It isn't everyday for a band to reach out to me in order to review something from their catalog. However, I suppose my name has reached a few figures in the prog rock community, as a new band hailing from Chile has requested I check out their self-titled debut record. Now, that alone got me intrigued, and certainly set an expectation for what is to come. However, what I didn't expect was for this debut to be really awesome!

Debuts nowadays tend to be pretty high quality, since bands nowadays kind of know what they want, but obviously they can change over time and improve on what they have made in the past. I doubt Chercán will be any different, but dang they came in swinging! From the first track alone, I knew I was in for a great time, with a great mix of old school jazzy prog rock, with a more modern day experimental edge that one could see from the modern age of rock music.

While I feel like this is too modern feeling to be coined retro prog, one can tell this group was inspired by a few notable legacy bands from South America, namely I can pinpoint inspiration coming from Invisible, Bubu, and La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros. However, they don't just take their styles and run. No. They take those styles, and do so many backflips with them that they turn it into something super original: a dark jazzy escapade that is rich within bombastic symphonics.

Matías Bahamondes' saxophone skills certainly won me over here. In fact, the whole band is very skilled, which surprised me a ton since most of the members, to my knowledge, never played in any other band. Which just baffled me because this album feels like it was made by a group of people that at least had a few years under their belts, but no! These are newbies! Well, actually, one isn't, that being Rodrigo González Mera, as he was the drummer for the band Homínido. However, Homínido hadn't made any albums since 2016, so Chercán is his first project in almost a decade, so if anything he's practically playing it fresh.

Funny thing too, he was actually the guy who messaged me on RYM that asked me to review this record. So, hey, that's pretty cool.

But genuinely, this debut is amazing. It genuinely surprised me the first time I heard it, and it still surprises me now. It is just a genuinely wonderful record. The only thing that sort of holds it back, at least for me anyways, is that they sometimes can dip a bit too much into a sort of King Crimson-esque sound. Not to say there is anything wrong with pulling from one of the greats, but I think the intro to Kalimba feels just a bit too much like the beginning to Larks' Tongues In Aspic Pt. 1.

But minor nitpick aside, Chercán is certainly a band I will be on the look for in the coming years. If this is their debut, then who knows what their magna carta will be? Latin American prog will always be a guilty pleasure for me, so seeing it still going strong in this modern age of progressive rock music blesses my heart! Genuinely listen to this one, you won't leave disappointed.

Best tracks: La culpa, Caen las hojas blanca, Las mentiras del muro, Relato de una obsesión. Parte II: El orate

worst track: Desolación (En)

All of Steve's live material is so great. As per usual, the first part is some of his personal work with some recent material represented. Sounds great and a well balanced selection. The second portion being Genesis material, is also well balanced and played. The light show, the stage, the sound, the musicianship, everything shown on this live video shows exactly why this guy keeps being able to fill large venues around the world. Keeps the spirit of the 70's Genesis material alive much better than did Genesis of the 80's and beyond. If he keeps making these live albums and videos, I'll keep buying them!

SHEARWATER's first album of original material since the island arc is a high voltage (for them anyway) shocker that effectively counteracts the pallid "Fellow Travelers". While that misstep was based on decent covers of mediocre tracks by also rans who happened to tour with Meiburg and co, "Jet Plane and Oxbow" pays homage to artistic and commercial giants who helped shape this fascinating cooperative.

FRom the very first notes of the hypnotic "Prime", a transformation from largely acoustic to electric keyboards is apparent, and these form many of the hooks that help make the album so appealing. From the 1980s synth pop of "Quiet Americans" to the 1990s jangly pop of "Only Child", through to the ENO/CAN THIRD EAR BAND (and somebody else in the infectious chorus I can't put my finger on though it's driving me crazy) extravaganza "Filaments" to the TALK TALK chatter of "Backchannels", the echoes of the usual suspects abound. A big surprise is how much "Pale Kings" sounds like a low key RUNRIG without the Scottish lilt.

While the last 4 tracks are relatively flat, particularly the busy work of "Glass Bones" and the irritating vocal effects of "Stray Light at Clouds Hill", I can readily forgive these meanderings, particularly on aerial view.

3.5 stars. Miroslav Vitous should need no introduction to Jazz fans out there. He's from the Czech Republic learning his instrument at the Prague Conservatory. He won an international competition in Vienna which included a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved there in 1966 and then movied to NYC after that. It was in New York that he would work with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Charlie Mariano and more. Miroslav is such a talented bass player.

Vitous released two solo albums in 1970 before joining WEATHER REPORT. "Purple" is the second of those and really it's a stepping stone to that first WEATHER REPORT album. In fact, two tracks on "Purple" would be on that WR debut. Those would be called "Water Lilie" and "Seventh Arrow". His first solo record was called "Infinite Search" and it's a much better album than "Purple". It has a pulse at least. We have John McLaughlin playing on both, but on "Purple" he's just briefly on one track and unless your listening closely you will miss it. You can't miss his playing on "Infinite Search", lets put it that way.

Also that debut had the great Joe Henderson on sax. No horns on "Purple". And it also had Herbie Hancock on keyboards. That truly was a band effort, while "Purple" is a trio for three of the songs, and a duo for the other two tracks. "Purple" is very ECM-like. Minimalistic and sparse. The only grit is the bowed bass from Vitous. I don't have the patience for this stuff. Thankfully it's just over 36 minutes. This record was only released in Japan as Vitous sold the rights to it to Sony in Japan. It was re-issued once in 1974 then crickets until 2024 and the release of this album on cd for the first time.

And what an embarrassment when you compare this re-issue to say what the MPS label has been releasing of late. MPS has done it right with detailed liner notes, taking pride in these old jazz recording, while Sony has done as little as possible. I opened the liner notes to see two blank/white pages. It reminds me of buying cds in the 90's and seeing that once in a while. So I get the original front and back cover and that's it! Two of the tracks here are covers as well. We get Ron Carter's "Mood" which is ballad-like(aren't they all) and Wayne Shorter's "Dolores". The closest artist in my opinion to what I'm hearing here is Eberhard Weber's solo music, but he did it much better.

So I can't say it was worth the wait. It wasn't. But you ECM label fans will find plenty to enjoy here.

Proto-progressive psychedelic pop is how you might want to describe the music on the second studio album of the legendary Yes - following up on their self-titled debut release, 'Time and a Word' from 1970 is a definitive improvement over the band's first effort, despite the fact that is resembles it quite a lot, both musically and structurally. The interesting mixture of original material and covers of pop and rock artists of the recent past is once again at stake here, however, this time with the inclusion of a small orchestra, which appears on most of the album and adds that flair of complexity and sonic intensity that the band would more thoroughly explore on future releases. The innocence and innovation of these early Yes album is what makes them delightful listens, as you understand the progression of their sound and the increasing ambitions of the talented musicians making up the five-piece band.

Primarily written by Jon Anderson, 'Time and Word' is a rather accessible album that often sees the use of extended instrumental sections, longer songs and the symphonic inclinations of the band - of course, sometimes the ambitious instrumental sections may not be as elaborate or impressive as on some of the band's classic albums, but the overall ambition of this record is something to appreciate. The gorgeous refrains, the fine vocal harmonies and the excellent bass playing grace the fine songs composed by Yes here, with 'Then', 'Everydays', 'The Prophet' and 'Astral Traveller' being particularly noteworthy. At the same time, the extended use of the orchestra often diminishes the role of Peter Banks and his guitar playing, which is far from dominant, and would become the reason for his leaving. Furthermore, there is little to no strong keyboard leads, which eventually indicates a possible lack of compelling ideas from Tony Kaye, whose playing is also undermined by the string sections and the orchestral interludes. All of this goes to show that 'Time and a Word' is a transitional Yes album, one that showcases how ambitious the band's music was becoming and who were the weak links in there.

'Soundtracks' is German band Can's second release, although not their second studio album - the aforementioned is a compilation of music written for various films, five to be precise, that feature for the first time new vocalist Damo Suzuki, while original singer Malcolm Mooney appears on two of the seven album tracks, formerly the voice of the band on their 1969 debut album 'Monster Movie'. And the successful post-psychedelic krautrock experiment continues with 1970's 'Soundtracks', an interesting collection of diverse compositions that on the surface seem to be somehow directionless and even a bit disorienting, especially knowing that this LP is made up of commissioned works for different movies, and was never meant to be as album-oriented as the debut album, elements of which are to be discovered all over this very decent collection.

With the introduction of Damo Suzuki, it is very interesting to see how his strangulated, odd vocal delivery fits the jam-based, experimental music of Can, becoming increasingly more intricate and labyrinthian, and on this album this aspect of the band's sound is opposed to the significantly different vocal style of Mooney, which ultimately becomes limited for the musical scope of the krautrock innovators. As for the music on the album, we have an overall eclectic sound that explores different corners of the band's musical interests - opener 'Deadlock' is definitely dark and nostalgic, and the upfront guitars sweep around rendering the atmosphere of this song hefty and remorseful, while tracks like 'Tango Whiskyman' and 'Don't Turn the Light On' offer a more upbeat post-psychedelic sound, more similar to the music on 'Monster Movie'. 'Soul Desert' is groovy and repetitive and works rather finely, despite the irritative qualities of the vocals. Then there is the 'Mother Sky' suite from 1971's 'Deep End' movie, with its fifteen minutes of fusion energy, manic guitar playing, and hypnotic rhythm section, definitely one of the essential Can works. The final song on 'Soundtracks' features Mooney and his soulful delivery, on a song that is more downtempo than the rest of the record.

This entire album is strange but rather good in parts, which is why it has remained many Can fans' favorite (or guilty pleasure). The major highlight has to the be 'Mother Sky' piece, which echoes the excellent experimental ventures of the band's 1969 debut.

Review Nº 905

Kollektiv was a German progressive rock band from Krefeld that was originally formed in 1964 under the name of The Generals. Mainly influenced by British music, they began playing beat music. However, as the time went by, they decided to risk themselves towards more experimentations and thus entirely changing their musical direction. In 1970 the band changed their name to Kollektiv. With this new name, the band released their debut and only album with the same name in 1973 that featured a jazzistic sound with a taste for space rock, involving a lot of experimentation and jamming, going nearly the same way of bands, like their compatriots Embryo. "Kollektiv" is an excellent fusion album and one of the most creative in the German scene. They disbanded in 1975, despite some few posthumous reunions.

The music on "Kollektiv" is close to the music of the pre-Kraftwerk album "Tone Float" of Organisation and of the two early Kraftwerk albums. "Kollektiv" is a spacious fusion of rock and jazz involving unusual structures for the time and using electrified flute and saxophone. At least the Dapper's flute with its alienated effect is reminiscent of Florian Schneider's playing on "Kraftwerk 1" and "Kraftwerk 2". But, the similarities are largely exhausted, although all three productions are characterized by a similar herbaceous and experimental atmosphere. But "Kollektiv" is an album that also reminds me of Neu!, and of course, the days of the experimentalism of Pink Floyd, the times of "Ummagumma".

This all instrumental album really knows how to soar into the depths of space. There's nothing too loud or musically complex here but rather seductive and transcendental. Kollectiv musically blends soft flute with flowing bass guitar and drum lines. Here, Kollektiv played edgy, raw jazz rock on their debut, dominated by the "cosmic" playing of Dapper on flute and sax and the bluesy, spacey electric guitar by Havix. Added to this is the driving rhythm work of the Karpemkiel brothers. Dapper has connected his wind instruments to all sorts of effects devices, so that their sounds waft and reverberate from the speakers in a very varied way, meditative, aggressive, mysterious or simply very jazzy rocking. Otherwise, the jamming is virtuoso and colorful, dreamily gliding along to exhilarate rushing along, especially in the two lengthy numbers. We also can say this is one of those albums where all the four instruments work to perfection.

The line up on "Kollektiv" is Jürgen Havix (guitar and zither), Klaus Dapper (flute and saxophone), Jürgen Karpenkiel (bass guitar) and Walemar Karpenkiel (drums). "Kollektiv" also had the participation of Axel Zinowski (guitar), Volkmar Hahn (violin), Christoph (electric piano) and Georg Funke (bass guitar), all as guest musicians.

"Rambo Zambo" opens the album with heavily processed flute soloing before jumping into high energy avant-funk with more flute work that takes you on a nearly twelve minute voyage. The grooves are laid down by the brothers Karpenkiel and effect tripped out flute and guitars rambling psychedelically in the front. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album. "Baldrian" is slightly tamer. It's a very atmospheric piece with hypnotic, spacey and deeply psychedelic soundscapes. It's a laid back and a slightly bluesy track with its wah-wah sax and reverberated slide guitar. It delivers dreamy and psychedelic soundscapes. "Försterlied" is a short and bizarre track that is underlain with an equally bizarre poem by Robert Gernhardt. This eccentric experiment with humorous vocal improvisation closes out the first side of the album, giving way to the band's side long three part opus, "Gageg". "Gageg" is divided into three parts, "Andante", "Allegro" and "Pressluft", which seamlessly merge. The name comes from the fact that the piece originally arose from a sequence of the tones G,A,G,E,G. It has a more composed feel than most in the side one. It's full of tripped out effects, mixing floating flute lines and guitar disharmonies in a relative calm tempo. But, it still is mostly a vehicle for flute, sax and guitar soloing. It begins slowly before building into another intense avant-jazz funk work. "Andante" is very atmospheric and is the part that sets the stage. "Allegro" is the part that brings a laid back jam for both flute and guitars. The final part "Pressluft" that takes about eleven minutes to conclude, starts with an angular, King Crimson's guitar riff over which drums jazzily riff and with more sax plays in the front. This is clearly the best track on the album.

Conclusion: "Kollektiv" is truly one of the best and most original albums that were released in Germany in this genre, Krautrock with a jazz/rock vein. It's largely instrumental and devoted to dynamic prog injections with some flowing, spaced out sessions. The music is cool, imaginative, intense, improvised and still fresh after all these years. It's spacey but melodic, elevated yet rocking, innovative, progressive in the best sense, consequent in the realisation of intent, forging new musical territory without denying its roots. The musicians did not set great store by making the kind of music that would match with the common stereotypes. The intuitive jazzy improvisations on the album introduce some sunny, enchanting flute parts and groovy sax solos. It's an adventurous and talented effort with a sound that is really refined and sophisticated contrary to most of krautrock albums. It's highly recommended to all Krautrock fans.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Galahad have been around for some decades as of now and have in recent years become one of the English modern progressive rock bands that are consistently putting out great material - from the highly-acclaimed 'Empires Never Last' to the more accessible 'Battle Scars' and the frequent releases during the current decade, this band has been navigated by vocalist and founding member Stu Nicholson and longtime drummer Spencer Luckman, with keyboard player Dean Baker also featuring on all of their albums since the mid-90s. 2018's 'Seas of Change' happens to be the tenth proper studio album by this group and in the very spirit of the progressive rock genre, it features one massive 42-minute twelve-part composition, a guitar and keyboard-driven mammoth of a song that encapsulates in itself the sound of modern progressive rock, while it also dares to examine a few tones that are more pertinent to the neo-prog movement, which Galahad had been a part of since their early days.

Now, this piece really works like a "movie for the ears" as it is split in twelve interrelated segments that discuss the state of English politics and dissect the difficulties of the grim [ongoing] situation of the country. Stu Nicholson is, of course, considerate and reflective, and he never goes into the preachy direction - he is merely externalizing the frustration and concerns of many. And the epic music that supports his concept is a perfect representation of that modern progressive rock sound that comes to define many of the bands that consistently put out strong albums. It can be very melodic, atmospheric and introspective, which is counterbalanced by the stabbing keys and the heavy guitars, which are prominent in the output of a lot of 21st century neo-prog acts. The main riff on 'Seas of Change' is infectious and is often used as a transition between two different sections of the song, and while the band carefully and effectively build up the piece, enframing it with that majestic refrain heard in the beginning, followed by some expansive prog sections and more acoustic ones, the entire epic is an all-encompassing piece that offers a little bit of everything; furthermore, it is one of the best-produced and most eclectic works of Galahad, which is certainly commendable. The CD edition features two extended edits of the 'Dust' and 'Smoke' sections off the main piece, which are a nice addition and offer an expansion of two of the main album themes. 'Seas of Change' is a great work overall, one that really approaches and rivals the scope of the excellent 'Empires Never Last'.

"Woe" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish progressive death metal act An Abstract Illusion. The album was released in September 2022 through Willowtip Records. It´s the successor to the July 2016 "Illuminate The Path" debut album. Both "Illuminate The Path" and the August 2014 "Atonement Is Nigh" EP were independent releases, so "Woe" is An Abstract Illusion´s first label release. "Woe" is a concept release consisting of one hour long track divided into seven sub-tracks.

The first thing I notice when listening to "Woe" is that An Abstract Illusion have increased the death metal brutality compared to the preceding releases and "Woe" is by far their most heavy, brutal, and raw release yet. That doesn´t mean they have shed any of the progressive rock/metal elements of the past, but to my ears a better balance exists on "Woe" between the death metal elements and the atmospheric and epic sounding progressive metal sections. The vocals still vary between death metal growling and clean male vocals. The keyboards have a dominant role in the soundscape but again they aren´t quite as dominant as they were on earlier releases, and An Abstract Illusion seem to have gained the knowledge that less is more and that epic keyboard chords and piano runs just work better when they aren´t being used all the time.

"Woe" features a powerful, heavy, and detailed sound production. It´s in the more polished end of the production spectrum when it comes to death metal productions, but for this type of music a multi-layered, professional, and clear sounding production is just what is needed. While six years may be a few years too long between albums, I´m happy to report that An Abstract Illusion have spend every second of those six years honing their skills as composers and writing an intriguing and varied progressive death metal album. This is a nice step forward for the band although not everything is perfect here. The 11:33 minutes long atmospheric "Tear Down This Holy Mountain" is for example a bit too ambient and uneventful for longer parts of the track, but overall An Abstract Illusion have struck gold here and fans of atmospheric/melodic progressive death metal are recommended giving this album a listen. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Finally, the moment has arrived to do a review of this band, having the previous 3 albums in my collection, and somehow not getting my thoughts down on paper (paper?) . This quintet has always possessed an original sound, mostly due to vocalist Maartje Meessen rather original tone and her bandmate Eleen Bartholomeus (guitar, synths) , guitarist Ingo Dassen, bassist Ingo Jetten and drum stool director Bob Van Heumen. Six short tracks are the ideal set- up for a monster title track extravaganza of over 20 minutes that really seals the deal, stretching way beyond any previous comfort zone. Adding strings only elevate the orchestral qualities to be found littering the pieces.

The haunting acoustics on "The Settlement" easily set the mood, Maartje's swooning wail a soothing revelation, as the echoing shudder moves along in a contemplative furrow, the glistening slashes of electric guitars giving it a wide birth and establishing the atmospherics which will dominate this recording throughout. Case in point, the clever e- piano droplets on "The Build", a more raucous rampage with overarching keyboard symphonics, amid the criss- crossing riffs, a stunning track that could easily have been stretched out with a more elaborate arrangement. In all fairness, these two initial impressions can and should be considered as one mini-suite.

Catching the ears completely by surprise, the twangy pedal steel guitar ornamentations from Jetten perfectly exemplify the meaning of the title "A New Life", a sunshiny diversion into sweet harmonic flight. The percussion- laden "The Warning" includes audacious raspy guitars colliding with flute meanderings, dense wall-of-sound atmospherics and a driving rhythmic throb.

"Derailment" is a darker sonic train wreck, brooding and despondent in a rather attractive manner, as the piano somehow conveys a positive hope, as orchestral sheets attempt to smother the slippery e-guitar swirls. Segueing perfectly into "Chaos/The Slip Away", the intensity rages on mightily with overflowing mellotron cascades, dam- busting dual heavy guitars unchained, spoken word confusion and escape, leading to a pleading vocal, all at a throttling pace.

All these half-dozen vignettes (that could have easily developed into much more expansive epics) eventually and as promised, give way to the stunning "Babel" and its rather towering (excuse the pun) conviction. The main melody wastes little time in establishing its credentials, with a masterful vocal delivery, as well as a restrained energy that proves my earlier point about the vignettes potential embellishments. The soft flute contrasts slam headfirst into opulent wind-blown mellotron, never a bad idea in my book, and just as the arrangement kicks in to full gear, a sudden acoustic guitar and voice duet changes the mood in an instant, the astute band playing the contrast game faultlessly, daring to infuse strings as well as the countrified pedal steel for another spin around the polder. Van Heumen and Jetten then take over the controls of the rhythmic onslaught, progressively raising the temperature on the underbelly, as the Middle Eastern flute and percussives dance along for the ride. Patiently waiting for the right moment to enter the fray, the dual fretboards come charging through the sandstorm, as if propelled by historical zeal. After the tempest, silence. Back to a sense of normalcy, I am reminded at times of recent Anathema in the keyboard/guitar combinations, as the emotions slowly buildup once again, the piano marking the pace, the lead guitar unable to hold back its emotions, both weighty and heartfelt, constantly adjusting the throttle, as if impatiently searching for an oasis of peace. Without question, one the finest 2025 epics, an exhilarating exploration of power and substance, full of vigorous intensity and profound reflection.

All in all, a thrilling 40-minute album that has gone on in my mind, a lingering sense of enjoyment long after the last note was played. Called afterglow, I think.

4.5 Towering nights