SEAS OF CONFLICT is a Progressive Metal band from Hamilton, New Zealand. Formed in 2011, they release their self-funded debut EP while they were still in high school! Explaining the new EP "Vestige," the band states that "It's about the constant struggle of coming to terms with the chaos of life - things are constantly changing; we're often still hurting from the past, yet life still comes hurtling towards us." Michael (Guitarist/Songwriter) explains, "The title 'Vestige' refers to an object - the 'character' of the album, in this case - that is a remnant of the past, and doesn't belong in the present. It's a journey of emotionally coming to grips with the past in order to face the constant onslaught of change that becomes the future." "Vestige" contains six tracks.

"Temporal Ocean" is a weighted affair of challenging rhythmic shifts, angry vocals and ambient background bliss. Melodies are interspersed in moving parts, darting in and out of spaces occupied by harmonic keyboard notes and ominous electronics. Woven together like a double helix that spirals into space in an infinite strain, it produces listening possibilities that are limitless. "Ashfall" is decidedly more depressive, stealing hope by wilting a field of white poppy flowers on the sunniest of summer days. The deep Death vocals rattle your innards inside your rib cage, threatening to break them apart one by one as you drown in your own blood.

"Lightless" lumbers like an unstoppable force lurking in the darkness. The heavy rhythmic notes crush anything good that might reside inside your mind, taking hostage your very soul in a cloud of blackness. Yet, there are rays of light that rise sharply from the pain, in the form of meticulously crafted melodies unleashed at the perfect times. "Shifting Sands" is more chaotic, keeping the Progressive elements of the EP in the forefront, with alternating passages demanding timing that would rival the workings of the finest clock that you could buy. The clean vocal harmonies settle the song perfectly, balancing wanton beauty with complete aggression.

"Tantalus" is utterly dominating with ultra-heavy vocals in the verses that are tempered with cleans in the chorus, offering you different ends of the spectrum as the delicacy. Djent and Core supplements tie in here and there which really make the song something out of the ordinary. "Water's Edge" is the perfect closer to the album, taking in full and deep breaths of melody as you emerge from your journey of light and darkness. The punch is ever-present but it's not hard to take in the musicality of what lies between the blows. Sublime waves of color crash over you, the kind of colors that are buried deep in the secrets of the earth. The synchronicity between the percussion, guitars and bass is really one of the true marvels of this EP. The guys play in a unison that sounds like they have been together for decades, and could keep up the tightness without even having to look at one another. This divine dish of Progressive Metal is uncharted musical territory in many ways, ushering in a new phase of the genre that accomplishes the feat of transcending a norm that has never been a norm to begin with.