BEYOND FRONTIERS

Progstravaganza is a series of samplers that saw the light of day in 2010, at the instigation of enthusiastic founder of Prog Sphere website, Nikola Savic. The aim was to get the word out about new artists, be they self-produced or signed on a label, that lack exposure on the progressive scene.

After 20 samplers proposed in digital version, the talent digger decided to give his samplers a physical format. 'Beyond the frontiers' is the first of a series of samplers that will now be released as physical copies. Since this support doesn't offers the same time possibilities as digital versions, the number of artists sampled had to be reduced. The diversity in the material has also been restrained, for a specific focus on traditional progressive rock. The previous samplers proposed indeed a very wide range of musical styles, including ambient, jazz-fusion and extreme metal, besides progressive rock. The originality and the diversity of the bands' material on the new sampler allows nonetheless to realize that the current trends in progressive rock are far from being fixed and predictable.

As an example, one can senses the influence of trip-hop with Seconds Before Landing and their sensitive frailty, just like with the hybridous Fred Colombo where a Glass-like piano ensures the transition to a galloping progressive metal. The theatricality of Genesis can be witnessed in Fughu's music, who even benefit from the collaboration of the ever passionate Damian Wilson (Landmarq, Threshold) on vocal duties. As for Traffic Experiment, we navigate in cheerful pop seas yet with that 60's psychedelic vibe, where those exhilarating guitars and majestic Hammond fire on all cylinders. In a different range, Rolf Remlinger invites us to a devilish rockabilly supported by blazing guitars and keyboards. Conversely, our ears delight to a solar folk, first with Riccardo Sandri and a passion for traditional vibes, second with Celluloid Winter, in a more modern approach to the music. Progressive metal is not forgotten, as the music of Cea Serin, a band that went out of the silence after 10 years, is celebrated with its dynamic structures and a wide range of voices. One will also notice that Porcupine Tree continues to have disciples, with Machines Dream and their hazy music. Post-punk of the eighties is also feasting on the sampler, in its tribal form on one hand with The Amber Herd and their mesmerizing guitars, and gothic form on the other hand with The Moonling and their spectral guitars, together with the obviously snoring bass of Joy Division. With Overhaul, we are amazed by the diversity of the sound canvas, that ranges from symphonic pop to heavy prog and to traditional hard-rock and Chopin-like piano.

Progstravaganza is therefore the key to a very creative world, yet in need of help to surface from the vast progressive ocean. This projet is acclaimed by progressive rock lovers since its inception, and even if the number of bands sampled will be reduced with the new support, the diversity will still be there. A welcome return to ambient and extreme digressions is even planned on the forthcoming samplers. In short, this is a project to follow if you wish to be aware of the evolution of the progressive movement, and support original bands and artists. The release is planned for October 14th of 2014. The sampler can be pre-ordered at Progify.

Having listened to this release in depth, a slight edit to my review this day, 11/2/15, but I will still maintain the 4 star rating, maybe closer to 3.5 now: I've found that people either love sampler CD's, or absolutely hate them. Personally, I've always found them enjoyable and look forward to getting them in magazines or as promotional material. Progstravaganza's release is no different, I've given "Beyond Frontiers" multiple listens off their audio stream link, and with each listen, it get's better and better. Seconds Before Landing starts us off with a very solid offering, "I'm All Alone." It's haunting lyrics sent chills up my spine with the closing whispers and gunshot, very powerful. Fughu picks up where the previous track left off and then draws you in with its arpeggio like organ runs before the theater opens. I find myself listening to this story with its unique lyrical qualities that peak my interest and "Quirk of Fate" offers up a little bit of everything prog that I like. Traffic Experiment is no accident; this is a smooth poetic track of coolness called "Weight of the World." The easiness explodes at the end with its electric guitar solo giving way to a chorus of organ outro. Machines Dream "Broken Door" has that dreamy quality before giving way to the guitar also. The flute bridge ties the two halves together nicely. The Moonling literally takes you "Backstage" in the theater of life, taking over from where Fughu started earlier in the disc. "Backstage" took a couple listens with the vocal gymnastics and circus sounds, but its quirkiness is quickly becoming a favorite. There are some tempo issues in the recording that I question as being purposeful, to me more bothersome. Rolf Remlinger gives us our first instrumental track. The section after the opening is very well developed with hints of mellotron, booming bass, and gentle synth solo. "Corrosive Exponent Too" explodes in the last half with an epic battle between guitar and synthesizer. Some studio polishing could still take place as the recording sounds rushed and underdeveloped in places, although, it maintains many progressive elements that an instrumental should have, in a perfect 4 minutes! Riccardo Sandri takes us on a folksy waltz style journey in his native language with classical guitar and simple percussion, accordion and organ. Just when you think you've heard the whole song and melody over and over again (which is still playing in my head!), he rocks it out at the end and really kicks it in overdrive. Sandri's piece just suffers from being a couple minutes too long ans it repeats and repeats, a shorter version wouldn't be as tedious, get to the ending sooner. Cea Serin, "The Victim Cult," cooks from beginning to end. I may not be a fan of some of the vocal styles used, but they make it work and balance throughout the piece. This song really rocks this disc and adds a whole new layer for the listener, a lot going on here (which I'm liking more and more). Overhaul, "Three Judges," shows multiple progressive qualities in different sections tied together with some real nice solo piano work. A lot of unique rhythmic changes and textures keep the listener interested. Celluloid Winter "Feigning Insanity (Part 1)," offers up some nice acoustic guitar work and vocals. I need to hear part 2 now! "Tin Man" by Amber Herd picks up the tempo with some almost "surf" sounding guitars throughout, a straightforward fun piece from beginning to end with a little march style bridge. The only other instrumental track, Fed Colombo "Midgar" takes us on a relaxing journey adding more and more layers as we go along finally driving home a rocking beat. The fade out at the end appropriately closes the disc in perfect fashion. Overall, I look forward to getting the physical CD and spinning it in the car stereo on many trips. I like the variety, all are solid quality recordings and the artists should be recognized for their efforts. There are minor flaws, some tracks may not be to every one's taste, but as far as samplers go, I can listen to this one from beginning to end without any track skipping.