Hailing from Amiens, the relatively new French progressive metal band, March of Scylla are breaking away from the world of EP’s with their debut album Andromeda. Promising a niche in the dark prog scene, March of Scylla can confidently say they are starting to leave their mark. Fans of Gojira, Sleep Token and Architects are absolutely going to want to tune their ears into this one.
Kicking off with ‘Ulysses’ Lies’, the album bursts to life with heavy drum beats encapsulated by haunting, almost choir-like tones, cruising beautifully into heavier vocals. Keeping the melodic vibes going into solid vocals can often lead to the meaning and lyrics of songs being lost, but March of Scylla have hit the wonderful balance of having both, throughout the album, following themes of existential anxiety and deep emotional struggles. Setting the tone for the rest of the Andromeda, ‘Ulysses’ Lies’ is a five minute powerhouse that really establishes what the album is going to build into.
Amiens is famous for its Gothic cathedrals, so it’s no surprise that ‘Death Experience’ carries on the religious undertones of this album with a building, angelic melody forcing its way through to a full bodied drum rhythm. The kind of tempo that makes you stop in your tracks, your foot will start tapping, your head will start bouncing and before you know it, you’re imagining March of Scylla performing this in one of those very cathedrals. That’s where it belongs. It fits in their image unapologetically.
With an album title like Andromeda, March of Scylla have given themselves the gruelling task of making their music live up to the tales of the Greek mythology they are based on. Thankfully, it seems they have done their research. ‘To Cassiopeia’, is one of the shorter songs on the album - but one that really leans into the darker elements of the progressive metal genre. Cassiopeia was the disdainful mother of Andromeda in Greek Myth, and this song confines that story in music. You can hear angst and rage all within the low guttural groans and echoey beat, coupled with draughty wind sounds to create a dark chilling piece of music. The distinct lack of instruments in ‘To Cassiopeia’ helps to break up the album and makes the launch into ‘Dark Matter’ even more intense.
Some of the songs through the middle of the album, ‘Storm Dancer’ and ‘BlaAst’ - whilst still being incredible on their own - tend to get a bit lost when looking at the album as a whole. They are placed within an album self described as a “thought provoking musical journey” where both the beginning and end are thoroughly elevated with a fully realised conceptualisation, and here it just feels like there's something missing that gives them an emptier feeling than the rest of the album.
But - the magic of a band like March of Scylla is that these songs could lend themselves to a small crowd of 50 in a local French venue, or to a sold out show of thousands across the globe. Andromeda being March of Scylla’s debut album leaves you to imagine that they are only going to go on to produce great things.
The combo of melodic but heavy vocals, layered perfectly with meaty guitar riffs and well thought out concepts, marks March of Scylla as an absolute band to watch. Their music more than belongs in the dark progressive scene, and with a debut album like Andromeda we are very excited to see where they go from here.
Score: 7/10
Andromeda will be released on March 7th 2025 via Klonosphere and Season Of Mist.
Words: Emily Bancroft
Photos: March of Scylla
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