by Steve Joyce
A task for the modest album critic: how can one articulate the inexpressible?
For a lot of listeners, the phrase ‘progressive rock’ conjures up vibrant soundscapes, twenty-minute masterpieces, visionary or spirituality-inspired lyrics, grand themes, infectious melodies, and elaborate space rock displays. In essence: music that calms the spirit and delivers blissful auditory satisfaction. Then, there exists music that is genuinely ‘progressive’ in the truest sense: everything conventional is forsaken in exchange for something avant-garde, transformative, and yielding sounds that are completely distinctive. The Italian group Benthos falls into this category – if they can even be categorized at all!
Identifying themselves as “experimental progressive metal,” Benthos is a band quite unlike any you might have encountered. “From Nothing” marks their second full-length album, following their 2021 debut “II,” which was celebrated by some genre aficionados as one of the finest entries in contemporary prog metal, demonstrating intricate technicality, complex rhythms, and robust, energetic guitar performances seamlessly integrated with tranquil, melodic interludes.
“From Nothing” encompasses all these elements and beyond. This twelve-track, 45-minute album contains three brief filler pieces alongside nine actual “songs.”
In terms of musical style, one comparison that springs to mind is the USA’s Tallah, known to those who are completeists of Dream Theater (boasting Max Portnoy, son of Mike). Like Tallah, Benthos crafts music with unexpected structures, savage intensity, and heart-wrenching emotion. Persistent listeners are rewarded with catchy melodies and genuinely exhilarating moments.
Experiencing “From Nothing” for the first time is likely to elicit a sense of confusion. After a second or third listen, cautious listeners might remark, “well, that’s rather enough of THAT.” For the bold-hearted, I suggest: persevere and push through. Believe me when I say that after repeated hearings, chunks of disparate sound gradually amalgamate into discernible, enjoyable tracks.
It’s akin to a musical version of a magic eye puzzle, or, as I imagined while becoming familiar with the album, clouds of chaotic cosmic dust slowly forming recognizable patterns.
The tracks on “From Nothing” all feature remarkable, diverse vocal deliveries (vocalist Gabriele Landillo is incredibly adaptable), unconventional structures, and extraordinary performance by bassist Alberto Fiorani, drummer Alessandro Tagliani, and guitarists Gabriele Papagni and Enrico Tripodi. The album is also sonically exceptional, with mixing by Federico Ascari and mastering by Tony Lindgren ensuring that each artist is distinctly audible amid the chaos.
Following the opening track “It Starts” – a dismissible minute of escalating electronic noise – the album launches its sensory onslaught with stellar guitar work on “From Nothing,” a notably epic chorus on “Let Me Plunge,” and “As A Cordyceps,” which, apart from being the first song I’ve heard to mention a species of parasitic fungi, features a glorious, unrestrained intensity.
“Fossil,” the album’s most extended piece at over six minutes, showcases the band at its most anarchic. Every few seconds, there’s a shift in mood between extremes of brutality and beauty. For its brilliant creativity and sheer audacity, it’s my favorite track on the album.
The mid-album interlude “Recompose” offers the listener a well-deserved pause, calming the assaulted ears with rich electronic soundscapes. “The Giant Child” is a softer song by this album’s standards but still makes a significant impression. “Pure,” featuring another intricate arrangement, boasts a ‘man of the match’ vocal delivery by Landillo and a staggering heavy outro section that is a truly punishing experience!
In its two minutes, “Athletic Worms” brings an extra layer of strangeness reminiscent of what System of a Down could only dream of imitating. With treated vocals, bone-crushing weight, and a drum/guitar interplay that could be described as bewildering, it stands out as a major milestone in the album – and not merely because it’s brief!
The album reaches an exhilarating climax with “Perpetual Drone Monkeys” – a startling barrage – and “To Everything.” Capturing everything that renders this band absolutely distinct, this song is a storm of electronica, jazz, punk, prog, metal, and shouting! The final track “It Ends” offers a cool down, reprising the preceding song’s electronic intro section, fading into slowness and static.
And…exhale!
It’s challenging to grasp what you’ve experienced, providing strong motivation to replay this album repeatedly. I found myself continually amazed at the breadth of musical imagination on display. It’s an album where investing time is not only worthwhile but genuinely enjoyable, to listen multiple times while concentrating on a different instrument each time. In this manner, the intricate layers of musical creativity are gradually unveiled, as is the dazzling musicianship, and the pleasures of the cohesive whole become much clearer.
Much of the album is through-composed, meaning there’s minimal in the way of repeated, familiar motifs. Each song is packed with ingenious creativity. There are hints of finely-tuned melodic sensitivity and appealing tunes, if you listen attentively. To be frank, more of these are required if Benthos wishes to emerge as a powerful force. However, it seems clear that mainstream success is not a focus for this band: Benthos are evidently artists striving to sound precisely as they intend with unwavering integrity. And if that’s not truly progressive, I don’t know what is.
Be advised – this album is not an easy listen. To borrow an old quote from Marillion drummer Ian Mosley, ‘it would be efficient at ushering away dinner party guests who’ve slightly overstayed their welcome.’ Nevertheless, if you’re feeling bold, daring, and curious to encounter music that defies categorization, “From Nothing,” is unlike anything else you’ll experience this year.
[embedded content]
Released on April 11th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Tracklist:
1. It Starts 01:09
2. From Nothing 05:41
3. Let Me Plunge 03:59
4. As a Cordyceps 03:17
5. Fossil 06:30
6. Recompose 01:33
7. The Giant Child 04:33
8. Pure 04:45
9. Athletic Worms 02:21
10. Perpetual Drone Monkeys 04:55
11. To Everything 04:43
12. It Ends 01:53
Personnel:
Gabriele Landillo – vocals
Gabriele Papagni – guitars
Enrico Tripodi – guitars
Alberto Fiorani – bass
Alessandro Tagliani – drums
Album mixed by Federico Ascari and mastered by Tony Lindgren
[embedded content]
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
