Persefone "Aathma"

Country: Andorra
Genre(s): Atmospheric Progressive Metal, Death Metal
Label: ViciSolum Productions (VSP100)
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 24, 2017
Tracklist: 
1. An Infinitesmal Spark (1:50)
2. One Of Many... (1:27)
3. Prison Skin (6:21)
4. Spirals Within Thy Being (7:16)
5. Cosmic Walkers (3:22)
6. No Faced Mindless (5:52)
7. Living Waves (5:45)
8. Vacuum (2:13)
9. Stillness Is Timeless (9:36)
10. Aathma
   Pt. I. Universal Oneness (6:35)
   Pt. II. Spiritual Bliss (4:05)
   Pt. III. One With The Light (5:22)
   Pt. IV. ...Many Of One (3:58)

Total time 63:42

Line-up: 
Marc Martins: Vocals
Carlos Lozano: Guitars
Miguel Espinosa: Keyboards, vocals
Tony Mestre: Bass
Sergi Verdeguer: Drums
Filipe Baldaia: Guitars
   With
Paul Masvidal (Cynic, Death): Vocals (1, 7)
Øystein Landsverk (Leprous)
Merethe Soltvedt

Description/Reviews: 

The intention here is blatantly obvious: to throw everything, including several kitchen sinks, at this album and create an opus of gargantuan proportions. Aathma is an hour plus of mindbending and bombastic progressive death metal, with lashings of soaring melody, proggy and symphonic stylings, high-level musicianship, atmospheric moments (Vacuum is quite beautiful) and whatever else the band could think of at the time. They even channel Cynic during Living Waves. All culminating in the title track, which is a twenty minute, multi-suite epic, rounding out the album.

Read the full review by Rod Whitfield at metalobsession.net

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (from the release date)
Teaser

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Nami "The Eternal Light of the Unconscious Mind"

Country: Andorra
Sub Genre: Tech/Extreme, Progressive Metal
Release date: November 4, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. The Beholders 07:52
2. Ariadna 05:08
3. Silent Mouth 05:47
4. Hunter's Dormancy 06:11
5. The Animal And The Golden Throne 03:18
6. Bless Of Faintness 03:12
7. Hope In Faintness 06:41
8. Crimson Sky 04:03
9. The Dream Eater 09:37

Line-up: 
Roger Andreu - Vocals
Iván Marín - Guitars
Filipe Baldaia - Guitars, Vocals, Sampling
Ricard Tolosa - Bass
Sergi "Bobby" Verdeguer - Drums, Vocals
   With
Loïc Rossetti (The Ocean) - Vocal collaboration on Silent Mouth
Marc Martins (Persefone) and Santi Casas (Mordigans) - Vocal collaborations on The Beholders
Carlos Lozano (Persefone) - Guitar solo on The Dream Eater
Efrem Roca - Saxophones on The Animal And The Golden Throne, Ariadna and The Dream Eater
Una and Imelda Hartnett - Female voices on Ariadna and Crimson Sky

Description/Reviews: 

The release explores further the progressive melodic side of its predecessor, though aggression and brutal energy is not left aside on The Eternal Light Of The Unconscious Mind. It is a ferociously imaginative and sculpted tempest of textures and ambiences, an intensive intrusive beauty crafted by blazes of diversely infused metal for an evocative provocation which cements and stretches Nami’s presence as an emerging force.

Read the full review at ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Proggnosis

Hysteriofunk "Deco"

Country: Andorra
Sub Genre: Instrumental, Jazz-Rock, Post Rock, Fusion
Label: Right Here Right Now
Release date: September 7, 2013
Tracklist: 
1 Aurora 3:41
2 Falac Mytho's 4:59
3 Xinos 4:50
4 Super-Hysteriofunk 5:17
5 Oscar Car 7:27
6 Jungla 4:22
7 Lee Marvin 6:56

Line-up: 
Roger Casamajor - keyboards
Lluís Cartes - drums
Oriol Vilella - guitar
Òscar Llauradó - bass
Cesc Vilarrubias - percussion

Description/Reviews: 

Well straight off let me tell you there ain't a lot of funk in Hysteriofunk.  This little known instrumental quintet hails from Andorra and Deco is their fourth album.  The band's music is very much a blend of progressive rock and fusion.  The ebb and flow interaction of guitar and keys remind me of Camel, particularly the keyboard work (I keep hearing Pete Bardens in my head with every solo).  Another band that I keep making a mental reference to is Iman, Califato Independiente.  The band employs a percussionist in addition to bass and drums so there is some real rhythmic intensity here but its not overdone.  Easily one of the best releases I've heard this year.  Highly recommended. (lasercd)

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Persefone "Spiritual Migration"

Country: Andorra
Sub Genre: Tech/Extreme Progressive Metal
Label: Vicisolum Productions
Release date: March 29, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Flying Sea Dragons (1:48)
2. Mind as Universe (4:41)
3. The Great Reality (6:27)
4. Zazen Meditation (3:53)
5. The Majestic of Gaia (8:38)
6. Consciousness Pt.1: Sitting in Silence (3:21)
7. Consciousness Pt. 2: A Path to Enlightenment (5:43)
8. Inner Fullness (7:32)
9. Metta Meditation (3:48)
10. Upward Explosion (2:55)
11. Spiritual Migration (8:47)
12. Returning to the Source (9:06)
13. Outro (3:55)

Line-up: 
Marc Martins - vocals
Carlos Lozano  - guitar
Jordi Gorgues  - guitar
Miguel Espinosa  keyboards, vocals.
Toni Mestre - bass
Marc Mas - drums

Description/Reviews: 

Persefone combine aspects of symphonic, progressive and death metal to create their diverse style, and it totally works for them. They play complicated riffs fast enough to give Lamb of God a run for their money, meaty math-core breakdowns that one might associate with Ion Dissonance, but far more diversified in sound than either of those bands. Think Dream Theater around their Octavarium era (I’m particularly thinking ‘Panic Attack’) but somewhat heavier and using death-metal style vocals alongside clean.
The songs segue really well into each other, so the experience of listening to the album never feels disjointed; the music takes you on a journey through turbulence, into melody and harmonies without skipping a beat [Please, pardon the awful pun]. There’s a definite strength in this unity, as there’s clearly been a lot of effort put into these links – the album completely feels like it was meant to fit together, so listening to it as a whole is a rewarding experience. The ‘Outro’ track ties everything off nicely; it’s a very calm track, dissipating the energy of the preceding songs, and bringing the album to a close.

Read the full review by Matthew Brady at metalmouth.net

Media/Samples 
Spiritual Migration

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