Exclusive Album Stream: Wings Denied’s Just The Basics Adds Groove to the Mix

When you think about progressive metal, what comes to mind? Is it insane time signatures? Maybe you’re anticipating 15 minute long epic tracks? To many, the genre’s seen as an inaccessible bastion of sound that only people that “get it” can enjoy. Yet when it comes to Washington D.C.-based Wings Denied and their forthcoming album Just The Basics, that’s not the case at all.

Boasting nine new tracks within their sophomore studio effort, Wings Denied have on their hands a release that’s equal parts easy to enjoy and audibly interesting to take in as a listener. And that’s largely thanks to the fact that they’re not a pure prog metal band. Throughout the entire album’s runtime, you can hear their influences, ranging from the best prog rock acts of the 1970s all the way up to more modern alt metal bands like Deftones and grunge icons Alice in Chains. There’s groove to the complexity.

From the Mutoid Man-esque sound found in “Black Legend” to the staccato madness in “Mr. Nice Guy,” there’s something for everyone. One place that this album really shines is bassist Wes Good’s contribution. It’s not often we get to hear bass featured so predominantly in our little slice of the music universe, so to hear the low end featured so prominently is particularly enjoyable.

But that’s all just my feelings on the record. We managed to team up with Wings Denied to offer an exclusive pre-release full album stream. All nine tracks can be heard below, so if you need that extra bit of energy for your Thursday workday, ditch the coffee and just hit play.

Just The Basics will be released this Friday, September 20, but you can pre-order your copy today.