"Phases" is the second Sutdio album of the young prog metallers NEXT TO NONE from the USA, who caused a sensation on their first European tour with Haken in spring 2017. Drummer Max Portnoy describes the follow-up to "A Light In The Dark" released in 2015 as "much harder", "but it is precisely the intricate rhythm that ensures that the progressive is still present." But especially Derrick Schneider, who replaced guitarist Ryland Holland in 2016, and the sometimes more compact songs like "The Apple" provide an amplified metallic side. In the song, Portnoy deals with the accusations that his famous father makes it easier than others in the music business. "The title comes from the saying 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree' and that's true about my drumming, of course. Since Mike produced the debut, many felt he had helped us unfairly. We worked hard and also played small shows to make a name for ourselves. In the song we respond to these accusations of supposed nepotism." And that NEXT TO NONE do their own thing, you can hear on "Phases", which between the instrumental intro and the emotional 20 minutes long final track "The Wanderer" brings contrasting and cursed hard prog metal between Meshuggah, Periphery, Haken and Between The Buried And Me. The artwork is by Travis Smith (Opeth, Anathema) and completes this more mature, aggressive second N2N disc perfectly.