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.