4½ out of 5

New Jersey progressive metal veterans continue to defy the conventions of their genre with diverse new offering

I’ve long been somewhat of an evangelist for East of the Wall and its many related projects. At a time when heavy complicated music is enjoying an extended surge in popularity, they—along with several of their peers in their relatively obscure northern New Jersey scene—have defied the conventions and cliches of the subgenres they’re often lumped in with. While technicality and adventurous composition are in no short supply, East of the Wall sounds little like anything in the world of overly polished contemporary prog-metal. While they prioritize dense atmosphere and big riffs they display little of the monotony common in too much post- and sludge-metal. Trace their lineage back far enough and you’ll find one foot in the northeast hardcore scene, an influence that while pretty subtle at this point helps explain the authenticity and grit in a sound that draws inspiration from several subgenres without borrowing too heavily from any of them.

4½ out of 5

“The album is here!”

As I thumbed through my inbox shortly after waking up on Thanksgiving, that subject line immediately snapped my mind to attention. Though I’d been previously tipped off that the debut Horders LP was done and coming out soon, the opportunity to finally hear it and react to it still caught me off guard. I’ve been familiar with most of these songs for years, having heard them live for the better part of a decade, but it was still a bit challenging to know where to start, now that their final versions have been committed to history.

Without any additional comment about the past 12 months, here are some things that didn't suck balls.