Framing Skeletons - Avalanches PV065
Framing Skeletons - ‘Avalanches’
Think you can’t take a completely amazing sonic journey in just over 18 minutes?
Think again.
Meet Framing Skeletons, from Houston, Texas. A progressive metal band from the Deep South of the Lone Star State, comprised of Bryan Holub on drums, Ethan Barry on bass, and Jeremy Burke on guitars and main vocals, they specialize in a brand of progressive metal that is largely conceptual in nature. Their previous full-length album, ‘Misery Prelude - The Prince Eternal’, is a shining testament to this. They are chock-full of heavy riff, time-changey, genre-shifting bombast and auditory turbulence, and their records are a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining listen every time you press play.
Now they have released, on August 8, 2025, a “between albums” EP…. Which is really just a “single” entitled ‘Avalanches’.
Now I hear you:
“Wait…. An 18:24 minute single? How can that be?”
This is progressive metal, baby. An 18 minute single is not only doable…. But should be expected from any self-respecting progressive outfit. And what a single this is…. With speed and time shifts aplenty; moods and atmosphere that bleed through the alternating clean and harsh vocals, all woven within a supreme tapestry of bass, drums, and stellar guitar mayhem. I don’t usually review singles…. but…. well, with Framing Skeletons, I had to make an exception .
So…. Join me, won’t you? Let’s brave the cold dark miasma and ride the Avalanche down the treacherous mountainside as we discover the awesome metal prowess of one of the progressive genre’s most worthy, deserving and overlooked bands.
‘Avalanches’ starts quietly, in the deep freeze, as the blizzard wind blows across the mountaintop and the light piano refrain tries to warm us…. or perhaps WARN us, for what’s to come. We then get a simple, straight-rock intro…. But in typical Framing Skeletons fashion, that doesn’t last long, and we are quickly propelled head-long down the mountain as the avalanche truly begins its maddening journey downward. Amazing sonic shifts aplenty pull us into a djent-style section with alternating soaring vocal harmonies and harsh screams, before another sudden break to a slow, piano-led section…. full of a brooding mood that just assures us that something big is around the corner…. a slowing of the avalanche’s destruction, if you will. This all mirrors life beautifully; the avalanche as a metaphor for the relationship between mother and child that is destroyed by the child’s removal from the mother’s life. As in most relationships, there are reprieves from misery; moments of hope, before the inevitable downturn.
But, as avalanches (and child removal situations) often do, this one begins to slowly regain its destructive strength. A fantastic guitar solo at about the 5:30 mark soars and lifts us “above the tree-tops”, as it were; allowing us to see and lament the avalanche’s devastation (and the mother-child relationship’s demise) through a beautifully sung vocal, before we then fall back to Earth…. Directly in the path of the ruination. You can almost see and feel the avalanche’s wrath in this supremely effective and bombastic metal section; bass drums and guitar in unison with every crushing and crashing note. The piano then returns…. But this time frenetically, a distress call… a warning…. a brief note of sadness as the band goes full force into the avalanche’s power to freeze and destroy hearts. The metal blitzkrieg feverishly whirl-winding around these messages perfectly encapsulates this battle. There are massive fluctuations in tone and mood, to the point that it’s practically impossible to chart them all…. They MUST be experienced sonically. I can tell you this: If you are in ANY way a fan of progressive metal, you are going to be in absolute heaven with the varying sonic shifts and assaults on your senses as this song freight-trains forward (we even get a short, western saloon-style musical section to wonder and marvel at…. strange as hell but amazing, nonetheless!).
Finally, as the song begins its conclusion, we are told of the resolve of the mother to refuse to let the avalanche crush her. Yes, she is damaged; the avalanche has done its work on her, but she’s not dead and gone, and she will not let that horror come to pass. She will rise and push forward to salvage her relationship with her child, broken but stronger. Both vocally and musically, the ending is so extremely djent-like and powerful, and it carries the messages of hope and resolve admirably. Once again, and as has been the case throughout the entire track, a maelstrom of auditory alterations to the song’s structure as we are whisked away by the avalanche are a glorious wonder to behold, and I cannot do it justice with any amount of words. YOU MUST HEAR THIS TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE ITS MAGNIFICENCE.
If ever there were a progressive metal band worth of a level of praise and admiration that they just do not seem to get, it is Framing Skeletons. Their entire discography is fantastic, but, as ‘Avalanches’ evinces, they have grown exponentially over time as both musicians and as masters of progressive song-craft. ‘Avalanches’ is a tumultuous, free-wheeling prog metal journey that will leave your head spinning…. your soul buried on the mountainside underneath the devastation…. and will have you wanting and searching for more from this fantastic band. Their unique approach to progressive metal harnesses force and fire, and will burn you into submission and brand their existence into your brain. So walk the path set aflame before you and listen to ‘Avalanches’ today.
For more information on Framing Skeletons, check out their Bandcamp page see below .
Music | Framing Skeletons
https://framingskeletons.bandcamp.com/
They can also be found on Facebook..
Author Chris Clark