Canadian instrumental progressive metal quartet Phaeton returns with their third full-length album, “Neurogenesis”, out on October 24th, 2025, via INB Music, along with it being made available on vinyl at a later date this year. The record is a tightly wound, interstellar journey through melody, muscle, and mind-expanding musicality. With no vocals, no limits, Phaeton lets their instruments do the talking, creating emotional landscapes without a single lyric.
The album’s title refers to the birth of new neural pathways, fitting for a band that thrives on cerebral complexity and visceral impact. “Neurogenesis” builds on the foundation laid by their previous releases, “Self-Titled” (2018) and “Between Two Worlds” (2023), but sharpens the focus with more concise compositions that never sacrifice imagination. Each track is a self-contained universe, yet together they form a cohesive anthology of sonic exploration. Fans will also be delighted to hear that keyboard wizard Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X, Sons of Apollo) guests on the track “Isochron”.
The album artwork, created by Calgary visual artist Matt Semenok, features a suspended human brain infused with bioelectricity and cybernetic implants, a chilling nod to the accelerating march of technology and the psychological lag it leaves behind. Think H.R. Giger meets Bill Sienkiewicz in a dystopian dreamscape.
Today, the band unveils the first single, “Tethys Rising,” which was written by bassist Ferdy Belland. It is a triumphant, high-energy track inspired by the astronomy art of Chesley Bonestell and Belland’s own dream of setting foot on Saturn’s moon.
The band comments:
“This was the first complete song that Ferdy wrote for us. He’s big into astronomy, and he loves the retro sci-fi art of Chesley Bonestell, who illustrated this classic image of Saturn as viewed from the surface of its moon Tethys. So he comes up right out of the blue with this tune with all these busier-than-hell riffs. He was nervous at first about submitting his own stuff, since he wanted what he presented to us to be as strong as the songs Kevin and Daniel normally write, but we were encouraging, and “Tethys Rising” certainly matches up in power and quality to anything we’ve written. Ferdy wants to be the first human astronaut on Tethys, for real, but in the meantime, he can celebrate it in song.”
Watch and listen to “Tethys Rising” via its premiere on TheProgSpace HERE.
Formed from a fusion of four seasoned musicians, Colin Righton, Daniel Airth, Kevin Thiessen, and Ferdy Belland, Phaeton was born from a hunch and a history. Righton had played with each member in separate bands and sensed that combining their talents would spark something extraordinary. Nearly a decade later, that spark has become a supernova.
From Devin Townsend and Rush to Meshuggah and Gojira, Phaeton blends prog, tech-death, thrash, and djent into a kaleidoscope of sound.
Beyond “Neurogenesis”, fans can look forward to the 22-minute epic “Clouds of Mercury” slated for release as a standalone EP in 2026, and the band’s fourth album “Quartum” expected in 2027. With new material already brewing, Phaeton shows no signs of slowing its cosmic ascent.
“Neurogenesis” – album pre-order (out Oct 24th) – https://phaetonband.bandcamp.
 |
Track Listing:
1. Tethys Rising (6:25)
2. Discontinuum (6:37)
3. Isochron (4:12) ft. Derek Sherinian
4. Synethesia (6:24)
5. Arachnid (4:48)
6. Augmented (4:37)
7. Neurogenesis (6:16)
Album Length: 39:19
Band Lineup:
– Colin Righton: Drums & Percussion
– Daniel Airth: Lead & Rhythm Guitars
– Kevin Thiessen: Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Keyboards
– Ferdy Belland: Electric Bass
For more info: https://linktr.ee/
“A”An instrumental quartet from Kimberley, British Columbia, Phaeton are skillfully blurring the boundaries between old- and new-school prog metal. Their second album, Between Two Worlds, covers a vast amount of ground, from intricate post-djent riffing, to indulgent prog pomp, and no single outstays its welcome. The nine-minute title track is a particularly impressive display of showboating and smart songwriting.” – Prog Mag – Dom Lawson (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
It’s Prog Mag’s brand new Tracks Of The Week! (April 21, 2023) – “Hailing from Columbia, Canada’s Phaeton are an interplanetary instrumental heavy prog metal quartet and as their name suggests, they are fascinated with astronomy, and the idea of life itself, in all its beauty and wonder and majesty, emerging from an instant of catastrophic cosmic violence. The epic Between Two Worlds is the title track of the band’s latest album.” (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“Top-tier instrumental prog-metal-math music from the East Kootenay region performed by a quartet of veteran musicians.” – Stuart Derdeyn (The Vancouver Sun) (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“Phaeton are relatively unknown, especially compared to the above mentioned bands (scale The Summit, Animals as Leaders), but they definitely hold their own on Between Two Worlds. All members absolutely kill it on their instruments, the songs are wonderfully arranged and produced, and there’s plenty of variety here to hold our attention. Instrumental prog might be a little talked about genre, but Phaeton belong in the conversation.” – Heavy Music Headquarters (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“…a killer album indeed, wonderfully arranged and produced; a superb prog metal opus where the music almost makes you dizzy, but most of all longing for more indeed. “Between Two Worlds” to me is one of the absolute highlights of this year, a unique twist and rollercoaster of progressive, instrumental metal, highly recommended indeed: especially suitable for fans of Rush, Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment. Play it LOUD and you will be hooked, listening tip: “Monsoon.”” – Rock United (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“”Between Two World” was very competently arranged and recorded by PHAETON. Prog fans, who like sounds and virtuosity above all, will be well served with the disc.” – PowerMetal.de (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“PHAETON releases an instrumental album in which the voice is not lacking; a nervous, boosted opus where the frank and limpid musicality makes you dizzy, where the notes invite you to travel in space to another dimension, where harmony is combined with controlled djent power; innovative music, on modern math metal-prog.” – Profil Prog (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“If you’re open minded in your choice of Metal genres, you should feel free to let this instrumental work slip through your ears. It takes a little getting used to, so completely without singing. But if you get involved and listen carefully, one or the other will surely like something. The whole thing should appeal to fans of RUSH or DREAM THEATER.” – Hellfire Magazin (Between Two Worlds – 2023)
“The sound on all seven tracks is huge and if there was a “best sounding hammer-ons” award then March of the Synthetics could be a contender.” – Stuart Derdeyn (The Vancouver Sun) (Self-titled – 2018)
Add Comment