Location: New York City, New York
Country: USA
Genre: Progressive rock
Full length: Our Road to Dust
Format: Digital album, CD digipak
Label: Laser’s Edge
Release date: May 9, 2025
Edensong had a clear understanding of their objectives when they began participating in ProgDay, the annual progressive rock festival that has been held for thirty years. By gaining sufficient visibility to secure their third appearance at this event, they’re discovering an audience that appreciates their unique blend of prog rock, featuring flute, orchestral arrangements, and melodic vocal harmonies.
The band anticipates this upcoming festival appearance as a chance to present their new album "Our Road to Dust". Being that ProgDay is known for its eclectic rosters, it’s an ideal platform for Edensong to be heard on a large scale. Having endured at a grassroots level for that long, the festival continues to present original, distinctive bands to audiences and the press.
Their development as musicians and as a collective, described as gender bending and heaviness that embodies pure joy, is receiving recognition from Prog Magazine, Metal Temple, Sonic Perspectives, The Progspace and other publications. This leaves no doubt regarding their determination to integrate diverse musical styles in the most unexpected contexts.
I too often come across a band that has existed for some time and produced multiple albums prior to my hearing about them. From what I read, Edensong has released at least three albums; but experienced a nine-year hiatus before coming out with "Our Road to Dust". Jumping inexperienced into their recording career, I perceive I’m listening to musicians who have been seasoned from day one.
What I found to be most engaging was the incorporation of classical guitar, the influence of Celtic and world music, a song structure that balanced heaviness with spacey overtones, and the seamless transitions between the tracks. All of this contributed to the tempo shifts within each song, elevating the musicianship and pushing the boundaries of the songwriting to its limits.
I’m uncertain whether the band intended it, but certain sections evoked a sense of dark ambient music and dissonant black metal. Coupled with the enigmatic lyrics, this elevated progressive rock to entirely different plateau, resembling a fusion of Yes, Emperor, Queen, Sear Bliss, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, and Loreena McKennitt with classical vibes in the execution.
It was remarkably impressive (and somewhat frightening) that none of this sounded the least bit forced. Particularly the Celtic influences that continued to resonate with me. I’ve encountered few bands that achieved growth at this level of intensity, and I can’t help pondering how Edensong will manage to exceed this phase of their creativity. –Dave Wolff
Lineup:
James Byron Schoen: Guitars, vocals
TD "BenBen" Towers: Bass, vocals
Barry Seroff: Flutes
Nick DiGregorio: Drums, percussion
Track list:
1. Of Ascents
2. The Illusion Of Permanance
3. These Old Wounds
4. Black Crow
5. Hall Of Statues
6. Book Of Complaints
7. Of Ascents (Reprise)
8. Wykkr Bäsct
9. Our Road To Dust
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