Sacramento, California, based Lunar is another new band for me who is playing Hyperspace. They recently released their latest full length, “Tempora Mutantur,” and I have been eating it up. It took a few times to settle in for me, but the more I listen, the more I discover and love. There are layers and intricacies all over this album, myriad twists and turns and oodles of creativity. This is progressive metal for the thinker, with complex rhythmic sections, insane technicality across all instruments (which besides incredible guitars, drums, and keys are occasionally complemented by saxophone, trumpet, and even harmonica), dueling lines within and across time signatures, and musical sections that on their own wouldn’t seem related but are masterfully woven together. It can get pretty heavy at times, with a progressive blackened death feel, but other times it just has big vocals and hearkens back to the earlier days of prog. A meld of Opeth, Haken, Caligula’s Horse, and Dream Theater come to mind, but with its own feel: simultaneously technical, heavy, & melodic, and you never know what is coming next.

I will semi-dissect one song, “Fall Back into Old Habits.” It has an off-kilter rhythm that alternates with more straightforward riffage against death and black vocals, blastbeats aplenty with great guitar lead, then a mini funk break with extended guitar solo that fades into a subdued atmospheric section with emotive cleans and great harmonies. This slowly builds, reintroducing extreme vocals, dialing back briefly before unleashing an all-out black assault and killer guitar solo. And then when you think you are done, the song busts out into bass-driven funk with another awesome guitar solo and plenty of headbanging, ending your 11-minute rollercoaster ride.

From the jamtastic “A Summer to Forget,” to the more straightforward and melodic “Seasonal Interlude,” to the bombastic progressive creative chaos of personal favorite “Spring in My Step,” or the wild journey of the 3-part title track saga (wow to piano / harmonica in Part 1!), there is a lot to take in and absorb. And it is well worth the journey!

Original Instagram review link