CHARLIE GRIFFITHS

Thrashed-up prog metal and Jurassic theology prevail on Charlie Griffiths' second solo release 'Gods of Pangaea', as the Haken guitar player adopts the name of his debut album as his artistic moniker for this 2025 project. This is a direct and really fine follow-up to the 2022 'Tiktaalika' album, with many of the fabulous vocalists making their returning appearances on 'Gods of Pangaea', delivering an even more unbridled, cathartic performance as this gorgeous album marks a greater influence from 80s thrash metal, with Megadeth being one of the ostensible references. The eight tracks making up the album vary from standard-length pieces to lengthier epics that explore different movements, riffs and chord progressions, on an album that definitely not only preserves but expands the prog-metal pedigree of its creator and aims to act as a bridging entity between the seemingly incompatible worlds of thrash and prog.

Opener 'Tyrannicide' is a fast-paced, riff-heavy rocker that introduces a more classic metal feel, definitely one of the more aggressive numbers on here. This is followed by the 9-minute-long title track, a quirkier and more technically adept piece with memorable hooks and a great chorus, leading the listener to the gnarly 'The Forbidden Zone', with the album once again returning to a more riff-driven thrash sound with some harsh vocals swiveling around the heavy guitars. 'Mesozoic Mantras' is one of the highlights of the album, a more technical number that exhibits a dense, layered and intricate sound, very prominent in today's progressive metal. Then comes the Anthrax-ish 'Fault Lines' and the catchy 'Give Up the Ghost', both of which are more straightforward. The eighth track is a gorgeous and heavy ride, with the instantly recognizable vocals of Tommy Rogers from BTBAM. The final track is a fun instrumental, a very labyrinthian riff rampage. The entire record is very consistent and perhaps even more illustrative of Griffiths' songwriting skills than its predecessor, a welcome and well-executed blend of prog metal with thrash and groove metal influences.

Astounding sounds prevail on Haken guitar player Charlie Griffiths's debut solo album titled 'Tiktaalika', a crossover prog metal opus with five-star guest appearances, and for some listeners a fascinating marriage between 80s thrash grooves and tech-prog complexity, this album reveals the artist's love of thrash, alternative and technical metal, all abundant here as the stylistic diversity and playing range of Griffiths impress from start to finish - this is a masterful work from a seasoned player who is confident and capable enough to put together such an ambitious project, featuring some of the genre's most recognizable and gifted musicians, namely Thomas Giles, Darby Todd, Jordan Rudess, Rob Townsend, Danïel De Jongh, Vladimir Lalić, and Neil Purdy, while the album has been mixed by Adam "Nolly" Getgood, formerly part of djent outfit Periphery.

The 'Prehistoric Prelude' introduces a ravaging riff that transitions into 'Arctic Cemetery', a technical, brutal and gloomy number with great vocals from Thomas Giles and some awesome guitar playing and production, followed by 'Luminous Beings' and its quirky textures more pertinent to the recent Haken material and their signature brand of prog metal. What comes after are arguably the two centerpieces of the record, the 8-minute tracks 'In Alluvium' and 'Dead In the Water', both of which feature the vocals of Vladimir Lalić. The former is a strong epic with Devin Townsend-esque polyrhythms mashed with a very upfront, modern metal production, a dazzling guitar tone and a ballsy swagger that elevates the piece into a roaring prog metal anthem, while the latter of these is an absolutely killer track replete with gnarly riffing, wacky shifts and hefty sax notes, or else, an in-your-face prog pomp. Another highlight is the instrumental title track (a Dave Mustaine-attempted Dream Theater epic), an all-around prog homage that is equal parts menacing and impressive, the irony aside. Some may also enjoy the gritty technical metalcore of 'Crawl Walk Run', while the closing track works as a coda and provides for a nice framing of the entire album, which is excellent and highly recommended for all enjoyers of the prog metal genre.

Don't be fooled, this is actually the second studio album from Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths, just under a different name. I really liked his debut record of Tiktaalika, though I did feel like it drew a bit heavily from the original Haken sound. Though, I was quite optimistic going into this record, especially when I heard it focused more on the thrash metal elements that sometimes sprung up from the previous album.

This is a pretty good improvement from the debut I'd say. Gods of Pangaea really showcases Charlie's dynamic metal knowledge to new heights, with a bigger focus on old school thrash metal, mixed with an iconic progressive metal sound. The album has a very Voivod-like aura to me, which I quite enjoy, creating a sound that has a mix between the surreal and goofy nature of prog, with more serious aspects to tighten things together. Crack treated seriously, if you will.

Also, like the former album, Gods of Pangaea is a concept album, exploring the supercontinent of Pangaea, as well as the life that lived there. It's noticeably a tiny bit looser than the prior album, as the songs aren't quite linked up to form one big movement, which I do think was quite a missed opportunity. Imagine listening to the title track and through its segway you hear the foreboding bassline from The Forbidden Zone. I think that'd be pretty awesome. Shame that didn't work out in the end.

I also noticed some groove metal elements sometimes, which I think makes the sound more original. Again, my problem with Tiktaalika was that it felt like it drew too heavily from the Haken sound, and while the album does sometimes still carry that band's progressive metalisms, the added elements makes the proggy sound much more dynamic and interesting. I haven't really delved into the groove metal genre outside of Gojira and a Disembodied EP, but the groove elements here are really well done, especially in the bass work. Charlie and Conner Green are both really good at the bass, and they work well with each other, especially on The Forbidden Zone and Lost Continent, my personal favorite tracks on this album.

Though, perhaps it could benefit with some more technical and wackier elements than it already has. I think its big downside is that God of Pangaea sometimes can feel like a pretty straight laced heavy metal album. Obviously not on some of the longer tracks, but it does get kind of 'textbook definition' in terms of metal on here. Obviously, I am not expecting Charlie to reinvent the wheel here, but I do wish some of the tracks stood out a bit more, like Tyrannicide and Give Up the Ghost. Essentially while the prog is more dynamic, the metal has become a bit stagnant.

I think Gods of Pangaea is an overall improvement from Tiktaalika, with its more original sound that Charlie is more thoroughly playing around with, though it does still have some issues. All that aside, I am pretty optimistic for whatever Charlie has in store next, because I bet it'll be pretty good, if not better than this new album.

Best tracks: The Forbidden Zone, Lost Continent

Worst tracks: Tyrannicide, Give Up The Ghost

I love my portion of progressive metal. Especially when there's a combination of power, exceptional playing, and great music.

This is an interesting and joyful listening experience. Luminous Beings, Tiktaalika and In Alluvium are current favourites. I am still undecided about my feelings involving the lyrics. They come across as clunky to me. But I can change my mind of course.

Special mention to the track Tiktaalika. This is very much inspired by Larks' Tongues in Aspic part II, combined with a bit of Thrak.

This is a 4-star album in my book. One of the best records from 2022. At least the ones I heard.

So we're past the halfway point of this year and so far there have been some really good releases in the progressive music sphere. It is honestly very impressive how well some of these releases have been so far in my opinion, a ton of albums in fact that I can say could land a spot as my favorite for this year, and they'll be more coming soon too. We got some big names like Jethro Tull and Marillion releasing albums that are very well made, retro Prog bands like The Tangent and Karfagen making some absolutely stellar albums that are possibly the best I've heard from them, and heavy Prog and Prog Metal are still going strong with the new live Between The Buried and Me album and the new Porcupine Tree studio album. This long cycle of amazing albums has shaped 2022 as a great year for Prog rock and metal, it honestly makes me wonder what's next for this year. While I am late on the ball with this release, this has been on my radar for a while. The first solo album from Haken's very own guitarist and backing vocalist, Charlie Griffith.

I was wondering if we might get a new Haken release this year, and we were with the release of a single a few months ago indicating a new album coming soon, but while that is still in the workshop, this one came out last month. I was interested in it but never fully committed to checking it out, until I learned that the drummer for Devin Townsend's and Martin Barre's live bands, Darby Todd, and the vocalist of Between The Buried and Me, Tommy Rogers, would be on this album, I immediately wanted to check this out. A trifecta of awesome metal was surely brewing and I was pumped and ready to see how well they could craft this album, and judging by the positive outlook it has been getting, I think it'll be a masterful experience.

The album starts with Prehistoric Prelude and even if it is a prelude, it is super great right off the bat. The guitar riffs are on point and the melody is just super tight and focused. The acoustic first half is great, the heavy metal second is fantastic. When I first heard this prelude, I knew I was in for a sure fire treat.

The next song is Arctic Cemetery, and the first thing I like about this song is how it transitions from the last so smoothly to where it effectively makes this entire album one big song since each song also has that same transitioning effect. As for the track itself, I'd say picture Haken's and Between The Buried and Me's sounds had a baby, that is effectively this. The super hardcore tech metal of BTBAM with that fun silly yet very in tune Haken sound we all know and love. Tommy Giles' vocals are very smooth yet they still retain that awesome screamo, Charlie Griffiths' guitar work is excellent as ever, and Darby Todd's drumming for this track is on point. So far this album is really great, and I felt it would only get better.

And it did get better with Luminous Beings. It decides to become a lot more Haken-isque with a lot less hardcore and more of the sounds that might be found on Virus or Vector. While I do already really enjoy this album, I do gotta drop in a few cents of criticism. The sound being very much like Haken or BTBAM is not bad, but it definitely lacks a bit in originality. I don't blame this aspect on Charlie in any shape or form with this aspect, this is their first solo project so having a sound similar to a band they worked with for so many years isn't surprising, however I do feel like it should be noted, in fact encourage for him to try new stuff, maybe find a new metal sound like maybe a folk metal album next time, or heck maybe get a little experimental and add some Avant Garde stuff, maybe even hook up with someone like Les Claypool and make an album sounding similar to a funk metal band or something. I would like a little bit more than what is on the plate already, which as it stands is a pretty sizable portion of a meal. Obviously we aren't even halfway through but I think I should speak about the elephant in the room sooner than later.

Next is In Alluvium, and it carries the same torch Luminous Beings did. Very Haken sound with some good vocal arrangements and drumming to really tie it all together nicely.

After that we got Dead in the Water, and wow, this gave me a ton of Devin Townsend vibes, heck the vocals sound very much like him. Seriously I had to look up if he was on this song, and he isn't, which is crazy. Speaking of, I love how weird and zany this track is with the added effect of a saxophone, and some melodic feels towards the end, it just gives this a chaotic vibe that I love and wanna see more of in Prog Metal as a whole. Hope to see more of this kinda style later on.

Afterwards is Digging Deeper, which takes a bit more of a melodic approach to sound, mostly dipping the metal sound with only the drums and small hints of guitar. It ain't the heaviest, but it certainly is the most vibrant and ambient in the whole album. I can definitely get why this was made to break free a bit from the heaviness the album had going towards, so it is nice to get a bit of a laxative song in the middle of this.

That relaxation ends though with the title track coming into play. This instrumental is super cool. It gives me a lot of Larks Part 2 vibes, especially that main riff. Every bit and minute feels super weird and insane that it makes this song feel like a trip just listening to it. It is super heavy, worbly, and fun, though I do wish it had a better music video, something this epic deserved a tiny bit more.

This album has been sort of straying a bit from the sounds that was once before with the whole BTBAM influence, but Crawl Walk Run really puts it forth once more with some awesome and tight hardcore riffs and singing. Tommy Giles' voice ages like a fine wine and this album, and the live album of The Great Misdirect shows this in full force. It is super fast paced, pumping and just straight up awesomeness all around.

And the momentum doesn't stop with the last track on the album, Under Polaris. While I do feel like the ending was a little anticlimactic, the reprisal of the first song definitely gives it some charm, and that focus on some awesome riffs and vocal works makes this a really fun song to listen to, and even more so on this album.

I do not think this is the best album that was released this year, but I do not think this is the worst album that was released this year, far from it, this album is a awesome work of art, and for being his first project, Charlie really hit the nail on this one perfectly in my heart. This makes me pretty excited to see what is next for Charlie's music, so I hope he continues making more awesome and heavy stuff, and seriously let Devin cover Dead In The Water like that song was MADE for him.

Charles Griffiths has joined the list of members of big bands who decide to start parallel or solo projects and who, with a select and diverse group of musicians, has managed to create -contrary to some musicians like John Petrucci who seek a solo career to realize more relaxed ideas and without much pretension- a solid and heterogeneous album of progressive metal. Tiktaalika is made up of the different forms Progressive Metal has taken over the last few years, where the dark and intricate riffs of bands like Opeth or Meshuggah meet the guitar sets of Dream Theater or Haken themselves. All under the baton of Charles Griffiths who marks a fast and heavy rhythm for most of the album, without becoming overloaded or losing consistency; stringing together perfectly song by song leaving no room for 'filler'.

The fact that among the members of the project there are musicians like Darby Todd, Daniel De Jongh or Tommy Rogers, prevents us from attributing to Griffiths all the virtue of the album, a team work: from the sporadic appearances of saxophones, trumpets or the keyboards of Jordan Rudess, to the versatile voice of the singer of Between the buried and me, and the excellent production work.

This is the first solo album from Haken's guitarist, no it's not the lost album of Yes! It's a lot heavier than Haken in many places to be on a border of extreme metal. The vocals are sometimes on a death metal side and most of the time clean. There is a lot of versatility in the guitar and singing throughout the album. The music is on a rather fast pace, but there is some cool break where you enjoy a bit of air after the intense and heavy music. The acoustic guitar parts show that transition. It's like Charles Griffiths has taken the influence of Pain Of Salvation, Devin Townsend, and Metallica to mold this own dish and it tastes good! If you want to hear an impressive variety of guitar playing and singing with some strong compositions, you will enjoy this new prog metal album.

A great album, and a strong contender for album of the year. I was expecting someting far from Haken's style, but it sounds like an extension of it, so, If you like the band, you are going to like this too. To me, it's like a Haken album more focused on guitar, but you have the usual potent riffs and calmer, melodic and ominous passages combined with good measured doses of experimentation.

My favourite tracks are In Alluvium, Dead in the water (both function as a medley of almost 17 minutes!), the title track (those melodic breaks gave me goosebumps) and Luminous beings, that reminds me of the first Haken works with its cinematic style.

4.5 stars. Strongly recommended.