Review: “Parasite Dream” by Prompts

For the past fourteen years Japanese purveyors of Heavy Progressive Melodic Groove Prompts have been establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with, sharing stages with the likes of Kublai Khan, Parkway Drive, Crossfaith and Stray From The Path to name but a few. Having escaped from the Tokyo underground scene they made their way over to Australia in 2024 with The Gloom In The Corner before returning a year later with Diamond Construct. As a band they’ve made their name by creating genre defying music that redefines genre boundaries by blending Nu-Metal, Mathcore, DJent and Deathcore to shape their destiny. Their latest burnt offering “Parasite Dream” is the culmination of the the last couple of years of growth and brings together a run of previously released singles, the first of which appearing as far back as February 2024.

The genre blending begins with the savage assault on the senses that is “Sun Eater“, a Nu-Metalcore anthem of pummelling percussion and glitch-y rapid fire riffs that takes us back to “Alien” era Northlane with bursts of programming and brutal breakdowns. The ethereal darkness swirls for a moment before drifting into an ambient passage during which the ripping vocals transcend to aching cleans and it has to be said, its a very accomplished opening beast of a track. There is no remorse or repent with “Edgerunner” which keeps the energy levels high with thunderous drumming, whispers and screams, the gang chanted moments between powerhouse breakdowns masterfully done. This one is the push that makes you want to move, pitching between Metallic Hardcore and Deathcore so you’ve got white hot intensity and the satisfying crunch of the guitars before the band flip the switch and float seamlessly into Progressive Metalcore in the final third. Programming and clean vocals offer up those arena filling qualities and the way its done is masterful, paving the way for “Drowning“, which begins with the same elements that the previous track concluded with. The off kilter melodies and aching vocal harmonies are bolstered by some harsh unclean parts, the Japanese outfit having a lot in common sonically with the sounds that have emerged from the Australian scene in recent years.

Returning to the bombastic bass and heavy riffs “Deceiver” starts off as an angry anthem augmented with programming before drifting back to the ambient textures of the previous track in slick style. The melancholic atmosphere soon switches to one of a furious rage in schizophrenic fashion the breakdown section in the final third so savage it reaches Nu-Deathcore levels and needs paramedics to clean up the mess. “Stranger” features a guest vocal appearance from Landon Tewers of The Plot In You but isn’t the soft underbelly that some might have predicted. Instead the band throw a fuel on the bonfire and watch the flames lick the sky, capturing their explosive live energy and committing it to tape. The poly-rhythmic tapping guitar parts are stunning, the breakdowns seismic and the aching vocals resonate. You just can’t help but feel like this is what the post “Sempiternal” world could have looked like for Bring Me The Horizon if they had elected to remain heavy.

The genre bending takes a curious turn with “Weirdo” that has a J-Pop undercurrent with its electronica, the bouncy riffs and almost rap-screamed parts giving it a broader appeal than some of the heavier tracks. It’s considerably more melodic than the earlier cuts but the lyrical narrative of being the outsider, cast aside socially is one that resonates and there are plenty of harsh uncleans towards the end that it a bit more weight. The final piece of the puzzle is “Death Of Me“, a cut that feels like dawns first light after a bitter, sleepless night of fighting with someone you love. It has a subtle warmth and ambience, the screamed vocals adding grit and integrity to the delicate, aching cleans. A well worked false ending into a tasteful solo is a nice touch, the band choosing not to smash the almost dreamy atmosphere like a broken mirror and go for the jugular with gut punch breakdown. As a record “Parasite Dream” is very well balanced so how Prompts move forward with the extremes in their sound pushing out is going to be intriguing [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Sun Eater
2. Edgerunner
3. Drowning
4. Deceiver
5. Stranger (ft. Landon Tewers of The Plot In You)
6. Weirdo
7. Death Of Me

“Parasite Dream” by Prompts is out 16th June 2026 via Greyscale Records