“A Monument to Our Gilded Age” is a must-listen album for anyone who has ever flirted with the metal genre. Formed in San Francisco, Calif., this is The Illness’ first swing at a full-length album. A whirlwind of constantly fluctuating chord progressions throughout each song, the band’s hybridization of typical metal strumming with more progressive rock tinged guitar riffs really serves to differentiate them from today’s other metal outfits.

“Lengua De La Murte” is the album’s benchmark song, encapsulates the band’s sound. Listeners are greeted with a brief heavy metal riff that dissolves into mild, dreamy progressive guitar, slowly descending into The Illness’ visceral realm; not wanting to escape. This effective mix of progressive and metal sensibilities is where The Illness succeed over many, and is often the album’s greatest appeal.

Beyond that, vocals have a warm, smooth quality that can only be described as a cross between Alice in Chains and Slayer. Especially evident in the album’s namesake song, the unlikely cross serves to better The Illness’ overall sound.

The same, however, can’t be said for the lyrics. Often overshadowed by the blending vocals and deafening guitar, the lyrics of each song on “Monument to Our Gilded Age” are relatively ho-hum and don’t exactly overstep their genre boundaries. Except for the more politically-angled tunes “Take a Number” and “Defenestration,” many of the other songs instead opt for more traditional metal lyrics. Going forward, The Illness could benefit by injecting more social commentary into their songs.

Overall, “A Monument to Our Gilded Age” is an excellent first album for the fledgling progressive metal band. With a little more lyrical focus, the Illness’ sound could spread to many by the end of the year.

For fans of: Alice in Chains, Coheed and Cambria, Slayer