On their 2009 release
Supporting Caste, Canadian natives
Propagandhi seem more interested in the challenging prog metal laid down in the Great White North -- in the form of such genre giants as
Rush and
Voivod -- than continuing the group's earlier punk-emo leanings. Granted, there are still enough elements of their emo past that they won't be confused with
Kamelot anytime soon, as well as having
Black Flag/
Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson on board as producer. But there's no denying that the members of
Propagandhi are quite adept at their instruments compared to other emo bands -- especially on such tracks as the album opener, "Night Letters," and "Tertium Non Datur."
Supporting Caste shows that
Propagandhi are not afraid to expand their sound a bit, but the real question is, how far can they go without befuddling their early fans? ~ Greg Prato