Apex Mycelia

A distinctive progressive metal unit based out of Zurich, Switzerland, Mycelia employ a wide-ranging sonic attack that draws from djent, deathcore, jazz, and classic film scores. Both brutal and cinematic, the Swiss six-piece debuted in 2012, broadcasting intricate arrangements and assertive, yet earworm-worthy melodies that invoked names like Veil of Maya and Between the Buried and Me. Subsequent outings like Obey (2015) and Apex (2018) continued to look to unconventional genres and subjects for inspiration, with the latter outing, which was released via U.S.-based Eclipse Records, signaling their ascension overseas.

Formed in 2010 around the talents of guitarist Mike Schmid and drummer Marc Trummer, with vocalist Marc Fürer joining up shortly thereafter, the group issued a pair of online EPs ahead of the release of their full-length debut, Isolator, in 2012. The punitive Nova followed a year later, but it was the band's third long player, 2015's Obey, that helped to establish them as a leading light in the Swiss progressive metalcore scene. Balancing the kinetic riffage and percussive assault of its predecessors with technical depth and stylistic diversity, it signaled a sonic shift that would be felt even more dramatically on 2017's Dawn, which saw the group expand into a sextet with the additions of guitarist Mike Fuller, bassist Eugen Wiege, and second vocalist Lukas Villiger. The LP caught the ear of New Jersey-based Eclipse Records, who signed the group in early 2018. Apex, their fifth full-length effort and label debut, arrived later that October.