’s career trajectory. Both bands started off with four absolutely stunning albums. This phase of work was then followed by a shift toward more radio-friendly sounds. (Obviously, The Hunter was nowhere near the success that Metallica’s self-titled was, but there are still overarching similarities.) Metallica’s subsequent records have ranged from middling (Death Magnetic, Hardwired), to awful (Reload, St. Anger), to downright baffling (Lulu). Mastodon, meanwhile, has been more consistent (and simply better, to be frank), but their output since the masterpiece that is Crack the Skye has oscillated boring-to-okay.

Marrow Deep, the group’s ninth LP, comes at a time of major change for the band. It follows five years after their last album, the perfectly fine but overlong Hushed & Grim. It’s also their first release since the death of guitarist-vocalist Brent Hinds, following his messy firing from the band. Longtime touring keyboardist João Nogueira has also joined the band, officially making Mastodon a quintet, alongside new guitarist Nick Johnston.

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Odds & Ends: September 7, 2026

Bands: Cocanha, Los Sara Fontán, Tarta Relena | Album: 4132314 | Genre: Experimental folk | Bandcamp

This collaboration of three duos is a mixture of original compositions and reinterpretations of folk songs. Cocanha specializes in Occitan polyphony, Los Sara Fontán in Catalan folk, and Tarta Relena in electronic-tinged post-rock; and all three bands’ styles are on proud display here. The vocals are rich, multi-layered, and carefully arranged; and the backing is brimming with odd metrical flourishes. This record feels like it has one foot in the twenty-first century and another in the nineteenth, and it’s a fantastic mash-up.

Score: 86/100

Band: Furii | Album: Pyromancy | Genre: Progressive pop | Bandcamp

Furii (pronounced “fury”) is a Cardiacs-adjacent project, a fact which is unmistakable from this album’s opening moments. Sole bandmember Adrien Rodes is the longtime keyboardist of Spratleys (another Tim Smith project) and an occasional member of Cardiacs’ live band. Joanne Spratley, another member of Spratleys, provides vocals on Pyromancy, and her vocals lend an eerie, airy atmosphere. The textures on this record are psychedelic and dreamy, with tinkling piano and swirling synths. Despite the songs being rather to-the-point, the soundscapes presented are dense and complex, with lots of innovative sonic choices. I found LSD to be an exhausting listen (and not in a fun way), but this is a much more enjoyable spiritual successor to Cardiacs.

Score: 80/100

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Album Review: Jordsjø – Pestkrønikene

Band: Jordsjø | Album: Pestkrønikene | Genre: Progressive rock, Heavy psych | Year: 2026

From: Oslo, Norway | Label: Dying Victims Productions

For fans of: Anekdoten, Wobbler, Uriah Heep, Rush

Bandcamp

This is far from the first time Jordsjø has been featured on this site. They’re among the most prominent names in the flourishing Norwegian prog scene, and their music is usually pretty solid. Their last release, the split LP Kontraster with Breidablik, featured some of their best work ever.

What I love about Jordsjø’s usual work is the way they integrate classic Anglo-prog elements with ample Nordic folk flavors. Pestkrønikene (Eng.: The Plague Chronicles), then, marks something of a break from their usual style. The music here is much heavier, harder, and fuzzier, drawing from classic heavy psych sounds. It’s certainly different from their usual output, but it’s another strong entry in their discography.

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Album Review: Hesse Kassel – Morir Saltando

Band: Hesse Kassel | Album: Morir Saltando | Genre: Post-rock | Year: 2026

From: Santiago, Chile | Label: Amuleto

For fans of: black midi, Swans, Kayo Dot

Bandcamp

Chilean post-rock sextet Hesse Kassel are back with their second full-length release. Last year’s La Brea had a ton of really solid music on it, but on repeated listens, its biggest hindrance is its crushing length. Eight songs with an average runtime of nearly ten minutes can make for an exhausting experience, even in the hands of very skilled songwriters and musicians. The songs on Morir Saltando (Eng.: To Die Jumping) retain all the strengths of those on their debut, but they are more focused, giving them more impact.

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Album Review: Papangu – Celestial

Band: Papangu | Album: Celestial | Genre: Progressive rock, Jazz-rock | Year: 2026

From: João Pessoa, Brazil | Label: Deck

For fans of: Genesis, Soft Machine, Gentle Giant, King Crimson

Bandcamp

Brazilian prog quintet Papangu returns with their third LP, Celestial. This was likely my most-anticipated album of the year, given this group’s track record. Their 2021 debut, Holoceno, is, to date, the only album I’ve given a perfect score to upon release. That album is easily the best integration of zeuhl and metal I’ve heard, and even now it absolutely holds up after many, many listens.

Then in 2024, the band shifted their sound rather drastically on their sophomore LP Lampião Rei. With the expansion of the band to include keyboards and wind instruments, Papangu explored a jazzier direction. That jazziness continues here, with sounds from both the band’s native Brazil and the Canterbury scene playing prominent roles. Hints and dashes of their metal and zeuhl roots crop up throughout this album, but the sound is overall much closer to Lampião Rei than to the apocalyptic tones of Holoceno.

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Album Review: Nostalghia – Departure

Band: Nostalghia | Album: Departure | Genre: Progressive metal | Year: 2026

From: Mexico City, Mexico | Label: Independent

For fans of: Opeth, Enslaved, Riverside

Bandcamp

Nostalghia is a one-man project helmed by Mexican multi-instrumentalist Alex Becerra. This album is my first exposure to Nostalghia, but it looks like this is a very prolific project. According to RYM, this Departure is Nostalghia’s 14th release since their debut in 2020. The music on this record is stunningly diverse and ambitious. Aside from the band’s black metal roots, jazz, classical, alt-rock, classic prog, and more all play important parts here.

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Odds & Ends: August 3, 2026

Band: beauty is the end | Album: White Knuckle Dress | Genre: Art rock, Progressive pop | Bandcamp

Ever wonder what Spock’s Beard might sound like if they were a lightly-folky art-pop band? Well, I think beauty is the end is a pretty good approximation of that idea. Their songs are long and complexly-structured, with some flashy and emotive instrumentalism. Tones are mostly bright, but they also ably deploy tense, minor-key moments well. I really enjoy how prominent violin is throughout the record, and melodies are pretty consistently catchy. Certain passages are a bit cheesier than I’d normally go for, but this record is an overall success. The 10-minute “Domesticated” is a definite highlight.

Score: 76/100

Band: Brass Camel | Album: Brass Camel | Genre: Progressive rock | Bandcamp

Brass Camel’s third album is a peppy, punchy, enthusiastic, and unashamedly retro-sounding record. They lean heavily into classic rock, hard rock, and glam rock tropes and imbue it with Yes-like technical flashiness. They remind me a lot of acts like (early) Kansas or some of Queen’s more ambitious moments. The sound is maximal and bright, and they effortlessly weave catchy pop melodies alongside complex instrumental displays. I wouldn’t call this an essential release, but it’s a lot of fun, and it’s an example of how to do proggy retro-rock well.

Score: 75/100

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Album Review: Genghis Tron – Signal Fire

Band: Genghis Tron | Album: Signal Fire | Genre: Post-metal, Industrial, Cybergrind | Year: 2026

From: Poughkeepsie, USA | Label: Relapse

For fans of: Dillinger Escape Plan, Nine Inch Nails, BTBAM

Bandcamp

Genghis Tron’s last album, 2021’s Dream Weapon, was my introduction to the band. It was also a rather sharp break with their first two records. Where their first two were scourging mixtures of electronica, grindcore, and mathcore, the lush textures and restrained tempos of Dream Weapon were downright relaxing by comparison.

Their new album, Signal Fire, then, is something of a return to their earlier sound. It’s not entirely without the spacey post-rock elements that dominate on Dream Weapon, but this is a much more intense and aggressive release.

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