Cryptodira – Genesis of Error
Cryptodira have long been Heavy Blog favourites for their dynamic and aggressive approach to progressive metal that isn’t afraid to let other influences in. Hell, one of the oldest videos on our youtube channel dating back 11 years now, is a live video of them playing a track off their 2013 EP Recursions, much before they really broke out with 2017’s The Devil’s Despair. Even back then it was clear there was something special about this young prog band from Long Island, NY. And while this latest release is only a brief 15-minute 3-track EP, it feels like a strong culmination and realization of the evolution of their sound to date.
Progressive metal has been in a weird place for a good while now. “Progressive metalcore” has been virtually synonymous with “djent” since the early 2010s, and that sound hasn't exactly exactly progressed in too many meaningful ways. While there’s plenty of great progressive takes at death and black metal, that middle-ground that’s still heavy, but not power, symphonic, or 70s prog-rock adjacent has been painfully less traveled. Bands like A Sense of Gravity (come back, please) and A Novelist (you too) were successfully filling that void for a bit, but the band I’m tip-toeing around here is of course Between the Buried and Me, specifically their earlier sound. Cryptodira have managed to capture some of the energy and formula of Alaska-era BTBAM, combined with some of the virtuosity of bands like The Human Abstract. It’s perhaps a testament to their ingenuity how few bands have managed to tread a similar path, and thus it shouldn’t be taken lightly how impressive it is for them to be mentioned in the same ballpark. Yes, this can loosely be defined as progressive metalcore that's actually progressive.
Like most prog releases, this is definitely something best enjoyed listening to start to finish. The 3 tracks are split into a 4-minute opener, a sub 2-minute interlude of sorts, followed by an epic 9-minute closer, but the whole thing works as one big beautiful opus. While the "metalcore" merit here is mostly tied to the vocal delivery, switching between soothing somewhat Tommy Giles Rogers-esque cleans to raspy growls, this should still appeal to more purist prog fans. However you want to define this, it's another strong outing from one of the most important and consistent bands in progressive metal today.
Luxury Problems – Let Go or Get Dragged
While Cryptodira have been at this grind for years now, a brand new face on the scene are Luxury Problems—a three-piece from Madison, WI. With a DIY-ethos at their forefront, who deliver punishing, in-your-face mathcore with some progressive and experimental twists. Despite unfortunately not being a water-ski themed concept album, their new EP Let Go or Get Dragged immediately hits you in the face like a brick. The unrelenting intensity rivals something like Ion Dissonance with a balance of meat grinding heaviness and churning technicality. Refreshingly amidst this is a nice amount of tasteful melody that gives your brain a little bit more to latch onto, before they make one of several surprising turns into a sort of ambient electro-pop, of which the group fittingly compares to the likes of The Armed and electro-industrial kings Helath.
Like progressive metal, mathcore has struggled a bit with stagnancy. The aforementioned Armed seemingly making a return to their roots with their new release are back pushing the barriers. Yet, there’s certainly more room for this sort of experimentation and eclecticism which is also on display by Luxury Problems. The self-produced EP obviously doesn’t sound as polished as the big name producers, but it certainly doesn’t hold it back. It has an early-2010 type sound that helps double-down on some of the nostalgia factor. Deep earth-shaking chugs on the second track “Wage Theft” accomplish exactly what you’d want from them, while sounding oddly reminiscent of those deathcore moments from The Contortionist’s Exoplanet (2010). In short, Luxury Problems take the misanthropic dissonant brutality of deathcore-influenced mathcore and give it some emotional weight through contrasting noise pop textures and glitchy harmonies for a refreshing spin on the genre.
Both EPs are available now to stream or purchase in full.