Feather Mountain - A Liminal Step - review
Feather Mountain - A Liminal Step - review
Tracklist
01. Sigil02. Rope Me In
03. Lantern
04. Realignment
05. Prayer Wall
06. The Grid
07. Sunder
08. The Hedonist
A review by
musclassia December 04, 2025
The Danish progressive metal band are one of several from the country, along with the likes of Vola and Hollow Hour, striving for a sweet balance between complexity and hookiness, and between crunch and melody. Their previous record, To Exit A Maelstrom, was a concept record themed around the loss of a family member of Alzheimer's disease. A Liminal Step deals with slightly less bleak subject matter, depicting a more abstract theme of a liminal journey into the abyss in the search for understanding and acceptance. The fluid, explorative nature of this concept is well-suited for the varied and adventurous songwriting on the record.
As with the previous album, A Liminal Step’s take on modern progressive metal features plenty of influence from djent, as well as a substantial electronic/synth component. That balancing act between technical heaviness and accessibility is on display from the off, as opening track “Sigil”, largely framed with a conventional verse/chorus structure and with plenty of instrumental and vocal melody, gradually escalates the progginess of the rhythms and the heaviness of the instrumentation as it switches between verses and choruses, before ripping out a hench djent breakdown midway through, with a similarly heavy ending coming after the final chorus.
This song, and the few that follow it, all open in relatively soft and melodic fashion, with mllow opening verses, although there is variety in tone; “Rope Me In” has a really bright modern prog virtuoso-style sonic palette, while “Lantern” is a bit more sorrowful. In keeping with that, the former soars in the chorus with high-register passionate clean singing, while the latter is a tad more understated. I enjoy the range in moods across A Liminal Step, and “Rope Me In” works particularly well, while managing to avoid a dramatic change in vibe when it switches suddenly to a crunchy djent breakdown. “Lantern” is more gradual in its evolution, progressively escalating in intensity and weaving in various layers during its bridge to very effectively ratchet up the tension.
Less subtle and gradual is the album centrepiece “Prayer Wall”, a rather stunning song that has consistently stolen the show for me on repeat playthroughs. Kicking off with frantic blasting and intense soaring orchestrations, it reminds me a tad of Neurotech’s Symphonies records in terms of the electronics-infused epic soundscapes. Very understated verses create major contrast with huge grandstand choruses, and the track keeps the blasts coming for a relentless surge towards the finish line.
Given just how grandiose “Prayer Wall” is, it is perhaps unsurprising that it is both preceded and followed by quasi-interlude tracks. That said, while these sandwiching cuts are intriguing in their own right (particularly the shredding blues solo that comes out of nowhere towards the end of “The Grid”), the shake-up in flow is a bit distracting when listening to the record. More distracting, however, is the quite grating and pained delivery of the screamed vocals; while harsh vocals appear on the earlier songs on the album, it’s on the final two tracks that they rub me up the wrong way, perhaps due to their increased presence during verses and choruses. The shift makes sense with the heavier writing of these closing songs, but nonetheless the delivery does drag them down slightly.
I’m not wholly enthusiastic towards “Sunder” as a song in general, even if it is the most djent-oriented of all the tracks on A Liminal Step; I find the songwriting a bit janky, and the clean vocal lines in the chorus quite unsatisfying in their resolution. That said, it picks up in the second half with nice grooves and interesting use of electronics. The album itself ends on a fairly high note too, as “The Hedonist” brings back the bouncier and more upbeat tone along with plenty of groove; something about the whole composition of this track gives me nice Karnivool vibes. There’s punchy djent heaviness across the track, but the more understated and expansive sequences, including a really effective conclusion that lets the heaviness breathe, are what make the track stand out overall.
As a full album, I’m not sure if A Liminal Step quite matches To Exit A Maelstrom; while it has plenty of strengths, it does only have a couple of truly standout songs (with “Prayer Wall” a clear highlight) along with a couple of irritating features. Still, it’s a solid follow-up to a strong album, and a good step forward for the band.
Written on 04.12.2025 by
Written on 04.12.2025 by
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Didn’t know anything about this band prior to this review. I was expecting slightly more from the album considering the beautiful album cover and the genre. But as you mentioned the songwriting is a bit janky and the choruses unsatisfying. I feel like the band is trying too hard to be perceived smart/cerebral. Sometimes simple chord progressions and melodies can have more impact .
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