Review Summary: shocking
Messenger’s Quest is an immense, intended epic. Those who dig purely virtuosic progressive metal are in for a treat. This group can rival the greats, and they want you to know it. The group does not allow prog metal newbies a second to understand what’s going on. Transition after transition, with few conventional song structures, Triton Project cram every second with prog overload and fresh ideas. People may complain about Dream Theater’s wankery, but just wait until they get a load of this one.
This experience is less chorus driven than what you can typically expect from prog metal. As said before, there’s zero hand holding. The ride never ends, and neither do the riffs. Like a stream of consciousness put forth into notes, a steady stream plunges would-be listeners into an inescapable force. Breathing room is absent, and all that presents itself is an exploding Pizza Pocket of metal sound.
Skills and composition make up an exciting album, with their singer reaching hard notes easily. No need to highlight only one instrumentalist though, considering the entire band is on another level. Beyond the Mazes showcases this handily, with what feels like a near-infinite jam session. The song certainly didn’t need to be over twenty minutes long, but neither did the following song, which is over twenty eight minutes. Nonetheless, they manage to keep the pace at breakneck, to the point where it sounds like virtuosic prog metal naturally emanates from the air around me. It doesn’t seem like humans could create this music.
Much like the enjoyment of watching a symphony live, Triton Project unravel a skilled composition of unexpected melodies. It’s an album to be impressed by, and clap when it’s done. You will be exhausted when it’s done, if you can somehow muster your attention to stick long enough to something that feels much bigger than the longest movie ever made. If you can though, it’s utterly worth it. The album is nearly perfect, and the epic soundscape they intended pulled through. Every minute shines, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better prog metal album this year. Triton Project have raised the bar, and it’ll be interesting to see if they top this.
