It is true. Progressive Metal was in short supply on the RMR zine in 2024. And this resulted in a roster far too dark and ominous for its own good. Don’t believe me? Our Top 10 can bear witness to this. That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy any juicy hits in the prog department. But all of those were rather scarce to begin with.
So, why not start 2025 with a neat hammer blow of a prog record? And for this, we won’t have to look further than the beautiful countryside of Italy. Bergamo’s Beriedir manifested themselves with something called Liminal Spaces. A very sophisticated choice for an album name. But then, perhaps we all feel somewhere in limbo these days, in a transitional space full of unease and uncertainty. A bit like those flight experiences when your plane traverses a territory devoid of compasses with cloud covers above and below you. Eerie, right? Disjointed musings on your six. Don’t turn around!
Beriedir delivers harsh fare. You won’t get one second to take a breath to commence your journey and already the band here will brutalize you with an avalanche of powerful Progressive and Progressive Death Metal. And interestingly, the prog often trades places with several shades of ‘core with the vocals oscillating somewhere in between core-ish musings and an abundance of clears filling the empty spaces still available in the arrangement. If only the band would have refrained from wallowing in those shallow and melodramatic monologues. That’s nothing else than juvenile waffling about the soundscape with no added value. Fake emotion never sells. Take that from one who’s been there.
And it’s interesting. Whenever I started yet another listening session of Liminal Spaces, this sense of déja-vu kicked in. Aeons already concocted something slightly similar and this here record often went to unexpected places near those islanders. And that’s neither good nor bad, it just gets us another band occupying similar territory.
Liminal Spaces also loves to run roughshod over many of those metal genres out there. The record sounds like an archetype of power prog with injections of core-ish madness, a strange mix of Gojira-esque antics, and remnants of Final Coil. In other words, Beriedir excel in varying their progressive prowess to suit the mood of the moment in often unexpected turns. And this is proof positive of pretty outstanding songsmithing skills. Tracks wrapped in pretty wild complexity, but perfectly executed nonetheless. The only major negative being that out of this abundance of ideas, some of them were probably not followed through to the end. And that saddles the record with a certain instability and a sense of loose ends floating about them spaces they describe.
Halo and the excellent Neon serve as perfect entry points into the record. This band is making a statement. Both come with powerful and astonishingly meaty riffing, sporting intricate prog patterns and often astonishingly burly solos. In a way, Liminal Spaces adorns itself with airs of power prog that Red Cain tried so hard to achieve earlier. Plus, the frequent breakdowns into ‘core land will provide that almost perfect balance of labyrinthine excursions into alternative geekery and punkishly brutal treatmentz that fans will surely salivate over. But then, Beriedir take it to the next level by throwing some picture-perfect sudden jazzy jolts at you that perfectly integrate into their melodic musings (More Than Starlight, for instance).
In the end, Liminal Spaces turned into the perfect opener for 2025. A powerfully executed prog piece that shines in a brightly colored kaleidoscope of ever-changing style elements, supported by next-level vocals and a refreshing pace. One that never leaves you right up to the end. In other words, any second of the 44-minute airplay is filled with fluctuating concoctions and directions that will have your earphones glued to your head for the duration.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Rockshots Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 10 January 2025