The Thin Line Between are a German instrumental band formed of Felix Lupke and Timo Brings of The Makeshift Project who in their debut EP ‘Beyond’ have brought us their own blend of Progressive Technical Metal.
Comprising of five full tracks and a smaller interlude the EP takes us on a journey which showcases the many different aspects of sound and space that the band attempt to convey. Opener ‘Resurrection’ starts with a floating melody which opens to a larger rhythm section and interplay between the leads, there is a nice variety in the rhythm styles used within the piece whilst a repetition of the main melodies makes the song feel whole. ‘Traveler’ starts with a similar feel as it starts off slowly and builds to some crushing riffs which unfortunately broke down a little abruptly as I was just getting into them before repeating the original slow start. It felt like this song had barely touched the ideas it was exploring before coming to a sudden end.
‘Dark Matter’ is easily my favourite of the tunes on offer here, kicking off with a killer riff this song is darker and more urgent than the others and the more spacious sections of music are haunting with a sound reminiscent of ‘For Giants’ of ‘Their Dogs Were Astronauts’. ‘Fluid Gravitas’ is a more melodic piece and is the first time that the bass broke out from following the rhythm guitar which gave the song a lot more depth, the fuller yet more relaxed sound of this tune reminded me more of ‘Intervals’ or ‘Plini’ in its delivery. Lastly ‘Canis Majoris’ is another slow start but due to its length has much more time to play with and develop the ideas generated within its rhythmical sections.

‘Beyond’ is a very good achievement, an EP that will absorb you from start to finish but was just lacking in certain elements to take the leap to greatness. There was a similar pace and feel for most of the album which the occasional change of dynamic would overcome but I think the thing most lacking for me was the feel of other musicians being involved. It would have been great to hear a more prominent bass led section and more play offs between the instruments to breathe more life into some of the songs.
Overall I would advise that you check-out the Thin Line Between, there are some gems here definitely worth your time and be sure to check for future releases as this is a band that will undoubtedly go from strength to strength.