SIFTING is a Progressive Metal band based in Los Angeles, California, and originally from Caracas, Venezuela, where the founding member Eduardo 'Edu' Gil was living. They have already released two albums, the debut "All the Hated" in 2013 - when the band was still based in Venezuela, and "Not from Here" in 2017, which received critical acclaim (e.g. having a place in Top 100 albums in Sentinel Daily). SIFTING, just after the debut, gained popularity, and had the opportunity of many live performances, as well as signing deals for equipment endorsement.

With the help of producer Steve Evetts (Dillinger Escape Plan) and mixer Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me), they are now releasing (September 27th, 2019) their new album called "The infinite Loop": 70 minutes of powerful progressive metal, and, according to their press release, a masterpiece of progressive metal featuring mind-blowing jedi-like musicianship perhaps only rivaled by the likes of RUSH, MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER or METALLICA. Quite a big statement, but, honestly, the result is damn good: probably not a masterpiece, but damn good. A surprise is also present in this album, but we will discover later which is...

The album opens with the complex "Agony", almost 11 minutes of pure prog music, with many transitions and tempo changes; it starts with an acoustic intro, suddenly transforming the acoustic riff in an electric one, and inserting heavy drums before another riff starts (which reminds me a little bit of some Black Album days), before entering in prog territories. A complex track, which set the bar quite high for the rest of the album, and in my opinion, one of the highlights of the album.

"A Critical Affair" (which is the first single) is somehow different, quite short ("only" 5 minutes), and not as complex as the previous one, making it one most direct song of "The Infinite Loop". "Enough" (the third single) is a slow and short song that is a mix between an acoustic song and a power ballad. A decent intermezzo before "Stop Calling me Liberty", chosen as the second single from the album: as the other single, here we are in less proggy territories, with a song that is much modern and direct. "The Fifth Element" is a classical instrumental prog song that proves the quality of Sifting. "What if (Dichotomy)" is maybe one of the less convincing episodes of the album (I find it quite plain); "To Who I Am" is an emotional ballad, which I personally love, because reminds me of the Saigon Kick sound back in the nineties.

"Ghost of Lie" contains the surprise that I was talking at the beginning of the review, in the figure of Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater just to name one band) as guest player. Complex song, showing off, of course, the quality of Derek Sherinian, but also all the other band player, and in particular the voice of Eduardo Gil. "Emotionless Shells" is the penultimate track, which impresses for its level of aggression, before the title track, a 13-minutes song that incorporates all the musical elements that the prog metal genre has to offer, and, from the lyrical perspective, touches the theme of reincarnation (life as the constant evolution of infinite cycles of existence - and thou the infinite loop).

As said, not a masterpiece, but a really good album, where everyone is playing at a superb level. I am personally not enthusiast about the production (I would not say it is bad, it is just that I have the feeling that the sounds should have been different, sometimes rougher, sometimes cleaner, while a found them quite plain), but, nevertheless, "The infinite loop" is a solid release that will continue to be part of my prog playlist this year.