From The Metal Archives, this band is a duo from the UK who play Progressive Metal. Their debut album, “Full Spectrum,” established their innovative fusion of poetry performance and heavy music, creating a unique form of expression. TCOMAS's sophomore album, “Trust No Leaders,” explores the history of metal, paying tribute to various subgenres. Set against orchestral and cinematic landscapes, the songs also incorporate non-Western musical influences. The lyrics draw inspiration from contemporary and classical poetry, as well as Jungian psychology. “Origins” is their third full-length album.

The album has six songs, and “Feed the Beast” is first. The sound is mostly melancholy, but the sonority varies between gentle and more firm, with gentle tones winning the battle. So far, I am not overly impressed. Besides the solemn feeling during much of the song, and some dissonance, it doesn’t offer a lot else. Some of the vocals are a bit pitchy as well. “Bite the Bullet” is another fairly quiet offering, but this one has an electronic beat and some cadenced vocals. Much of the song passes without a lot of change, or much in the way of dynamism, and I have a hard time labeling this as Progressive music. “Waves” is a little better, with tender and emotional female vocals and some backing melody. It’s still pretty quiet though. It picks up for just a bit, and maybe the band thinks of the hardened passage with harsh vocals as Progressive, but I still don’t hear it.

“Per Astra” is another very somber offering. The passages seem to take forever. There are some light electronic elements along the way but again, it is fairly quiet. “Mysterium Tremendum” transitions from piano to the buzz of distorted guitars and harsh vocals with a jarring tug. The sound that follows doesn’t have a key connection between the vocals and the music, and it’s mostly a painful listen for me. “It goes” closes the album, and it’s a short closer with more melancholy tones and pitchy vocals. My biggest problem with the album is the label. I know, I know, I tend to be a bit of a gatekeeper. But when you call yourselves Progressive Metal yet you are pretty far from that definition, I take issue. The album wasn’t bad per se, but it fails to really get under your skin and light a fire. That fire could even be subtle emotion. I hate to be overly critical, but I am still scratching my head.