The opening moments of V seem to set you up for a fairly familiar journey, and a haze of reference for 70s progressive rock. There are moments that feel lifted wholesale from Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, and that entire golden era of exploratory sound, but to dismiss V as derivative would miss what actually sets this album apart, because the goal here isn’t wild experimentation or off-the-wall weirdness. It’s pure, flowing, hypnotic groove. This is a prog-rock record that’s less concerned with how many left turns it can take, and much more concerned with danceable rhythms as the music swirls in Eastern melodic modes before spiralling out into space.

V is layered with flutes, lush synth work, Middle Eastern strings, and soft vocal harmonies that elevate the record far beyond the live jam aesthetic. Numenia is a clean, groovy, and evocative standout - a melodic journey that conjures images of belly dancers in candlelit rooms, leaning into Arabic scales. Conversely Breathing Fire is all Hammond-led power, a thrilling jam that feels like Focus or Iron Butterfly, with tempo shifts and bursts of exuberant speed and joyful release. In a genre burdened with meandering excess, Naxatras keep it tight, with tracks that layer simple and satisfying grooves into rich tapestries, and letting things bloom in their own time. Usually the heart of prog is obsessed with telling stories with overwrought symbolism and fantastical narratives first, but here, the music leads. Some tracks feel like a stoned trek through the desert, others feel like a lonely float through the stars. Wide in scope, tight in execution, stick it on and lose track of time.