I’m such a nerd, and I’ve only leaned into it more and more as my life has gone on. I literally couldn’t care less what people think of me now, long gone is the bullied kid in high school, long live the age of the lame! With that nerd life comes a passion for not only D&D and Nintendo games but also a musical avenue. Prog, Tech Death, Power Metal, all of these are staples of a good nerds diet, and if you’re not at the cutting edge of any of these scenes then are you really a loser like me?
Scaling the halls of the geek (who shall inherit the earth) are Exist a Maryland based band whom are an amalgamation of genres, but we’ll get into that soon. The band have been pretty active since their 2010 In Mirrors EP and have gone on to release a couple of studio albums, 2013’s Sunlight and 2017’s So True, So Bound. However today we turn to the Prosthetic Records released third full length Egoiista. The album promises much from a band whom seem to exude a dedicated work ethic. However, is it too much? Will it reshape Prog as we know it? Let’s see.
The opening song Through Suffering He Paints The Universe is a definite Prog journey, the intro is akin to some sort of borderline ambient music with clean light guitars. This evolves into delicate clean vocals and further Jazz like clear cut instrumentation. Even when the drums come in it still refuses to be ‘heavy’ as such. It’s very much like the Kindly Bent To Free Us era of Cynic, and of that I approve. The song and album become a little more Death Metal when the unclean vocals drop, this is exactly my kind of jam. Continuing in unending Cynic fashion The Lottery comes next, and it sure is a jackpot. Wild riffs that are as clear as day stick out against an esoteric background of pure Prog delights. All of this is topped off by a beautiful blending of different vocal styles. I could go into great detail with each track as they all have their own beautiful eccentricities, however we’d be here forever. The next song I would like to address however is Infinite Monkey Theorem. This ten minute epic is a Sci-fi wonder of frantic guitars, drums and harsh vocals that is both rooted in the old school and new. Transdimensional and forward thinking, but also complete Cynic worship, again I’m in!
After that whirlwind trip we cross the halfway mark with Siblings Born Into Different Dimensions. This song is like a fluffy cloud of hippy laden Prog ideology. The vocals are hypnotic and make you feel like your floating through space. Not once does this spell break either, a more general Prog Rock vibe, but one that sits so well in the album. Egocosm slowly eases in the Metal edge once again, the unclean vocals crash in like melancholic rasps, very emotive and epic to be sure. I can even stomach the ambient instrumental oddities of Last Flight Looming as this is the exact album you want and indeed need such an interlude, Exist know good album structure that’s for sure. Things take a speedier turn in Spotlight’s Glow, perhaps more traditional Death Metal (to some extent) but still very strange and Prog heavy. It is however probably the most aggressive song on the album (not saying much really), it’s a welcome addition though. The climax comes in Amongst The Trees, however I say climax but what I should say is departure This is a record that I’m sad to see end. It’s a song that brings all the elements of the band together, but honestly it’s not a case of saving the best to last, for there is quality throughout this record.
I really cannot fault this album, it’s pretty much everything I want from Prog, a bit of Death Metal influence, hippy ideals, Sci-fi tomfoolery, slightly Tech, it’s wonderful. I think it’s also pretty unique in the sense that it’s somewhat genre-defying. One cannot pin it down strictly as Prog Death Metal, however if I had to that’s probably the tag I would use. Honestly though I can see Egoiista being a big hit in the wider Metal community, again it’s nice to see a band like this get some additional exposure. This right here is the future of Metal.
(10/10 George Caley)
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