SCAPHOID is an Instrumental Progressive Metal band hailing from Austin, Texas, USA. Not much else is known about the band, and I was unable to dig anything up about them from the web. We will have to let the music do the talking. Their new album, "Echoes of the Rift," has eight songs. The title track is first. It has fairly heavy, choppy rhythms with some melody, especially in the leads, and the guitars play very well together. They also mix ambient moments with darker ones. "Gloom" is just a bit cloudier. It has an even temperament for the most part, but there are angry moments from some of the heavier rhythms.

"Sentient Stone" features some trippy keyboards that remind me of the mystery of outer space. Again, the mixture of ethereal sounds with the heavy nature of the rhythms keeps the listener on his toes. "Luna Sangre" feels a bit like it isn't sure what it wants to be, in that there are conflicting sounds. But as a music reviewer, I appreciate these little nuances. "Baikalian Relic," by contrast, is as mysterious as it sounds. Thick bass notes lead the way, while atmosphere develops in the background. The lead guitars bring another dimension to the sound, as sometimes they seem to sing.

"Petroglyph" has an almost Egyptian feeling out of the gate. The level of mystery that the band is able to bring to the album is noteworthy. I find there are several interpretations one could make in this song, for example. "Pandora's Box" is a longer seven minutes. There are some subtle meter shifts which show the band's musicianship, and like the name, there are also some darker elements. "Centralia" closes the album. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this town, allow me this Pennsylvanian provide a little context. It's a small town where a coal fire was ignited underground in the 1960's. Slowly it burned, until the government forced most residents out. Today it still burns, and there are handful of people still there, despite the government's warnings about the air quality.

Overall, I found this album to be buried in mystery. The musicians here are quite accomplished, and the amount of diversity there were able to summon in the songs without vocals is impressive. Take some time, dive in, clear your head, and get immersed in this strange but exciting album. There are mysteries to unfold.