slyde
Photo by Chrissy Fair

Slyde - "Back Again" (Song Premiere)

Photo by Chrissy Fair
Photo by Chrissy Fair

What makes something “progressive”? There are times when, without naming any names, progressive bands seem to disappear in a haze of high concept nonsense and technical wankery. And if everyone is fixated on noodling at the same time, is anything really progressing? In that kind of environment, it is always nice to have a band remember that a simpler approach can work just as well as a complicated one. Toronto four-piece Slyde combine influences from European metal, Japanese video game music and Western grunge music. The title track from their upcoming EP, Back Again, seems to be a good synthesis of these disparate influences and more. “Back Again” comes across like one of Coheed and Cambria’s catchier tunes with elements from Haken or even 80s-era Rush. It has a very relaxed mood, relying on simple patterns and allowing the atmospheres and arrangements to be what makes them more progressive than simply playing as many notes as they can. The vocal melody is quite nice, once again bringing to mind the Coheed and Cambria comparisons.

-Kevin Zecchel

Back Again will be released on February 17th. Follow Slyde on Facebook.

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