On October 19, 2019, SOUTH HARBOUR will release their debut album "A Withered World In Colour." SOUTH HARBOUR was formed in Denmark in early 2018 as the brainchild of guitarist Alexander Varslev-Pedersen. While the project was originally meant to be instrumental, it evolved into a collaborative project with six different artists. Each artist contributes their own style and voice to create a musically varied album. The opening track "As I Gaze into an Uncertain Future" initially sounds like it could have been off the latest TOOL album. It begins with a passage that is similarly introspective with mellow vocals. Luckily, it stops short of imitation by exploding into an outro that is uniquely their sound. The vocalist is Mikkel Lohmann of the band FEATHER MOUTAIN. The next track "Delusion" also features Mikkel. His vocals lend a somber quality to the songs. On this track, the instruments build and evolve into different riffs and tones, culminating in a passage with clean vocals overlaid with dirty vocals.

Next, we skip to the track "A Dying Breed," which features Cornelius of EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE. This track is heavier than the previous tracks as it only has dirty vocals along with more metal and technical riffs. The next track "Naysayer Begone" also has mainly dirty vocals. However, since there is a different vocalist (Marc Buch, of RISK/EXIST and formerly of HANGING THE NIHILIST), the track has a slightly different sound. It is equally heavy, but leans toward Progressive Metalcore and Djent, which adds variety to the album. "Exactly Where We're Supposed to Be" clocks in at over 11 minutes and it is justified. The guitar riffs and tones progress and evolve over the duration of the track, building up to a jarring guitar riff and dirty vocals. I am also a fan of the synthesizer adding an additional layer of atmosphere. The vocalists on this track are Yasin Bilgic of JENNY WREN and Mikkel. Yasin's lush R&B style vocals are not typically found in metal, so it may take some getting used to. When combined with Mikkel, the two vocalists complement each other.

Overall, I would recommend this album to fans of progressive rock or progressive metal, particularly of bands like TOOL and TESSERACT. Like any album in the progressive genre, it will require multiple listens to fully appreciate. There are many moments on the album that grew on me. While it was a collaborative project with multiple vocalists, the tracks maintain a few motifs throughout that tie it together. This album was released on Youtube and Spotify, so it is readily available to anybody that is interested.