Albums That Will #$@&%! Your Face Off in 2016: Mandroid Echostar, Coral Throne

We’ve been following Mandroid Echostar for quite some time now, watching the Guelph, Ontario natives evolve as musicians and grow steadily in popularity, waiting patiently for them to really break out. Could this finally be the year? Why not? 2016 is but two weeks old and Mandroid Echostar’s new album Coral Throne is already upon us, making waves and turning heads. There’s a reason so many record labels are sniffing around this band like dogs on fire hydrants.

Mandroid Echostar have often been compared to Coheed and Cambria, and with good reason — both their vocalist’s high-pitched voice and poofy hair summon the spirit of Claudio Sanchez. But such comparisons are ultimately lazy and fail to take into account the nuance in the band’s music; sure, there are elements of Coheed here — this is prog rock at heart — but Mandroid are way more informed by modern metal than the latter, weaving in influences from all across the spectrum. I wouldn’t hesitate to namecheck Protest the Hero as an influence, and I’d even venture to say a band member or two listen to (or listened to) Avenged Sevenfold; there’s a well-developed sense of hard rock songwriting mixed with proggy experimentation here that calls to mind the band’s City of Evil-era work. Don’t worry, A7X haters, there are no shlocky vocals or tough-guy posturing here.

Stream Coral Throne below via Revolver and order it here; it’ll be released officially this Friday, January 15th, via Distort Entertainment in Canada. Keep up with Mandroid Echostar on Facebook for tour dates and more.