2022’s Disaster Medicine saw Nashville-based rock trio Sound&Shape channeling the best aspects of their prior records into a thoroughly captivating and heartfelt odyssey full of rich melodies, insightful lyricism, and inventive yet accessible instrumentation. Evoking the soothing vibes of Dredg, Katatonia, A Perfect Circle, and Biffy Clyro  (“Filament and Spark,” “Gods,” “Four Pale Horses”) and the epic energy and musicianship of classic Queen, Porcupine Tree, King’s X, Dead Letter Circus, and Chevelle (“Heirlooms,” “Quiet Wars,” “How the Light Gets In”), Disaster Medicine was a triumphantly introspective and orchestral statement of purpose that any band would have a hard time surpassing.

Sound&Shape isn’t just any band, though, and with their latest LP –Pillars of Creation–they’ve set a whole new benchmark not only for themselves, but for the genre as a whole. Recorded in just eight days at their Nashville home studio alongside Grammy-winning producer/engineer “Greazy” Wil Anspach (Metallica, Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Killer Mike), the grippingly affective and symphonic opening title track symbolizes how the sequence finds frontman/songwriter Ryan Caudle, drummer Ben Proctor, and bassist Pat Lowry taking listeners on an even more impactful, cohesive, and ambitious ride.

From the adventurous arrangements and daring complexities of “Look For Me in the Sky” and “Is a Wilted Rose Still Red?” to the sing-along folk splendor of “Peace in Destruction”; the majestic lusciousness of “Sun Haired Sky Mother”; and the fierce changeups of “Dance Neath the Fairest Moon,” Pillars of Creation ups the ante by fusing the group’s already winning chemistry with a double dose of the baroque/prog rock sophistications of The Dear Hunter, Dirt Poor Robins, and The Reign of Kindo.

Beyond being Sound&Shape’s magnum opus, Pillars of Creation is an awe-inspiringly meaningful and multifaceted journey that’s destined to be hailed as one of 2024’s greatest albums.