I first came across this Canadian band some 20 years ago when I reviewed their first two albums, and back then they were still an instrumental outfit but since then there have been some changes both in line-up and approach. Formed in spring 2001, founder members Simon L'Espérance (guitars) and Thomas Brodeur (drums) were joined in 2009 by Sylvain Auclair (bass, vocals) , who joined the band in 2009, on bass and vocals. Keyboard player Sébastien Cloutier joined in time for 2018’s ‘The Fold’, which was the first of a trilogy which was followed by 2022’s ‘Grey White Silver Yellow & Gold’ and is now completed with ‘Black Soul Sickness’. The last album I came across was 2012’s ‘The First Day’ so cannot compare this with the rest of the trilogy, but I can say they have moved a long way from the instrumental progressive rock and fusion jazz outfit they started life as.
Honestly, there are times they are so heavy that they make me think of Disturbed, but for most of the time it is later-period Porcupine Tree with some elements of Pineapple Thief here and there. It is polished, it is dramatic, in your face and uncompromising. I have no idea what happened to the band I was listening to when they started out, but this is an incredible transformation. It is cinematic modern prog which brings in elements of metal and produces something which is not really prog metal, but more than “just” prog with plenty of guitar and is fresh and exciting. It is an album which I wanted to hear given I knew them years ago, but this was not what I was expecting, but it is a delight from beginning to end. If, like me, you knew the old Karcius then the new one may well be a shock to the system, but in a good way.
