Band:	Jupiter Society
Album:	From Endangered To Extinct
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	May 2013
A review by:	Ag Fox

01. Enemy March
02. Invasion
03. Queen Of Armageddon
04. No Survivors
05. Fight Back
06. Defeat

I don't know about you, but every now and again I take off my kvlt corpse paint, stop speaking in guttural growls and need my regular fix of melodic metal. Yet it's always an arduous task in finding the right album as the majority of melodic metal releases these days are either metal-light, brimming with cheese and choirs, clinically sterile me-too djent chugs, or use the same old formulas of melodic death metal. Even if they don't fit the above descriptions, the end product usually comes across as lacking in inspiration. Where's that musical kick that the aural sensors of my brain crave?

For me at least, Jupiter Society's latest record From Endangered To Extinct is the answer to my prayers. The mastermind behind this less well-known band is none other than Carl Westholm, and if you are still scratching your head, you certainly don't know your Candlemass, Krux and Avatarium line-ups very well. The rest of the main musicians are known for their work in some household names such as Devin Townsend, Evergrey and Therion - it's hard to ignore such a resume, right? Given Carl's presence and Leif Edling's involvement in this album, it's natural to expect the music as classic Candlemass-esque doom, so I was surprised to see it labelled as progressive metal. While that tag may be off-putting for some, it's definitely very different to Dream Theater. Instead, a better description would be heavy music that's memorable and not dumbed down. For comparison's sake, I'd say it's a tasty blend of Star One's sci-fi themes and collaborative nature along with the cinematic grandeur of Professor Fate.

Though there's not much doom metal to be heard, the menacing quality of that sort of music has definitely carried over, and not as a mere thrown-in-the-mix afterthought, as I can definitely feel an aura of darkness permeating throughout this album without the need of Satan worshipping themes and such. The vocals may be a bit on the raw side for those who solely listen to symphonic metal and European power metal, though I find it adds extra edge and emotion to the music. Special mention should be given to Cia Backman, who almost fooled me into thinking the last track was out of a Madder Mortem album.

Though the whole package is not earth-shatteringly original, it is not something that is seen (or heard) often, and it's always a big plus when everything, ranging from the musicianship, production and song writing is at a high level. If you've missed this last year, it's never too late to catch up with it now.