Sure I’m almost a month late in doing this one but there was no way I was going to let it pass without writing a few words as I simply cannot stop playing this bloody album!
Pteroglyph is the brain child of Leeds based musician Jimmy MacGregor and ‘Death of a Prince’ is the debut album that has been eagerly awaited since the promise of his earlier material emerged from back in 2012. After several EP’s and singles Pteroglyph have released a full length which speaks of much bigger things afoot for the band.
Jimmy seems to have taken Classic Rock, thrash and Prog added some newer tech, even metal-core sounds and blended them all into a surprisingly approachable album that’s heavy as hell one second yet emotive and brooding the next. Opener ‘Left Blind’ gives a great example of this as a slow fade in march soon gives way to a pounding chord with harmonised clean but rough vocal before pummelling growls and riffs take over only to drop into a spacious chorus section…and we haven’t even hit three minutes yet!
The first half of the album is noticeably heavier and faster than the second with tracks ‘Deceit of Choice’ and lead single ‘Red On You’ barely giving you breathing room, yet despite their ferocity there are some beautiful melodic drops to make the return to the heavier sections even more crushing.

WARNING, VIDEO NSFW

YOU WERE WARNED!!
The hypnotically eerie laid back riff of ‘The Wanderer’ is an interlude which signals a change in pace of the album before the title track fades in. ‘Death of a Prince’ is a slower, brooding yet powerful which yet again expands the range of styles throughout the album without sounding apart from it, this tune gives me goosebumps dammit, I need to see this live! ‘Komplex’ continues the languid style of this second half sounding like a drunken jam between Hetfield and Ihsahn, building to a brilliant close before second interlude ‘D.O.D’ leads us into closer ‘Heavy Casualties’ which gives more than a passing nod to Devin Townsend in places, a full on perfect prog metal ending.
In summary, hats off to that man, what an album! It’s forty five odd minute length seems way too short for the excess of styles, ideas and twists it contains, it seems to lengthen as you listen yet seems painfully short when completed…but that’s fine, the tunes are catchy enough to be memorable but not saccharine enough to grow stale so you can just play it again straight away! Death of a Prince is certainly one of the best releases I have heard this year despite some very heavy competition.
Be sure to get your copy here: https://pteroglyph.bandcamp.com/album/death-of-a-prince