“DANSE MACABRE” By Transgalatica

Progressive music has always tried to blend the old and the new. Transgalactica does this exceedingly well with their latest single, “Danse Macabre.” Released in 2025, the single is on global platforms, accessible to a global audience on services such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and other popular streaming services. The band pays homage to the classics and draws inspiration from Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” as well as the overused motifs from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Transgalactica remakes these tunes in contemporary style, enveloping them with dark synths and creative sonorities crafted around a progressive rock framework that is both nostalgic and adventurous.

What musically differentiates “Danse Macabre” is how it manages a remarkable equilibrium between the old and the new. The beginning has the character of a brisk waltz, a nod to Saint-Saëns’ original, but Transgalactika slyly intensifies the feeling of dread with an ominous, accusatory chorus layered over the familiar danse macabre. Quoting Bach, the bridge provides yet another unexpected grand and solemn layer to the composition, further showcasing the band’s affection for the classic. It is fascinating how, for a large part of the song, the arrangement completely eschews the standard rock set up and instead relies on an arsenal of synthesizers, odd rumblings, and other electronic soundscapes, only to erupt into a vigorous, fast rock section at the end, which, in a counterbalance of sorts, introduces a contemporary aggression while the rest of the composition eschewed it. In 4 minutes and 47 seconds, the song manages to take listeners on a succinct but incredibly dynamic journey, closing with a return to calm reflection.

The study of words also presents a challenge. Transgalactica does not stick to the implied gothic horror of the “Danse Macabre” theme. Instead, the track takes a more rational approach, focusing on the logical fallacies and dysfunctional thought patterns that cognitive scientist Steven Pinker describes. These patterns, Pinker argues, help obscure the cognitive biases hindering humanity’s appreciation of progress. Transgalactica focuses on the pessimism of the many, those who describe the world as “going to hell,” while ignoring the fact that, collectively, most people “are doing quite well” in their lives. The message is strange, ironic, and unexpectedly positive. It inspires appreciation of the rational, historical view of progress as a powerful source of happiness relative to our instinctive sorrow.

The “Danse Macabre” video further develops these concepts as a creative visual accompaniment. The video employs AI techniques and embraces a psychedelic and surreal style that resembles the psychedelic artwork of the 1970s, yet feels futuristic. The video begins with a dreamlike sequence of a courtroom, where a futuristic court trial takes place with judges Scientense, Athena, and Apollo. The accused of Everyman conveys a beautiful and haunting blend of innocence. The skeleton fiddler appears and leads a cosmic dance of planets and stars. This creatively shifts the medieval allegory of death to a meditation on mortality and existence on a galactic scale. A visual storm of chaotic, metallic abstractions gives way to a focus on the rock portion of the track. The AI reveals the chaotic, smooth textures, contributing to the otherworldly sense of the piece, transforming it into an installation video.

Transgalactica invokes respect, and for good reason, stemming from creative fearlessness. Kraków, Poland’s father-son Tomasz and Filip Bieroń have embraced their progressive rock and classical roots, simultaneously stepping into the 21st century with AI. Working with Chilean vocalist Lukky Sparxx, who offers powerful, multifaceted, emotionally precise, and textured, grounding the experimental materials in the vocal layer. So much “Danse Macabre” encompasses all that makes the group what they are: thinking, sophistication, and courage. Once again, thanks, Transgalactica, for demonstrating progressive rock still pulsates in 2025.

“Danse Macabre” is not only a reinterpretation of a classical work; it is also a brave affirmation of the intersection between centuries of musical history and contemporary concerns and modern technology. Working with Saint-Saëns and Bach, and incorporating progressive rock frameworks, unsettling synth, and contemporary psychology-influenced lyrics, Transgalactica has managed to intertwine all of these elements to create a work that is as stimulating as it is challenging. This is a work that can and should be listened to many times. It is a work that can be streamed on Spotify and viewed on YouTube as an AI-generated video featuring hallucinatory visuals. It is work that can and should be listened to many times.

Written by Manuel