Review: Wormhog – Transience (Full album, 2026) | Progressive rock/metal

Band info

Band: Wormhog
Album: ‘Transience‘
Released: December 10th, 2025
Genre: rock, metal, progressive
Location: Greece

Review

Maybe it’s a result of its origins as a class signifier (refer to the origins of punk rock for more info), but prog seems to have a bit of a “sketch” problem… Whether we’re talking about Neil Pert (Rush) and his obsession with Ayn Rand and objectivism, John Petrucci (Dream Theater) and his vocal support of Donald Trump, Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) and his statements that amount to genocide apologetics, Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard) and his fundamentalist Christianity, Rick Wakeman (Yes) and his lifelong support of the UK Conservative Party, or whatever the hell is wrong with Maynard James Keenan on any given day, it’s clear that there’s nothing politically Progressive about progressive rock/metal. Sorry if we’ve ruined any of those artists for you, but the point is: With all that in mind, when we’re contacted by a prog metal act who tells in no uncertain terms that the views of the band are shaped by elements of the left and far left and that they are always antifascist, you better believe we’re interested!

If you’re a fan of prog, we feel confident that you will agree that Wormhog are fucking GREAT. With five years between their previous release and 2025’s ‘Transience’, it’s clear that a great deal of time, consideration and care was put into crafting and recording these eight diverse tracks. There’s a clear sense of refinement and focus here, leading to an album that never once feels like it enters “filler” territory. This fact is especially noteworthy when considering the tendency for the genre to get bogged down in excess (not necessarily a negative, if you’re a fan of that kind of thing, but definitely a feature that rubs some listeners the wrong way). What’s impressive is that despite the absence of this specific feature, Wormhog ’s “prog status” is never called into question.

While ‘Transience’ features all of the usual hallmarks of prog (the changing time signatures, unexpected chord changes, lack of standard song structures, layered guitar parts, based parts that dance around the chord progressions [oh god, that BASS TONE] and even moments of analogue synth), it also lacks any amount of pretentiousness. There is no point at which Wormhog looks down their nose at you, or uses the music as a vehicle to position the members above the listener – these guys create prog that feels more like a conversation and less like a lecture. This might sound like an odd feature to point out but it really is a distinct and refreshing paint of difference between this act and the vast majority who operate within the genre: Unlike even some of the best prog acts, this feels like an actual band of equals working together to create music, as opposed to a bunch of egos gathered together, just waiting for their turn to step into the spotlight. Everything fits here – nobody is the centre of attention and even lead guitar breaks complement the music rather than dominate it. Some of this point of difference could stem from the clear and unashamed influences from more accessible (“accessible” in the sense of technical ability) genres. ‘Transience’ seamlessly incorporates elements of stoner, psychedelic, NWOBHM and straight up rock n roll and the vocals reinforce these influences, being belted out in a way that at times might remind the listener equally of Bruce Dickinson, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum’s Nils Frykdahl, or the close-part harmonies that are seriously reminiscent of Warrell Dane’s work with Nevermore.

The production, likewise, is fantastic and absolutely perfect for the material: Exceptionally clear but not overly processed and featuring performances from every member that are truly excellent but just flawed enough to feel real and alive (to be clear, this is meant in the most positive way possible). In a world where excessive compression, autotune, and quantisation are so commonplace, to be presented with rockin’ tracks that haven’t had the life and soul processed out of them is always such a breath of fresh air. On ‘Transience’, when a drastic change in feel occurs, you’re jolted into the new groove with the band rather than feeling dragged by a metronome. When a guitar solos hit, you feel it, with lead breaks that aren’t made up of some blistering series of notes performed as fast as possible, but are rather the product of a musician making their instrument sing, often akin to the more emotionally charged playing of the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour, Marty Friedman, Prince, or even John Coltrane (that is to say, you like the occasional massive “boomer bend” that increases the sense of tension before finally resolving, Wormhog’s got you covered).

With all of the above, along with occasional glimpses of Opeth, Roine Stolt/Flower Kings, Dream Theatre (remember when they were good?), Black Sabbath, that final few years of 90s britpop when bands started getting really creative (think Mansun’s ‘Six’ and Kula Shaker’s ‘K’), ‘Seventh Son’-era Iron Maiden, ’The Mountain’-era Haken, modern Leprous and many others, this album feels like it would feel perfectly at home on a label like Inside Out (specifically alongside the kinds of releases they were putting out in the early 2000s).

So with all that said, while prog of any kind might not be your cup of tea, if the thing that bothers you about it is the pretentiousness that so often goes hand in hand with the genre, Wormhog might be the band for you! If you are already a prog fan, you owe it to yourself to check this album out!

Band info

Review

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