Black Map

A muscular American prog metal/hard rock trio with an impressive pedigree, San Francisco's Black Map is the creation of Dredg guitarist Mark Engles, Far drummer Chris Robyn, and Trophy Fire vocalist/guitarist Ben Flanagan. While ...And We Explode, their 2014 debut long-player, offered gritty vocals and overblown distorted guitars, by the time they issued their acclaimed second album, 2017's In Droves, their sound had evolved to feature clean, melodic vocals with detuned, multi-pedaled, hook-laden guitar riffs and syncopated prog drumming. The band dug into harder-edged prog and alternative metal for 2022's Melodoria and sharpened their hooks to a fine point on 2025's assured Hex, their Spinefarm debut.