Minor Plains are a prog/math rock trio from Bellingham, Washington, comprised of guitarist Raleigh Davis, drummer Nate Goldizen, and bassist Lucas Phillips. Their brand new instrumental release, Tortuga, contains five lengthy tracks that show off a unique ability to create weaving, intricate compositions that retain a bit of melody, mixing metal, prog, jazz, and jam for an enjoyable stew of various flavors and aromas. "Arribada Tides: The Birth Of King Tortuga" is filled with some neat unison guitar & bass lines, never too heavy but I can totally see metal heads as well as jam band fans getting into this stuff. Goldizen works overtime with some blazing drumming under the herky jerky riffs of Davis and Phillips' acrobatic bass fills on the energetic "Cougar Mountain", while the near 10-minute "Glacial Echoes: The Exile Of King Tortuga" goes deep into atmospheric, prog rock waters, as shimmering chords and jazzy rhythms eventually gives way to quirky arrangements that could be a marriage of Gentle Giant and The Dillinger Escape Plan. "Rainmaker" is easily the mellowest tune on the album, and most jazz oriented, and the epic closer "Starfish Omega: The Revenge Of King Tortuga" takes the opposite end of the spectrum, a full on metallic number with some fat riffs and jaw dropping complex passages that allows all three players to really shine. Impressive stuff that any prog-metal fan will certainly enjoy.
Based on what we have on display here, it's apparent that Minor Plains have a bright future ahead of them. If you enjoy acts like Scale the Summit or Animals as Leaders, then you owe it to yourself to investigate this fine trio immediately.
Track Listing
1.
Arribada Tides: The Birth Of King Tortuga 08:20
2.
Cougar Mountain 06:58
3.
Glacial Echoes: The Exile Of King Tortuga 09:30
4.
Rainmaker 06:03
5.
Starfish Omega: The Revenge Of King Tortuga 10:22
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