ETHERIUS is a Progressive Metal Instrumental band out of New Jersey. This is the first full-length release after the ''Thread of Life'' EP that came out back in 2018. At first glance I would say that they are mix of old ICED EARTH mixed with Progressive Metal. You have the Power Thrash elements from a band like ICED EARTH but it has that neoclassical SYMPHONY X edge to it. When you first listen to the new album, you get a good grasp on what they can offer.

With the help of Angel Vivaldi on the production side of things, they were able to evolve even more as a band. If you don't know who Angel Vivaldi is, well he might be the best guitarist you never heard of beforehand. He is a Neo-Classical guitarist and one hell of a shredder. He combines the greatness of a Marty Friedman mixed in with some TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA for good measure. He is a great friend of the band and really helped out on this album and was a featured guitarist on ''Unity in Darkness''.

You really have that rhythmic complexity that is often attributed to bands of the genre. They are able to distance themselves however and make something quite unique. It's not easy to really stand out in the genre, especially when you are totally instrumental. One of the things that you feel in the beginning when listening to this album is the production value. It is top notch and in Progressive Metal, it's something extremely important. Every note, every solo, every drum beat is there for a reason.

I would say that they are a mix of SCALE THE SUMMIT (remember them?, it's a been a while...) and CYNIC. You have the complexity of the CYNIC legends mixed in with the modern twist of a band like SCALE THE SUMMIT. At times I wonder if some of the band members were born with instruments in their hands, those guitar leads are insanely technical and fast, same thing for the keyboards. You have a top notch musicians that are mind-blowing and they show this virtuosity I haven't heard in a very long time in the genre. They are a real hidden gem in the genre and the changing tempos and signatures are awesome and leaves the listener breathless. A showstopper of an album and a great way to begin their careers!