Originally starting out as an instrumental solo project by guitarist/songwriter Tristian Auman by releasing the debut EP Here Goes, adding in drummer Scott Barber and bassist Morgan Johnson, they became a trio and call themselves Sometime in February. They have their form of music from prog, post, math rock and following in the footsteps of Intervals, Haken, and Dream Theater.
Following up with their 2023 debut There Goes on the Friend Club Records label, the band are back into the forefront once again with their latest release Where Mountains Hide. And let’s just say things are getting hotter each time the trio are unleashing the powers of Metal in their bloodstreams when it comes to arpeggiated textures, heavy riffs, structured alliances, and unexpected time changes.
Signing up with the InsideOut label, they fit right at home, bringing the wonders of a landscape filled with mysterious sequences that just fills your soul. And to be allowed to have guest musicians such as Between the Buried and Me guitarist Paul Waggoner and bassist Dan Briggs, followed by The Callous Daoboys Rich Castillo on sax, and sound designer Eric Guenther from The Contortionist, they know they’ve got all the heavy ammunition they need to raise a lot of bullet-sweating motif inside their heart and souls when it comes to not just metal, but like a Fantasia landscape that would paint pictures inside your head.
There are the classical boundaries, the unexpected roars, fast-pacing twists, roller-coaster momentum, something straight out of the Visions-era from Haken’s golden years, the trio provide a simple solution to work together as a team with a lot of heavy artillery with epic qualities to get the guitar juices flowing that are down to the bone.
You can hear the Thrash Metal punches, Randy Rhoads-like elements, it’s the influential boundaries Auman pours his heart and soul into his arrangements. And we’re not talking about Frank Zappa, we’re talking about the trio’s intensive flying on their magic carpet ride and taking us across the globe with unbelievable results.
I can almost hear some of the nods of Genesis’ Selling England by the Pound that comes to mind. You can tell the trio have done their homework when it comes to true progressive rock music.
Between the midsections of ‘The Cinema Show’ and Hackett’s improv on ‘Firth of Fifth’ that comes to mind, Sometime in February really know their source material very well. But you can’t forget the love of smooth and warm sunrising effect to give the band members a chance to relax before going on another roller-coaster ride, waiting for them.
