by Steve Joyce
A challenge for the humble album reviewer: how to describe the indescribable?
For many people, the term ‘progressive rock’ evokes sonic soundscapes, twenty minute epics, fantasy or spiritually-themed lyrics, soaring themes, catchy melodies and grandiose, space rock extravaganzas. In general: music to soothe the soul and provide blissful musical fulfilment. And then there’s music that is truly ‘progressive’ in the literal sense of the word: all that’s familiar is abandoned in favour of something new, transformative and producing music that’s utterly unique. Italian band Benthos come into this category – if they can be put into any category at all!
Self-billed as “experimental progressive metal”, Benthos is a band probably unlike any other you’ve heard. “From Nothing” is their second full-length album, following the band’s 2021 debut “II” which was hailed by some genre enthusiasts as one of the best debuts in modern prog metal, showcasing intricate technicality, complex rhythms and powerful, dynamic guitar work seamlessly blended with serene, melodic interludes.
“From Nothing” has all of these features and more. This twelve-track, 45 minute album includes three short filler pieces and nine actual “songs”.
In terms of musical style, one comparison I can make is to USA’s Tallah, who may be familiar to Dream Theater completists (featuring Max Portnoy, son of Mike). Like Tallah, Benthos produce music with unconventional arrangements, destructive savagery and heartbreaking emotion. Persistent listeners are rewarded with infectious melody and genuinely thrilling moments.
On hearing “From Nothing” for the first time, the reaction is likely to be one of bewilderment. On second and third listens, timid listeners might say “well, that’s quite enough of THAT”. To the adventurous, my advice is: stick with it and power through. Trust me when I say that on subsequent listens, slabs of disparate noise slowly but surely come together as recognisable, enjoyable songs.
It’s the musical equivalent of a magic eye puzzle, or as I imagined when getting to know the album, clouds of chaotic interstellar dust slowly coalescing into familiar, recognisable patterns.
The songs on “From Nothing” all feature astonishing, varied vocal performances (singer Gabriele Landillo is incredibly versatile), unorthodox arrangements and extraordinary playing by bassist Alberto Fiorani, drummer Alessandro Tagliani and guitarists Gabriele Papagni and Enrico Tripodi. The album is sonically superb, too, with mixing by Federico Ascari and mastering by Tony Lindgren ensuring that each band member is clearly heard amongst the mayhem.
After opening track “It Starts” – a skippable minute of building electronic noise – the album unleashes its assault on the senses with stellar guitar work on “From Nothing”, a spectacularly epic chorus on “Let Me Plunge” and “As A Cordyceps” which, in addition to being the first song I’ve heard to reference a species of parasitic fungi, has a glorious, unrestrained ferocity.
“Fossil”, the album’s longest song at over six minutes, showcases the band at its most anarchic. Every few seconds there is a shifting mood with extremes of brutality and beauty. For its brilliant innovation and utter outrageousness, it’s my favourite song on the album.
Mid album interlude “Recompose” provides the listener with a well-earned breather, soothing the battered ears with lush electronic soundscapes. “The Giant Child” is a quieter song by this album’s standards but still makes an impact. “Pure”, with another labyrinthine arrangement, has a ‘man of the match’ vocal performance by Landillo and an astonishing heavy outro section which is a truly bludgeoning experience!
In its two minutes, “Athletic Worms” delivers extra levels of weirdness of the kind that System of a Down could only aspire to emulate. With processed vocals, bone-crushing heaviness and drum/guitar interplay that can fairly be described as perplexing, it’s a major album highlight – and not because it’s short!
The album comes to an exhilarating denouement with “Perpetual Drone Monkeys” – a startling onslaught – and “To Everything”. Encapsulating everything that makes this band utterly unique, this song is a maelstrom of electronica, jazz, punk, prog, metal and screaming! Closing track “It Ends” provides a warm down, reprising the previous song’s electronic intro section, descending into sluggishness and static.
And…relax!
It’s difficult to comprehend what you’ve heard, providing strong motivation to play this album again and again. I found myself frequently marvelling at the scale of musical imagination on display. It’s an album where it’s a worthwhile investment of time, and actually quite good fun, to listen to it repeatedly, focusing on a different instrument on each pass. In this way, the sophisticated layers-upon-layers of musical creativity are slowly but surely revealed, as is the dazzling musicianship, and the joys of the coherent whole become much clearer.
Much of the album is through-composed, that is to say, there’s very little in the way of repeated, familiar motifs. Each song is crammed with ingenious inventiveness. There are glimpses of a finely honed melodic sensitivity and good tunes, if you listen patiently. Frankly, more of these are needed if Benthos wish to become a major force. It seems obvious, however, that mainstream success is not a goal for this band: Benthos are clearly artists who want to sound the way they sound with uncompromising integrity. And if that’s not truly progressive, I don’t know what is.
Make no mistake – this album is not an easy listen. To borrow an old quote from Marillion drummer Ian Mosley, ‘it would be good at getting rid of dinner party guests who’ve slightly outstayed their welcome.’ However, if you’re feeling courageous, adventurous and curious to hear music that defies description, “From Nothing,” is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year.
Released on April 11th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic
Tracklist:
1. It Starts 01:09
2. From Nothing 05:41
3. Let Me Plunge 03:59
4. As a Cordyceps 03:17
5. Fossil 06:30
6. Recompose 01:33
7. The Giant Child 04:33
8. Pure 04:45
9. Athletic Worms 02:21
10. Perpetual Drone Monkeys 04:55
11. To Everything 04:43
12. It Ends 01:53
Personnel:
Gabriele Landillo – vocals
Gabriele Papagni – guitars
Enrico Tripodi – guitars
Alberto Fiorani – bass
Alessandro Tagliani – drums
Album mixed by Federico Ascari and mastered by Tony Lindgren
