I’ll be perfectly honest — I fucking love rock operas. As someone with a background in both musical theater and heavy metal, it’s a grandiose sweet spot I’m perfectly suited to enjoy. Make that double if it’s a sweeping, intergalactic prog metal rollercoaster. Luckily, Philadelphia’s Parius have given us just that with upcoming Willowtip debut The Signal Heard Throughout Space.
Lead single “The Signal” introduced us to the group’s new roster, adding Dan Silver on drums and keyboardist Sean Gallagher. The 6-minute barnburner soars through section after section of unbridled proggy glee, eating up atmosphere as it ascends to staggering heights. The band claim influence from some expected stalwarts like Mastodon, Opeth, The Mars Volta, and Mr. Bungle, and certainly, the touches are heard throughout. With new single “Spaceflight Dementia” however, a slightly different pedigree becomes immediately apparent. Parius are operating at early-2000s Dream Theater levels of untouchable prog metal prowess, with some heavy dashes of Between The Buried And Me and Thank You Scientist thrown in for good measure. The end result is an undulating, delicious cut of high-falutin’ sci-fi fare that’s sure to bring the house down live. Needless to say, I’m absolutely sold. Check out “Spaceflight Dementia” below and pre-order The Signal Heard Throughout Space before it drops October 7th.