Who are The World Is Quiet Here? Just five Wisconsinites who at first glance could be mistaken for your local nerds? Yes, that too, but also the new upstarts who just put out their first album, Prologue; at times a study and exploration of life and the meaning thereof, and at times an indulgence into original and sometimes breath taking musical direction. The tinges of David Lamb’s flawless drums interchange in instants, beating the steady rhythm of a heavy metal romper one moment while skillfully intermixing death metal fury in a moment, while the entire thing is dense with shifting tempos in the rhythm section and driving hooks from guitarists Ethan Felhofer and Isaac Stolzer-Gary; the two flow with rhythmic strokes and beastly melodic pieces through the unfolding tapestry in vivid colors that is Prologue. 

Taking influence from everywhere in the progressive metal spectrum, from the more extreme ends to the prog rock stylistic flairs, Prologue is not an easy album to grasp. It’ll take several listens to get to appreciate the little details and finer moments that are strewn throughout the runtime. Even though it clocks in at just over fifty minutes the scope is colossal, as the roster includes big epics like The Benign Author: Construct and See The Sun. It feels grander and longer than it actually is, but manages the feat without getting bloated. The World Is Quiet Here pulls it off with accuracy thanks to proficient musicianship and no small amount of talent in the songwriting department that sees every track take on interesting new approaches and twists. And even with the big scope, much of the beauty comes from the attention to detail and the shifting emotive states of vocalist Tyler Koltz. Blending the darkest growls and their innate awe striking auras with soulful cleans he takes the listener along on the musical journey.

While best ingested as an entirety, giving the whole a vibrant energy as each song flow and progress into each other, each individual song still keeps an integrity of its own. Opening track Some Call Me Cynical has a trilling middle part that just bursts with color into a striking guitar solo that impresses not because of speed or musicianship but how it embeds the emotive strokes of Koltz’s growls and little by little grows into gritty a riff part that is once more followed by an intricate solo. Perhaps the biggest moment on the album is 13 minute behemoth See The Sun, a beast in its own right as it brings out every moment of the entire album leading to its penultimate crescendo - the album is neatly closed with stylistic Aperture, but See The Sun remains the zenith - with its grandeur and epic setting that makes it a contender for 2018’s song of the year. All in all, Prologue is a damn fine album that may likely prove to grow even further with enough time, and it’s been done with accuracy and striking grasp of what it needs to be. A beast in constant turmoil, but controlled.

Standout tracks: Some Call Me Cynical, The Benign Author: Construct, See The Sun