Prog rock’s ingredients are so instantly recognizable that it’s almost impossible for the genre to progress. Once a band starts dabbling in dizzying time signatures, obscure references and appropriations, theatrical pretense, skewed humor, and showy (if unhinged) technical prowess, it’s impossible to avoid dropping the names of apparent influences — King Crimson, Yes, Frank Zappa — and lamenting the imminent possibility that there’s no new ground to cover.
By the End of Tonight are from Alvin, Texas, and distill the progressive elements of their dark, instrumental metal into a churning, complex mass of sinister cacophony. For Complex Full of Phantoms, the group shares disc space with Roseville, California’s Tera Melos, who provide six songs of spastic absurdity.
By the End of Tonight offer a technically impressive sound. The Pink-Floyd-meets-Mogwai hum of “Cold Hands” is haunting and expressive, whereas the bluster of “Delaware is Depressing” and “Philthy Collins” could convert listeners otherwise uninterested in metal.
Tera Melos’ moments of effete post-rock and bubbly disco bob along in a sea of schizophrenic, jazzy, punk-fueled improvisation. The vocals could be the band’s own or samples, but they don’t challenge the notion that one is listening to an instrumental band, given their deep burial in the mix and distorted, whispered quality.
– Lyam White
By the End of Tonight: www.bytheendoftonight.com
Tera Melos: www.myspace.com/teramelos
Temporary Residence Limited: www.temporaryresidence.com