Metalcatto
You know what we don’t cover much around here? Traditional Proggy albums. It’s just not something many bands can do better than Dream Theater. However, North Sea Echoes‘ How to Cast a Shadow isn’t exactly a Prog album. It has a lot of the aesthetics, but it simplifies many things. There’s way less instrumental wanking here. I know that might let you down, but how about the other elements? Are they good? Let’s see.
Well, How to Cast a Shadow is strange. For a moment, I even wondered if it was the right thing to review here, because its Prog Rock vibe was just too strong. Yet I couldn’t ignore the good parts of the album, which are mostly the atmosphere. Sure, it’s electronic, but it creates that feeling that you are indeed close to a gloomy shore where there’s little life around—yet it’s still beautiful and comforting. The album is, if anything, deeply minimalist. It doesn’t try to impress with flashy solos or technical feats. It relies on mood and texture, and for the most part, it succeeds.
Honestly, without the vocals, this would be a borefest. I know it’s harsh, but I keep it real, okay? The vocals carry next to all the emotional weight of the album. Sure, there are some harsh moments, but the great bulk of the album is soft build-up, and thanks to those almost Power Metal vocals, I managed to finish How to Cast a Shadow. Don’t worry—this isn’t a brutal listen. It’s actually pretty digestible, which leads me to the dreadful paragraph four.
How to Cast a Shadow was too slow for my taste, and I don’t mean it in the Doom Metal sense of the word. It’s just too much emotional build-up. The album could use more raging moments. We’re left sitting down and waiting for the bang so long that my butt hurts. The album could use more of those Proggy elements to keep us a bit impressed, but it just doesn’t happen. It’s sad. There’s no real payoff for the patience it demands. Instead of a climax, we get more of the same subdued atmosphere.
If you need to relax from the everyday ear blasting, then North Sea Echoes is an interesting proposal for you. However, if you’d like it to make that proper shredding step toward complexity, then you’ll be left alone in the cold like me. The album might set you up for something and end up somewhere else, but at least it feels authentic, I guess. It has its own identity, even if that identity is a bit too comfortable for my liking. Not every album needs to be a rollercoaster. But if you’re going to build up tension for so long, you ought to release it somehow. That’s where How to Cast a Shadow falls short. Still, for those seeking calm and contemplation, it might just hit the right note.
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release date: 24th July, 2026
Website: https://northseaechoes.com/
Country: USA
Score: 2.5/5.0
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