Prog Virtuosos PHAETON Hit The Road For Western Canadian Dates (AB, BC)
Canadian instrumental progressive metal quartet PHAETON is hitting the road this November for a string of Western Canadian tour dates in support of their third full-length album, “Neurogenesis.” Known for their electrifying live performances, the band will bring their cerebral, crushing sound to Alberta and British Columbia:
Upcoming Shows:
Nov 29 – Cranbrook BC – Shotties Nightclub w/ ANCIIENTS – info
Following their acclaimed 2020 release “Between Two Worlds,” “Neurogenesis” marks a bold evolution in PHAETON’s sound, more concise, yet no less imaginative. Engineered and mixed by guitarist Kevin Thiessen at The Cube in Kimberley, BC, and mastered by Jamie Sitar at Outtatown Sound in Winnipeg, MB, the album features artwork by Calgary-based artist Matt Semenok and a guest appearance by prog legend Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X, Sons of Apollo).
Formed in 2017 in Kimberley, BC, PHAETON blends neo-classical melodicism, crushing riffs, tornado percussion, and contrapuntal basslines. Their lineup includes Kevin Thiessen (guitars, keyboards; ex-Azsension, ex-Datura), Daniel Airth (guitars; ex-Chaos Logic), Ferdy Belland (bass; ex-Bif Naked), and Colin Righton (drums; ex-Chaos Machine).
PHAETON‘s music channels cosmic chaos into meticulously crafted soundscapes, wordless journeys through shifting time signatures, soaring melodies, and tectonic riffage. “Neurogenesis” explores themes of technological singularity and the convergence of biological minds with machine intelligence: part cold warning, part sober observation.
“Neurogenesis” is available now on digital platforms via INB Music. Vinyl editions arrive later this year, with more music on the horizon, including the standalone 22-minute epic “Clouds of Mercury” in 2026 and their fourth album “Quartum” in 2027.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My Name is Dan, and I play guitar in the prog/metal band Phaeton.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Neurogenesis is our third independently produced and released album, available in full on October 24th. It features a more proggy vibe, covering some new sonic territory while the fundamentals of our creative style remain in place. It also guests keyboard wizard Derek Sherinian on the track ‘Isochron’. The result was cosmic and we’re incredibly grateful and excited for his appearance.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Nothing set in stone. Typically we’ll individually sketch out some riffs/ideas/progressions before assembling a demo of sorts to send to the other guys for feedback. From there everyone experiments with adding grooves and melodies, or modifying structure and progressions until we feel the song is strong and tells its own sonic story.
More recently, we’ve been experimenting a bit more in a jam scenario which pushes things creatively different. Personally, I think that’s how deep grooves are born, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s reflected in the next Phaeton release.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
So far we’ve released three singles, Tethys Rising, Isochron, and Arachnid. The two former being accompanied with some neat visualizers, and the later being a filmed full performance video. We’ll have another performance video released late November. We all have day jobs to work around, so no extensive tour has been planned as of yet. We have a few gigs locally and in Alberta in November, and will be applying to the festivals for 2026. Apart from that, we are keeping our eyes open for opportunities.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
The creation of Phaeton was a turning point for me. After playing in bands on the heavier end of the spectrum and them inevitably falling apart, I had ended up, for a number of years, creating music alone in a basement, that no one ever got to hear. Phaeton opened up the door once again to collaboration and performance which I had missed.
As far as a band, I would say our performance at the Loud as Hell festival in 2024 was a pretty big deal for us. We got to share a stage with so many stellar bands.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I’ve got to give a shout out to Anchiients, a progressive metal band from Vancouver B.C. who have been racking up Junos and taking names. Great song writing, great riffs, hard-working guys. Definitely worth checking out, though I suspect they are already on alot of your radars.