Triple Feature: Haven of Echoes, Forever in Transit, New Ghost

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Haven of Echoes is the current project from Andreas Hack of Frequency Drift. It includes Paul Sadler on vocals and guitars, Nerissa Schwarz on electric harp and keys, and Wolfgang Ostermann on drums. The album is called Memento Vivere and released on September 20^th.

The music here is evocative and gothic, full of dark atmosphere and emotional outbursts. It is progressive rock with some heavier moments, too, but the real draw is the ambience. Nerissa’s keys and harp add such a different tone than you hear on most records, almost ethereal. Wolfgang’s drumming is absolutely impeccable, as always.

But I’ll be blunt: your enjoyment of this album hangs completely on your opinion of the vocals. Paul has a unique voice that ranges from high-pitched emotions to explosive lower octave segments that remind me of David Fremberg of Andromeda. I’ll readily admit that I struggled with the higher range this time, and because Paul leans into that part of his voice more heavily this time, it does give the album a sense of “sameness” throughout. I found myself having trouble connecting.

The album has four songs, and they are all pretty good. I think my favorite is the closer “Assimilation” with its groovy beat and brasher vocal tone. I think that, if you really like Paul’s vocals, you will end up loving this album, so give it a shot.

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Forever in Transit is one of those bands that I feel could take hold quickly. Fans of modern progressive metal, like Haken and TesseracT, might like this. The band comes from Buffalo, New York and includes Dan Sciolino on keys, drums, and backing vocals, Jeremy Schroeder on guitar, Chris Lamendola on vocals, and Daniel Ross on bass. Their new album is called A Coming to Terms and released on September 13th.

Their brand of progressive metal has some “attitude”, I guess you’d call it. There are some harsh vox, mainly reserved for raw outbreaks of emotion. Their music is fast-paced, technical, and full of little flourishes and effects. It is greatly enhanced by Dan’s excellent keyboard performance, from solos to overarching waves of melody. For some reason, I hear Porcupine Tree’s Richard Barbieri in his style.

I appreciate the lyrics on this album, I should note. It’s about understanding yourself and learning to accept the person you are, and so they are quite potent. You can even see that in the track titles. I can identify with much of it and the process the writer has clearly experienced.

The album has seven songs, and they are all solid or better. I’ll admit that I don’t connect with the opener “Let Go Your Earthly Tether” which has more early 00s emo edginess than I think I like, but the album only gets better from there. I like “What Lies Beneath” with its quiet slow-burn full of nuance, my favorite “I Cling to Threads” with its fantastic ambience, authentic vocals, and sweet keys, and “Empty and Become Wind”, a cinematic piece that reminds me ever so slightly of Persefone’s Aathma, feeling spacey and meaningful. Overall, progressive metal fans who like a little alternative seasoning should give this a listen.

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I’ve been covering New Ghost since their New Ghost Orchestra debut back in 2019, and they’ve changed dramatically since then. The album released on September 6^th and is called A Dagger in Every Tide. The current lineup is Taran Ali, Nic Bowden, Gareth Hughes, Ellie Richards, Joe Richards, and Chris Anderson.

It’s difficult to describe what they play. Their debut was a patched tapestry of various genres, from pop to rock to electronic, and the vocals were varied, as well. That’s what drew me to them initially. Since then, the band has moved towards a fuzzy shoegaze rock that has, perhaps, heavier guitars and more alternative ideas than that genre typically contains. So, the music here has great rock beats, a dreamy and swooning aura, and some electronic accents.

While I like this sort of music, I do miss the original sound. This album is good, and I think plenty of people will find it excellent. They are certainly great songwriters. Songs like “Over” are undeniably catchy and have good guitar work that feels great in contrast to the atmosphere. “Red & Blue” is another favorite with its expressive main rhythm and gorgeous flow. “Wayfarer” is great, too, with its electronic overlay that is soothing and wonderful. I think fans of math rock, shoegaze, and dream pop will be right at home here.