Super groups are spawned when a bunch of big musicians wanna try something new, or just be with new people because they get sick of looking at their other bands faces. ESCAPETHECULT are one of these types of bands, consisting of KING DIAMOND guitarist Mike Wead, UNEVEN STRUCTURE vocalist Matthieu Romarin, KALMATH bassist Peter Shallman and probably most recognizable due to recent news about his heart surgery Tim Alexander drummer for PRIMUS. All this together makes for a Progressive Metal super group with interesting instrumentals.

Off the top ill say I normally listen more for vocals than anything when it comes to new music, for this reason Progressive Metal throws me way out of my comfort zone because its more about instrumentals than it is vocals unlike most other genres or subgenres that sort of put them up evenly. Vocally, these guys are great but there doesn't seem to be much emotion or care. Instrumentally, this tells a whole different story, full of beauty and desire. Not at all to say Matthieu Romarin is a bad vocalist, just keep that in mind. "Backfired" is very PRIMUS sounding instrumentally but it's also its own thing which is this perfect combination to pull you in to listen deeper and not let you think it sounds like anything. "Tired Of The Past" is probably the most Prog sounding song on the album with strange instrumentals happening constantly and punishing you for not listening by making you get lost in the changes in pace this brings. "Where No Grown Up Grapes" closes out the album with a heavy intro, a lovely sounding beginning once the vocals kick in, a terrifying and beautiful guitar solo that sounds like a mix of KING DIAMOND and BON JOVI and a strong outro to keep you locked in to the very end.

ESCAPETHECULT's self titled release is a straight up Prog Metal album that any fan of the music should enjoy, it has instrumentals anyone can dig so if you can catch the vocals then you should love this album. If you can stay locked in to the last track, you're not gonna get out without finishing the album, but that's for you to decide. I want you, to check out this album if any of the band members interest you or if Prog Metal interests you.