Apex – album overview
Apex is the fifth full-length album from Zurich Switzerland’s pummeling djent metal pioneers, Mycelia. Since forming in 2010, the band have continuously striven to defy traditional boundaries between metal’s various subgenres, while still keeping their sound fresh and engaging. Drawing on influences ranging from hardcore, metal and djent to jazz and classic film scores, the Swiss six-piece has continually baffled both critics and fans with their complex, heavy-yet-catchy arrangements. The band’s signature sound pairs groovy, crushing rhythmic sections with subtle, intricate melodies, on top of surgically precise drumming and vocal arrangements that range from soaring clean vocals to utterly brutal screams and growls. The album was produced by Marc Trummer, and mixed by Joshua Wickman (Oceans Ate Alaska, Within the Ruins, King 810) at Dreadcore Productions. Apex features thirteen complex, memorable songs which promise to further establish Mycelia as one of Switzerland’s finest heavy bands. The album’s lead single ‘Eight Milligrams’ takes personal anger and puts it on a general scale against the backdrop of violent revolution, while ‘E.V.A.’ takes a more fictional approach telling the tale of an astronaut drifting alone in space as every sense of familiarity and belonging fades away. The third single form the album ‘Nefarious Seeds’ completely body-slams fake news laying bare the age of misinformation on social media and how easily the majority of mankind is misled to believe anything they read via social media. The album was released worldwide on October 12, 2018.
Apex – press quotes & highlights
- (9.5/10): “Apex by Mycelia delivers amazing production and aggressive originality, this album is a modern prog monster!” – RTMB Music
- (9/10): “Mycelia are a band on the rise, and Apex is an excellent album!” – Metal Trenches
- (9/10): Apex by Mycelia is “a record that continuously raises your curiosity, from beginning to end.. A great album!” – Alternative Rock Heaven
- (8.5/10): “Mycelia are so damn original and unique within the metal genre!” – Metal Factory
- (8.5/10): “Check out Mycelia, I did and they are great!” – Sjeverna Strava
- (8/10): “Apex by Mycelia makes its own mark by littering tracks with their bone-crushingly heavy progressive style” – GBHBL
- (8/10): “If you are a fan of progressive metal and bands like Periphery or Between the Buried and Me, you will love this album!” – Necromance
- (8/10): “A complete network of styles and sounds… bold!” – Rock Tribune
- (3.5/5): “This album is definitely worth getting if you like a futuristic mosh!” – Independent Voice
- (75/100): “Apex is an adventurous ride, believe me!” – Ragherrie
- “If you dig Sikth, BTBAM and Dillinger Escape Plan then this band is for you!” – Metalmance
- “Mycelia is one of the most talented bands I’ve heard in a long time, and I encourage everyone to listen to this album. You won’t be disappointed!” – Flying V Radio
- “Apex by Mycelia contain tons of groove and creativity, metal fans will delight!” – Eklektik Rock
- “Apex by Mycelia is awesome for their audience” – Lyrical Spell Magazine