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Floating Nest — Blow Off Steam
(Bandcamp Astronomy ARMCD022, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-15

Blow Off Steam Cover art

Floating Nest is a relatively new band, and their debut album is Blow Off Steam, which unsurprisingly they do very well. The four band members are mostly Spanish, with one German in the group, but they were founded in Sweden in 2019 by Sara Gaspar (vocals, compositions) and Victor Conde (drums, compositions); other members are guitarist Quique Villalba and bassist Matthias Rauch. Let me just say in beginning that their music and presentation is just as wild, raw, and epic as the cover art on the album, unpredictable and structurally unconventional, their sound seems to bridge the gaps between metal, progressive rock, and experimental, with Conde and Rauch driving a heavy and busy rhythm section, while Gaspar’s voice is powerful, theatrical, and aggressive; the lyrics are in English, and there is a male voice that accompanies Gaspar on tracks like “Circus” and “Stasis,” and others, but no clues are given as to who that voice might belong to (although photos on the band’s website show a mic stand in front of Rauch). Villalba is an adept and versatile guitarist, supplying some aggressive rhythms and masterful solos, as well as some unconventional effects that take the place of the missing keyboards as on the dramatic opening to “Re-Connection” or on the set closer “Absolute Zero.” If they slow things down, it’s usually not long before everything revs up again, like on the beautifully psychedelic “Selfdeception” or “The Clock,” the latter almost flying into space-rock territory. This album is so intense on all levels that it’s almost scary — every member is firing on all cylinders. With this kind of opening salvo, it will be interesting where Floating Nest goes next; meanwhile, Blow Off Steam should satisfy those listeners who like powerful female-fronted progressive rock informed by metal that’s always teetering on the edge out of control.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Floating Nest

More info
http://astronomyrecordingmusic.bandcamp.com/album/blow-off-steam

 

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