It's about time to stir up the Progressive music-scene with a brand-new solo artist straight from the alps: Jean-Marc Perc, alias THE LAST CELL. After releasing his debut "Nautilus" in 2018, which takes the listener on a journey from the origin of life to its inevitable end, he continues the story on his newest release "Continental Drift" in a monumental way. If you have ever wondered what it feels like to take a dive deep into the ocean and surface at a mountaintop, this is your soundtrack. Having found his own voice in the Prog scene, THE LAST CELL joined forces with Lukas Florian [Bass]and Robin Weber [Drums]and already conquered the stages of Vienna. Long after humanity has died, the universe will start to fade into extinction until there is but one thing left - THE LAST CELL.

"Landslide" opens with what sounds like cold winds blowing, and then the main riff hits. It's heavy with accents and ventures up and down the fretboard. The sounds drops off for a bit and is met with soft piano notes, before the riff returns. It drops once more with pretty piano notes and then the Progressive elements can be heard in the form of the timing. Jean-Marc holds his prowess in check in favor pushing the main sound but can be heard shredding in the briefest of moments. "Flora and Fauna" opens softly, with alluring piano notes and just a bit of guitar presence. Then the main riff hits but the piano keeps a steady presence. They dance with one another as Jean-Marc lets a ripper go on the guitar. Steady and easy, the main sound is a bit dark and mysterious, and then it makes a slow fade.

"Pebblestone" opens lightly with clean guitar notes and the feeling that you wandered into a dream. The song has subtle nuances that you might miss if you are not paying attention. It's very pretty overall.  "Thengana" comes at you hard right out of the gates, with a thick and heavy aggressive riff and some notes of melody. It starts to Djent a little with the hard accents and you can hear Jean-Marc's clear command of the instrument. He really pushes boundaries here, going places you would not think. He breaks into a lead guitar passage, but it doesn't overtake the melody of the song. "Continental Drift" closes the EP, and he saved the best for last. Light guitar notes pepper the opening, along with some bass and light percussion. It picks up with a main riff and some heavier elements...the timing here is absolutely impeccable.

Overall, this was an excellent EP. Jean-Marc keeps pushing himself as a songwriter and it shows in his guitar work on "Continental Drift." Fans of instrumental Progressive music will appreciate the pyrotechnics he shows in his fretwork but never losing sight of the structure of the compositions. The timing of everything is incredible, tight and strong. The transitions are so fast and smooth that you hardly notice them, and this is hard to do. Give THE LAST CELL some attention for sure, for they are coming at you with confidence and ambition.Purchase Link:

https://thelastcell.bandcamp.com/album/continental-drift