I’m often amazed how certain bands escape my notice. I’d never heard of Esoterica until I received an email a couple months ago, and from my first listen, I was enthralled by their sound. Their new album Ether Metal releases on September 19th and it is a refreshing and refined experience.
The band hails from the UK, London specifically. I don’t know if my lineup is up to date or not, but I’m sure I’ll hear about it if it isn’t. The lineup is Tobias Keast on vocals, Matthew Diver and Laura Conway on guitars, Cloud Cerberus on bass, Luke Keast on drums, and Will Keast on keyboards.
Esoterica offers music that is both accessible and complex. Their sound is a blend of alternative rock and modern metal with hefty elements of progressive metal, gothic metal, and electronica. The music is smooth, flashy, cinematic, and catchy, though the riffs hit hard, the melodies are layered, and performances are terrific. They truly provide something for everyone, all wrapped up with a spellbinding bow.
Ether Metal leans into something of a cyberpunk aesthetic, especially in the art and the keyboards. But the album is also emotional, despite the cold dystopian vibes. I think Tobias’ vocals provide a deeply authentic layer to the cinema that balances out the sci-fi and more eccentric aspects.
The album has eleven tracks and they are all winners. Even though I think the first half is my favorite, the album as a whole is consistent and well-written. In the first half, we get the powerful, burning opener “Into the Ether”, the extremely catchy single “Firefly”, and the lumbering energy of “Heathen”. My favorites in the first half, though, are “I Am Just One” for its mounting layers and building strength that are simply hypnotic, and “Alive”, a fantastic piece with a desperately human vocal performance and a toweringly cinematic climax that gives me goosebumps.
The second half has favorites, too. I’m partial to the insanely catchy “dysUTOPIA”—I dare you not to sing along—-and the reserved, careful sound of “Enjoy”. I also love “Paper Skull”, a flowing piece with plenty of electronic and ambient textures. The closer “Burn” is also great with its mighty guitar solo and commanding ending.
I need to catch up on Esoterica. This album manages to be cinematic and showy without being glitzy and cloying. It’s so easy to get lost in the atmosphere they’ve constructed, so easy to put on the headphones and disappear. It’s a testament to their obvious skill in composition and color, and I can’t seem to get enough right now.
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The PROG Mind 
Nice review; i’ll be on the look-out for this release. Thanks
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