Modern-day progressive metal and its subgenres have gone from what used to be some of the more experimental types of heavy music to some of the least. But that’s not a bad thing; there is a difference between being ‘formulaic’ and being ‘solid’ or ‘reliable’. Mumbai’s Karan Sanchala (whose solo project is called Apocryphal) plays by the rules on his single ‘Drown Under’, a collaboration between himself and fellow artists Dream Anatomy and Kiran Desai. The result is simply… a good, nicely written song. Which is fine.

This analogy may be a bit heavy-handed, but a good way to approach this style of music is the same way you would approach a classic, old-school restaurant. Stick with us for a second. You have been coming here for a long time, everyone knows the menu (which hasn’t changed in years, of course), but you keep going back because the food is familiar, and it’s good. ‘Drown Under’ has the same kind of vibe to it. It’s the blueprint we all know - thick guitar tones, walls of sound, and an absolute brick of a mix (everything is absolutely smashed to bits, but that’s de rigeur). There are catchy vocal lines (downright pop-adjacent) floating over expansive instrumentation, and that is what made this kind of music take off to begin with. And so it is. Of course, Aprocryphal and co. have executed the song really well with some good performances; but overall, if you’ve been a fan of the modern prog sounds for many years, this song is something you’ll familiar with and 100% like.