Norway’s Course of Fate was a new band for me. They have been active since the early 2000’s, with a handful of demos and an EP in 2013, but they didn’t release their first full length until 2020. They have hit a groove since then, with their second album out in 2023, and now their latest, “Behind the Eclipse,” having been released at the end of January here in 2026. This album showcases their progressive metal craft, abounding with technical prowess and power amidst melancholy textures, bringing to mind bands like Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, and Evergrey. The guitars and drums are adept at both crushing soundscapes and more subtle passages, navigating dynamic contrast and tempo variations while pitting more standard time signatures against polyrhythmic onslaughts. Piano and keys are used to great effect, a primary voice in many of the more subtle moments and a critical component when things reach crushing heights, creating atmosphere that adds a moody flavor. The vocals of Eivind Gunnesen are wonderful, versatile in their range and emotion, reminding of Geoff Tate in the more powerful moments while also regularly giving Galactic Cowboys vibes. The vocals are almost exclusively cleans, with somber restrained melodies and soaring with rich vibrato, but there is the occasional backing growl, including one song with lead growls. Unlike many prog albums, “Behind the Eclipse” is technically not a concept album, though it does consistently explore themes of dark and light and how they manifest together. It does a good job exuding this exploration, both musically and in lyrical content, with despair and hope colliding in rich euphony. Its runtime of 45 minutes across 8 songs perhaps sounds short in the world of prog, but the editing feels tight, and no song ever overstays its welcome.

“Memories” starts off somberly, a slow melancholy guitar melody the binding factor, layering in symphonics to accentuate the atmosphere. Lyrics take on a narrative form, beginning by asking “Will you carry your heavy cross…the empty burden of your own loss,” signifiying the deep subject matter yet to come. It transitions into the absolutely epic title track, which clocks in at just a hair over 10 minutes, continuing the melancholy feel with a crushing, atmospheric doomy wall of sound. About a minute in, the wall of sounds yields to a subtle guitar melody over a percussive underbelly, before amping things up and truly introducing you to the tremendous voice of Gunnesen. He has such a great tambor to his voice, bold and aggressive while evoking emotion. Softer verses interplay with a heavier anthemic chorus, treating you to dynamic diversity that adds depth. After the second chorus, everything drops out in eerie fashion, yielding to a calming piano melody over a hushed lullaby-like vocal, with guitar flourishes and the bass getting a chance to shine. There is a slow build that results in an emphatic extended guitar solo, bleeding into a bombastic vocal-driven passage with a backing choir and lead vocals oozing emotion. Then the bass starts grooving, commencing a slow proggy thrash cadence, swirling melodies enveloping the crushing riffs. Gunnesen begins to show off his power capabilities, with Tate-like vibrato and power, only to have the song wind down in massive fashion. The song laments a world that appears to be falling apart, encouraging you not to get swept up in the despair with lines like “Close your eyes, child” in the chorus and “Turn your eyes away” in the late bridge, definitely starting more with dark than light as the album gets going.

“Sky Is Falling” keeps you off balance out of the gate with its polyrythmic dueling guitars and keys before settling into a driving power doom groove for the verse, complete with powerful vocals that remind me of Jimmy P. Brown in his heyday. Ahead of the chorus, the band plays with dynamics and brings back the varied rhythms amidst an eerie vibe, preparing you for the big chorus. A brief but powerful second verse followed by a bold multi-rhythm section shifts quickly to a second rendition of the anthemic chorus. The music slows, treating your ears to an extended heartfelt soaring guitar solo over bass-driven riffing that starts in subtle fashion but adds layers as it builds. It grows in grandeur, ending emphatically with soaring vocals before a somewhat abrupt finish.

“So it Goes” starts with a quiet guitar melody, punches you in the mouth as all instruments come in with crushing melodic intensity and atmosphere, then relaxes back to the opening melody as Gunneson’s soulful vocals take hold. Dynamics reign supreme as Course of Fate does so well, interspersing the softer verses with thunderous drums supporting the massive riffs and swirling keys. The chorus has an anthemic and hopeful quality to it, reminding me quite a bit of Galactic Cowboys with its big harmonies and memorable vocal lines. The theme of light and dark is very visible in the textures and lyrics of this song, portraying life and death, growth and degradation, with the chorus proclaiming “And so it goes, as life moves on, shining like light through the darkness.”

“Acolyte” is one of my favorites on the album, starting out with a slow haunting piano and guitar melody, before running you over with its speedy drumming, intense guitars, and polyrhythmic magic, giving Dream Theater “The Astonishing” era vibes. The guitars are absolutely unrelenting, navigating varied rhythms with their crushing riffs alternating with more straightforward hefty chugs. The keys add a lot of depth, building the ethereal atmosphere within the aggression. The chorus dials things back temporarily, reprising the opening eerie melody, bruises ahead again in crushing intensity, delivers the chorus again, and amps things up with an instrumental djenty guitar-driven section. One final dynamic drop reprises the eerie melody one final time, but marries it with the earlier crushing intensity and massive atmosphere before closing out.

“Hiding from the Light” has a darker tone, matching the title well, with dark synths supporting crushing off balance riffs. The driving guitars and drums allow the subtle aggression in the vocals to take the lead, with some background growls supporting the cleans, before transforming into a bellicose snarling attack that sees the only true appearance of extreme vocals on the album. The chorus acts as a foil with its brighter tone and guitar flourishes, but only temporarily as the growls return atop a sinister guitar groove. Then the rug is pulled out from under you, an immediate decrescendo with the drums briefly featured followed by the bass guitar getting to show off with some slick grooves, guitar melodies floating about. This builds to one final grander rendition of the chorus, closing out the heaviest song on the album (and another personal favorite!).

“Don’t Close Your Eyes” is the only true slow song, the token ballad that isn’t a ballad at all but is altogether stunning. It has a spacey opening with its encompassing keys, nearly disappearing into the night as Gunneson shows off his soulful side with passionate emotive vocals. A cello enters the fray, stunning in its melancholic croons, keys and guitars adding light textures. The cello and bass swap places, treating your ears to a heartfelt melody over a supportive piano whole note progression, with the cello and guitar adding depth. Gunneson gives one final emotional reprise, allowing the song to slowly close out with gorgeous orchestration. Lyrically, the song implores the listener “Don’t close your eyes, the moment may pass you by” and a call to “dream of tomorrow,” a sharp contrast to “Close your eyes, child” of the earlier title track.

Closer “Neverwhere” is the second longest song, starting with an ethereal Middle Eastern vibe that opens up to exploration of various textures. The vocals come in over a minimalist melody, layering in piano and drums with guitars adding melodic flourishes. The song continues to build, a backing choir adding to the eerie atmosphere, before ascending into a massive chorus with soaring vocals surrounded by a wall of sound. The melody from the verse returns, but without the dynamic drop, maintaining the powerful feel through the second chorus. The drum-driven instrumental bridge is fabulous, keys and guitars exhorting with passionate melodies, then knocking you down with Gunneson absolutely letting loose in soaring fashion. Part 2 of the instrumental bridge takes over in polymetric fashion, a duel of hefty chugs and fret gymnastics that will keep you off balance. This transitions into a short but emphatic guitar solo, closing out one final time with the soaring chorus and a proggy hefty instrumental salvo.

This is a great album top to bottom, navigating myriad textures with fabulous melodies and a pervasive aggressive feel that represents the lyrical themes well. I truly enjoyed this intro to Course of Fate, and I now need to go check out their previous 2 full lengths to see what else I have been missing. If you are looking for well-done progressive metal that can evoke emotion while being powerful and technically advanced, you should check this album out!

https://open.spotify.com/album/6aQDoV52Va372Z3w1wG7Zi