ARCHAEOLOGIST - Elements

ARCHAEOLOGIST

Album: Elements

Genre: Instrumental Prog

Release Date: June 30th, 2023

Country: USA

Label: Self-Released

Band Links: BANDCAMP / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

Established in 2013 by multi-instrumentalist Kyle Schaefer (who’s also the vocalist of Fallujah now), ARCHAEOLOGIST is either a band, a solo project, or something in between, and has already featured a variety of different collaborators over the years. The current album is called “Elements”, consisting of 20 instrumental, guitar-centered songs with an overall playing time of 41 minutes, which might be a bit unusual for a prog release. But as the title says, these are “Elements”, and most of the rather short tracks were written and recorded within a single day as an exercise of unrestrained spontaneity. 

The creative spectrum is highly impressive, as they take us through mesmerizing melodies, funky moments, heavy shredding, and groovy rock parts. Thanks to the well-balanced mixing and their smooth, lighthearted, yet skillful playing, the music is a real listening pleasure. The only weakness is actually part of the conceptual idea behind “Elements”, as some of the songs just end too sudden, sparking the wish to hear more, and how they might have evolved if ARCHAEOLOGIST would have gone further… 

Written by Katha (originally for The Progspace)