Maybe you’d like Dream Theater more if they had a different singer and less noodling. Maybe you thought they jumped the shark when Kevin Moore left the band after Awake. Maybe you don’t give a fuck about Dream Theater (maybe you even think they suck!) but you’re just a fan of good progressive metal in all its forms. Ladies and gentlemen: I give you To-Mera.

Since To-Mera have a pretty low profile in the U.S., let’s do a little catch up before getting into the details of their forthcoming new album (!). From 2008′s Delusions (which made my year-end list):

and from 2006′s Transcendental:

Click to read more…

In Axl’s post the other day about chicks in metal who rule harder than Leaves Eyes’ Liv Kristine, he asked our readers to share their favorite metal bands with females… and only ONE of you mentioned the fantastic To-Mera from the UK (clap clap clap for “Choronzon”!). To-Mera easily smoke any of the weak bands you all posted; they’re progressive, they’re inventive, they’re talented, and their singer Julie Kiss is a gifted and unique talent.

To-Mera’s 2008 release Delusions actually received an “honorable mention” in my year-end favorites list for that year; the record is that good. And apparently they just released a new EP called Earthbound. I’ve seen little to no press about this EP which is a shame because I definitely would’ve written about it leading up to its release. Following some investigation, I’ve discovered that the band parted ways with Candlelight Records after Delusions which would explain the lack of promotion behind Earthbound. I haven’t heard Earthbound yet but To-Mera do have the new song “Arcane Solace” and an album teaser streaming on their MySpace page, both of which sound like a logical continuation of Delusions. Gonna go buy the new EP on Amazon now… back for more later. [UPDATE: Apparently Earthbound isn't available digitally. What the fuck?? It's 2009, dudes. You just lost a potential sale, To-Mera. BOO.]

-VN

Oceans of Sadness are a band who grabbed my attention based solely on their name, which despite its emo-osity beckoned me to give them a listen. The Belgium-based sextet combine elements of Scandinavian-influenced death/doom (Insomnium, Daylight Dies, Agalloch) with a more airy, ethereal, progged-out but dark sense of melody reminiscent of To-Mera meets Type O Negative. Does that make any sense at all? Didn’t think so, but neither do 99% of music descriptions.

Oceans of Sadness’ MySpace page says they have a new album coming out some time this year called The Arrogance of Ignorance but doesn’t specify a date. One track from that record, “Some Things Seem So Easy,” is posted on their MySpace. Also check out their haunting, truly wicked sounding cover of Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones” (complete with a keyboard rendition of the guitar solo). Dig it.

-VN

To-Mera ain’t the hardcore-influenced type of progressive metal of Protest the Hero… not that there’s anything wrong with that. They’re pretty much just straight up progressive metal — heavy riffs, Meshuggah-like mind-fucking time-signature changes, and Dream Theater-type soundscapes with alternating keyboard and guitar leads; only To-Mera’s lead vocalist is female. The end result has a haunting atmosphere about it, and it’s damn good. I’ve had a tab on my browser open to their MySpace page for over two weeks, so I guess that means I like it and should write about them, eh?

To-Mera just released their new album Delusions on Candlelight, and while we haven’t heard the whole thing yet, what’s on their MySpace is good enough to convince me to go download it on the Amazon Music Store right now (only $5.99!). Stay tuned.

-VN