JUPITER HOLLOW

Canadian prog metal prodigies earn their spurs.

Sometimes at prog shows it’s easy to feel a tinge of worry for the genre’s future due to the dearth of young fans, but reports of prog’s impending demise look to be presumptuous. Jupiter Hollow’s Grant MacKenzie and Kenny Parry are scarcely in their 20s, but AHDOMN reveals a wealth of talent. MacKenzie plays guitar and bass, Parry handles vocals and drums, and they share the keyboard duties between them. No idea how they do this live – presumably they must utilise backing tracks – but in the studio they’ve built a prog monster. Influences available to the ear include Leprous and Coheed And Cambria, while Parry hits some high notes worthy of a young Geddy Lee. Deep In Space boasts excellent interplay in the rhythm section, and Over 50 Years adds djent crunch to the sound. However, it’s the ambitious 16 minutes of Null Without Praise that most effectively reveals the full scope of their talents, featuring a labyrinthine structure that moves between lush harmonies to screamed vocals, from delicate guitar lines to pummelling riff workouts. If Jupiter Hollow are emblematic of the next generation of prog bands, a bright tomorrow lies ahead. Hugely impressive.