Prognosis release the Esigen EP – packed with their signature brutality and beauty.

Release Date: 8th December 2023

Label: Independent

Format: digital

Very much following the Gabriel / Wilson MO of releasing individual tracks ahead of the finished article, the Esigen three-track EP finally hits our hard drives in its full glory.

Just in case we’ve not covered the ground in previous Prognosis dispatches, Esigen (meaning ‘after origin’) marks the band’s sonic evolution, with three tracks of refined diversity that re-establish and reinforce the Prognosis musical mantra. The scene is duly set for the release of their second album, slated for late 2024. 

By now we’re familiar with new vocalist, Corban Skillånder, whose tones have graced Phantom Force and Follow You Down and suffice to say, Phantom Force opens proceedings in pummelling style with an unbridled vitality and coarseness of both musical and lyrical offerings tempered with measures of instrumental prowess and a dash of melodic invention. After a break from listening to Prognosis, and enjoying a skinfull of Prog Metal at RADAR Festival a couple of months back, it seems the logical place for their inclusion on the 2024 bill. Doing the Caligula’s Horse slot methinks.

Follow You Down combines a crispness and maelstrom of off-kilter rhythms, that alongside the nagging earworm of underlying guitar lines, wouldn’t be out of place on a Haken record. At four minutes, it flies by and may even be the sort of piece to revisit and see where it leads.

And having namechecked two major players in the Prog Metal field – a compliment indeed – the opening pairing gets topped off very nicely indeed thank you very much, by Kissing Vipers – “a song about defiance in retaliation of manipulation and learning to take the high ground in the face of others treating you badly.” A grand finale that the band feel sees them at their peak both individually and collectively.

“This song has a special place in our hearts,” adds guitarist Phil Weller. “It’s one of the first songs that guitarist Lewin Cantor and I wrote together after he joined the band back in 2021.” Quintessential Prognosis he calls it and a track that offers moments of beauty and aggression in equal measure. “The Prognosis I’ve always wanted to create,” he adds.  Less of the bluster and more mature classic writing in a piece that might in years to come, be greeted by the Prognosis hordes as a the cream of the early days. The time signature ambitions are still there but there’s a confident posture about this strident track. The razor-sharp riffing mid-track and the subsequent soloing that accompanies the ‘guess the ending’ playout offers a breathless climax.

And on that bombshell, DON’T MISS – the EP launch show on Saturday 9th December – Off The Square, Manchester – featuring Prognosis & Civil Service & Von – Tickets here

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