Clear With Red Splatter 2xLP - 300 copies

Astounding progressive (death) metal excellence crafted into a continually engaging debut album. Developing and morphing as it progresses, Changeling (quite literally) brings facets of a myriad of exciting styles within metal and weaves them together, from the burgeoning instrumental rushes of tech death, to the nuanced textures of focused progressive rock / metal, up to the grueling heft of more black(ened) or doom-esque metal aggression.

Pulling in sound references from the likes of Alkaloid and / or Obscura (which is unsurprising given the members), Cynic, and dashes of that magical this-band-chooses-to-play-metal-differently sparkle akin to Opeth, Ne Obliviscaris, or Between The Buired And Me, the band creates a busy world within the album absolutely filled to the brim with executed ideas. Telling a storyline throughout, the album hits it's unique stride in the back ⅔ that relies more and more on the lyricism and vocals act as the gritty anchoring point to the elegant formations of ever-building instrumentation that grow more bold with each passing track.

Changeling is able to subvert the pre-conceived notions that progressive elements in metal result in overly polished  soulless music with this release because they aim to be even more dramatic with their approach, and the result is quite impressive. One of the better albums from 2025 for sure.

Released by Season Of Mist

Changeling - Changeling