Band:	Calyces
Album:	Fleshy Waves Of Probability
Style:	Post-metal, Progressive metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	March 21, 2025
A review by:	musclassia

01. Swirling Towards The Light
02. Boneshatter
03. Wastelands
04. Lost In Phrase
05. Voices In The Gray
06. Forked Tongue
07. Flowing Through Storm
08. Lethargy

Calyces was formed by vocalist/guitarist Manthos Stergiou in the wake of Tardive Dyskinesia’s apparent demise. For album number two, he’s reunited with former Tardive Dyskinesia bandmate Stavros Rigos, and with fresh blood behind the drumkit, Calyces have taken a step up from an already impressive debut record.

The debut record in question, Impulse To Soar, came with the kind of artwork and genre tags (progressive metal, sludge metal) to inevitably drive reviewers to compare them with Baroness, and it’s a very valid comparison. However, I was surprised at how few reviews of Impulse To Soar I read that compared them to Intronaut, as the combination of Stergiou’s vocals being eerily reminiscent of Sacha Dunable and the accompanying instrumentation being remarkably convoluted and face-melting made Intronaut’s influence on the record seemingly glaring to me. Fleshy Waves Of Probability still bears hallmarks of both of those more established groups (Baroness not least due to the cover art style), but there’s also quite a few other pieces to the equation this time around.

Fleshy Waves Of Probability is 20 minutes shorter than its predecessor, turning it into quite the fun romp. However, despite this brevity, Calyces haven’t sacrificed variety, as the 8 songs featured hit upon quite a few different approaches and vibes. Probably the closest that the record gets to Intronaut is opening track “Swirling Towards The Light”, but the technicality is toned down slightly compared with some songs on the debut. There’s also a lot more to the song’s appeal than just complexity; it’s got plenty of fun riffs, licks and sing-along moments, along with a neat mellow bridge that draws a bit more from Intronaut’s Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)-era post-metal elements.

Beyond this opening track, though, Calyces move effectively through a few different tones. “Boneshatter” is a bit more straightforward rhythmically, and just launches into a very compelling and tasteful bunch of proggy sludge riffs. There’s also an accessibility to the rhythm and vocal melodies in the verses that takes my mind to some 90s alt rock/metal such as Jane’s Addiction, or more approachable sludge acts of recent decades like Helms Alee. It’s almost anthemic with its rousing chorus refrain, yet also flexes its prog muscles in its middle stages as it flickers between slick technical rhythmicity and punchy metallic chugs.

The album can be stomping at times, such as during the punkier moments of “Wastelands” and “Voices In The Gray”, but both are catchy in a more upbeat manner in other sections. In between, “Lost In Phrase” goes in another direction altogether, opting for a more Baroness-inclined hushed trudge in its riffs, which nicely evolves into a steady but very hooky chorus riff that feels like a reimagined take on “From Sinking” by Isis. There’s a lot of focus on riffs here, but as is fitting for the style, there’s plenty of exhilarating guitar licks and soloing going on, and “Forked Tongue” in particular is a delightful vehicle for exuberant lead guitar playing, bordering on 00s Mastodon territory in the ending with the intertwining guitar leads.

More than anything, Fleshy Waves Of Probability is just an incredibly fun album; it never really loses its way across its concise runtime, and offers up plenty of moments to bring a smile to one’s face. Despite this, it still arguably leaves its best moments for last, as they go full-on prog mode for 8 minutes with “Lethargy”. It’s a steady, psychedelic build through the opening minutes of the song, which pays off handsomely when Calyces eventually unleash tasty stoner/sludge lead guitar riffs and epic shredding, with even a little lull right near the end before one final punchy hurrah.

As much as I was fond of Impulse To Soar, its influences felt a tad too obvious; Fleshy Waves Of Probability strikes out a bit more on its own, and that combined with its entertaining and memorable songwriting makes for a real winning formula.