IBVSIBVS

Gold Coast prog unit IBVS put their best foot forward on this new EP.

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Book-ended by a pair of glowing instrumental tracks, this collection is 36 minutes of vibrant and often heavy progressive rock laced with jazz, blues and melancholia.

With Silent Listener IVBS shows off their chops for clever arrangements as percussive and melodic djent works toward heavier metallic rifferama that subsides into an off-kilter staccato motif and further to a looser jazz part. On Follow the Gaijin they take bolder steps, tearing a leaf from the playbooks of Alarum or Cynic as they break up slamming metal riffs with some funky jazz before coming thrashing out the other side.

There are moments where IBVS wear their hearts for more well-known prog artists on their sleeves, but overall this is nice insight into a deeply creative band.

It’s a good build up to EP centerpiece, the mental health study Black Dog Hindsight that walks a little too closely to the band’s obvious influences at times but the ebb and flow of tension and release is effective with the croon/growl vocal playoffs, jangling bass and snarling guitar lines building to a powerful crescendo. Boasting a mere six tracks, it feels like IBVS is only just starting to really get going here. They are certainly a band with a great knack for progressive arrangements and the musical tangents they take are completely organic. There are moments where IBVS wear their hearts for more well-known prog artists on their sleeves, but overall this is nice insight into a deeply creative band.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Follow the Gaijin, Black Dog Hindsight, Silent Listener
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Tool, Karnivool, Between the Buried and Me