ADVENT HORIZON – Falling Together (Album Review)

American prog rock/metal troupe Advent Horizon have been going strong for about 15 years. While 2012’s Immured and 2015’s Stagehound rightly earned positive feedback, it was 2023’s A Cell to Call Home that took the ensemble to the next level in terms of both artistry and audience. Dishing out gorgeously complex arrangements and wonderfully introspective songwriting in equal measure, it earned praise from numerous outlets (including our own review).

Naturally, the group had their work cut out for them in trying to strike gold again with Falling Together, and miraculously, they did. Picking up where their last LP left off, it fits well alongside it while also going into some surprisingly heavy places to differentiate itself. The result is a striking companion piece to A Cell to Call Home that – due mostly to its shorter length – doesn’t quite surpass its predecessor but will certainly delight anyone who loves what Advent Horizon have done thus far.

Falling Together upholds the band’s penchant for personal and philosophical subject matter, as they explain that it’s “about holding your beliefs under a microscope and determining whether they are truly yours or whether they were planted by others when you were young and impressionable.”

Furthermore, frontman Rylee McDonald adds: ’ve spent the past decade re-examining my upbringing and realized many of the “truths” I was taught were carefully shaped beliefs. While rooted in my own experience, it revealed how we still divide ourselves by religion, politics, and class — an enduring “us vs. them.” Falling Together is my attempt to capture those reflections in song.

Advent Horizon’s growing ambitions are clear from the jump via “In a Lone and Dreary World,” a 19-minute epic suite that’s almost twice as long as any other composition in their catalog. At first, it’s restrained and atmospheric, with delicate timbres supporting Rylee McDonald’s soaring contemplations; however, it soon picks up steam by incorporating beautiful vocal harmonies, djent-esque ferocity, death metal growls, vibrant keys, and so much more. Throughout the song – and the whole sequence, for that matter – Kristen McDonald’s comparably pure and affective singing matches Rylee McDonald’s magnificently, and as always, the band moves masterfully between hecticness and heavenliness.

While that opener is inherently the most impressive part of the album (if not Advent Horizon’s entire career), what remains is expectedly superb as well.

In particular, and despite how incongruous it might sound, “Faith’s Window” irresistibly mixes the tender pop-rock accessibility of crossover prog with the demonic growls of, say, Rivers of Nihil and Ihsahn. Later, “Past Life Parable” offers an even brighter vibe with its sing-along hooks, sophisticated playing, and stirring lyrics (“You gave a piece of everything you own / To build up someone else’s home / And the whole damn time you believed / You fought against the world”). The two-part “Gravity” is another highlight because of its juxtaposition of transcendental and tumultuous instrumentation alongside unwaveringly gripping verses and choruses.

Every piece of Falling Together’s puzzle is terrific, though, further exemplifying why Advent Horizon are one of the premier acts in modern American prog. Few of their contemporaries are as consistently adept at melding top-tier songwriting/singing with arrangements that’re simultaneously tricky, wide-ranging, and routinely inviting. In other words, Advent Horizon’s craftsmanship continues to be exceptional, and if you’ve yet to discover their greatness, Falling Together is a great place to start.

Release Date: May 15th, 2026
Record Label: Self-Released / Independent
Genre: Progressive Rock / Metal

Musicians:

• Rylee McDonald / Vocals, keys, guitar
• Kristen McDonald / Vocals
• Mike Lofgreen / Drums, percussion
• Cason Wood / Bass, keys, trombone
• Grant Matheson / Guitar, keys, vocals

Guest Musicians

• Zach Boorman / Guitar, piano, synth, percussion, backing vocals
• Doug Robinson / Guitar
• Cressa McDonald / Vocal ambience
• Griffin McDonald / Vocal ambience

Falling Together Track-list:

1. In a Lone and Dreary World
2. Faith’s Window
3. Patience
4. Past Life Parable
5. Gravity I
6. Gravity II
7. Animals

Order Falling Together here