PROGRESS – “Autonomy”
I’m gonna keep this review short and sweet and to the point. I have a prefrontal lobotomy scheduled in 15 minutes and I don’t want to forget.
The band is called PROGRESS and the sound is melodic hardcore. A five-piece out of Waterbury Connecticut, PROGRESS is a member of that elite brethren known as CTHC.
Formed in 2008 and reformed in 2010, PROGRESS consists of the always urgent vocalizations of Nick Lebrun, the amazingly dexterous guitar work of Alan Tomaszewski and Steve Pianka, the low note mastery of Colin Hale, and the beating precision of Seth Nelson.
Certainly influenced by the great west coast hardcore bands of the 80’s, PROGRESS offers a sound and style that combines slashing melodic guitar riffs and intense vocals at a hardcore pace, neatly blended together with a precision that is second to none. I can recall only one other band and album in past history that was able to pull off this style and precision as applied to hardcore; Government Issue’s “You”. Good company indeed.
I recently had the great pleasure of seeing PROGRESS perform live at a local show. Without any exaggeration, they turned in an incredibly amazing set. High energy, pop-injected hardcore with studio quality results. I wish I had a way to describe to you how really awesome these guys are. Oh yah, wait a minute…, I do. It’s time to grab your earphones and crank it up, we’re goin’ in!!!
Their EP, “Autonomy”, starts off with “Bitter End”. Urgent vocals pushing through a faint intro that blends into a hardcore assault with lots of hooky guitar licks and an assortment of rolling drum fills. Nice lamenting lead vocals and tandem vocal retorts.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01 Bitter End.mp3|titles=Bitter End]
“Ravenous” is the 2rd song on the EP. A barn burner from start to middle turns on a guitar riff and drum beat that brings us to a nice guitar solo and positive ending message.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/02 Ravenous.mp3|titles=Ravenous]
The 5th tune on Autonomy is “The You Show”. Arguably my favorite track, chock full of hooky riffs and frantic drumming. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/05 The You Show.mp3|titles=The You Show]
If you can check out only one show this year, make sure PROGRESS is on the bill (and possibly M-13). If you can’t check them out live, be sure to get their 6 song EP called “Autonomy”, containing some of their finest work.
(Andy Bang)
