Mytra - Sagittarius (2009) and Ecotone (2007)

This band really surprised me. When I read that these guys play "progressive death metal", I wasn't expecting much, because a lot of bands claim that and then don't deliver. Well, these guys don't deliver "progressive death metal" either, but what they do deliver is some impressive instrumental progressive metal. Their style is a little heavier than what is usually called "progressive metal", but doesn't even come close to death metal. Their base sound includes elements of industrial and electronic mixed in with keyboard-heavy progressive metal featuring lots of guitar leads. A lot of the guitar parts remind me of early Tony MacAlpine, while some of the guitar riffs have the staccato feel of later period Cynic (Focus and Traced in Air). Instrumental bands often have troubles with song composition, as they don't have vocals as a focal point. But these guys really do a good job of constructing their songs and keeping them interesting without becoming show-off pieces. In fact, the guitar solos really aren't the strong point here; the band's songwriting and novel sound are the real draws.

Of the two, Sagittarius is the stronger demo, as it shows the band maturing and refining their style, whereas Ecotone has a few dull songs. Both are very worthy recordings, though. They are available free from the band's website, so if you like heavier instrumental progressive metal, be sure to check them out.