AVKRVST / The Approbation ....... gem of the year (so far)

[LarryD]

Normally, when a disc of this magnitude comes along, there is quite a buzz about stating " masterpiece" .. " disc of the year " ... " you have to get this "...... strangely, I got none of that initially, so when I was browsing The Lasers Edge for some music, I stumbled upon this disc. The write up, a video on You Tube and I figured I've give this one a shot .....

3 spins later - I could have found my disc of the year right here .....at the very least, I have found my gem of the year up until now. Hard to believe that this is a debut for these guys ..... they classify themselves as prog rock .... other reviews call them prog metal..... my take on it is prog rock laced with some prog metal here and there...... but the prog rock sticks with me. If you take Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Riverside .....and put it in a blender, then pour some Alan Prasons Project syrup on top, you have this disc, minus a bit more. A few seconds of growls here and there (about like Riverside weight), some filtered (processsed vocals), some electronica, tons of melodies and a super dreamy atmospheric backdrop, and you have The Approbation.

What strikes me immediately, is the beauty. With their tons of style changes throughout the disc, never do they lose sight of the beauty..... the atmosphere reminds me of The Alan Parsons Project ( and maybe a little Pink Floyd ) ......

The 13:37 closing instrumental song gives you an idea of what progressive means .....the song is all over the place, combining all of the above influences and more......
The vocals are dreamy, and part of the music, rather than stand out like the norm.......the production is absolutely superb, especially for a debut disc ......

The only negative thing I can think of ... is that if this is a debut, they have a hell of a journey ahead to top this one ..... bands do it, and some don't ...... I hope they can find a way to top something this special, because I wouldn't know how to describe something that monumental.

In the meantime - this is buy or die quality. This could be my disc of the year ........it will be interesting. Very few discs speak to my musical soul anymore.... I enjoy the music immensely, but this disc touches that inner thing that makes you want to listen and experience the music, not just play it.


https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2 ... probation/

[introclaus]

Yes I really like this disc as well. I hear a LOT of Mew in it, which is a great thing as they are one of my favorite prog-pop bands ever. There’s a lot of Anekdoten / Anglagard to it as well. It’ll end up in top 50 for sure and depending on what else
Comers out rest of the year, perhaps a good deal higher.

[Scott B]

I was pretty excited to get this album in. I'd heard a few tracks and had a feeling that the entire album would be solid, and expectations were certainly exceeded. It definitely seems like one that has come in under the radar.

Another band that has released an absolutely killer album this year is Godsticks with "This is What a Winner Looks Like". Highest possible recommendation.

[EmptyThoughts]

Amazing album. I hear a mix of Anekdoten, Opeth and Porcupine Tree.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PWSXCfnpU ... ZzdA%3D%3D