{"id":92464,"date":"2025-10-23T04:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T04:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/92464\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T04:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T04:14:10","slug":"review-times-forgotten-songs-of-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/92464\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Time’s Forgotten – Songs of Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Vince<\/a> on October 22, 2025October 22, 2025<\/p>\n

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Artwork by: Artist uncredited<\/p>\n

Style: Progressive Metal (Mixed Vocals (mostly clean))
Recommended for fans of: Voyager, Tesseract, David Maxim-Micic, Ihlo<\/a>, Plini
Country: Costa Rica
Release date: 3 October 2025<\/p>\n

Recently, I was told I needed to switch up my diet. \u201cToo much prog adjacency,\u201d they said. \u201cNot enough straight-up prog.\u201d Staring at my recent meals of death-doom<\/a>, symphonic deathcore<\/a>, and whatever !T.O.O.H.!<\/a> was, I could hardly disagree. I\u2019m not getting any younger, but I am getting wider\u2014maybe some bread and butter prog would be just the ticket to kickstart my musical metabolism in a new direction. After all, they say variety is the spice of life, and when spice becomes the norm, bread and butter become the, uh, new spice\u2026 I think? Who knows. Anyway, being that I possess the survival instincts of the Great Panda, I asked my fellow Subway samaritans for a morsel befitting my pivot towards blandnew and exciting dishes. Within moments, the Dasher was en route. What mystery awaited me in that questionably sealed nondescript bag?<\/p>\n

The answer is Costa Rican progressive metal export Time\u2019s Forgotten, who, ironically enough, time had almost forgotten due to an eight-year absence from 2012 to 2020. Now they\u2019ve arrived with fifth LP, Songs of Awakening, and while the packaging didn\u2019t inspire much confidence in the meal to come\u2014a woman, half in T-repose, gowned in white amidst a nondescript landscape\u2014the band\u2019s mission statement of inclusivity and empathy, transmitted via melodic stylings, electronic textures, and driving grooves, did. That\u2019s the blueprint of much of the music that has captured my fancy in recent years. Besides, books shouldn\u2019t be judged by covers; neither should albums. If anything, the artwork was perfectly pleasant to look at, embodying a serene, if somewhat sterile, feel-good vibe of a quality motivational poster. We could all do with a little more feel-good these days.<\/p>\n

Like midday sun on the cheek as waves lap gently at isolated shores, the sounds of Songs of Awakening roll over the listener: warm, hopeful beds of electronica stir and press, ever so gently, against bosoms of thoughtful Plini-esque noodling and crunchy, djent-indebted riffage that packed more bite than I would\u2019ve expected. Despite tapping into occasionally angular and heftier sonics (the intro to \u201cThe Shallow and the Deep,\u201d guest vocalist Adriana Mu\u00f1oz\u2019s fleeting growls on \u201cPlaces of Healing\u201d), the prevailing vibe across the album is one of light-heartedness, kindness, and hope. Vocalist Priscilla Ruiz personifies this with a solid turn on the mic: her voice is clear and strong, nestled comfortably in a soaring middle range that she wields with confidence. I\u2019m reminded of Voyager\u2019s 2023 album, Fearless in Love, which similarly combined warm progressive craftwork with bursts of heavy, modern metal-fueled aggression by way of crunchy chugs, double-bass passages, and harsh-throated guest vocals\u2014all without sacrificing the album\u2019s sunniness.<\/p>\n

The starkest difference I can draw between those two bands, and why Voyager\u2019s latest courts more favor with me, is that Time\u2019s Forgotten struggles to conjure anything resembling an infectious hook or earworm melody to really sweep me off my feet and carry me along its jubilant waves. The performances are all good, and it\u2019s an absolute delight to actually hear the bass in the mix\u2014Gonzalo Trejos\u2019 playing is buoyant and alive, as all great prog bass should be. Ari Lotringer shifts from dark chuggery to David Maxim Micic-coded introspection with grace, building moods and offering performances that flourish but never flare. The same can be said of Jorge Sobrado and Juan Pablo Calvo, drums and keys, respectively. Everyone plays their part well, and enjoyably so. But it all goes down so smoothly that I can hardly recall individual moments, let alone entire songs.<\/p>\n

Time\u2019s Forgotten have landed in an odd spot. A capable bunch writing capable tunes, there\u2019s nothing not to like about Songs of Awakening, yet there\u2019s little to get excited over, either. Granted, not every album needs to rush out and shake you down so good you\u2019ll ask them to do it again; sometimes, it\u2019s just fine to have something pleasant to throw on and relax with after a tough day. Which, if that sounds good to you, then I would recommend giving Songs of Awakening a spin. Bread and butter make for a perfectly acceptable meal, but I can\u2019t help but wish for more flavor.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Places of Healing, Nighttime, Sidewalk Hero
You may also like: Will of the Mountain, we.own.the.sky, Feather Mountain<\/a>, Intrascendence<\/a>
Final verdict: 6\/10<\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Metal-Archives<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Time\u2019s Forgotten is:
\u2013 Jorge Sobrado (drums)
\u2013 Ari Lotringer (guitars, backing vocals)
\u2013 Juan Pablo Calvo (keyboards)
\u2013 Gonzalo \u201cChalo\u201d Trejos (bass)
\u2013 Priscilla Ruiz (vocals)
With guests:
\u2013 Gabriel Gutierrez (percussion on \u201cSidewalk Hero\u201d)
\u2013 Adriana Mu\u00f1oz (harsh vocals on \u201cPlaces of Healing\u201d)
\u2013 Friends Choir (Luciano Calvo, Emile Calvo, Leo Gazel, Gloriana Sobrado, Henry D\u2019Arias, Massimo Pericolo, Esteban Blanco, Jose Soto, Jussi Salolainen, Alejandra Diaz, Ang\u00e9lica Cozart, Sley Martinez, Andr\u00e9s Calvo, Berenice Jimenez, Eddie Monge, Eddie S\u00e1nchez, Mauni Villalobos, Hellen Quir\u00f3s, Capit\u00e1n X, Ernesto Aducci, Fergie S\u00e1enz, Adriana Mu\u00f1oz)<\/p>\n

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