Whenever I review an album from any given band, I’m typically not expecting to see more material from that act within at least a year since that tends to be the shortest stretch most go in order to keep that creative drive going strong, but, of course, not every band adheres to such an idea. When I checked out the debut from K Prouty just barely five months ago, I had no idea I’d be hearing from the act so soon, and I’m not complaining!
This EP has plenty of the excellence that was rampant on that debut as well as giving us a great spin on its sound.
While it may be a fresh effort with experience already behind the act in the form of a respectful full-length album, the challenge still and will always remain: keeping the listener’s attention when there is no guiding voice to carry them through the experience. That’s something that K Prouty absolutely smashed on the debut with this brand of instrumental progressive metal being particularly fascinating as every second was able to hold your attention and then some as it was no less than thrilling to listen to, and that is far from any different within the one-song EP that is “The Black Tide”. With a 16-minute runtime to go along with a singular tracklist, K Prouty accomplishes a feat that is never given enough credit from just about every angle, and it’s here that “The Black Tide” absolutely dominates as the band’s musical prowess is in full swing with every minute of this effort flowing together brilliantly to craft an experience that cannot be considered anything other than potent. This may just be a stepping stone in the journey that we find K Prouty in the midst of, but in no way does that mean “The Black Tide” is lacking in substance for it has loads of it in many departments with each one being packed with flavor that cannot be denied.
It makes for a great listen that should not be ignored by any fan of progressive metal looking for a damn good time as well as any act that is slowly getting better and better over time, and it’s with this EP that K Prouty starts to prove that they are just such a band. “The Black Tide” is overflowing with potential glory that this band can become so much if just given the proper time, and I hope to be around to hear much more!
