These instrumental progressive metal artists seem to have formed a tight-knit community with their colorful album covers and relentless shredding. I went on an instrumental metal kick about a year ago, where I devoured albums from Plini, Syncatto, Intervals, and beyond. More often than not, they'd feature on each other's songs for a guitar solo or two. One of the newer projects I've come across in this field is the work of Jessica Falchi, the former guitarist of Crypta. She's amassed quite a following on social media for her metal covers, and she recently released her first EP, "Solace," with help from session musicians and a familiar name.

To assist Falchi, we have Joao on bass and Luigi on drums. For the opener, "Moonlace," I get my first taste of how well they work together. Of course, Falchi is the main star with her front-of-the-house guitar. The track flows through dynamic solos and gritty riffs, managing many different styles in such a short runtime. "Sunflare" takes the bulk of the first half of the album (keep in mind, this EP is only four songs, half of them being part of a series), with an indie jam band vibe that you can sway your hands endlessly to. Progressive metal doesn't always have to be loud and brutal, and this calm number supports that claim. "Sunflare" is a nice soundtrack to a nicer day on the beach.

The last half of the album is a two-part suite, "Sweetchasm." The first part, "Sweetchasm, Pt. 1,"  features Aaron Marshall from Intervals for a guitar solo. Part one is where the bouncy and technical metal returns, with metallic bass notes, skippy, jazzy drums, and djent 0-0-0-0-0 chugs. The atmosphere is yet again brimming with positivity, just like any Intervals album. "Sweetchasm, Pt. 2" hit me like a box of dumbbells after the first part. Luigi transforms into Animal from the Muppets out of nowhere, relentlessly firing off beat after beat while Falchi herself shreds away, leaving not a second of silence. Part two feels like a scrapped technical death metal instrumental, and I could only wish it ran longer than two minutes. The video for this track is the top-watched on Falchi's YouTube, and for good reason.

No doubt that Jessica Falchi is a badass guitarist, and her supplementary players are equally great. "Solace" quickly scratched that instrumental itch. While I'm amazed at the playing, there are only so many differences between instrumental metal projects. "Solace" blends in with the genre, clad in bright covers and guitar virtuosos. I'd love to see the gang go down the path of "Sweetchasm, Pt. 2," and deal with harsher musical climates. I like this EP, but I may not remember it.