Triple Feature: Dialogia, Andy Gregory, and Taskaha

I’ll probably be posting a couple triple features this month, as I have some bands on my list that I’d like to share. Some have been on the list for some time. For this offering, I have three bands that are quite different, but they all garner an 8.5/10 for their work. Check out Dialogia, Andy Gregory, and Taskaha.

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Starting out this Triple Feature, I have some progressive death for you. The band is called Dialogia and they come to us from Maryland, USA. When it comes to progressive death, there has to be character, melody, and even a sense of overarching cinema to get me truly interested. This band seems to have that. The lineup includes Alejandro Nogales [vocals, guitar, bass, keys], Bobby Tufino [guitar, backing vocals], and Jasper Barendregt [drums].

The band’s debut album is called “Nostrum” and it released on October 2^nd. Their sound is certainly progressive death, with exclusive harsh vox, chugging and reeling guitar work, and contrasts in various textures. I would say that doom metal is a major component here, too, though the songs are generally faster and wilder than doom or gothic music tends to be.

Overall, “Nostrum” is a great album, one which depicts very well the inner turmoil of its story. I love the guitar solos, such as on “The Gleaming Fracture, and the addition of the viola and cello on “Unlocked”. This album has plenty of soul and spirit, and that shows up in various ways that keep the album fresh for its entire runtime. I think “Conundrum” might be my favorite song of all, mainly for its slightly quirky, burning atmosphere. Fans of death and doom metal will love this album.

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The next recommendation is quite different from the first. This would be none other than Andy Gregory, solo artist hailing from London. His music flirts with various genres, usually ending up as progressive rock and metal, but with juicy twists galore. His debut EP is called “Clockwork People”, and it released on October 9^th. The lineup here is Alex Kempson on bass, Ayman Sinada on drums, and Andy Gregory on everything else.

I loved this EP instantly. I think it has that sort of effect on people. Andy’s compositions have plenty of muscular moments of mayhem and method, but he gives us plenty of spellbinding atmospheres and rich ideas, too. You will hear well-utilized space, hefty riffs, and serene soundscapes, many times within the same song.

This EP only has three songs, and they are all great. The title track is spicy, heavy, and very likeable. “Truth Teller” is the closer with streaming, fluid musical notions, and some great guitar solos. My favorite, though, is “TreeSkin#2”, a song that feels truly alive with wonder, ponderous guitars, and plenty of djenty funk. “Clockwork People” is a wonderful EP for fans of djent, modern prog metal, and music with nice, clean lines.

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Many bands send promos my way with lots of pomp and brown-nosing, but that isn’t the case for Norway’s Taskaha. No, instead, they sent me an email with authenticity, basically just telling me that they worked very hard on making their music speak well. This is what I find in their self-titled debut album that arrived on August 28^th. The band includes Rick Holmen on vocals, Simen Hanssen and Stian Dahl on guitars, David von Dort on bass, and Ole Martin Svendsen on drums.

When I say that their music “speaks well”, I mean that their phrasing is golden and richly performed. Guitar licks feel inspired, vocal lines are heartfelt, and songs seem to have a purpose and direction. This album doesn’t contain needless noodling or aimless ideas. Taskaha seem to have an uncanny ability to compose tightly and completely.

Their sound is progressive rock with plenty of bluesy rhythms, crazy guitar solos, and wonderful vocal hooks. The songs are mostly longer, winding journeys with great destinations. My favorites are probably the luscious opener “Mind Date”, the interesting acoustics of “Invisible”, and the laid back tone of “Friday Night”. Fans of great modern progressive rock will love this album.