Progressive Rock music does not necessarily need Metallic lifeblood to be interesting or 'worthy' of a Metalhead's ears, as elitists would put it. Czech Progressive / Alternative Rock band DYING PASSION have been consistently releasing full-length albums for over a decade, and have become stronger with each release. 2013's "Transient" is essentially a through-and-through Alternative Rock album, with obvious, nostalgic, Doom vibes creeping through upon black tendrils. Think A PERFECT CIRCLE with a woman vocalist, who combines the styles of the likes of Cristina Scabbia and Maynard James Keenan to emulate a vocal style that is both accurate and wide-ranging, but can also evoke an equally-wide array of emotions.

The opening track "Afraid of Dusk" is one of a few tracks on this record that comes close to being a hard, Alt-Rock song; in fact, it sounds just like something off FATES WARNING's new record, with Ray substituted for Zuzana. A powerful, emotionally-heated piece, tastefully evoking A PERFECT CIRCLE's "Judith", the instrumental sound is crisp and clean cut, and manages to evoke heaviness; not Technical Death Metal heaviness, but the kind of weight that a thick, complex and adventurous song hangs over you while you're listening to it. "Enlightenment (goodbye wasted life)" is a completely different-sounding track; much more mellow and spacey, with a greater presence of atmospherics and ambience. Much of the passages are halfway between PINK FLOYD and ALICE IN CHAINS, and feel smooth and jazzy.

"Highlight" is another one of the heavier-sounding tracks, but is faster, in the sense that it is more upbeat; essentially, it plays like an energetic LACUNA COIL track; there is even a similarity between the two vocalists. I can appreciate the guitar solo in this track; mixed with an intriguing choice of EQ, and perfectly fitting for an alt-rock track. The arrangement of this song in general was also intelligently composed; riffs are not recycled, and they themselves evolve. "Vertical Edge", while in parts a relatively mellow track, contained what I felt to be the more prominent doom metal/rock vibes in this album; in the slowly chugged chord progressions, and the melancholic lyrics and vocal melodies, and is quite easily one of the more emotion-provoking tracks.

DYING PASSION are an interesting band and are part of an unfortunately underrated genre, which is saying something, wherein within the metal community. I can appreciate the softer side of progressive music, and I feel like this band are masterful creators of such sounds with a wide scope of opportunities for future progression; pun totally intended.