It’s always nice when you come across an album that is a breath of fresh air in the industry and New Metal From Old Boxes by Jason Rubenstein is a release that certainly deserves more than just a passing glance. Twelve tracks of lush, showy instrumental prog, you really can’t go wrong here.
With instrumental albums, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of the release sounding like one continuous song, rather than consisting of tracks that can stand up on their own, but New Metal From Old Boxes contains twelve very individual ideas that blend together seamlessly, which is surely evident of fantastic songwriting.
One highlight is The Set Up, which has a wonderful dark and eerie tone to start off with before you’re faced with some ‘cleaner’ piano sounds; the two different styles juxtaposed against each other work well and the guitar line for this one is a particularly nice touch. Another great inclusion is The Snowflake Defines The Weather, which really gives the keys time to shine with a showy section that hits you almost as soon as the track gets going and helps to maintain your interest throughout as the track progresses into a slightly heavier sound and feeling with repeating ideas that swiftly get stuck in your head.
Keyboard-heavy prog is certainly my favourite sort of prog, so to hear it done so well is a great feeling. Jason has really played on his strength with this album and it’s a rewarding listen that you will keep wanting to revisit again and again.
9/10
