by Steve Joyce
In the first 30 seconds of Songs of Awakening – the fifth album from Costa Rica’s Time’s Forgotten, album opener “The Shallow and the Deep” hits you with an apocalyptic ambient drone, thunderous drums, and the ethereal voice of Priscilla Ruiz, and you can tell you’re in for something special. And so it proves throughout the eight songs on this 50-minute album, the band’s 5th – richly melodic, accessible progressive rock, with plenty of heaviness to satisfy metal fans too.
Exploring themes of empathy, renewal, and self-discovery, Songs of Awakening provides an uplifting beacon of hope in troubled times. “We wanted to show the world that there is a way out, that something good is always waiting for us at the end of every path we choose. All we need is to learn to love ourselves a little more each day,” says Juan Pablo Calvo, the band’s keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, and producer.
The album’s songs, all at between five and eight minutes, get across their storytelling and potent musical ideas in a concise, effective style. There’s no padding whatsoever – care has been taken over every note and word to ensure that they all mean something. Thoughtful music that certainly makes you feel, the accessibility of the songs means that at no stage does your brain hurt! The album is a pleasure to listen to.
A standout feature is the vocals by Ruiz. Although guest female performances are often used to enhance a prog album, it’s relatively uncommon to hear lead female vocals throughout, and this aspect alone makes the band and this gorgeous album stand out. Ruiz’s singing is at turns graceful, vulnerable and when needed, startlingly powerful. Calvo’s keyboards are mainly subtle, providing atmospheric mood and electronic texture. The band’s line up is completed by drummer Jorge Sobrado and bassist Chalo Trejos, infusing the music with propulsive groove, and guitarist Ari Lotringer, contributing rich melodic themes and some wonderful solos.
The aforementioned “The Shallow and the Deep” showcases the band’s strengths in cinematic style. Listen out for funky riffage, subtle piano flourishes, double-kick driven guitar solos, a beautiful laid-back middle section and a pulverising breakdown. Ruiz’s vocals weave in and out of the vivid contrasts. (I’m not a fan of fade-out endings, though!)
“Places of Healing” is energetic, with catchy, syncopated riffage, a deliciously spooky guitar theme and some dynamite playing by Sobrado. “Departure” begins in a relatively mellow fashion and builds nicely with a stirring chorus and awesome heavy breakdowns. This is where the album has many of its strongest moments, I feel – there are several breakdowns when time stops, a bone-crushing heaviness infuses every fibre of your being with an urge to headbang like a piledriver and you bellow “FOOLISH MORTAL” at your dog (or is that just me?).
The mood alters in “Nighttime” with Calvo’s lush string synths and spacey etherealness creating a feeling of wonder. Ruiz’s mournful “oh/ah/oo” vocal is spine-tingling (I would have loved this to go on for longer) and the full band builds the tension in dramatic style. It’s a major album highlight. “Sidewalk Hero”, is a recently-released single. The band said that “this is about letting go, about taking the step to make that difficult decision that will change your life for the better.” What an inspiring theme for a song! With a relatively complex arrangement, the song has many interesting musical ideas and all members have their opportunity to shine.
Clever changes of pace enliven “Alight”, which features my favourite guitar solo on the album in the outro section. Some of the other solos feel quite short but Lotringer has a chance to stretch out here and it’s impressive stuff! I liked the multi-tracked lyric-less vocal sounds in “Surrender” and bassist Trejos is all over this song, adding a dynamic punch to the heavy riffs punctuating the song. Ghostly guitar is used to great effect too.
Regular readers of my reviews will know that I crave an emotional pay-off in a prog rock album closer, and I’m delighted to confirm that “Forgiveness” delivers this in emphatic style. My favourite song on the album, Calvo almost steals the show with soaring keyboard chords and a delicate piano melody. However, there’s a choir section which heralds an astonishing emotional vocal by Ruiz and it’s a truly musically gratifying end to a most enjoyable album.
It’s a huge pleasure to discover a ‘new’ (to me) band that has such evident skill in crafting accessible, impactful, and entertaining songs. The female vocals provide an “X Factor,” and these alone are a reason to hear this album. Bookended by a magnificent opener and an epic, soul-satisfying closer, with “Songs of Awakening”, Time’s Forgotten joyously reaffirm that the progressive metal community is truly international and abundantly rich in talent.
Album released October 3rd, 2025 via Melodic Revolution Records
Tracklisting:
1. The Shallow and the Deep 08:15
2. Placesof Healing 06:08
3. Departure 05:12
4. Nighttime 06:39
5. Sidewalk Hero 06:33
6. Alight 05:19
7. Surrender 05:45
8. Forgiveness 06:24
Order the album here: https://timesforgotten.bandcamp.com/
Time’s Forgotten is:
Priscilla Ruiz, vocals
Jorge Sobrado, drums
Chalo Trejos, bass
Ari Lotringer, lead guitar
Juan Pablo Calvo, keyboards, guitar, and vocals
