Band:	Chasing Dots
Album:	Past.Present.We
Style:	Djent, Progressive metal
Release date:	September 21, 2018
A review by:	ScreamingSteelUS

01. Untold
02. Colourblind
03. Matter Of Perception
04. I Was You
05. Past.Present.We

This is the kind of djent I love, if I may call it that - not the sweaty chug addiction that people only call "djent" because it has a few too many 000s to be meathead-workout-playlist-core and is sometimes aware that there are time signatures other than 4/4. This is the good stuff.

Granted, perhaps Chasing Dots falls more into the "guitar-oriented instrumental progressive" side of the spectrum than into the full-on three-lead-guitar super th0ll br0s melee that the word "djent" usually summons, but Past.Present.We backs up its free-spirited solos and upbeat riffs with a percussive style rather unique to djent. Particularly in the opener, "Untold," the heavily accentuated bass and drums add a lot of edge and heaviness to Chasing Dots's otherwise calm demeanor. I'm reminded of artists like Scale The Summit and David Maxim Micic, whose gorgeous mood pieces can be heavy without turning aggressive and sacrificing the delicate atmosphere conjured by their mellifluous leads.

Past.Present.We is alive with sound, a bright and upbeat bouquet of guitar solos that lead each song on a new journey. The lighthearted keys that frequently double the guitar lines playfully draw us back into a welcoming environment whenever the technicality and rhythmic changes threaten to become too esoteric for casual listening. George Karayiannis, the lone maestro behind Chasing Dots, appears to prize melody and feeling over brute force, allowing his solos to coax from each track lush sounds not unfamiliar to prog fans.

Chasing Dots's first effort is a scant 18 minutes, but this instrumental EP is rich in flavor and hits the sweet spot of progressive/math/djent that I'd like to see rising to the surface more often; perhaps when the project embarks on its first full-length, we'll get to see an extension and further evolution of the sounds explored here.