ARCADEA – The Exodus Of Gravity (2025) *HQ*
Back in 2017, ARCADEA released a self-titled album which did not garner the attention it deserved. Beyond the fact that it sported Mastodon’s singer / drummer Brann Dailor, the group just made some kick-ass, kind of poppy, synth-forwards progressive rock that was a lot of fun to listen to.
Hopefully, people pay more attention to ”The Exodus Of Gravity’‘, the project’s 2025 release, as it supercharges that formula and takes it even further into outer space and into the future, painting a sort of Dying Earth, post-human sci-fi vision. The music has been augmented as well, still synth heavy but much more present and chunky, motivated by an absolutely killer groove section.
Tuning into the second, and eponymous, track is probably your best bet. We absolutely love the vocoder backed vocals which open the track but we love even more the meaty, groovy collaboration between Dailor’s agile drums and thick, deft bass lines. They create the sort of rhythm that Dailor was known for all the way back in Mastodon’s early releases but here it’s allowed more space to shine amidst the instruments. These instruments include absolutely contagious synths and expansive, wild psychedelic guitar lines that mix and swirl with the album’s color palette to lend it its 70s pulpy feel.
Funnily enough, the end result reminds me of none other than Ayreon. Perhaps that is not so funny, considering how central synths are to that project and Arjen Lucassen’s entire career. There’s plenty of overlap between Arcadea and Ayreon but the main one that rises is that certain somber feeling of the synths, of futuristic melancholy and faint, outer space darkness and coldness.
However, and despite the craziness in its sonic delivery, some Arcadea tracks (song-format around 4 min.) are almost danceable, closer to GHOST at places – something musically different that you should try for sure.
“Fuzzy Planet’ is the lead single, and takes things in a more new wave, Gary Numan direction, while applying some funky grooves and prog-metal keyboards. This may look weird, but the song is really infectious.
“Lake of Rust” has more drive in its stomping without wanting to look back in the direction of his other band, Brann’s vocals have a little more of a rock feel to them. “Gilded Eye” turns into almost more of a jam that captures an authentic Seventies prog feel – without the flutes and Hammond organs – though the hooks are not laser-focused.
Dailor’s drumming is what you want from him, yet his maturation as a player allows him to use restraint rather than pile on bombastic performances he is known for. “2 Shells” has more of a groove while toying with space-age sounds. His vocals ride the beat. So far, the heavier groovin’ “Galactic Lighthouse” is our favorite song.
“Starry Messenger” finds the lamb finally lying down on Broadway and Dailor getting to indulge in the kind of full-on prog that he listens to in his spare time. The main focus becomes the drums racing alongside the synths as the vocals provide an accompanying, coasting ambiance. We do like the magnitude of weirdness that unfolds on this one.
What is more prog than keyboard solos? They hit a better stride as songwriters on “Silent Spores” to find that place prog bands hit in the Eighties when they collided with new wave. They do go on the weird side, but it is well-balanced here.
“Sparks” is another weird one. They shift the way they mixed this one to provoke your ears. The last song, “Planet Pounder,” goes off into a neon hyperspace. Dailor’s voice locks into a contemplative croon.
”The Exodus of Gravity” is very good at being ambidextrous and, most of the time, walks the tight rope exceptionally well. It’s something different, really, not in the typical style of music featured at 0dayrox, but immensely interesting.
Highly Recommended
01 – Dark Star
02 – Exodus of Gravity
03 – Fuzzy Planet
04 – Lake of Rust
05 – Gilded Eye
06 – 2 Shells
07 – Galactic Lighthouse
08 – Starry Messenger
09 – Silent Spores
10 – The Hand That Holds the Milky Way
11 – Sparks
12 – Planet Pounder
Brann Dailor – vocals, drums
Core Atoms – guitars, bass, keyboards, synths
Joao Nogueira – keyboard solos
BUY
relapse.com/pages/arcadea-the-exodus-of-gravity
