Whitehorse prog-metal master Rick Massie is set to release his second solo LP on June 3
Rick Massie’s new album isn’t exactly a new album, at least not to him. It’s made up of tunes that came off the tail end of the writing and recording process of his 2020 release, Eclipse–but that isn’t to say these new songs are just leftovers from a previous record.
“When I wrote Eclipse, I knew what was going to be on the album,” he told What’s Up Yukon. “But every weekend during that time after it was written, I was coming up with new stuff. Ideas were just flowing.”
Though Massie’s songs are often long, complex and multi-stylistic, they usually start with one riff or idea and grow from there. The first two singles from his upcoming album, Guided to an Imperfect Light, both followed this formula. Titled “Counting the Stars” and “Need,” each song boasts a variety of inspirations, with different styles, from extreme metal to almost synth-pop, being heard between the two.
“I’d write a riff and I’d just totally hear what needed to come next,” he said. “I can’t really explain it; I just knew what kind of mood I was going for.”
Massie went on to say he isn’t too concerned with repetition and would rather his songs flow naturally, as if they are telling a story. His prog-metal music is perfectly suited to storylike song structures, and with this in mind, he was able to craft Guided to an Imperfect Light to feel like a journey to listeners.
Though Massie considers his music a passion project that he does simply for his own love of creating, he has found it has helped him build friendships and connections in the music world, including several strong relationships with bloggers and website runners who also work out of pure passion for supporting underground and lesser-known artists.
“It kind of shocks me that there’s so many people out there willing to help out, and they’re not asking for any money,” said Massie. “They’re doing this out of their love of metal and the goodness of their hearts.”
Massie has now found his footing as a solo artist, handling the writing, production, promotion and more of his music. When he first started work on Eclipse, lots of the production aspects were new to him, but he feels he has gained more skills and knowledge in these areas, with each release since, including multiple singles and this new record.
“I can’t really talk about any formal training,” he said. “You just get better as you go.”
Working on his music by himself, it can be difficult for Massie to step away and accept that a song is finished, as he always finds something he wants to tweak—even if it’s a small detail nobody else would notice.
“It’s nearly impossible,” he said. “It was an endless process of tweaking and fixing and adding new little embellishments.”
Guided to an Imperfect Light will be released online and physically on June 3. To keep up with Rick Massie and to hear the singles from the upcoming record, as well as previous releases, head over to https://rickmassie.bandcamp.com.
Massie said he is still surprised and grateful for the positive reception his work continues to receive.
“There’s so much good support for underground metal out there,” he said.
