Festival News: ProgDay Announces Canvas Solaris, Abigail's Ghost
Canvas Solaris have defied the constraints of their beginnings in the death/mathcore scene to evolve into one of the most cutting edge instrumental bands to hit progressive rock in many years. Initially a vocal quartet playing an unusual and experimental form of death metal, by the time they recorded their first official release they had shed their vocalist and shifted focus to intricate instrumental arrangements. Tribunal Records called it "...genius level stuff."
The evolution continued as Canvas Solaris incorporated additional elements in their work. Their sound became eloquently expansive as more prominent keyboards, integral acoustic arrangements, and ethnic percussion widened their musical vocabulary.
Signing with Sensory Records (The Laser's Edge) in 2005, they began a series of releases that has shown just how far they have come from their origins. Contrasting intense hyper-technical passages with introverted, spacey, quiet and acoustic-based interludes, today Canvas Solaris have established themselves as one of the bands pointing a new direction for the heavy progressive and progmetal scenes. As Tribunal Records has said, "We guarantee it will blow your mind!"
[Here's a short anecdote. About two hours before I received the email containing the above press release, on Jun 9, I was sitting here at PW central waiting for my computer to complete a task. Whilst completing, I glanced at my queue of CDs abstractly and my eyes were drawn to one title in particular, Canvas Solaris' Penumbra Diffuse.... - ed.
When one thinks of music from Louisiana, progressive rock is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. With a few exceptions, like ProgDay alumni Woodenhead, the state is best known for jazz, blues and zydeco. So it was a bit of a surprise in 2007 when the album Selling Insincerity burst out of the bayou by a young band that went by the moniker of Abigail's Ghost. The album drew rave reviews on the Internet and in both the prog and mainstream rock press.
Founded by childhood friends Joshua Theriot and Kenneth Wilson, both former students at the Berklee College Of Music, the band draws influences from a wide array of both modern and classic progressive rock and art rock. Often compared to Porcupine Tree, shades of Opeth, Riverside, and Pink Floyd can also be found within the framework of the band?s material. The songs are emotional and atmospheric, encompassing both soft acoustic interludes and bombastic heaviness bordering on metal.
ProgDay is proud to welcome Abigail's Ghost to the Storybook Farm stage. We are sure they are going to be a major highlight of the weekend.
ProgDay, the world?s longest running progressive rock festival, takes place this year on August 30th and 31st at Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Other bands announced so far are Ain Soph (Japan), Canvas Solaris (US), Cheer-Accident (US), Holding Pattern (US), and VonFrickle (US). To hear music and get information about all the bands, please visit our website at www.progday.net