Emerging Artist Reviews

Album Review: Dyed in Grey "Harbinger"

by The Metalverse

Updated January 26, 2026

Dyed In Grey release new progressive metal album "Harbinger" | The Metalverse.net

New York progressive metal act, Dyed in Grey, just released their newest album Harbinger, on January 23rd, 2026. Formed in 2013 by Guitarist/Producer Adam Edgemont, the band is back following their 2023 album The Forgotten Sequence Reconstructed.

The first track Sunbird begins with distorted lofi ambience before introducing layered clean guitars and booming drum melodies. Dyed in Grey builds a jazz-inspired sound quickly, but the heavier drums provide a unique mix of metal and jazz influences. Catchy guitar melodies and thumping bass create an upbeat and immersive soundscape. The first track is fully instrumental, but intricate layering and instrumental melodies leave nothing missing despite the lack of vocals.

Ascent changes things up quickly as a faster tempo and singing is introduced right off the bat. The band creates a distinct sense of contrast as screaming and singing alternate; meanwhile, clean guitar and metal-esque drumming create a striking balance between jazz and extreme metal. The soundscape soon bursts into full intensity as distorted guitar and screams introduce the first full heaviness of the album so far.

Absinthe and Dead Butterflies started with echoing clean progressive guitar tones and gentle harmonized vocals before building into scream-singing and soaring guitar leads. Dyed in Grey does an excellent job of creating progressive atmospheres that slowly evolve into heaviness in a way that stays interesting and captures distinctly different musical vibes. The song's chorus features dark chord progressions and anthemic singing and screaming that creates a huge atmosphere.

Mirrored Ruins starts with clean ambient guitar before introducing blistering guitar leads as the band catapults straight into screams and ferocious intensity. The band pulls things back, bringing back clean guitar and singing, continuing the sense of difference in dynamics before eventually launching back into screams and full metal destruction.

Static Tides begins with bright guitar riffage and melodic singing before transitioning into rapid chugging and slamming drum beats. With Static Tides, I started to get an old-school metalcore vibe while the band still stays true to their jazz and progressive roots. At over 6 minutes, Dyed in Grey leaves plenty of time for visceral heaviness, ambient bridges with singing, and soaring vocals.

Next is Silent Symmetry, which starts similarly to the previous songs with clean guitar, this time with a darker jazz mood as whispered vocals add a new technique into the mix. At almost the 3 minute mark, the song suddenly introduces drop-tuned chugging and explosive growls before speeding things up and alternating drawn-out singing and raw screams.

Tempest is the first track to start with no intro, throwing the listener into the midst of a brutally heavy breakdown right from the get-go. At 6:16, Tempest is the longest track of the album and it takes you on a journey through anthemic singing, fierce instrumentals, intense screams, and impactful drumming. The breakdown at about the 3 and a half minute mark stood out to me, particularly with changing tempos and polyrhythms that really sold the progressive vibe for the song.

Descent draws the listener down into the depth of metal as it's name clearly suggests. Starting with heavy hitting guitar and double bass drumming, Dyed in Grey once again showcases their metal brutality before bringing singing into the mix as instrumentals have dark chord progressions. A clean atmospheric bridge soon leads back into full intensity before the track fades with panning ambient distortion.

Overall, Harbinger is an impressive showcase of Dyed in Grey's sound. Their mix of jazz influences, progressive metal, and extreme metal creates a polished sound that is equally intricate as it is visceral. Fans of bands like Opeth and Jinjer will enjoy Dyed in Grey's sound.

You can stream Harbinger available on all streaming platforms now.