Sometimes you need to go away to get a better handle on where you come from. Every so often, a band comes along who ends up going on a musical journey far away from the style which they originally made their names with, only to return to that genre and produce some of their best material within that format thanks to the broader musical perspective and the expanded range of techniques that journey has invested them with. Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, for instance, drifted away from their early death-doom style for much of their middle career, only to produce some of their best albums in that vein once they came back to it.

Now, with The Last Will and Testament, Opeth have pulled off the same trick. For their run of albums from Heritage onwards, they've been more in a traditional progressive rock vein than the blend of proggy death metal and death-inflected prog metal that put them on the map. However, in the album preceding this one - In Cauda Venenum - echoes of heavier styles could be heard if you listened carefully, spurring speculation that they might one day make their big return to metal. That's what they have done here. Sure, it has plenty of quieter passages - but so has Still Life or Blackwater Park; unambiguously, The Last Will and Testament sees Opeth returning to the prog-death kingdom they founded, Mikael Åkerfeldt even breaking out old-school harsh vocals here and there alongside his clean vocals.

At the same time, this isn't a retreat to Opeth's comfort zone so much as it's a new departure. It's a concept album, like Still Life, but goes deeper into that territory than that album did, with an even bigger focus on presenting a narrative and even throwing in a touch of theatrical flair absent from that work. The story is all about a family who come together to hear the reading of the titular will - the final testament of their tyrannical, estranged patriarch. In that sense, bringing back the harsh vocals just plain makes sense - if you want to capture all these characters' perspectives, the more distinct voices the better. In fact, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull fame not only provides some flute contributions here and there, but also throws in some narration here and there.

But where this really offers a departure is the way that Opeth's four-album expedition into retro-prog territories has polished and refined their command of the less heavy side of their sound, with quiet moments of folk-tinged or classically orchestrated music worked in to excellent effect. Having Anderson along for the ride becomes doubly appropriate, because whilst the style here is far from retro, it's learned enough lessons of the past to truly claim to be part of a musical tradition you can trace back all the way through Anderson's pioneering work with Jethro Tull (along with Anderson's other first-wave prog peers).

Maybe you love both classic-period Opeth and their more recent prog-embracing, metal-abjuring works, in which case you don't really need this review - you're going to listen to Last Will and Testament sooner or later anyway and you'll probably enjoy it just as much as the rest of their discography. But this is also an excellent album for anyone who's pickier about their Opeth. If you loved their metal-oriented work but felt that the albums from Heritage on went in a direction you weren't inspired to follow, then this may well be a great point to get back on board, because they're offering sounds here they've allowed to lie fallow for over a decade. If, on the other hand, you came onboard with their recent work but aren't quite keen on their metal side, this might put you off - but I'd encourage you to give you a try, because this might be the "in" you needed to really get to grips with the band's metal roots.

As for me, I think it easily slots into the top tier of Opeth releases. At the very least, it's their best metal-oriented album since Ghost Reveries, and it may well be on a par with any of their other studio efforts.

The constant discovery of new bands ( new to me at least) that possess talent and mastery of great composition is probably the most satisfying part of being an open-minded progressive music fan. My tastes do largely focus on guitar based music and I struggle to deal with the more avant-garde end of things but that all means that I was destined to get something from Arena's Contagion. When I first heard this album I must have been going through a tough time in life generally (I really was) because I pretty much wrote this off as one of those great prog albums that was too harsh for me to like. Looking back and after dusting down my copy I realize that my life troubles were not the only reason for that assessment - in fact that assessment was heavily derived from the fact that I was listening to the highly polished Road Of Bones from IQ at the time and I have to say that the difference in sound is quite marked but with renewed open-minded listening I recognize how good Contagion really is.

There is nothing stellar about Arena but there are also no obvious weaknesses. Everyone is more than competent with their instruments and even Sowden's vocals fit that same description. He never drifts out of range and never fails to deliver a performance that is both credible and meaningful but at the same time is never overly impressive. Like the rest of the band: better than adequate but not world beating. Put the performance together with great compositional talent and a firm concept and you arrive at Contagion, an album that demands a full listen and which leaves you with indelible imprints on the brain for many days afterwards. I will say that those imprints are largely vocal hooks which in some ways is a little disappointing but in the end this is great entertainment.

There are highs and lows as Arena drive us through the emotions attached to the narrative and do a great job of leading us through the story without any real need to study the lyrics. As said the production is very slightly murkier than the highly polished IQ albums of the 2010s and I think that is well suited to the theme because it adds a layer of distress that further enhances the narrative which would easily be undermined by over-sanitization. There is a little too much repetition in the lyrics for my liking because it is those chorus sections that stick in the mind and tarnish the album's credibility as a prog classic. It is a prog classic but this is one of those minor issues that knock it back a touch. I will also say that there is slight imbalance between vocals and the rest of the music and I think this is typical of the more theatrical endeavours of the neo-prog genre. We are not talking about the vocal excess that comes with Ayreon's worst moments but I do think I could live with a little less vocal and a bit more guitar and keyboards leading the way.

If you take the album as a whole and many of the individual tracks then a progressive signature is stamped across pretty much everything although a couple of tracks would lend themselves to individual release as singles; although I don't know that anything ever was. Quite right too, this is a concept album and it needs all the constituent parts to remain relevant. With the strongly melodic composition and edgy but considerate style this album does have a level of general appeal that could easily see the band gain some recognition beyond team prog but in the modern world of near limitless musical availability it seems unlikely but also a real pity. For those that look down on neo prog, this one will not surprise you but for those that enjoy it then this one should be in your collection and dare I say you should sample a few more from this band. I know I will.

'One of Us Is the Killer' is the near-perfect, exhaustively eclectic and dizzyingly intricate fifth studio album from The Dillinger Escape Plan as the band seemingly goes "further down the rabbit hole" of experimenting within the possibilities of their very own niche sub-genre of metal music and letting their now-dominant alternative and art rock edge to take over the stylistic direction of the music. The result is a daringly artistic rendition of the mathcore beginnings of the collective, now completely converted to a sprawling progressive metal crossover filled with a variety of ambitious compositions, excruciating riffs, hyper-technical rhythms and layers of phenomenal vocals as this album marks one of the best performances of Greg Puciato, who has in any case commented how laborious the recording of the vocal parts for this album has been. It seems like the band had let themselves loose on this one with the programming and the effects, which are used rather craftily, all to the amelioration of the songs.

One might consider all but the final third of 'One of Us Is the Killer' as the perfect symbiosis between the aforementioned elements - the unbound heaviness, the rattling aggression of the genre, and the band's very own (and very progressive) take on it. The more avant-garde nature of the album reveals itself with the opening track 'Prancer', this is a sonic havoc of a song that utilizes very interesting guitar effects following the generally unusual structure of the song. The dense and technical playing continues on 'When I Lost My Bet', while the title track offers a more industrial sound. 'Hero of the Soviet Union' is grim, quirky and deranged, followed by 'Nothing's Funny', a song so catchy and memorable you might mistake for a pop song had it not been for the swiveling heavy guitars. Two more intriguing songs follow, offering different and exciting variations of the DEP formula, followed by an instrumental track with a title in cipher. It is towards the end where the album loses its audacious grip, which does not compromise the overall coherence and integrity of the work, which remains among the best of the respective decade and a high point of the band's discography.

"Kołysanki" is the fifth full-length studio album by Polish music act Lux Occulta. The album was released through the Trzecie Ucho label in March 2014. Lux Occulta were originally active from 1994 until 2002, but in 2012 it was announced by guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (Decapitated, Vader, Machine Head, Sceptic) that Lux Occulta were working on a new album. That album became "Kołysanki". Only Kiełtyka (who in addition to playing guitars also plays accordion on this release), lead vocalist Jarosław Szubrycht and keyboard player Jerzy Głód remain from the lineup who recorded "The Mother and the Enemy" (Lux Occulta´s fourth full-length studio album from November 2001). New in the lineup is guitarist Maciej Tomczyk.

If you´re familiar with the avant-garde extreme metal sound of "The Mother and the Enemy", you´ll know that Lux Occulta occasionally toyed with both jazz, electronic music, and trip-hop parts during that otherwise quite extreme and black/death metal oriented release ("Yet Another Armageddon" is for example a fully fledged female vocal-led trip-hop track) and on "Kołysanki" those elements are the dominant ones. You´ll find metal oriented sections here and there, but "Kołysanki" is predominantly not a heavy metal oriented release (although raw shouted vocals and a few distorted guitar riffs do appear on occasion). The tracks are quite experimental and feature a lot of interesting vocals (often in Polish) and effects. Regular vers/chorus structures aren´t really Lux Occulta´s thing. It´s not easy listening music by any means and it´s some of the more experimental works of an artist like Ulver I´m reminded of and also 70s progressive/experimental music artists like Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper (of course in a more contemporary setting).

It´s definitely an interesting, darkly atmospheric, and avant-garde oriented music release and it´s quite bold considering that Lux Occulta after all released four metal oriented albums before this one. I guess you could say that you were warned after listening to "The Mother and the Enemy", but "Kołysanki" does after all take the experimental ideas in a completely different direction and add other textures and jazzy electronic elements to them, so you are excused if you find this a confusing album. Confusing in this case means great, bold, and adventurous, and it´s obvious from the sound production, to the performances, and the intriguing compositions that Luc Occulta have struck gold and a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Clear Air Turbulence would be, the second album released in 1977 by the sadly short-lived Ian Gillan Band, one of the forgotten masterpieces of Seventies progressive jazz rock. For those who think of Ian Gillan as little more than a hirsute hard rock screamer, even a casual listen to this record may definitely bring somewhat of a shock ? and not just because of the vocals.

Following his return to the world of music after a series of unsuccessful business ventures, Ian surrounded himself with a bunch of seasoned musicians (including bassist John Gustafson, of Quatermass and Roxy Music fame), and proceeded to surprise his fans by slowly but inexorably detaching himself from his Deep Purple past. Unfortunately, though, rock fans are not always as open-minded as we would wish them to be, and the project folded after releasing a total of three studio albums, plus a posthumous live one.

When listening to Clear Air Turbulence, we cannot but regret the demise of such an exciting outfit, offering an incredibly high level of musicianship as well as creativity. The six tracks on the album, which all exceed the five- minute mark, feature complex, multi-layered structures, enhanced by the discreet presence of a horn section, and distinguished by an overall sense of sophistication, a lightness of touch seldom associated with Gillan's mother band. Even Ian's vocals, while easily recognizable, never really sound like the original 'air raid siren' unleashed on the likes of Machine Head and Made in Japan.

However, the ace in the hole on Clear Air Turbulence is undoubtedly keyboardist Colin Towns. Another of the many unsung heroes of the rock world, now a composer of jazz and soundtrack music, Towns joined the band for the recording of this album (replacing original member Mike Moran), and immediately stamped his mark on their music, as well as on the band's later incarnation ? simply called Gillan, and much more akin to Deep Purple in sound, with excursions into outright heavy metal.

Weird, spaced-out keyboard sounds introduce the title-track, surging into a crescendo that soon gives way to a manic, bass- and drum-driven riff, and a wildly exhilarating, 7-minute-plus ride, powered by Towns' sweeping synthesizers. In the middle section of the song, guitarist Ray Fenwick (a veteran of the British rock scene, formerly with the Spencer Davis Group) demonstrates his skills with a slow-burning, emotional solo. Towns is also responsible for the delicate flutes on the dreamy, soulful ballad "Five Moons"; while on the funky "Money Lender" horns take pride of place, with Gillan's commanding, even aggressive vocal performance somewhat reminiscent of his hard-rockin' past.

"Over the Hill" (my personal favourite, along with the title-track) showcases drummer Mark Nauseef's impressive skills, as well as brilliant piano and synth in the bridge, and more understated yet distinctive guitar work. The atmospheric "Good Hand Liza" follows, punctuated by Latin-style percussion and spacey synths, and driven along by John Gustafson's meaty, dynamic bass lines. The album ends in style with another intricate, highly structured number, the romantic "Angel Manchenio", dedicated to a Gypsy who became Gillan's blood brother (an intriguing tale, as told by both the lyrics and the liner notes). The song, which alternates slower, almost Latin-flavoured moments with full-fledged jazzy flights of instrumental and vocal prowess, is probably the furthest Gillan ever strayed away from his hard rock roots, and a perfect closer for such a distinctive album.

At the time of its release, Clear Air Turbulence was not considered rock enough by Deep Purple fans, and probably not jazzy enough by fusion devotees; moreover, the competition of the fledgling punk scene did it no favors. Over thirty years later, however, it is high time it was recognized as an adventurous, stimulating effort, at times bordering on masterpiece status. It is a sad fact of the music world that, all too often, musicians are much more ready to try new avenues than their fans? I would encourage my readers not to make the same mistake: if you love sophisticated, complex jazz-rock/fusion, do not be put off by the name, and get hold of this album.

I've been reviewing the Genesis discography recently, and in doing so, I think I've finally realized exactly what made them truly stand out from the other 70s progressive rock bands: the unmistakable atmosphere. yes, Peter Gabriel was an incredible force of personality and blurred the line between "madman" and "genius" (and was a good frontman and flutist to boot). Yes, the technical proficiency of the members was off the charts, keeping in line with several other bands of the time. But if you asked me what truly cemented Genesis as one of the greats of the genre, it's the beautiful and often haunting storybook atmosphere that permeates those old records they crafted with Gabriel and Steve Hackett in the ranks. It's no wonder to me that several neo-prog bands basically took inspiration off this sound, as it's a perfect way of expressing more emotive and sentimental vibes while still being rooted to what people love about progressive rock on a base level. And, having said all of that, I don't think any Genesis record embodies the word "atmosphere" quite like Selling England by the Pound.

Looking at the tracklist, you'll notice that the band decided to ditch the format used by Foxtrot - having one epic song dwarf most of the record - in favor of splitting the album up into four mini-epics, with more concise tracks to fill in the gaps. As much as I loved Foxtrot I can't help but admit that this format was the right move for the band. Having short accessible tracks to separate each complex behemoth really contributes to how easily digestible Selling England can be, as it offers a nice breather between each main event. Plus, hey, those short songs are pretty great too! "More Fool Me" is easily one of my favorite ballad from the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, even though it was actually sung and penned by drummer-turned-singer and future (disputed) "most hated man in pop" Phil Collins. "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)" is probably the trippiest song on the album with a strange psychedelic feel, and yet it was also significant for being the band's first real taste of commercial success single-wise. Finally (excluding "Aisle of Plenty," which is just a reprise of the opener), we've got the stunning guitar work Steve Hackett brings on "After the Ordeal." Playing out as sort of an aftermath to "Battle of Epping Forest," it could be seen as the logical conclusion of the promise heard in "Horizons" from the prior album. The classical guitar work has been further, the solemn atmosphere more effective, and this time Tony Banks even joins in with his own piano parts!

But let's be real, the longer tracks are what this album's all about. "Dancing with the Moonlit Knight" might be one of the best openers in progressive rock history (and Genesis already has a fair share of those - look at "Musical Box" or "Watcher of the Skies"). Gabriel's voice is crucial here, as he provides much-needed humanity to the majestic and bombastic instrumental bits. It's important to note that the album's overarching theme is the loss of British culture to Americanization, which is delivered very effectively in the opening lines of "...Moonlit Knight":

Of course, it all becomes even more effective once we're treated to a much faster section in the middle with rapid-fire tapping from Hackett. The song in general goes through so many different moods and cycles but somehow never loses compositional or lyrical focus, which is something that becomes apparent with the rest of the longer tracks on the album. With that in mind, "Firth of Fifth" is primarily dominated by two people: Banks and Hackett. The former gets an incredible piano intro with heavy classical leanings and crazy time shifts, and the latter gets one of the most emotional guitar solos in rock history. The solo is also an example to aspiring musicians that virtuosity isn't everything in guitar playing; just ask David Gilmour. It's also worth noting that Mike Rutherford pulls out some nice bass lines here, especially on the soft break in the middle of the song.

Still, nothing can really prepare the listener for the other two epics, which are probably the most complex and long- winded pieces on the entire album. "The Battle of Epping Forest" is an incredibly wacky and whimsical take on? well, gang violence. Turns out that Peter Gabriel heard about some fight between two gangs in the east end of London, but didn't really know any details outside of that. So what did he do? Create his own characters and scenarios to fill in the blanks! And when you read/hear the lyrics, which are practically a novella, it really shows what an imaginative lyricist and storyteller Gabriel was in his Genesis days. It helps, too, that the music is still top notch. It does get incredibly busy and possibly overbearing at times, but the real treat is the band's knack for using their music to aid the visuals Gabriel creates in his lyrics . I also have to mention that this song has my favorite drum performance of all time; it baffles me how Phil Collins can keep such a comfortable and catchy groove out of a 7/4 time signature, as well as how he weaves in and out of the other instruments with such ease. Then there's "The Cinema Show" which is essentially a tale of two songs: one is a beautiful folk-rock ballad, and the other is the highly complex instrumental piece that follows. Think of it as a precursor to the "Home/Second Home by the Sea" suite we got years later on the self titled album, just pulled off with more imagination and finesse. The real thing to listen for on this song is the incredible vocal interplay between Gabriel and Collins; it really doesn't surprise that Collins would eventually be the next vocalist to take center-stage for Genesis.

Pulling the entire experience together is the production work of John Burns, which is a sizeable leap forward from the sound quality found on previous Genesis efforts. There's much more room for the atmosphere to breathe here, and the more rock-oriented moments don't sound as muddy or one-dimensional as before. In the end, I'm still not entirely sure whether I prefer Selling England by the Pound or Foxtrot, as both albums represent the very best that Genesis has to offer. But in saying that, This one is truly top-shelf progressive rock music. i see why this is in PA's top 5 of all time

After a slow and steady upwards trajectory over the course of three releases, it seems that with 2002's 'Century Child', their fourth studio album, Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish have refined their sound, and taken a huge step up in both critical and commercial success.

Treading the thin line between power metal and symphonic metal, the band have really hit their stride with this album, sounding more inspired and more confident than ever. With a strong emphasis on the symphonic and operatic elements, as well as additional male vocals to compliment Tarja Turunen's voice, 'Century Child' has a much more well-rounded sound than its predecessors.

With great instrumental performances and an excellent production that really gives the music a rich, vibrant sound, there really aren't many faults with this release, other than a couple of filler tracks, it's all pretty stellar.

And with some absolute bangers such as 'Dead to the World', 'End of All Hope', 'Bless the Child', 'Slaying the Dreamer', the underrated 'Feel For You' and the obligatory symphonic metal band cover of 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Century Child' displays a band who have really established themselves as one of the top bands of their genre, and is an album that belongs in every metal fans collection.

Variations on a familiar and well-loved theme.

In 2006 the Starless theme surfaced in a couple of Robert Fripp's solo concerts, and these extracts were passed on to David Cross. With the help of producer and keyboard player Tony Lowe, he fashioned them into this pleasing album, which consists of just under an hour's worth of ethereal violin, Frippertronics and washes of of electronic keyboards that recall the Mellotron on mid 70s Crimson albums. Variations on the theme are explored by different permutations of the three players, and while the overall effect is gentle and meditative, it doesn't slip into new age muzak or out and out ambience; beneath the tranquil surface there is some serious musicality.

If you're hoping for King Crimson style pyrotechnics, look elsewhere. If you're looking for good background music for late nights spent contemplating the infinite, this could sit nicely alongside Fripp and Eno's Equatorial Stars.

3.5 stars.

— First review of this album —

karfagen omni notes

1)Omni overture- the alblum suite starts off with amazing instrumental intro with keyboards what you expect out antony kalugin the ukranian tomas bodin of modern day.

2)story teller part 1- sounds like caravan meets camel in this amazing song with lil bit that canterbury flavor i think Sinclair on this song could be wrong.

3)whispers from the past- has folkish sound with female vocals sunchild sound i grew to love so much. with more romantic era folk i get steve hackett vibes on this track meets sunchild with the flower kings esque sound.

4)the spark-vocals are very aorish this song has asia vibe to it top notch. evoking 80s vocal sound. the guitars have roine stolt meets steve hackett vibe on this alblum very much. i hear tfk and solo hackett vibes. this album is mixed bag it explores everything and for being aorish asia ike song it one best parts of suite 10/10

5)Masterplan- song starts of very keyboard dominated. One cant help compare antony to tomas bodin from flower kings fame. vocals are antony again evoking sunchild flavor again now it karfagen. antony wanted fuse sunchild into karfagen name it works so good. my second fave song on alblum although this suite is in 2 songs. i got review copy seperates tracks in suite im reviewing each song individually as part of epic process. you still have lil bit that 80s flavor without it being aorish.

6)mirror of souls. baroque symphonic opening it like u got symphonic baroque sound that tomas bodin does and hackett does. also with romantic side hackett does. if flower kings and hackett had baby this alblum is exactly that. its so beautiful. classicalness of this song and alblum themes as whole.

7)unchained-here comes many guests are on alblum vocals wise. near end of suite. i hear lil bit yes meets rush in vocals department this song. this album as whole feels like it make killer rock opera and stage production with roger dean artwork and maybe edunistky as backdrop on projector screen.

Literally this antony best work vocals wise on karfagen alblum that is not sunchild. guests vocals make it special. with my 4th listen now this album has climbed up in ratings. this alblum done live with right backdrops artwork bring into visual experience live evokes rock opera without it being rock opera.

8)the cards we play-has singer of sylvan german fame. very baroque and romantic themes in music. why i feel this alblum could be made into score performed live on stage in semi musical theatre style it hack rock opera leanings imho would work better as having movie theatre screen in background with artwork. and then have guests singer evoke imagery on backdrop. if you never heard of sylvan amazing band. i highly recommend.

the mix this alblum in end of it i feel snare of drums is tiny mixed low. bass on alblum is lil high then i expect low frequencies would love drums stand lil more out. it does not rob from alblum as whole its still killer. the mix this alblum is 90 out 100. nearly perfect.

9)you an i-some keyboard tones i hear remind me of Mannheim steamroller at times. no this is not yes cover title of song would confuse you. im getting pallas vibes on this song. uk band has alan reed vocals.. guitars are hackett and stolt fused. antony can do no wrong. this is antony best theatrical evoking musical peice ever.

it like shakesphere and bach and marice ravel made baby with hackett and flower kings combined all into one without it being jesus christ superstar.

10)story teller part 2- this ends alblum is last piece of 2 song epic making cohesive alblum. i love this album alot mix is 90 out 10. the alblum is 95 out 10. cloes thing u can get to masterpiece as possible. it has it minor flaws. i feel over low frequencies of bass are lil to high on few songs near end rob essence of drums sticking out other then that this is rock solid album.

this is alblum for flower kigns fans those who been wanting 20 plus min epic since banks of eden. this alblum is gold just gold. antony has made alblum that evokes theatrical imagery in mind. could be made into live setting. also evoking classicalism of greats of ravel bach. even shakesphere in poetic way its executed in music and lyrics.

buy or die. this is best thing flower kings have not released since banks of eden period. it basically if flower kings made theatrical alblum without name of flower kings.

4.5 stars

Whether "Ship of Fools" is simply the album title or actually the name of this ensemble, it's clear that the former PENTANGLE guitarist has here assembled THE JOHN RENBOURN GROUP mach 2. Instead of trotting out JACQUI MCSHEE yet again, he wisely engaged the young fresh marriage and business partners STEVE TILSTON and MAGGIE BOYLE who had guested on each others' albums and later worked as a pair.

Boyle could not only sing angelically and with more warmth than MCSHEE, but she adds flutes and whistles complementing those of the ever present TONY ROBERTS, while Tilston himself sings and strums and plucks a cornucopia of instruments. The result is the best such collaboration in Renbourn's long career at this unlikely late date of 1988. While it can't match his best instrumental projects, songs like the STEELEYE like "Searching for Lambs", the enchanting "Sandwood down to Kyle", and the MORRIGAN-like title cut lend credibility to the hypothesis that the newcomers injected needed vivacity into a formula that had thus far been only a titch to the good side of competent. Even the one vocal-less number "Cobbler's Jig / Maltese Brawls", with a title that screams filler, is one of the high points for its flourishing arrangements.

It's a shame that this was not only a one off but proved to be Renbourn's last disc for a decade. While it hits the 3.5 star level on the nose, I'd be a fool not to round up if only to acknowledge its preeminence relative to the 1977 and 1980 top heavy John Renbourn Group issues.

This is album number three for Norway's own NEEDLEPOINT. Released in 2015, we get get seven tracks worth 39 minutes. A four piece with a new drummer named Olaf Olsen on board for this one. This lineup will stay the same for three straight albums before changing on 2024's "Remnants Of Light". By the way Olaf is drumming on the new self- titled MOTORPSYCHO album released in 2025, although he's on three songs only. The singer, guitarist and leader of the band is Bjorn Klakegg. Although having session maestro David Wallumrod as your keyboardist and Nikolai Haengsle as your bass player surely makes Bjorn's job a much easier one. Nikolai produced this album, and some may recognize him from ELEPHANT9 or perhaps MOSTER!

This was love at first listen. Those whimsical vocals are perfect for this music and of course bring Canterbury to mind. Light jazzy tunes with plenty of vocals and humour will do that. Of course there's an egg in Bjorn's last name as well. I consider five of the seven tracks as being 5 star songs. The other two are excellent as well. So hitting 5 stars here will be an easy thing. Also this is a top three record for me for 2015. And while this is fairly lightweight overall, you have to hear that section to end "Soaring" which brings ELEPHANT9 to mind. We're talking the last 5 minutes of that 8 minute track. A killer section where the train rolls.

The two songs that don't blow me away are the opener "Fear" as well as "Half Awake". Both are really good though. "Fear" is kind of quirky instrumentally as the vocals come and go. Some inventive guitar, then organ leads. "Half Awake" has some interesting things going on early. Drums only before 2 minutes then the bass joins in and it sounds amazing. In fact the bass and drums impress until a calm arrives around 4 minutes in to end it. "Why" was the first song to cause my jaw to drop. Just a gorgeous chorus and I love the lyrics. Some in your face organ at one point too.

"Shattered Into Memories" starts out great with the bass and keyboards that bring LE ORME to mind surprisingly. Again the bass and organ impress, and we get some more interesting guitar here. Big finish. "Aimless Mary" gets stuck in my head. He's telling a story. Some funny lyrics and the guitar melodies are beautiful. The vocals really shine here. "Imaginary Plane" might be my favourite. Just gorgeous. And such a feel good sound before 2 minutes. what a way to end it!

I do love my modern Canterbury related albums, but this one has risen above them all.

"Are you feeling good?"

Recently I added Fishmans to Prog Archives and decided that I should try to review at least one of the albums. The first album I heard by Fishmans is "Long Season" from 1996, and it was love at first listen for me. I was working in Japan as an English teacher (feels like yesterday) when it was recorded and released, but sadly it would not be for many years that I got to hear Fishmans. While I have not reviewed many albums, I decided to attempt a review, or something akin to a review, of what is something of a monster, the two hours and ten minute live album from 1998, "Otokotachi no wakare". I first wanted to hear this album for its over 41 minute long version of "Long Season", which has ended up being my favourite version, but ended up loving the whole album. I would say this is my favourite live album without diminishing other great 90s lives such as Portishead's Roseland Live, Swans' Swans Are Dead and Cardiacs' All That Glitters Is a Mares Nest . This album comes from a concert in Tokyo on December, 28, 2008 and was released on September 29, 1999. Tragically, the main composer/songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Shinji Sato died less than three months after this concert, on March 15, 1999 at the age of 33. I only found out about that after getting into the album and that hit me hard, but it explained why this wonderful band had not lasted.

I do suggest trying to watch the performance at least once, not just listen. I will try a brief track-by-track commentary for this attempt at a review.

They introduce themsleves and the concert's first song "Oh! Slime" is one of the album highlights for me and also has the band asking "Are you feeling good?" Yes I am! Thanks the Fishman. It sets the mood for what is to be, I think, a dynamic, electrifying and ethereal experience. "They float, they all float" ? Stephen King's IT I reference because this can be a flotatious experience especially in the final act. I love hearing the band/ Sato talk to the audience, and it may help that I retain some knowledge of Japanese.

Then we have the wonderful "Night Cruising" which is quite dreamy, tranquil, and gently post-rocky. "Nantettano" is another highlight, it just makes me feel happy in a way that only kinds of Japanese poppy music does. "Thank You" has a reggae thing going on, and Sato sings "Thank you for my life", which is very bittersweet to hear. Many thank him for his life.

"Shiawasemono" is smooth and lightly jazz rocky. Very nice. "Tayorinai Tenshi" has a kind of ska thing happening. "Hikouki" is a very fun and lively song. "In the Flight" is gorgeous, a bit country, folky and just wonderful, and the music shifts. Wonderful keyboards. It is another serious highlight for me. Love it. And the violin of Honzi really lifts part of this. She is wonderful in this album. "Walking in the Rhythm" is a more Bluesy affair and has wonderful transition near the end to a different more classic psychedelic dynamic. I would have loved this to be expanded to 20 minutes. "Smilin' days, Summer Holiday" is lighter and poppier while still having a rock edge. "Melody" is a bluesy number.

"Yurameki in the Air" is the second longest track on the album, and one of the most major highlights of a release full of highlights for me. I adore the range of expression/ modes/ feelings in the track, the different sections of it and the shifts in the music.

"Ikareta Baby" is a light and enjoyable Reggaeish track.

Then we get to the most significant track of the album, "Long Season", which is magnificent. Wow! This is perfection, sublime, triumphant. It was especially due to this that I decided to suggest Fishmans for Prog Archives consideration. It reminds me a bit of the Boris' Flood in feel in part somehow. But it is unique, and I am strange. I love the chorus, it has great groove. It is joyous, the guitar is down to Earth and joyful. And this is one where the drum solo (not quite solo) with related sounds really works for me. It has an ethereal, dream-like quality. I love the ethereal qualities that come into this. And the track can be so funky. Danceable. The violin is wonderful. It's the kind of music that makes me so glad to be alive although it ends on a sad note. This is a trip. It gets truly epic with an amazing crescendo, or crescendos. Crescendos are something I love. Some might find it too repetitive, but for me repetition with builds makes music magical. I love variations on themes.

This album can be likened to music by, say, The Flaming Lips and Flotation Toy Warning and various psychedelic rock, post-rock and Indie acts but while it shares qualities with other music it is also very much itself..

There is something so transcendent about the album, it is more than the sum of its parts. It provides enough significant differences from the studio material to make this utterly essential. And to me listening to it is like some deeply spiritual experience ultimately. I love the interaction with the audience, hearing the audience talk back and laugh, the joy and at the end, the utter exhaustion. And I feel a sense of humility from Sato, sincerity and vulnerability when Sato speaks which makes it all the more endearing. I have read that Sato would need oxygen after the performances It is a masterpiece, blissful, and my top live release. There is nothing that I would remove from it. There is more going on that you would likely notice without paying close attention and in the right environment, which of course could be said for many, many an album, but most albums do not open up to me this way with glorious phrases, sounds and moments. Plenty of dopamine rushes and chills to be found for me. Sufjan Stevens music often does that for me.. And it deserves six stars from me. It's a release that I have loved more and more with every spin and I would not want to skip a moment of it. Some will not appreciate the falsetto type of vocals of Sato, but I like the uniqueness that his vocals bring, and he was an essential part of Fishmans who is sadly missed by many. So I see this release as a triumph and it warms my heart, but also it is sad to think of how much, much more Fishmans could have offered as well as the ending of a young, vibrant and talented life.

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy" (Tyrell, Blade Runner, 1982).

"The Mother and the Enemy" is the fourth full-length studio album by Polish black metal act Lux Occulta. The album was released through Maquiavel Music in November 2001 and it´s the second Lux Occulta album to feature the two Decapitated members Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (lead guitars) and Martin Rygiel (bass). Drummer Krzysztof Szantula left in the middle of the recording sessions and the remaining drum parts were therefore recorded by session drummer Gerard Niemczyk (Schismatic, Death Sea, Holy Death...etc.).

While a more abstract avant-garde direction was sometimes heard on "My Guardian Anger" (Lux Occulta´s third full-length studio album from November 1999), Lux Occulta have opted to take that direction all the way on "The Mother and the Enemy". The music is still somewhat in the symphonic black metal mold (although it´s now just one element of the band´s sound), but the abrupt tempo- and time signature changes and changes in riff style and atmospheres combined with quite a few creative and unconventional songwriting ideas (how about a jazzy saxophone break during "Architecture" or a fully fledged female vocal-led trip-hop track in "Yet Another Armageddon"), have arguably taken Luc Occulta in an avant-garde black/death metal direction. Some of the things happening on this album really shouldn´t work, but because Lux Occulta are as skilled and clever as they are, they sometimes make odd musical ideas work really well within the context of their relatively extreme and at times quite technical black/death metal sound.

"The Mother and the Enemy" features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. "My Guardian Anger" was a great album in its own right, but Lux Occulta have stepped up in all departments on this album and "The Mother and the Enemy" is therefore an excellent avant-garde extreme metal release on all parameters. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Review originally posted at www.therocktologist.com

It is not a common thing for me to review an album from an Iranian artist or band, but when a label like Moonjune Recordscares to share music with no boundaries, music from all over the world, we can get closer to countries that might not be really known to us, which is why Moonjune plays a big role in world music nowadays, and we have to thank them for that.

This is why Quartet Diminished came to me, because to be honest, I did not know them until 2024 with the released of 'Deerand', the fourth studio album from this four-piece band from Iran. The album has also the participation of two guest monster musicians: Tony Levin and Markus Reuter, so be prepared for a great musical and cultural journey throughout four compositions. It kicks-off with the amazing and ambitious title-track, 'Deerand', a 25-minute epic that is divided in four parts, where we can be delighted by an exquisite mixture of jazz, avant-garde, classical music, and even a bit of rock. The first part is like an enigmatic entrance, like an introduction where we are getting to know them and there are some moments of uncertainty and insecurity, soft elements, subtle music, however, they are ready to break the ice. And when they do it we are initializing the second part of this epic track, the change is evident, faster rhythm, more musical elements, drums, tension and rock, some Crimsonian winks, prog rock nuances, a faster journey that will bring vertiginous emotions. The piano work is exquisite, hypnotizing, but strings and drums wonderfully complement each other with atmospheric nuances and avant-garde tunes here and there, with even some great guitar solos which bring more energy to the already extraordinary experience.

The third part of the epic starts with a guitar riff that is immediately joined by drums, bass and clarinet, in which, to my ears is a great example of avant-garde / RIO music; Rouzbeh Fadavi makes a great job with drumming style, odd-time-signatures, tons of figures, and also lots of emotions. The contrast comes when drums vanishes and Mazyar Younesi's piano takes over, creating a jazzy / classical episode. But a minute later, Soheil Peghambari on sax and, of course, Ehesan Sadigh on guitar join and all together begin to build up a new structure, a fresh multi- cultural and musical journey. In some moments the name of After Crying came to my mind. The last part of 'Deerand' is the quietest of them all, like after the storm comes the calm, so you can close your eyes, sit down, relax and enjoy the music, I bet you will feel satisfied.

'Tehran II' brings more fire with its 14 minutes in which we are wonderfully embraced by the quartet's charm. Atmospheric minutes, some soundscapes and bass clarinet, subtle guitar notes here and there, a dose of tranquility, however, there are somber episodes that may modify the mood, a couple of explosions where drama is added, and though the song is long, it flows so when you think it will take off, it is actually finishing.

'Mirrorside' creates a unison sound with strings and piano, while soundscapes are placed as background. While the seconds pass, it seems to be repetitive, however, the passages never sound the same, because new figures and elements are being played so each round has its own authenticity. It is progressing little by little, adding new nuances and emotions, making us float somehow.

And the album finishes with 'Allegro per il ré' which is an amazing track. Tense piano notes in a RIO vein, Chapman Sitck, bass clarinet, guitar, like After Crying meets King Crimson meets Univers Zero. There are no moments of silence, the quartet and guess musicians always are delivering delicious notes that are stuck with us, I mean, they are able to hypnotize us. After three minutes drums appear and the rhythm changes, becomes a bit more dramatic, faster, full of elements, enthralling. There are some changes in tempo and mood, but the exquisite music prevails during the whole track. Delicious.

A great album, better if you listen to it with headphones, guarantee of a great experience.

Review originally posted at www.therocktologist.com

From Uruguay to the world, Beledo has returned with a new studio album released in 2024 via Moonjune Records, in which he delights us with complex but organic sounds that embrace Spanish culture, as well as some western nuances from both Europe and America. For this album he shares credits with experienced Spanish musicians Jorge Pardo on sax and flute, and Carles Benavent on bass, as well as talented Israelian drummer Asaf Sirkis, with the addition of Gary Husband in 3 tracks and Ramón Echegaray on one track.

The title of the album is 'Flotando en el vacío', which features 8 mid to long songs that make a total time of 74 minutes of top-notch jazz fusion, prog rock, flamenco music. It opens with 'Djelem, Djelem' which is an anthem of Romanian Gypsies that has been played by countless artists, and here, Beledo and company decided to pay tribute by creating their own and unique version. With 'Rauleando' they give us a kind of prog-rock-jazz-folk track where flute stands out, but where strings and drums also play crucial roles, all together offer wonderful rounds of exquisiteness, with a sound that might take us back to the 70s, but still refreshing and far from being old-fashioned. Benavent's solos are amazing, I really appreciate the episodes the band becomes his and those strong bass notes embrace us.

'De tardecita' is a great long album in which Gary Husband is featured, adding his delightful keyboard playing in a track that reminds me a bit of Weather Report or some jazz fusion Gods such as Allan Holdsworth or John Abercrombie. I love Beledo's performance here, letting us know his amazing and profound guitar skills that goes beyond technique, because he is capable of producing emotions, of touching us. While the minutes pass the song delivers endless elements, figures and nuances created by all the musicians, music for our senses in a trip through the jazz fusion realm. This is one of my favorite tracks off the album.

With the title-track 'Flotando en el vacío' the journey through great jazz fusion, prog and folk music continues, with a faster rhythm that might make you move your head. Their creativity has no boundaries, which is why we can notice some quite interesting changes in notes, figures, mood and tempo, however, though the episodes can work as isolated parts, when assembled the result is a quite strong composition, a unit that produces several emotions to our human mind and body. Love it. 'Es prohibeix blasfemar' is a very nice jam where jazz fusion and avant-garde meet, eight minutes in which the musicians are free to create and perform, where they show they musicianship and understanding, because no matter each one of them is playing something different, in the end it all sound assembly.

'Candombesque' brings a joyful energy, great guitar riffs, delicious bass lines and delicate piano and drums notes, I like how easy to dig this is, so any person who likes good music would surely receive this song with open arms. This song is the shortest one and, maybe, the catchiest one, but don't take this comment as pejorative, it is a great song with a gentle rhythm that will make you shake your body a little bit. Then it comes 'From Within', another great track that show their musicianship and high quality as composers and performers, I thank them for taking us to a diversity of cultures and rhythms and make us enjoy, because I, at least, never felt bored or tired, on the contrary, my enthusiasm kept up while the songs flew.

And finally, the gigantic 'Rodeados' closes this extraordinary album. Over 16 minutes of a great performance where Gary Husband puts his elegancy and even guidance in some passages. Improvisation, disambiguation, cohesion, all words that fit in this track, concepts that pursue and reach goals planned by these exquisite musicians who really know how to create countless nuances with their instruments and of course, their souls. There are some moments when you will move your head and body, others where you will feel like floating, others where uncertainty appear, and others where the path is clear and you will work straight to it, the path to glory and joy.

Congrats to the so talented Beledo on this great album, I've been enjoying it a lot since the first time I listened to it.

Glass Hammer is a premier symphonic act with few some metal themes from Chattanooga, Tennessee, America. Filled with talent and passion, Glass Hammer has been recording great music since 1992 where their first work had a Tolkein theme. They feature complex music with an outstanding mixture of female and male vocals, outstanding strings, versatile compositions, and some unique guests. If you hear Yes in their music it's because none other than Jon Anderson contributed his vocal talents to this album, and they also cover 'South Side Of The Sky;' and it's wonderful. Glass Hammer may be unique in the annals of American progressive music, but with their impressive history and the merits of 'Culture of Ascent,' they should not go unnoticed. This is really impressive, creative, and delightful music. Carl Groves paired with Susie Bogdanowicz match perfectly in the tracks and are a great vocal duo in general and having inspiration from the novel "Into Thin Air" really ties the room together musically. If you enjoy Carl Groves vocals I would recommend a band he was with "Salem Hill".

Culture Of Ascent' is true progressive art. Many songs are long, with two clocking in over 16 minutes. Only prog fans can appreciate the breadth and depth of these lengthy compositions

'Sun Song' has some impressive guitar work and a great mix of vocals. 'Life By Light' is measured by it's great vocals. 'Ember Without Name' has a simply thrilling arrangement with great guitar licks. It's the second longest piece on the album, but worth your time. Finally, the longest number, 'Into Thin Air' is a complex work with so many variations and nuances that keep you guessing throughout. Actually, it may be too long to hold your attention, but I found it satisfying. great act out of the U.S and includes very good symphonic prog. 5 stars

The debut album of a short-live ensemble of highly-skilled musicians from Ulm released on the Amayana Label.

1. "European Spa'vogel" (4:00) a very warm and intimately recorded and imaged song of jazz musicians playing a melodic and rock-inspired song. Though the bassoon is the lead instrument, the bass and drums are mixed so that they sound like they're in your lap and so draw a lot more of my attention. In the third minute guitarist Roland Bankel is given the spotlight for his erudite jazz guitar. Nice song that has the same feel as Paul Desmond's "Take Five." (9.3333/10)

2. "Mr. & Mrs. Scrooples Lament" (3:15) a couple of warm electric piano chords are repeated to open this one while bass, and cymbals pulse and hold space from behind. Bassoon, guitar, and electric jazz guitar join in to direct the song's first full motif into something that sounds like it could come from Markus Pajakkala's UTOPIANISTI or other tongue-in-cheek song producers. The electric piano and jazz guitar do, however, coax the song into jazz territory-- something that one might hear from JOHN ZORN. Very modern/21st Century sounding. (9.125/10)

3. "What's the Deal" (4:42) a great, engaging, funky, even hypnotic jazz-rock fusion tune that Herbie himself would have been proud of. (9.25/10)

4. "It's Rainin' in My House" (4:22) slow-paced syncopated drums over and within which minimal bass play and slow- injections of synthesizer and heavily-treated deep bassoon notes lead the way. It's as if we're a crime detective slowly making our way through a heavily-wooded neighborhood in the wee-hours of the night with only a flashlight to help us see past the dark shadows. Or it could be the rendering of the creepy sounds one might hear inside one's own home when the power has been cut on a dark and stormy night. High marks for mood-making. (8.875/10)

5. "Don't Forget the Master" (4:13) such solid sound and musicianship! Though catchy and groovin' nicely, there are things about this song that feel incomplete and/or cheesy, as if the song really could have been more polished (compositionally). (8.875/10)

6. "In a Locrian Mood" (9:50) an opening that spans symphonic/classical to the jazz-pop in the same way that Deodato masterfully did for his rendition of "Also Sprach Zarathustra - 2001." At the two-minute mark the band shifts into gear with jazzy heavily-accented drum play and simple three-note bass line beneath soloing electric piano. At the end of the fourth minute every sits back to rest except drummer Harald Pompl who takes on a brief stop-and-go solo (later joined by Mandi Riedelbauch's sax and Max K'hler's bass mirroring Harald's syncopation). Then the song moves forward in a multi-tracked fashion in which it feels as if each and every musician is soloing all on his own: a little "free jazz," if you will. At the end of the seventh minute they come back together briefly before taking a seat to let Max have go on his effected, "underwater" bass. Around the eight-minute mark he's finished, Harald rejoins with some gentle cymbal syncopation, mirroring the pattern set forth by Max, as electric guitar takes off on a wild adventure. Synths and sax add a little texture around Hans' speed-a-long guitar play before rising with the rest of the band to kind of thicken and congeal behind and around Hans--right up until the quite sudden two-chord clipped hit that ends the song. Unusual, somewhat wild but at every moment feeling very defined and purposeful, even composed. I find it interesting and admirable but I'm not sure I'm really fascinated or engaged enough to say that I really like it. (17.5/20)

7. "Happy Sounds" (4:05) a song that sounds as if it were constructed as an exercise in whole-band discipline and perhaps as the working out of a rather mathematical problem--but then the wild and crazed second minute arrives with Mandi Riedelbauch's sax leading the band down a steep hill of uncontrollable speed and abandon. After that the band come together in a syncopated, almost-funky motif over which Roland and Hans take turns contributing their mood-appropriate solos. Harald and Max stay tightly bound underneath despite a challenging pattern and time signature. Interesting and mesmerizing for the musicianship and lack of predictability but not necessarily "happy" for me as there is little melody for me to hook into. Still, I can't say enough about the impressiveness of the performances. (8.875/10)

Total Time 34:27

I just LOVE the up-close and intimate rendering of these instruments! It's like they're playing right around you (or that you, yourself are playing the bass)! And the way each and every song is rooted in both jazz and rock trends and traditions. Rare! Despite the incredible sound rendering, the hard-core complex musical arrangements are not always as engaging as much as they are impressive. I guess I wish there was a little more of the former.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion: the sound quality, musicianship, and compositional intelligence of these songs should qualify this album as a masterpiece but there are just not quite enough engaging melodies-- even in the rhythm section's grooves--to get it there. Too bad! This is quite an extraordinary album.

This solo entry from Rutherford is the only good one he put out and it was the first. Often a band or solo artist's first attempt is not as good as ones that follow but in his case he got it right. I bought this album a long time ago and found it to have a certain atmosphere instrumentally that I really liked. The concept story is fine but my musical leanings are always focused on instrumentation and the voice is one of those instruments (not so much the words). He is not a lead guitarist and I was saddened when Hacket left due to his input being very limited and they did not recruit another lead guitarist. He does admit that he is not as much a player as he is a songwriter and there is good stuff on here. The keyboards being played by his old pal Ant Phillips displays a talent I had not known he had. I again applaud the atmosphere that the keys create. The bass lines and pedals are solid and Simon Phillips in his early days is still better than many drummers with much more time behind the kit. Between the Tick and the Tock starts the album and the overall instrumental theme and the last part of Working In Line sounds much like Genesis in the era this was recorded. After Hours and Smallcreep Alone are examples of mellow atmosphere that have their appeal. Cats and Rats (In This Neighbourhood) is again a track that could have been a Genesis song. The more proggy instrumental Out into the Daylight shows Rutherford's best guitar work that is better than anything he did on a Genesis album. I like the emotional climax. At the End of the Day is a mellow track that is a not as memorable. Moonshine is a unique track with the heavy synth bass line. Time And Time Again and Every Road are the low point tracks for me. Romani recovers that nicely with the keyboards and the time signature shifts. I like the first part of it the best. My favorite track is the ending Overnight Job. All the instrumentation is well orchestrated and the combination of keys, bass and guitar is great. The chorus sections almost have that Spector Wall Of Sound quality as it fills up the spectrum. After being in Genesis since the beginning and seeing them through some of the best prog from 1971-1977, this was a good way for him to end his prog leanings. After this he put out the forgettable Acting Very Strange and Mike And The Mechanics for me is simply pop. 3 stars is too little and 4 is too many so 3.5

With "The Nine Maidens", JOHN RENBOURN returns to what he does best: instrumental acoustic guitar with limited accompaniment by guests who are almost his technical equals. Here his focus is on Celtic and Anglo folk, occasionally in the vein of some of the better new age music of the day such as NIGHTNOISE, WILL ACKERMAN, and ANDREAS VOLLENWEIDER, but also recalling some of MIKE OLDFIELD's more jubilant work from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

When he solos, as in the middle section of the title suite, he is hard to confuse with any other, and some of the best moments here are vintage Renbourn, even though my favorite number is the flawless "Variations on my Lady Carey's Dompe", in which Toby Pedley's recorder is at least as prominent. The Northumbrian pipes and fiddles fortify the ensemble piece "Circle Dance". On par with "The Black Balloon" with which it shares honours as the best releases of his peak period, "The NIne Maidens" is an aural vision of immaculate beauty.

All That Prog?

One of the best Italian prog bands from the 80s, Nuova Era is a very underrated name on ProgArchives? almost ignored by fans of prog and reviewers.

If you love that vintage sound of keyboards?Mellotrons, ARP, Moog, 70s and 80s synthesizers?plus great drumming, outstanding vocals, technical guitars and bass, and that 70s flavor that I love, then this band is for you.

With clear influences from Museo Rosenbach, Le Orme (Contrappunti era), New Trolls' mid-70s sound, and PFM, Nuova Era was founded in Florence in 1985 by keyboardist and composer Walter Pini. The original lineup included Gianluca Lavacchi on drums, Enrico Giordani on bass, and Alex Camaiti on guitar and vocals. The lyrics were by Ivan Pini.

They recorded four albums: L'ultimo viaggio (1988), Dopo l'infinito (1989), Io e il tempo (1992), and Il passo del soldato (1995) (the latter featuring Claudio Guerrini on vocals instead of Camaiti), achieving good success in the European and Asian markets. Io e il tempo, for example, was even released with a booklet in Korean.

In 2008, Walter Pini, together with Davide Guidoni (drums) and Guglielmo Mariotti (bass), started a project recording unreleased pieces. In 2009, one of these was released on Inferno: The Divine Comedy (CD 1, Canto I), followed by another on Purgatorio (CD 2, Canto XXII) in 2010, and one more on Paradiso (Canto II). These tracks became part of Nuova Era (2010), their self-titled album, which also included a remake of Dopo l'infinito and live recordings with the original lineup.

Since 2013, Walter Pini and original guitarist/vocalist Alex Camaiti, along with new members Rudi Greco (bass) and Maurizio Marra (drums), rehearsed and recorded a concept album with a fantasy-medieval setting. For the first time, the lyrics were in English, but the music remained in true Nuova Era style. The album, Return to the Castle, was released in October 2016 and distributed by BTF. The lyrics and cover were by James Hoog, while the music was composed by Walter Pini.

Their discography includes: L'ultimo viaggio (1988), Dopo l'infinito (1989), Io e il tempo (1992), Il passo del soldato (1995), Nuova Era (2010), Return to the Castle (2016) And maybe their best work: their latest record, released last week, 20.000 Leghe Sotto I Mari (2025). 20.000 Leghe Sotto I Mari (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), based on Jules Verne's novel, features just two tracks. The title track, a 36-minute epic, is a masterclass in vintage-style prog, packed with dynamic shifts, intricate instrumental sections, and seamless transitions that turn it into a singular, immersive experience. Nautilus, at 16 minutes, is another standout, delivering a perfect balance of melody, complexity, and that unmistakable Nuova Era touch. This album is not just a return to form?it might be their best work yet. With its rich, analog-driven sound and deep connection to the golden era of Italian prog, 20.000 Leghe Sotto I Mari feels like a lost classic from the 70s, but with a modern energy that makes it essential listening. This record it is a strong candidate to be one of the greatest records from this year.

Marillion have gone ahead and given This Strange Engine a very similar deluxe edition treatment to those previously received by the first 8 albums they put out through EMI. This Strange Engine, of course, represents the start of their independent era, and perhaps it's notable then that the two-CD live show bundled in this time comes from the legendary US tour which was the result of enthusiastic American fans chipping in to make it financially viable, kicking off the band's now-historic role in cultivating early forms of online crowdfunding.

There's also a "live bootleg" of an Utrecht gig on the accompanying Blu-Ray; this has soundboard-quality audio set to less-than-professional footage, and captures a gig where unfortunately Steve Hogarth's voice was shot, meaning that the band are hardly at the top of their form.

As for the album itself, it quite simply has never sounded better. Mind you, it's never sounded that much worse either - it's a mild tightening-up, not a game-changing remix like that enjoyed in 2018 by its follow-up, Radiation.

17 years, it's becoming the current fashion for more or less old bands to reform and release a new album with the facilities of pocket home studios. In hard, it's almost commonplace, in prog I just finished a review of a band that's coming out of musical hibernation after 38 years! In short, for EVERON it's a little different because they're quite young, their first album dates from 1993; the difference is also above all that they didn't make a facsimile of their last albums to please their fans, no, they simply made the task more difficult by offering an evolving sound, stronger, more punchy, more progressive. Tracks like 'No Embrace', 'Shells' the eponymous title or 'Guilty as Charged' send heavy prog pâté with a 2020 sauce, the sound is more complex; but they knew how to embellish the finale with the melodic sweetness 'Children of the Earth', with the super short but overboosted 'OCD', to believe that they had taken good musical drugs; but their merit is to have created this marvelous 'Flesh' of almost a quarter of an hour which takes up everything that the prog fan dreams, imagines and expects from a so-called progressive group these days: length and quality! In short, this album is more of a renewal than a theft of the Phoenix, there is material to have fun during this exceeded hour with a strong sound and female voices which amplify the warmth of the compositions.

This album seems to get high praise across the prog community but I am still in 2 minds whether to be one of those who praise the work or someone who dismisses it as chaotic nonsense. I find it very tough to compare to other Tech/Extreme metal because after listening more than 10 times I still don't feel entertained by the music and this is the crux of the dilemma. There are positives to discuss here, most notably the emotional intensity of the music which is entirely focussed on the negative emotions of fear, anger and despair.

After listening many times I tried to start to make sense of the apparent chaos and found the best way to do that was to isolate and essentially try to ignore the vocals which are among the harshest and most dissonant vocals ever. That dissonance is not limited to the vocals and in fact is the predominant theme across all the instrumentation. Having said that, when you listen carefully you can hear the "riffs" which are generally very complex, extremely dissonant and are manifested across all the instrumentation, not limited to lead guitar. The age old prog tradition of repeating a riff 4 times before switching to the next dominates this work and as such shows a very low level of creativity as far as musical structure is concerned. This leaves you wondering whether the whole thing is some kind of musical joke!

In fact the musical structure is no different from standard metal except that the vocals never seem to create either verse or chorus - meaning that it is just a message that is screamed roughly in time with some loud dissonant music. As you listen to the individual instruments, it becomes clear that the only musician displaying any exceptional talent is the drummer. Guitar work and base are no more impressive than standard rhythm guitar - almost as if the band are hiding their lack of ability by creating a form of organized chaos that has never been heard before. You might consider the vocalist as somewhat talented because of the extreme version of growling vocals used but in the end if there is no entertainment value in a piece of music then what is the point in listening to it?

Overall this music feels extremely chaotic at first whereas in fact it is really very formulaic but does not contain much of any entertaining moments. The excessive use of dissonance, the screaming vocals and the shear noise levels all serve the same purpose - to cover up the fact that there isn't much to this stuff and there is very little to enjoy. To be fair to Gorguts, this is a very original sound so I do recommend prog fans give it a fair crack and who knows whether you will find something to like; to do that it will require multiple listens but I fear that most will not feel like pressing play on more than one occasion and I wouldn't be surprised to hear of people throwing the CD out after the first 1 or 2 "songs"! I wrote at the beginning of this review that I was in 2 minds but it would appear that as I wrote this I made my choice.

You have to admire Kate Bush who carried the flag for more progressive music through prog's barren years across the 1980s. I will also say that she did this not only at a time when prog appeared to be spluttering to a complete halt but also at a time when it was incredibly difficult for any female artist to be taken seriously outside of teen pop. Of course she benefitted from encouragement from artists such as Gilmour and Gabriel which frankly must have been an awesome experience that leaves me incredibly jealous. Of course Kate Bush's work is rightly labelled as Crossover prog but what is a little disappointing for me is the high number of tracks that pander to pop/rock audiences just so she could get her more progressive work released.

When I bought Hounds of Love it was one of my post-millennial purchases as I started to become more interested in the mellower side of prog (its an age thing) with Steven Wilson's solo work and Big Big Train as well as going back through my collection of Mike Oldfield and the Moody Blues. I had hopes that the Kate Bush popular tracks would be in a minority and that the album would bring me something unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable. Unfortunately I think I expected too much because my experience doesn't quite match expectations. Obviously the more popular tracks still stand out from your average 80s pop hit but not quite enough for me to feel really impressed. I do enjoy those songs but also recognize that they aren't my preference and much like most progressive fans I definitely prefer side 2 of the original vinyl album. Bush's vocals are distinctive and exceptional as she works her way through some very original material with some awesome lyrical content. The numerous musicians supporting this effort all do a fabulous job with highlights being some of the base work and the range of unusual instruments that give you an original sound to contend with.

Side 1 of the album is little eclectic with some polished pop songs mixed in with some darker themed efforts and so this part of the album doesn't flow extremely well. Side 2 flows a little better but I don't get the chance to lose myself in the narrative or the music because the connection is not strong enough and there is insufficient texture to satisfy my personal taste. That would be my biggest criticism of this album - it lacks depth and sounds stripped back to bare essentials leaving us with few layers and a lack of complexity to focus on. For me, depth and texture are one of the most important aspects of music. What is strong here is the clarity of sound and the musical balance which is even more important to get right when music is this stripped back.

I have already alluded to the lyrics being very original and they are almost exclusively an enhancement to the music. The vocal style is just so original, with awesome range executed without fear of individuality, that they almost make up for the missing depth. Of course some of these tracks have very progressive structures while others are a little more standard pop/rock formats which is quite normal for crossover but will lead to avid prog fans eventually wanting to skip some and repeat others. The placement of the hit single, Running Up That Hill at the start of the album ensures that most music fans will at least want to hear out side 1 but those who aren't buying into the whole progressive idea might start to flag before they get to side 2. If you are a fan of progressive music then don't skip side 2 which is less accessible but more rewarding.

Overall for those who need an electric guitar fix, best skip this one. For the rest of you open-minded music lovers please remember the context of this album being released in the barren 1980s when those of us who were there thought that true prog would never return. So glad we were wrong.

Hands down this is my favourite purchase of 2023 and it just goes to show that sometimes you can judge a book by its cover because I was first attracted to the album art. Once I then checked out the track listing and the genre I knew I wanted to hear this album. I heard it once through on YouTube and immediately decided to buy it. The extended tracks without vocals but with Floydian landscapes and mood altering composition is all pretty much what my soul needs. Of course I have now listened to it incessantly and can say that I still love it but have become realistic about its limitations that will ultimately restrict its popularity in the prog community even if it does sneak into my personal Top 100 of all time.

So what are those limitations that En Annan Varid would need to overcome in order make it even higher in my personal ratings list? Well there are 2 things that could have elevated this album above and beyond. The first of those would be a little more intensity. There is some awesome work coming from Puertas on flute which is really the defining feature of this album, especially the first track but the rest of the band never seem to break out and let rip at any point. Odesjo is clearly a big fan of Gilmour as his style is very much from the same school but they never put quite enough into those solos to make then stand out. Of course the tempo of these tracks does make it hard to feel much intensity unless you have Gilmour's level of talent but there are other ways to achieve that captivating envelopment. Andren is probably the most disappointing because the keyboards are relatively absent throughout the album. Many don't really comprehend that Floyd's success owes as much Wright's soundscapes as it does to Gilmour's talent and Waters lyrics and Agusa have not got there with En Annan Varid.

Sagrobus is an interesting composition that meanders through multiple phases with differing levels of intensity and effectively takes you on a 25 minute journey, taking you through contemplative flute led thoughts to almost jamming into a kind of jazz mix. The main issue is the lack of depth to the music but everything else is entirely awesome. The second track, Uppenbarelser, is far more experimental and moody which makes it less accessible but ultimately the superior piece of music that will provide more entertainment for much longer despite it being the shorter track at 21 minutes! I find this album entertaining and captivating without being quite complex enough. I would say that some more keyboard work to add some texture and perhaps even a couple of short vocal sections could really make this something extra special.

The sound quality is perfect for me and I especially love the less intrusive rhythm balance which allows me to focus on everything without ever needing to tune anything out. For those who need their music to go somewhere through evolution as well as the occasional Frippian leap then this stuff will meet your needs but for those who need full on guitar solos you are going to find En Annan Varid a little tame. I am a self-confessed guitar junkie but I started my prog journey with Floyd and Oldfield so can still appreciate fine progressive music that doesn't degenerate into an egotistical display of musicianship. So this is an album I am going to appreciate for many years to come and I will certainly be investing in more work from Agusa in the near future.

Music is about what you need as an individual and I still need this stuff in my life even if I am more likely to spin Opeth and Tool than Floyd and Agusa as I get older. Let's be straight, Agusa's work isn't quite there at those dizzy heights but it is certainly worth my time and money.

As Tony said, this album is about bass and all the kinds of bass he had over the years, which "each has his unique sound and feel, tone and touch, color and character." This album was made with musicians who work with him, including more than 6 drummers.

The sound of the bass as the overall sound of the music here is perfect. After being part of different bands, I was expecting a variety of styles of music in this 14 songs album.

"Bringing Down to the Bass" has a jazz feel with sax and trumpet, and we immediately identify the bass sound of Tony. "Me and My Axe" is a smooth song with a beautiful bass sound. The guitar keeps the mood alive as the delicate keyboard line. In "Road Dogs," the pace picks up in a rock style, and Tony uses a variety of bass. "Uncle Funkster" shows a duel between Tony and Vinnie Colaiuta, funky style. "Boston Rocks" is another rock track with some singing and a little King Crimson influence here. "Expresoville" brings the jazz feel. with trumpet and trombone. We are treated to a nice and dreamy bass break. "Give the Cello Some" has a classical tone with the cello, but this is not a classical song. It's a typical rock song, nothing groundbreaking, but the main highlight is the organ part by Peter Levin. "Side B/ Turn it Over" is a vocal song and cool performance from Tony that is a nod to Queen. The bass sound here is seductive. "Beyond the Bass Cliff" is a beautiful soundscape adventure with violin, keys, horn, and bass; no drums here. Perfect! "Bungie Bass" is another song and another bass. Here we can hear David Torn's guitar sound with some nice interplay between guitar and bass. In "Fire Cross the Sky", Tony uses his stick, sings, or almost talks. The melody here puts you in a hypnotic mood. After we have an ambiance track with Robert Fripp, not my kind of music. "On the Drums" is a fun song where Tony gives a thank you to some musicians he has worked with, and he succeeds by making it a song. This one deserves a big bass 4 stars.

Starting off with a disclaimer for the uninitiated reader, we have to say that no Dillinger Esc Plan album fits the category of "bad" and the authority of a band with a stellar catalogue, a contemporary act that has maintained a persistent quality throughout its entire career remains completely. And with this aspect cleared out, 'Option Paralysis' remains the band's least interesting release - it is more accessible and more predictable than any preceding TDEP album and the few really invigorating moments here are foreshadowed by the vast use of re-hashed ideas that "plague" parts of this album, with Ben Weinman and Co. utilizing tropes that have been seen before and do not fit the progressive musical identity of this band. Largely susceptible to a commercialization of the sound as well as a more prevalent alt-rock direction, this album remains a good offering by modern standards but somewhat of a let-down by Dillinger standards.

The album kicks off on a high note, with the very promising single 'Farewell, Mona Lisa'; this is an energetic, vibrant track that combines the heavy tendencies of earlier efforts and the gloomy art rock approach of 'Ire Works' and 'Miss Machine'. 'Good Neighbor' is one of the shorter, more explosive pieces on here, while 'Gold Teeth on a Bum' manages to induce a radio-friendly chorus into the otherwise dense fabric of the rest of the song. Some shorter tracks follow, reminiscent of past works but never reaching as far, followed by the great 'Widower', a longer and more experimental song with an eerie vibe, once again attempting to take the album in a different direction. The next few tracks are once again way too familiar to be overly exciting, even if certain riffs or vocal melodies sound tremendously good, like the more accessible 'Chinese Whispers' or the spacey 'Parasitic Twins'. The entire album juggles back and forth between wanting to be painstakingly heavy or incrementally "radio-friendly", leaving somewhat of a blurry impression and a sense of incompleteness, meaning that a better balance between these elements has been achieved previously by this band. Still, 'Option Paralysis' remains a fine listen full of engaging moments, memorable hooks and aggressive riffs.

Today I'll be reviewing the fifth album by the Spock's Beard spinoff Pattern Seeking Animals called "Friend of All Creatures." It was released on Feb 14, 2025, so is still very new as I type this. Pattern Seeking Animals (PSA) consists of Spock's Beard (SB) members Ted Leonard on lead vocals and guitar, Dave Meros on bass, former SB drummer Jimmy Keegan, and longtime SB collaborator/songwriter John Boegehold on keyboards and vocals (he is also the composer/arranger/producer). Since they released their first album in 2019, PSA have been remarkably consistent in terms of releasing an album a year (although they are a bit late, this time) as well as in the high quality of the music. This is my first cold listen to the album.

Let's get going!

Track 1 - Future Perfect World

This is the second longest track at 9:38. An easy-going keyboard part starts the track off at a moderate tempo. Guitar notes with swelling volume accompanies the keyboards. The rhythm section begins to provide accents, and the groove begins to take shape. A cool organ part takes over at just before 1 minute, in a question-and-answer part with a synth. The tempo increased slightly during this wonderfully proggy intro. The vocals begin a bit ahead of 2 minutes in. The meter is a very steady 4-4 here. Harmony vocals join as we proceed. The organ takes charge in the first break between verses. At around 4 minutes the keys lead into an instrumental break. The music takes on a half-time feel, then bassist Dave Meros is featured on a fretless bass. A guitar solo follows at around 5 minutes. The music has gone into 6-8 and feels "floaty." An instrumental melody emerges out of this section. Things ease off around 5:40, and another vocal section begins, maintaining the 6-8. The music begins to have a darker feel, until the meter changes at around 7:20. Ascending instrumental lines chase each other, and the tempo picks up and returns to 4-4. The rhythm section drops out near the end and harmonized vocals and keyboards continue until the song fades out. Excellent opener.

Track 2 - Another Holy Grail

This is the longest track at over 12 minutes. Vocals begin immediately with electric piano accompaniment; the music has a ballad feel. Harmonies and sustained bass notes join in as we proceed. After a syncopated rest, the vocals crescendo and a new segment begins with dynamic synth playing. Guitar takes the lead and then an odd metered groove takes hold in the bass, guitar and drums, while the keyboard (mellotron, perhaps) has a lot of manipulated sliding notes (I am reminded of the Moody Blues' "Legend of a Mind"). Some vocal sounds stab through before a synth solo takes center-stage. There is a countermelody and then the drums drop out. When they come back in, it's with a jazzy feel and a rimshot on the snare beats, along with some claves clinking away. At 3 minutes, the music shifts again, with flute-like sounds taking over. A very dramatic drum roll leads us into the next segment. The Music double-times at around 3:45. This feels like the overture of a musical production as it has a very orchestral scope. The music basically becomes a steady beat, and vocals enter at around the 5-minute point. There are occasional subtle meter shifts as we progress. At 6:45 the music takes another dramatic turn as Leonard repeats the phrase "not the end," and sustains the notes. A great bass line supports the vocals here. A guitar solo follows. Next up is another orchestral feeling section with organ swells underneath. It then returns to the piano ballad feel from the intro. The sliding mellotron sounds return. We are then into another scene in the cinematic music. There is a bit of a 70s TV action show vibe at times as well. The music keeps getting more intense as we approach the ending. Great prog. It's going to take a few more listens to fully wrap my head around, but I like it.

Track 3 - Down the Darkest Road

This is one of the three shorter tracks of under 5 minutes. A harp-like intro starts this one off, to be joined by mellotron choir and tuned percussion. The vocals enter telling a tale of a traveler that the narrator met. Nice harmonies at 2 minutes. This feels like a classical art song. Violin comes in next (by guest player Eliza James). A few snare rat-a-tat-tats join the soundscape at around 3:30. I believe the traveler is "death" and he is summoning the storyteller to go with him, but I could be wrong. The tone is a haunting melody of this one. A college music department with chamber singers and orchestral players could do a nice arrangement of this. Well-done.

Track 4 - In My Dying Days

A dramatic cymbal roll ushers this one in. This is another sub-5-minute track. The guitar tone is a bit like the "007" theme song, albeit with a different melody. Vocals enter at just before 1 minute with a chugging muted acoustic guitar and keyboard flourishes. The rhythm section is subtle. I like the lead-in to the chorus. Another verse follows with some variations. I like the key change on the second chorus. There is a Steinhardt-influenced violin part playing a countermelody at around the 3-minute point. A nice guitar solo follows, leading to the bridge. Good track that had my foot tapping before it was over.

Track 5 - The Seventh Sleeper

This one is 8+ minutes long. A staccato keyboard part starts this one off. The ride cymbal hits on the 2 and 4 of each measure and another sustained keyboard part plays over the top. The rhythm section kicks in fully and the music begins to build up. The guitar takes over with a different muted-staccato rhythm as the verse begins. I like the call & response style vocals as we go along. The beat is moderately slow and steady. A gentle acoustic piano takes the lead over the rhythm section and electric piano. This gives way to a Ted Leonard guitar solo. His solos tend to be melody-focused with the occasional flourish. A nice odd-metered part follows the guitar solo. At around the 5-minute point a mandolin can be discerned in the mix. Flute sounds enter, and then parts start layering as we go. The music takes a darker turn around 6 minutes in. Leonard is really giving it his all at around 6:30 from a vocal standpoint, teetering on the screaming threshold. Things smooth back out a few seconds later. Once again, the music is getting very dynamic and dramatic. Fantastic track!

Track 6 - Days We'll Remember

This is the shortest track at a little under 4 minutes. Guitar harmonies in 6-8 that are reminiscent of Kansas' "Hold On" start this one out. They are replaced by acoustic strumming and vocals at around 20 seconds in. Leonard's vocals seem to be getting stronger as the album goes on. I like the cascading vocal harmonies around 1:30. There is an interesting keyboard tone supporting the melody. A brief instrumental break leads to a very dynamic bridge. Great high note around 3:30. This AMAZING track ends on a foreboding minor chord. I am wondering if it foreshadows the final track.

Track 7 - Words of Love Evermore

We are back over 8 minutes again. To answer my question from the previous track, it seems to have nothing to do with this one. A quiet bass line starts us off here with a syncopated ostinato. Vibraphone chords come in over the top. Well maybe that final chord does foreshadow this track as there are some minor chord accents as the opening section comes to a close. However, as Keegan leads into the next part with a drum fill, the tonality turns major (around 1 minute in). At around 1:30, a new melodic theme takes over. Ted is showing the range of his vocal abilities here, as he is singing the melodies with great gentleness as opposed to the power of the previous track. The music takes on a gospel choir-like feel at just after 2 minutes in. There is a wonderful bit of vocal arranging around 3 minutes in. This is followed by a shift to a piano solo at 3:30. One thing I am finding after reviewing a lot of prog albums is to not get too comfortable on one groove for too long, as it will probably change before I can type the description (I'm a lousy typist, but I make it work). I love all of the mellotron used on this album. Nice, odd meters in the synth break. I really am enjoying the vocal harmonies around 5:15. Keegan's drum fills are not flashy, but they serve the song well. The orchestration at around 6 minutes is wonderfully executed. Leonard takes a guitar solo at around 6:35. I can't get enough of the various layers of instruments and vocals as the song nears conclusion. Boegehold has done a great job! Spectacular closing track!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Fantastic album! These four musicians have really made something special here! This album started out good and just kept getting better and better, especially on the final 3 tracks. While any fan of Spock's Beard will pick up some stylistic similarities, PSA is not just a different SB lineup. PSA has their own thing happening here, and I picked up a few dashes of Kansas influence in there as well. Leonard's vocals are dynamic throughout and get better and better as we go through the album. His guitar skills are quite good as well, even though he may not be at (SB lead guitarist) Alan Morse's level of virtuosity. Bogehold's keyboard arrangements are simply astoundingly good; although?like the comparison between Leonard and Morse's guitar skills?he may not have the flash that (SBs) Ryo Okumoto has, he's still no slouch. Meros is a top-flight bassist, but his bass lines aren't as out front as they tend to be in SB. Keegan is a great drummer, but again, he plays to the song and doesn't take the spotlight often. So, all of that is to say that these four excellent musicians play and sing to serve the songs, the songs don't serve to showcase their abilities. Anyone who enjoys melodic prog-rock will find a lot to enjoy here. Great album! 4.5 stars.

Clicked 4, but really 4.5!

Formed in 1970 in in San Pedro, California, drummer Burleigh Drummond, keyboardist Christopher North, singer/guitarist David Pack and singer/bassist Joe Puerta started out working under the name Ambergris Mile. Given there was already a band recording and touring under the Ambergris name, they turned to a dictionary opting for "Ambrosia" (nectar of the gods).

Throughout the early-'70s the band made inroads playing the San Pedro club scene, but expanding throughout Southern California. To supplement their meager income the group began working with a small hifi company specializing in the installing of audio systems in clubs and arenas. In 1971 they were testing a new sound system the company had installed at the Hollywood Bowl. Their work attracted the attention of Hollywood Bowl engineer Gordon Parry. In the role of mentor, Parry helped the quartet play a show at the University of California, Los Angeles. Parry also introduced them to Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta. Mehta hired them to support the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the 1971 All American Dream Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The resulting publicity found them performing in the debut of Leonard Bernstein's "Mass" at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. They auditioned for A&M Records, but were subsequently signed by 20th Century Records.

Produced by Freddie Piro (with Alan Parsons serving as the mixing engineer), 1975's "Ambrosia" featured a collection of eight band originals. With all four members contributing to song writing chores, the collection featured an interesting mixture of pop, classical and progressive influences. Most of the attention went to David Pack, but the band were blessed with two talented lead singers. The funny thing is to my ears their voices were very similar and it was frequently hard to tell who was handling lead vocals. Pack shined on the more commercial tunes like the ballads 'Somewhere I've Never Been', 'Lover Arrive' and his atypical rocker 'World Leave Me Alone'. Joe Puerta seemed to handle the band less mainstream outings including the debut single 'Nice, Nice, Very Nice' and progressive tunes 'Mama Frog' and 'Drink of Water' (the pair actually shared lead vocals on the latter). Having been fascinated by percussion since he was a child, Drummond was simply a ferocious player, while North proved to be surprisingly delicate on keyboards and synthesizers. These guys had clearly been listening to English progressive bands like Gentle Giant, King Crimson (whom they actually saw early in their career when Crimson played Los Angeles' Whiskey a Go-Go) and Yes, but they seldom let the genre's excesses get to them. Yeah, 'Mama Frog' skated close to progressive navel gazing territory, but even it was redeemed by some ferocious drumming from Drummond and then band's sense of humor - a drunken Gordon Parry reciting part of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwock". What captured by ears and heart was their clear affection for a prog song, this would absolutely be their most prog song they ever piut out. this would be a phenomenal first effort for ambrosia and good build up for their sophomore album. 4 stars

A compilation album of tracks from some of their albums, chosen on Performance for 'Shadow & Light' and 'Heartbeat', on Colours for 'Silhouette', on Time to Turn for 'Behind the Walls of Imagination' and 'The Flash', on The Tides Return Forever for the eponymous title and on Metromania for one of their emblematic titles 'Follow the Light' which composed the typical ELOY sound made of symphonic intros, pompous, grandiloquent pieces, rather psychedelic and atmospheric breaks and filled with velvety keyboard layers. A compilation on the albums of 80, 82, 83, 84 and 94, well focused on the 80s, their favorite period. A nostalgic album for those who would not know yet or those fans from the first hour.

After the collapse and dissolution of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, the band's multi-instrumentalist violinist, Jerry Goodman, and multi-instrumentalist keyboard player, Jan Hammer stick together for a while in order to hash out some of the collaborative magic they'd been suppressing.

1. "Country and Eastern Music" (5:34) acoustic piano opening is joined by a breakout of full-spectrum rock band power motif which, after establishing itself over then next 30 seconds rests while Jerry's acoustic string quartet and Jan's percussives perform a little classical string quartet for the next 35 seconds. Then the rock motif returns within/over which Jan's moog solos with some violin support just behind. Boisterous choral vocal scream-chanting starts at 2:35-- still within the heavy rock motif. At the three-minute mark there is a return to the string quartet motif while multi-track vocals continue, only now in a softer, more GENTLE GIANT-like approach. Return to the rock motif at 3:53 for some dynamic electric (and, later, acoustic) violin soloing. In the second half of the fifth minute Jan takes a turn in the lead with his Moog--which ends up, briefly, duelling with Jerry's violin--before everything de-escalates into the "string quartet" motif for the finish--with Jan's recorder-like Moog soloing over/within. Interesting and very UK-like! Also Todd Rundgren's UTOPIA. (8.875/10)

2. "No Fear" (3:28) a solo keyboard and sequencing exhibition by Jan. I can't really determine whether or not Jerry is participating at all in this as most of the sounds heard are synthetic: it seems to me to be just Moog over sequencer from start to finish. Even the long-held bent-notes that could be violin I am willing to bet are coming from the Moog. I quite like it, though. It's kind of like a preview of 1980s Jean-Luc Ponty. (9.125/10)

3. "I Remember Me" (3:47) violins and soothing electronic keyboard sounds, chords, and gentle guitar arpeggi supporting from below with barely a rhythm track implied! Impressive and pretty but, ultimately ,kind of forgettable-- like a New Age song. (8.875/10)

4. "Earth (Still Our Only Home)" (4:15) a funk rhythm track from bass and drums with distorted rock electric guitars emerging from the background eventually support some interesting vocals: part rock anthem, part SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE/OHIO PLAYERS-like funk-R&B declarative. The violin and synth solos are top notch, it's the main rhythm track that I find myself wanting to change, shift, and/or develop more. Also, the shouting-choir approach to the delivery of the vocals leaves me with an even more difficult challenge of deciphering the lyrics. (8.75/10)

5. "Topeka" (2:57) another rather simplistic rock motif that feels more useful as a warm-up or étude eventually shifts into a more straightforward vamp vehicle over which Jerry and Jan take turns soloing, each using multiple instruments to do so (violins and guitars for Jerry; a variety of Moog sounds for Jan). Even the chorus is a little dull and "by the numbers"--all just providing the set up/foundation for the solos to exist. (Which makes me wonder what the solos would sound like without any rhythm track. I have the feeling they would have the exact same impact. (8.75/10)

6. "Steppings Tones" (3:29) Moog bass and moving electric piano chord arpeggi give this the feeling of a slowed down or Mahavishnu Orchestra riff or more-typical Jean-Luc Ponty motif. It does build in both fullness with layering and drum and cymbal intensity, which is nice, but it never really seems to "launch"--I find myself waiting for the "break out" moment. (8.875/10)

7. "Night" (5:48) ominous synthesizer bass and echo-reverb electric violin duet for the first minute. (Jan does supply numerous incidental percussive accents.) Moog steps in to take the place of the violin in the second minute before Jerry's highly-processed violin rejoins and croons its melody like some 1950s Stéphane Grappelli. The whole thing has an eery, fog-like spell cast over it, but does eventually amount to some very impressive Moog and electric violin solos. A song that could easily have accompanied a scene in Alan Rudolph's 1987 film, The Moderns. At 4:20 there is a development (Yes! Development!) as Jan's drumming suddenly takes off (despite the continued drag of the morbid bass line) carrying us off down the speeding mountain road as Jerry and the Moog try to keep up. Cool ending! (8.875/10)

8. "Full Moon Boogie" (4:11) another rock motif is quickly set up that sounds as if it could have come from The Talking Heads' 1980 album, Remain in Light. The chorus motif, though still retaining a kind of David Byrne/Brian Eno style and sound, ti's a cross between "Standing at the Crossroads" and "The Great Curve." It gets a little funkier in the instrumental passages. Pretty cool though eerily prescient. (9/10)

9. "Giving in Gently / I Wonder" (4:47) what starts out as an innocuous little song with more "normal" ROBERT WYATT/RICHARD SINCLAIR/TODD RUNDGREN-like vocals from one of the dudes (I'm guessing Jerry due to the lack of any kind of accent in his pronunciation of the English words in the lyrics) turns quite nicely as it goes instrumental. A very standard hard-rock guitar solo (think George Harrison or Eric Clapton) occurs in the fourth minute. The song feels very Beatles and Clapton-like with tinges of Todd Rundgren-ness. And it does get better, stronger, as it moves into the second half (the instrumental half). Plus, Jan Hammer is a very good drummer. (9/10)

Total Time: 39:16

The biggest surprises in this album listening experience for me were: how impressive Jan Hammer is as a drummer; how cutting edge are Jan Hammer's sequencing equipment and abilities; how good Jerry Goodman's guitar skills are; how "second rate" some of the foundational motifs are--in order to accommodate/bolster the soloing being done over the top, and; how advanced and "futuristic" are the sounds and styles achieved by this duo in 1974!

B/five stars; an excellent addition to any prog and j-r-fuse lover's music collection.

Even within the Italian progressive scene of the 1970's, Maxophone produced a sound unlike that of any other band. With brass-driven passages that combined jazz, rock and classical ideas, their sole album could very well be among the ten best Italian progressive rock records of all time; a dazzling stylistic whirlpool in which you never know what's coming next. At one moment you may be treated to a gentle, romantic melody, the next a slice of Dixieland jazz, then a sudden, furious display of rock guitar. Because of its ability to change styles within the same song without losing momentum, the album is a consistently interesting melting pot of ideas.

Maxophone was also one of the few Italian groups of the decade that managed to record an English version of their album, although their particular attempt wasn't too great a success. The original lyrics add just the right spice to the album, unlike the translated ones, which could not entirely do it justice (note: this review covers the Italian version). The band were a high-energy six-piece, producing cohesive and forceful music with strong melodies and tightly executed changes. Locanda Delle Fate, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) and Genesis were likely influences on their sound, with a hint of Emerson, Lake & Palmer as well.

Half the members of the band were classically trained musicians, with most also being multi-instrumentalists. Thanks to their diverse array of instruments, Maxophone pushed the boundaries of progressive music on this release by bringing uncommon sounds together with traditional ones, creating a wonderful, flowing sonic landscape.

The vibraphone features prominently, for instance, and while this in itself isn't unusual for a Rock Progressivo Italiano (RPI) record, it is when accompanied by clarinet, trumpet and horn. Along with the more orthodox progressive tools saxophone and flute, the wind instruments generally prove to be the album's driving force. The most distinctive among this group is undoubtedly Maurizio Bianchini's French horn, which adds a very majestic touch to many of the themes.

To say the least, Maxophone is an impressive album overall, released by a band that unfortunately wasn't entitled to more luck. All of its tracks feature complex, multi-part arrangements and passionate performances, and the innovation and creativity throughout the material is astonishing. Although the album may not have obtained the success it deserved when it was first released, it has become a progressive rock classic' over time, a must-have for collectors as it is definitely one of the essentials from the Italian prog scene.

— First review of this album —

'Live Infinity' is an archival live release from The Dillinger Esc Plan, which was recorded in the year 2000, capturing the spirit of the band's live performances from the tour of their 1999 debut album 'Calculating Infinity', making this 2019 Relapse Records release a very interesting fragment of the band's early history with original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis - some might be incrementally compelled to dive into this live album as this creative phase of DEP has somewhat of a cult following and many die-hard fans completely reject subsequent releases with Greg Puciato. But no matter which side of the Dillinger fandom spectrum you find yourself at (if you take a side in the first place), 'Live Infinity' is a delightful offering that captures the destructive energy of the live performances of these underground innovators.

The setlist obviously covers songs from the debut album and the preceding three-track EP from 1998 and puts on display the dissonant, mechanical, and gnarly sounds of Dillinger, so definitive of their early days. At the same time, being a live reproduction of the studio versions of these songs, a lot of the refinement and subtlety achieved in the studio gets lost in the live mixes, all behind the layers of thrashy guitar sounds and grizzly vocals. What is left is the obnoxious delivery and [for many] the appealing blatant aggression that is associated with debut album 'Calculating Infinity'. Still, we have a historical live recording that allows us to understand how fascinating this band has been in its early days of stomping the underground metal scene, offering an unmatched and audacious disturbance to the world of heavy music.

— First review of this album —

I want it back.

ArcaMiri are an experimental band from Syracuse, Italy, formed in 2017. This latest offering is a digital single available through the band's Bandcamp page, and it was released with a promotional video on YouTube. Musically, it's something of a unique blend of avant-garde that meshes together modern production values with the smoky memories of saucier vintage groups like Opus Avantra, Pierrot Lunaire, or early '70s Battiato; think "Pollution." I love the use of piano and bass to open the track in an unusual way, the piano melodies rolling over each other. About two minutes in, Simona's vocals come in and the mood is one of growing unease, yet the sound is also beautiful at the same time. Unnerving yet beautiful. Piano soon falls away and a harsh rhythmic synth section enters. The solo piano returns for the final minute as we hear what sounds like rainfall in the background. Seven minutes of sublime RPI that just fell into my lap today (by popping into my feed!)

As an English-only speaker, I had to run the lyrics through an online translator, and so I'm likely missing out on much context and nuance by doing so. What I interpret the lyrics to be about is the loss of youth and wanting to go back to the feelings and energies and passions of youth, but not simply in the physical sense of the body feeling better. That's part of it, but I think they are speaking about much more here. I think in a philosophical and emotional sense, they are talking about the experience of being young: love, hate, rivalries, exhilaration, looking at life through a lens of hope and wonder rather than a lens of melancholy. As painful of a time as youth can be, both good and bad, there is still an intense rush of being young that, once it slips away, we are not allowed to taste again. We like to pretend we can: "I'll never grow up. I'm young at heart." Meh. Not really. If we're honest, aging is increasingly about loss on many fronts, and we can attempt to distract ourselves with affirmation or we can face it with reason and faith. But again, I don't speak Italian, so perhaps my attempt to understand their meaning is off. If so, my apologies to the band. Pick it up today. I dug it. I wish it had been longer!

Supremely well played and just as well produced, "So Early in the Spring:" sees JOHN RENBOURN returning to that strange brew of acoustic blues and early English and celtic folk after a decade or more of homebodiness. Is it necessary? Maybe not. Is it good? Definitely yes.

Suitable mostly for guitarists and the more committed fans who don't mind reinterpretations of earlier PENTANGLE or Renbourn work, which was always a downside to the fruit of this family tree, enough accomplished first timers in the form of the more Scottish than a Scotsman's "Lindsay", the quaint "To Glastonbury", and the Americana of "the Young Man can't Hoe Corn" all help save this from an early dismissal or, I might add, a lone airing.

"Arrival Of The New Elders" is studio album number five for this power trio. It's under 44 minutes and includes eight tracks. Yes they've shortened the songs and turned down the power. A reflective and mature release with the Rhodes dominating their sound for the first time. They are aptly named as their first two records were like a stampede of elephants with this incredible rhythm section and that hammond organ soloing away. On the next two albums they continue in the same style but add a new flavour with Reine Fiske adding his unique guitar offerings. Then back to the organ led stuff on 2018's "Greatest Show On Earth".

So yes, it was probably time to change things up, and the title suggests that. All compositions except "Rite Of Ascension" were written by Stale Storlokken, and that track was written by bassist Nikolai Haengsle. You might recognize him as the bass player for NEEDLEPOINT as well. I do feel the cover art is their best yet, but I'm still not into Rune Grammofon's signature covers.

The opening title track begins with this cosmic and spacey intro signalling the arrival of the new elders. This song shows the new direction as it trips along and is fairly mellow with electric piano noodling over top. Sort of an uplifting ending. The bass player's track begins with a bass line surprisingly before drums and organ help out sounding very ELEPHANT9. It's more powerful at 2 1/2 minutes, and check out the drumming before 5 minutes. Drums get active fast. Bass to the fore again around 6 minutes in. This might be my favourite track. I feel this is a consistent recording, but with no real standout tracks.

"Sojourn" is okay but "Tales Of Secrets" is better as it's a great example of their new sound. Trippy and relaxed with Rhodes leading the way. "Throughout The Worlds" is pretty good while "Chasing The Hidden" is hearing this band like never before. Just sounds different to my ears. "Chemical Boogie" is right there with the bass player's song as far as favourites go. Relentless drumming and keyboard sounds. Fairly energetic as well when compared to the rest. Mellotron! "Solar Song" is a surprisingly mellow way to end this record.

This band along with MOTORPSYCHO really kick started the explosion of music that would come from Norway starting in the 10's. Sure their government is ultimately the reason we are blessed with so much quality music from this nation. Pouring a lot of their oil money into the arts. But "Death Defying Unicorn" from 2012 and the first two ELEPHANT9 albums from '08 and '10 certainly changed some perceptions. PS I would love to hear this band with a second keyboardist, say like David Wallumrod playing in that "Bitches Brew" style. These four could pull it off.

"My Guardian Anger" is the third full-length studio album by Polish black metal act Lux Occulta. The album was released through Pagan Records in November 1999. It´s the successor to "Dionysos" from November 1997. On this release Lux Occulta have been joined by the two Decapitated members Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (lead guitars) and Martin Rygiel (bass). This was before the release of Decapitated´s debut full-length studio album "Winds of Creation" (released in April 2000). Kiełtyka was only 18 years old and Rygiel 16 years old when they recorded their parts for "My Guardian Anger".

Stylistically the material on "My Guardian Anger" is symphonic black metal, but it´s quite different from the symphonic black metal style found on the two preceding Lux Occulta album releases. Lux Occulta have opted for a much heavier, riff oriented, and varied black/death metal style to be the basis of the music while the symphonic keyboards add texture on top along with the snarling black metal vocals and occasional death metal growling. It´s quite busy music and the soundscape is often chaotic and furiously fast-paced and blasting. There´s also a progressive edge to the songwriting and "My Guardian Anger" contains just about everything the first two albums didn´t...

...professional sound production values, intriguing and varied compositions, and above all high level musicianship. It´s not that you´ll find much here that you haven´t heard other symphonic black metal bands bring to the table, but the flawless performances and the creative songwriting make up for a lot of that. "My Guardian Anger" is a high quality release from Lux Occulta and to my ears it feels like a rebirth of the band after the first two relatively anonymous albums. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

'Irony Is a Dead Scene' is the result of the collaboration between The Dillinger Escape Plan and Mike Patton, offering this 2002 EP as a stop-gap release between the band's first and second studio albums. This one ranks among the best offerings of DEP, with Mike Patton bringing out the avant-garde side of the mathcore band, all while contributing by adding layers of absurdity and surrealism to the otherwise impenetrable heavy music of Dillinger. Preserving their manic and aggressive tendencies, the addition of Patton is rather brilliant as his voice fits the uncanny qualities of the dynamic music in an unimaginably satisfying way.

The sole criticism one might have of this EP is that it is too short with its eighteen minutes of playtime, since this collaboration never grew to produce a full-length album (as the band had already been touring with then-new vocalist Greg Puciato). Nevertheless, this four-track mini-album remains one of the exhaustively crazy and cerebrally experimental pieces of music to have ever come out of this group of musicians - just listen to the blabbering of Patton on opening track 'Hollywood Squares', a song that preserves the intensity of the band's first album, or the ridiculous delivery on 'Pig Latin' as well as the multiple absurd grunting sounds produced by the man handling the vocals. The 6-minute-long 'When Good Dogs Do Bad Things' is the most complex and adventurous piece on this EP, which closes off with a cover of Aphex Twin's 'Come to Daddy', a worthy finale of an otherwise comical and chaotic work of art.

— First review of this album —

'Cursed, Unshaven, and Misbehavin' is an EP/single from The Dillinger Escape Plan comprised of four live recordings from the band's early shows, standing as one of the rare glimpses into the earliest incarnation of the American mathcore giants. Two of the songs on here come from the band's 1999 debut album 'Calculating Infinity', while the other two are from their 1998 EP 'Under the Running Board', all of which had been frequently played throughout Dillinger's early shows. This live recording does capture the violent release of energy that defines each and every performance of this band, but the quality of the recordings is really bad and when this is combined with the generally abrasive, dissonant music that is being recorded, one can really be confused by the final result, which makes it a piece of the band's early history that should be fascinating for die-hard fans but outside of the band's innermost circle of admirers there is little of interest here to the more general enjoyer of extreme music.

'Under the Running Board' is a three-track EP from The Dillinger Escape Plan that runs for about 7:30 minutes and acts as the anticipative released before the band's debut album, part of that first era of aggressive and technical music with the grizzly vocals of Dimitri Minakakis. Stylistically there is not much separating this release from 'Calculating Infinity', since this EP really sets the tone for what is to come with the band's debut album released the following year. The rampant riffs and the explosive tempo changes are on full display but unlike the band's previous EP, 'Under the Running Board' exhibits has a more cohesive nature, it bolsters a better songwriting and an overall better sound, still very dense and unhinged. Later on, these three songs would become staples of the band's infamous live shows, presenting the avant-garde approach of the band to creating dissonant and extremely heavy music.

The Dillinger Escape Plan released their self-titled debut EP in 1997, and this release offers the very first glimpse into the harsh, dissonant and abrasive sound of the American mathcore band, here developing a style that would be refined later on, still reliant much more on shock value as well as intensity and aggression, not necessarily exhibiting that sense of complexity that would go on to render the band's debut album such a highly praised work. The six tracks comprising this EP stylistically offer a range of brutal riffs and dynamic tempo changes as well as a very distorted way of writing, definitely capturing the trials of a young band still searching for their sound. Reissue also include three live tracks from that same early period with vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, whose harsh vocals seem to be really suitable for the destructive nature of the first few DEP releases and sonic ventures.

Cold, aggressive, gripping and destructive, 'Calculating Infinity' is the debut album of American mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, released in 1999. Now, mathcore is a very abrasive, technical and extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music, popularized in the late 90s due to the success of bands like Dillinger, often mentioned as one of the pioneering acts of the movement. While all of this might be true, this band is much more than just another heavy act as they display a profound taste for the progressive, a desire to experiment and take the genre further, always intertwining the blatant aggression with various influences that are not necessarily associated with mathcore - all of this is this debut album in a nutshell.

With the overhaul of complex arrangement and incredibly energetic and technical playing, there is a very clear direction to this album and an overall sound that is cohesive, concentrated, and entirely violent, making 'Calculating Infinity' one of the most compelling and exciting heavy albums of the decade, allowing a large chunk of avant-garde sounds and techniques to "penetrate" the sonic picture resulting in an intelligently crafted combination of complex time signatures, manic tempo changes, atonality and dissonance. Of course, this remains a tough listen due to the dynamic nature of the music as well as the harshness of the vocals but beneath all that lies a really fascinating experiment and a solid album that indicates one possible future path for heavy music, and certainly one that aligns with the spirit of progressive. Some of the really fine tracks that complement such opinions would be '43% Burnt', a scourging excursion into avant-garde metal territory, 'Jim Fear', which is a straightforward blast, the dramatic and aggressive sound of 'The Running Board' as well as the calculated title track and the more experimental 'Weekend Sex Change'. A lot to unpack with 'Calculating Infinity', a mad, driven, noisy and surreal work of extreme musical brilliance.

Been a wild ride through the Devil Doll rabbit hole, but we're finally here to the last record Mr. Doctor had ever made under the Devil Doll name. While technically the band isn't disbanded, at least according to some sources, it's safe to assume they aren't gonna really make any new music anytime soon. Though I could very well be wrong. Last year bands like Semiramis and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum came back. Guess it wouldn't be too far fetched for Devil Doll to wriggle their head back out into the modern prog landscape. But until then, this is their current last album, Dies Irae.

Honestly, if this is the cap to the Devil Doll train, I'd say it's a pretty great way to end things off. It does feel like a combination of all previous records, rolled into one complete operatic fashion. You get the more accessible sides of Eliogabalus, the avant-garde concepts rooted in Sacrilegium and The Sacrilege of Fatal Arms, and strong gothic infused progressive rock that started all the way back with The Girl Who Was...Death. Guess this is where Mr. Doctor really put in all the stops for his very unique sound, and I honestly love it. Feels like the peak of the story that Devil Doll woven. Not a literal story, but more like a metaphorical one in terms of musical progression.

However this album does do some pretty interesting things that are away from the rest of the Devil Doll discography. For example, this album isn't a 40+ minute epic!*

*Ok so, that's a lie. While it is true that this album is split into multiple parts acting as separate tracks, it's basically still one big song. Think of it as like Dark Side of the Moon where it's actually just one big epic that just so happens to be split into different tracks. I don't quite know why Devil Doll did this, but it does make for an arguably more accessible experience, while still giving the more older fans something to look forward to.

I think another reason why Dies Irae works really well for me is that the energy feels arguably more lively. There's more of a pronounced rock mood in it. Sure there are still those bits of Devil Doll classical and symphonic elements, but I feel like this has way more of that ROCK in prog rock than any of the previous albums combined, which I do enjoy. Makes this album pretty unique in the grand scheme of things.

I do say though that the far more accessible aspects this album pulls does kinda lose the edge that made Devil Doll so compelling. Sure it still does have that sharp gothic and foreboding nature to it, but it does feel a lot softer, which is a shame. Though I guess it could always be worse, there's probably an alternate dimension where Devil Doll became a jangle pop band if they did continue to make music after this album...dang almost got the shivers thinking that.

But despite the lack of a more clear cut edge, the music still feels very strong and powerful, with moments like Part 4, Part 6, Part 14, Part 16, and Part 18 coming to mind. Funnily enough Part 18 technically is the only track to be over 20 minutes, though that is mostly the signature bouts of silence and a hidden track to accompany it. Realistically though it's just like 2 minutes long. Cannot be a Devil Doll album without a hidden track.

So while it arguably is a bit of a black sheep in comparison to the rest of the Devil Doll scores, Dies Irae is still a really great album that I say serves as a pretty amazing ending to this band's short, but meaningful career. I'd say it's a must listen if you want some strange, yet more readily accessible progressive rock.

Best tracks: Part 2, Part 4, Part 6, Part 14, Part 16, Part 18

Worst tracks: N/A

By this point in the extended PENTANGLE and British Isles folk rock story, I'm not sure what any additional effort by the "Renbourn-McShee and friends" collaboration could accomplish that had not been achieved more convincingly by earlier iterations of themselves or others. If they were true to their art (and I have no reason to suspect otherwise) in the trademark precise arrangements of "The Truth from Above" or "The Maid on the Shore", they couldn't match the the analogous works of STEELEYE SPAN who at least seemed partially inebriated by the joys of their craft, or the persistently evolving explorations of CLANNAD for whom they were clearly idols.

This second and thankfully final JOHN RENBOURN group studio album unwittingly establishes his unencumbered solo work as the state of the art from the family tree circa 1980. To be clear, there's nothing specifically wrong here other than my personal preference for vivacity and a modicum of emotion in this early music style, but there isn't anything terribly right about it either. If pressed, I will backpedal and admit that the tabla of Keshav Sathe helps upgrade "Le Tambourin", "Douce Dame Jolie", and the almost fascinating raga closer "Sidi Brahim" to the higher floors if not the rooftop deck, allowing this review to escape complete disenchantment and maybe even the ire of the Renbourn faithful.

"The Passing" Jacob ROBERGE's first album is the fruit of ten years of hard work, let it be said. It addresses the themes of mourning and memory but with joy if one can say so. The delicate piano theme that introduces "The Long Way Home" is a good shortcut for what will follow, the symphonism heard in this title is only the hors d'oeuvre of a major work (9/10). The first part of "Empty Traces" is a little more passe partout although remaining ultra melodic, always this loose and heady piano in the spotlight (8/10) and a small solo of six strings in the middle. "Garden of Souls" sends a probably involuntary but emphatic wink to the Californian eagles (listen again to "The Last Resort"), a piece of overflowing symphonism and lyricism, just a little too repetitive for the vocal parts as far as I'm concerned (9/10).

The longest "Petrichor" which comes next, remains in the same musical model, a lot of piano, acoustic guitar this time before the electric which arrives later, certainly the track that I had the most difficulty judging (despite five listens) and the one that I like the least on the album a 7/10 only, the saxophone halfway through refers more to EARTH WIND & FIRE than to SUPERTRAMP (soft and very brassy). I clearly preferred the second part of "Empty Traces" all in emotional restraint, well-placed and not invasive choirs, and a magnificent guitar solo which starts at 2:01, a real and beautiful progressive canvas (9/10).

There is only one left, the eponymous piece "The Passing" which evokes the five stages of mourning and which displays thirty-two minutes on the hourglass, starting with an orgy of strings that we will find a little later in the piece and which offers an instrumental part of more than six minutes in the opening no less, the solo of six strings of the fourteenth minute (Gabriel CYR) is particularly brilliant. An ode to the progressive music that we cherish so much, listening is the only thing to do, a real auditory pleasure, obviously a (10/10) perfectly justified, even metalheads will be happy with the part starting at 25:50 which climbs high in the towers before the delicate pianistic return of the terminal phase.

The only criticism I would make of Jacob ROBERGE, all the tracks are more or less similar, a downside that remains minor in view of the overall quality of the work.

This album would be largely responsible for Genesis' eventual break-out in the United States, "Foxtrot" is widely considered one of the undeniable classic of Genesis' discography and of the many prog albums issued in the 1970's. The album as a whole would be a breakthrough album and is incredibly more consistent than such earlier efforts like "From Genesis To Revelation". While the album, or many of Genesis' early albums, is not incredibly singles focused it was still a substantial hit in the U.K. Much of this respect is due to the epic 23 minute opus closing track "Supper's Ready".

"Supper's Ready" bounces seamlessly from time signature to time signature without loosing any of its footing. The opening track, and main single, "Watcher Of The Skies" is very reminiscent of what David Bowie was releasing at the time. "Watcher Of The Skies" is theatrically dark with Tony Banks' opening Mellotron chords and Steve Hackett's chugging guitar work. "Foxtrot's" lyrical conceits are also more colorful, creative and thought provoking than previously seen on a Genesis album, "Get Em" Out By Friday" being one of these due to it's lyrics of urban overspill.

"Foxtrot" is a definite must have for any avid Genesis fans or really anyone for that matter. Please buy this album. It's worth it its one of their essential classics in their catalog.

"Quiet Sun" were a british progressive rock band that belongs to what became known as the Canterbury Scene. It was originally formed around the Dulwich College in 1970 as a four piece, featuring Phil Manzaneraleading the project , Bill MacCormick, Charles Hayward, and Dave Jarrett. The band's name came from an article on sunspots and solar flares that MacCormick's brother, Ian, had been reading, called "The Year Of The Quiet Sun". In 1971, Manzanera left to join Roxy Music, MacCormick joined Matching Mole, Jarrett went into teaching, and Hayward joined to Gong. Three years later, Manzanera was riding high on Roxy Music and decided to reform Quiet Sun while spending the latter part of 1974 working on a solo album to be known as "Diamond Head". Manzanera booked 12 hour studio days, recording his solo album for eight and Quiet Sun for four, resulting in "Mainstream". The group mostly re-recorded the songs they had rehearsed back in 1970, though several songs from that time instead found their way onto "Diamond Head", including "Frontera". Both albums are the basis of much of the "801" live shows, which featured Manzanera and MacCormick.

So, coordinating those sessions meant long nights, excellent brew, and cross-collaboration with both Roxy Music's alumni as well as reconvening the old band to reinvent song arrangements and create something fresh. "Mainstream" shows the quartet as anything but a conventional rock act, struggling to establish a unique identity but in the best possible fashion. This album is clearly the other side of the musical coin with distinct variations on "Diamond Head".

Bearing sonic similarities with "Diamond Head", how could it not if using many of the same musicians, engineers and studio, "Mainstream" is a far more unusual affair. Informed by the progressive jazz predilections of its band's members, yet rooted in the distinctive textural playing of Manzanera, the album sounds like little else of its era. The songs and understated nature of the project made the recording almost a tribute to the previous incarnation of the band with hints of the "801 Live" to be. Largely dispensing both with vocals and prog song convention, the songs on "Mainstream" aim for the challenging end of the pool, and nearly always hit their mark. At times the songs feel improvised and in others move in multiple directions at once. They're carefully thought out pieces. Manzanera's guitar shrieks and screams while the band engages in some tricky, jazzy playing underneath. Like modern jazz, each player's part is inventive and worth individual attention. Like prog, there's power and fury in much of the playing. Yet, like rock, it well rocks, undoubtedly.

About the tracks, probably the best piece on the album is still "Mummy Was An Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non- Stick Kitchen Utensil" due to the work of both, keyboardist Dave Jarrett and Manzanera's playing. It's nowhere near as wacky as its title might suggest. Instead it's a guitar shrunk feast with glittering Caravan's styled keyboard runs. All delivered in an aggressive "Starless And Bible Black" era King Crimson's style. Demos of the band's early works which were sent to various record labels of the day are included, as well as the rejection slips, which further reveal Jarrett as the Mike Ratledge acolyte he truly was. Pieces such as "Years Of The Quiet Sun", an original demo, and "R.F.D." show the organist and the entire band in fact playing in the wonderfully twisted Soft Machine improve style as signposts for them to finding their feet. Also it's especially quite cool to hear Manzanera's soaring leads on those tracks. The highlight of "Trot" is a lovely piano solo from Jarrett. "RongWrong" has always been an oddity among oddities. It bears almost no similarity to a same named track from "801 Live" album. That latter version has straightforward vocals, courtesy of Brian Eno, but the one on "Mainstream" is, like everything else on this difficult but yet wonderful prog rock album, primarily instrumental. Here, when the vocals do appear, they're quite different, both in content and delivery. They're every bit as off-kilter as the rest of the sounds that coming out of "Mainstream". Anyway, all tracks sound nice to me.

Albums like "Mainstream" and many other British jazz-rock groups provided a stepping stone into jazz proper. They also got me listening to many American prog jazz/rock artists like Return to Forever, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. "Mainstream" is thankfully no longer "a lost gem", as many others, as many still refer to it, and Quiet Sun was a missed opportunity for the music industry at the time, and by 1972 they were no more. Thanks to Phil Manzanera's fame with Roxy Music, we have this fitting tribute to a highly talented bunch of musicians, and I for one will keep on going back to play it many times as I want. "Mainstream" is more than 40 years old, but "Mainstream" is still an enjoyable album to listen to. So, I recommend this album at all prog rock fans. "Mainstream" is a great album.

1. Solar Musick Suite in 4 parts starting with a slightly psychedelic rock pop from the 60s, well that was the period; a variation that is searching for a while, between blues and pop love song before the passage of the second at 3 minutes; heavy riff suddenly, the crimsonian sax raising the sauce even more, the vocals remind me of JUDAS PRIEST at their start, in the same period; marshmallow air love song that maintains itself; the drift to Canterbury is done without a hitch, as CARAVAN knew so well how to do, an extension of the original sound with its progressive framework; the 3rd beat wants to be hard for... the time, the guitar seems to possess, remaining in the rock territory, but a wild rock with an apoplectic rise. The finale with a return to the verse, look at the first BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, soft, languorous with Dave's keyboards, increasing the new-age side before its time; standard piece made with Steve letting his notes twirl.

2. Fish with the aqueous intro, obvious; flute and rock-jazzy approach with the sax of KING CRIMSON expressive, shrill, avant-garde, used today for the cinematic interlude before its time 3. Meditation of the Snake starts with the reverberant side, psychedelic much more than Canterburyen; the guitar talks and will get lost on a cozy shore.

4. The Salmon Song in 4 parts too, a tenacious rock atmosphere from the start; it calms down quite quickly by starting on a rock drift to LOU REED, stamped with the guitars that talk to each other; Pierre's drums become frenetic, GONG, Mike OLDFIELD will be his future groups. Miquette comes to give voice to the finale which gets carried away, going into possession mode.

5. Aftaglid and the last piece with a soaring atmosphere that goes to HAWKWIND for the air, the rest is done with Steve who bellows, shears, slices with his guitar; the soaring psyche is doubled by a trans air before its time; the drawers do not see themselves passed, except for the one with the acoustic arpeggio hitting our ears for the softness suffered; a psyche-oriental break for the smoking guitar in the distance which like the Pytie comes to preach to the depths of the Heavens. Halfway through and the tone becomes solemn, flirting precisely with the atmospheres of the great PINK FLOYD in their psychedelic period; this is too much for Steve who takes the course again by letting his notes decline along the bass held by Mike while Didier switches to the sax rather than the oriental flute on this mantranic passage. The guitar spurts, a stronger rhythm and we would move on to hard, like what everything is a question of vibration, creation and listening. The finale with the repetitive chorus to continue to dance blissfully on this languorous air; a small finale that amplifies, Steve adds a small solo, one more to bewitch. Minimalist outro reverberating once again, piece that moves away radically from Canterbury to approach space rock.

This is great!

Have to admit that I was positively surprised when I knew about this release, because I did not follow Deep Limbic System footsteps after the release of their wonderful extended version of 'The Embryo' back in 2016, in fact, I thought they had vanished. But fortunately, the news came to me thanks to the same Sergio Sunga (vocals and guitar), who kindly let me know about this record and invited me to listen to it.

My excitement was confirmed when I first listened to this new baby entitled 'Katharsi', released in December 2024; one of my first thoughts was "oh, it was worth the wait", and I still think it. This five-piece band that comes from the north of Mexico has delivered a mature, gentle, well-though proggy album that could be liked by any prog rock lover due to its exquisite blend of sounds and influences that can be appreciated in an eight-track journey that lasts 55 minutes.

The eclecticism is shown since the very beginning. It kicks-off with the introductory 'Days', a short dreamy song which has a very gentle sound that all of a sudden vanishes and open the gates for the entrance of 'Regression', whose first moments are atmospheric with a Floyd-like guitar, then it changes and becomes a bit heavier, faster, in the vein of neo prog thanks to that emphatic use of keyboards. After two minutes it slows down again, the bass lines are soft but noticeable at background, the atmospheres, the guitar, the vocals are emotional and at minute four they explode, creating an amazing solid, strong, emotive sound. Reminding me of a lot of acts such as Riverside, Lebowski, Amarok, to name a few. Deep Limbic System are great on changes, that's not an easy task.

'Herd' opens with an arpeggio, seconds later an emotional guitar solo changes the mood and a new rhythm is being built-up. The sound here is quite gentle, easy to dig and enjoy, I would say this might even be pop-prog, which is nothing peyorative or wrong, actually it speaks good about how open they are to explore their music boundaries. From Satellite to Anathema, from Cast to Porcupine Tree, go figure.

One of the highlights comes definitively with 'The Chaotic Frenzy of the Mind', a creative 8-minute gem that starts acoustically with guitar and piano, and becomes heavier, metal-like after the first minute, creating a mighty atmosphere where you may shake your head for a while. They share a great instrumental passage very in the vein of Steven Wilson's solo efforts, and then the vocal enters in a soft, charming way. When you think it will keep calm, suddenly the volume and intensity increases, implementing keyboard power and some Latin percussion that of course, add new nuances to an already richness of sounds. Through the eight minutes the band dared to make considerable changes, but all of them wonderfully flow, none of them seem to be forced, which speaks quite positive about their maturity as composers and, of course, performers. Shoutout to Carlos Barcenas and the amazing endless atmospheres he creates with keyboards. The cherry in the pie comes with the extraordinary, emotional guitar solo made by Leonel Huerta in the final minute. An amazing track, to be honest.

I am not sure if it was intended, I think it was, but the introduction of 'Descendants' is very Mexican, haha, I immediately thought about our folk roots. Seconds later a new structure begins, that soft and kind but melancholic sound begins, reminding me again of Riverside, though I believe Sergio Sunga's voice has a tone similar to Mariusz Duda's. The emotional side of prog is a consistent in Deep Limbic System's sound, and we can confirm it with this track.

'Oblation' is another soft but very good track in which they deliver a charm that is easy to embrace in spite of the dark lyrics, the mourn, the nostalgy, or the pain that the lyrics might suggest. A bit of Opeth is taken here, and in moments I remembered another Mexican band named Enso, who have released some singles and I think will release an EP in this 2025. The main surprise of this track comes at 3:30 when a saxophone by guest musician Juani Varela appears and wonderfully adds a brand new mood and atmosphere, enriching the experience.

The epic comes next with 'Umbral', colorful keyboard textures, then drums, bass lines and guitar, creating a vibe that reminds me once again to Lebowski, and when vocals enter, to Riverside, both Polish bands, by the way; and while the minutes pass and the emotions flow, I perceive some Gazpacho on it. Important to say that I mention those bands only as references, DLS musical palette is quite colorful, which is easy for us, the listeners, to find resemblances from music we've previously heard. It is a great prog rock journey full of excellent musicianship, mood and time changes and, of course, emotions. The balance of lyrics and instrumental passages is also worth mentioning here. The ending is amazing, heartfelt guitar solo, then heavy unison sound, very emotional.

The album finishes with 'Ωmega' whose first moments are nostalgic, ballad-like, where piano, bass and guitar appear softly, reminding me a bit of Pink Floyd's 'The Division Bell'; after a minute, acoustic guitar and Sunga's voice appear along with the always great keyboard textures; a brief change, a guitar solo, an increase of intensity, a display of emotions. There's also a nice change of rhythm and time signature marked by José Armengol's drumming that lasts for a minute, until it vanishes and another soft and pastoral instrumental passage begins and takes over for a couple of minutes, then the neo-prog sound returns for a little bit, then they make like a pause and the explosion comes at minute 7 with the amazing keyboard playing. As you can imagine, the last minutes are very emotional, very human, because Deep Limbic System's music can hit us anytime. Here the sax returns and as in its previous participation, it adds a delicious colorful taste. The album finishes with a soft acoustic guitar episode.

Congratulations to these talented guys, I hope they keep creating music and I also hope I can see them in concert sometime soon.

Enjoy it!

'The Last Will and Testament' is in many ways a look back for Opeth - the growling vocals are re-introduced in the music by band leader Mikael Åkerfeldt and the album is a concept record that follows the reading of the protagonist's last will and testament, with multiple family members in attendance of this reading, revealing long-kept and previously unknown secrets and of their family history. This is a very fascinating concept that gives way to some dramatic, dense and epic music, which is exactly what this album is all about. And while 'The Last Will?' might not be sonically invigorating but a safer embrace of what had made Opeth special in the first place, it is a brilliantly conceived and well-executed amalgamation of their more recent experiments with progressive rock and their old-school harshness and extremity, and what a better occasion to say that the listener shall be able to unpack elements from most of the band's preceding albums, like 'Sorceress', 'Pale Communion', 'Watershed', and even 'Ghost Reveries'.

The conceptual side is noteworthy here as well as the impressive performance of debuting drummer Waltteri Väyrynen and the great contributions from Jethro Tull's very own Ian Anderson. Divided in paragraphs, '§1' of the album offers a heavy prog onslaught and introduces what could be seen as a main theme here, followed by the gorgeous main riff of '§2', a more melodic entry with some spoken word from Anderson. '§3' is an interesting synthesis between 'Sorceress' and 'Watershed', while the next track keep the refined flow of the album, introducing the next big "theme", a jazzier interplay between the flute and the lead guitar, an excellent moment. '§5' is dense and precise in execution, another piece of the puzzle, which alongside the epic and mysterious '§6' (replete with flashy soloing) harkens back to the density of 'In cauda venenum'. The closing paragraph seven is technical, ominous and vivid, on display is the intuitive heavy writing of Åkerfeldt, while the closing track is a moody, mellow conclusion disclosing the aftermath of the concept's story. This is an excellently crafted conceptual work that celebrates past glories instead of attempting to bring Opeth one square ahead, still a delightful entry in an otherwise magnificent discography.