TIKTAALIKA – Gods Of Pangaea (Album Review)

One land becomes seven impressive continents.

Staying in touch with the past is always advantageous for those seeking to forge a brighter future, especially in the context of discovering an innovative take on a pre-existing craft. Though it might seem counterintuitive, even the nonconformist dominated progressive metal scene has developed a sense of orthodoxy in recent years and with it a sense of predictability.

Among those who seem aware of this dilemma is Haken guitarist and occasional solo artist Charlie Griffiths, whom ended up treading upon highly unique waters with his 2022 album under his own name Tiktaalika, channeling a number of older traditional and thrash metal influences into a progressive template while contemplating a bygone era where all the land on this planet was confined to a singular super-continent.

Following just under 3 years and rebranding this newly minted solo project after the title of the aforementioned debut, Griffiths has embarked upon a highly ambitious sequel in Gods Of Pangaea that expands upon the musical and lyrical lore of its predecessor.

By his own testimony, Griffiths set out to craft something of a less conceptual nature this go around, placing greater emphasis on song-oriented composition and paying tribute to the art of the guitar riff. Iconic and foundational metal institutions such as Metallica, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate and Judas Priest are counted among the principle influences that are adapted to Charlie’s progressive sense of structure to craft seven (eight counting the bonus track “Chicxulub”) highly developed chapters of a grand, 54 minute sonic novella.

The virtuosic chops of Devin Townshend drummer Darby Todd have been reprised to match wits and rhythmic motives with Charlie’s methodical yet highly elaborate guitar work, ditto the vocal talents of Tommy Rogers (Between the Buried And Me), Danïel De Jongh (Textures) and Vladimir Lalić (Organized Chaos); while newcomer and Protest The Hero’s own Rody Walker makes an equally impressive showing alongside Haken band mate Conner Green handling bass duties, the latter bringing a Cliff Burton-like sense of the instrument to the arrangement and elaborating on an already complex arrangement more so.

True to form, Gods Of Pangaea hits the pavement running and pulls zero punches in unveiling its guitar-driven take on stylistic progression. The opening thrasher “Tyrannicide” unleashes one pummeling riff after the next in rapid succession, heavily resembling the jagged yet fluid flow of Megadeth’s early 90s heyday via Rust In Peace and with a comparably snarling vocal presentation and virtuosic lead guitar gymnastics reminiscent of Marty Friedman’s handiwork.

The more drawn out and mid-paced title entry “Gods Of Pangaea” also leans heavily on a Dave Mustaine take on the guitar as both a rhythm and lead instrument, albeit in more of a mid-90s flavor and chock full of enough melodic lead hooks to orbit Iron Maiden. The slow and dreary resound of “The Forbidden Zone” ends up going a little heavier on the punchy grooves and nastier on the vocals, approximating a balanced dance between Metallica and early Machine Head, and ultimately painting a bleak dystopian sound that fits perfectly with the empty and radioactive landscape carrying the songs namesake in Planet Of The Apes.

For the first half of this album’s duration, one might conclude that Griffiths and company have opted to go in an exclusively old school metal, but by midpoint this project’s progressive bona fides become just as apparent. The somber balladry turned punchy grooves of “Mesozoic Mantras” presents the story of a cult-like religion in an alternate reality that is in keeping with early 80s heavy metal lyrical tropes, but musically this six and a half minute foray throws so many elaborate moving parts against the wall that the result is a mural far too abstract for a standard heavy or thrash metal affair, though the melodic and rhythmic elements of both remain in place.

The deep chugging and bass heavy 9 minute slough “Lost Continent” swings closer to an outright thrash metal affair, but more in the rigorously avant-garde character one might expect out of Watchtower collaborating with Voivod. Even more compact thrashers like the high octane nod to Anthrax with a comparably smoother vocal delivery “Fault Lines” and the closing nod to Megadeth “Give Up The Ghost” come with plenty of twists and turns that most 80s and 90s practitioners of the craft would not have thought up.

Though progressive metal is often dogged by a somewhat narrow target audience, what Gods Of Pangaea brings to the table is something with an extremely wide reach in spite of its highly complex nature. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see a legions of rank and file that continue to fill venues for Metallica to this very day to take to this, to speak nothing for the sizable assembly of metalcore faithful that might give this album a listen just because of Tommy Rogers’ and Rody Walker’s involvement and wind up staying for the long haul given its ironically accessible character.

It’s the sort of album that presents a best of both worlds scenario where its creators are free to explore some of the outer fringes of metal’s technical and experimental possibilities without sacrificing mass appeal, even when accounting for the extended instrumental bonus entry “Chicxulub” that takes the final seven minutes and change of this album even further into uncharted waters. Simplicity and complexity may exist as opposites, but in the world of Tiktaalika, they are quite far from being mutually exclusive.

Released By: Inside Out Music
Release Date: March 14th, 2025
Genre: Progressive Metal

Musicians:

• Charlie Griffiths / Guitars
• Conner Green / Bass
• Darby Todd / Drums

With:

• Tommy Rogers (Between the Buried And Me) / Vocals
• Danïel De Jongh (Textures) / Vocals
• Rody Walker (Protest The Hero) / Vocals
• Vladimir Lalić (Organised Chaos) / Vocals

Gods Of Pangaea Track-Listing:

1. Tyrannicide (3:55)
2. Gods of Pangaea (8:36)
3. The Forbidden Zone (5:52)
4. Mesozoic Mantras (6:32)
5. Fault Lines (6:30)
6. Give up the Ghost (5:15)
7. Lost Continent (9:12)
8. Chicxulub (Bonus Track) (7:31)

Order Gods Of Pangaea here.