Metal has more than its fair share of sub-genres, but it's rare you come across anything that sounds completely apart from its contemporaries… then along comes Painted In Exile, whose mash-up of metal, prog, jazz fusion and classical turns everything on its head.
Much of the group's distinctive sound is down to keyboard whiz Alan Hankers, who you can watch deliver a searing melting pot of influences in extracts from the band's Indiegogo-funded album, The Ordeal, above.
Alan told us how he weaves his musical web across his mammoth Roland Fantom X8.
You'll hear everything from 19th century style harmony, to dissonant clusters and 'dirty' synths that double guitar riffs
"A lot of what I write as a keyboardist is influenced by my background as a classically trained pianist," he reveals.
"While writing the album, my goal was to create a unique synthesized sound, that from time to time would subtly allude to my influences of the past. In this excerpt video, you'll hear everything from 19th century style harmony, to dissonant clusters and 'dirty' synths that double guitar riffs."
If you like what you hear, The Ordeal is available now via Bandcamp and Big Cartel.
