Nostradamus/BreathingSpace/Nemezis/Moonrise+more!

 

I just ran into this topic because I was looking for one about this band Kramer. I have this disk for quite some time now and I agree with Erics review, if you like the style this is really enjoyable stuff. I think Kramer should be on PA definitely. But my doubts are in between Symphonic prog and Neo although there is some truth in waht Fandango is saying. But this is prog one way or another for sure.

In other terms: many progheads are glad with my recommendations about new and interesting progrock bands but most are overlooked for PA additions by the team members. Today I read in a team thread that one team member couldn't find info about Canvas on PA while I have published reviews about Canvas since 1,5 year in several threads on PA, incredible! That's why I have recently posted all these bands from the My Lesser Known And Unknown New Progrock Bands thread in the Suggested Bands thread, in order to awake the teams. The result: now we can expect additions of Hobson's Choice, Nostradamus, Nemezis, Moonrise, Breathing Space, all bands that were already known and acclaimed by the regular visitors of My Lesser Known And Unknown New Progrock Bands thread but sadly overlooked by most of the team members, keep that in mind instead of starting another invalid or ridiculous accusation on me.

 

You should use the time you spend on that for reading My Lesser Known And Unknown New Progrock Bands thread in order to keep informed for possible PA additions

 

 

 

       A while ago I wrote about Canvas but it was sadly overlooked, hopefully this time more attention:

 

 

- This band is from the USA, in 2000 Canvas released their first album entitled The Rhythm And The Rhyme (a promo-CD), two years later followed by their second effort Avenues. Then there was silence until this year (2007) when Digital Pigeon came out, the brandnew Canvas album. So how about those five years between their second and third CD, did Canvas use their time?

Well, I was very pleasantly surprised about the huge variety and tasteful arrangements, this band can write compositions and make good music! Canvas hosts many musicians (you can read the names on the inside of the booklet on every track), the main members are drummer John Swope, bas player Matt Schweitzer, keyboardist/trumpet player Chris Cobel, multi-instrumentalist Tom Mattem en singer Greg Lounsberry. Tow of the fourteen tracks are insturmentals: the swinging Spider featuring trumpet and sensitive electric guitar and the exciting On Second Though with sparkling piano, swinging bass, fiery guitar and powerful trumpet. Remarkable are two songs that are written by known musicians: the late Jaco Pastorius write Teen Town (a blend of jazzrock and experimental with strong bass runs) and the Crichton brothers from Saga composed Catwalk (swirling flute and fiery and propulsive guitar work in teh vein of ... Saga). The other tracks are a pleasant blend of varied styles and atmospheres: dreamy with howling guitar in Ghost Town, swinging with piano, trumpet and fiery guitar in Armchair Voyager, acoustic guitar with warm vocals and a surprising synthesizer solo in A Reptile Dysfuntion, acoustic rhythm guitar and violin in the folky Lost In Transit and sensational keyboard play in the final song Move The Earth. And the melodic opener The Dark Side Of The Sun is very similar to early Camel because of the pleasant vocals, organ waves, moving guitar and warm climate. During my listening sessions I noticed the many strong points in Canvas their music: a high musical level of the musicians, four good singers, the sound of woodwind instruments deliver an extra dimension (like in Dutch band Alquin) en the work on guitar and keyboards is very varied and worked out very well. If you are up to varied prog, this is an album to check out!

 

Discography:

- The Rhythm And The Rhyme (promo) (2000)

- Avenues (2002)

- Digital Pigeon (2007)

 

Website: www.canvasproductions.net

 

                                                               

 

 

 

                            E-Dub PMed me back, he will investigate the suggested new Polish

                            neo-progrock bands Nemezis and Moonrise, that's good news

 

 

 

                               

                            I just checked my Lesser Known And Unknown New Progrock Bands

 

 

- This is a new French band who mentions in the booklet fellow Dutchman Arjen Lucassen as a very supportive and inspirational person, Eye To Eye has even covered the Ayreon track Back On Planet Earth.

Their sound is wonderful and alternating although I had to get used to the vocals. The strong guitarplay has echoes from David Gilmour and Stee Rothery because of the emotional overtones and flowing sound. The keyboard work changes from dreamy with sensitive piano to powerful organ waves and spectacular synthesizer flights. The two long compositions (both more than 15 minutes) are the highlights on this CD, first Love And Pain (very dynamic with howling guitar and tasteful and varied keyboards) and the alternating One Day (a strong contribution on violin and great guitar work delivering howling and biting runs).

Eye To Eye is a new and promising band with a good taste for atmosphere and dynamics, worth to discover for progheads who wants to explore the boundaries between symphonic – and heavy progressive.

 

Info: http://www.mindawn.com/albums/2540?PHPSESSID=bf03a 

 

MOTIS – L’Homme-Loup

- This is the unique French progrock band Motis their seventh album. The 11 compositions sound like a blend of folk/medieval music and early Ange with strong, typically theatrical French vocals (like Ange, Mona Lisa and Versailles). Motis uses a wide range of instruments, both acoustic (guitar, violin, flute) as vintage keyboards. This results in very interesting combinations like violin-Mellotronwaves and acoustic rhythm-guitar in P'tit Louis, trumpet and Hammond organ in Les Normands and runs on the acoustic guitar, accompanied by violin-Mellotron and the sound of the psychedelic organ like early Ange as in the captivating titletrack.

This is not really mainstream music but if you have an adventurous mind and you like folk, this is prog to discover!

 

Info: http://www.motisonline.com/

 

SOLARIS FUSION – Mystica

- This Hungarian five piece band is a musical project by the Solaris rhythm-section. Their debut CD entitled Mystica contains two tracks.

 

1. Mystica (4.11) : After a dreamy the moods shift from compelling to a bit sultry featuring bombastic keyboard orchestrations, sparkling flute, a powerful rhythm-section and propulsive guitar riffs.

 

2. Secret At Mahagma (5.19) :  This song starts mellow with twanging guitar, flute and soaring keyboards, followed by a slow rhythm that gradually changes into more dynamic with lush keyboards. Then a slight accellaration with a tight beat and propulsive guitar riffs, culminating into a bombastic final part delivering fiery and howling electric guitar runs. Remarkable is the omnipresent flute work.

No doubt, this is a very short album but also a very promising one, an adventurous sound that tastes to more!

 

Info: http://nostradamus-zenekar.hu/Gallery/Planetarium/MolnarGabor/slides/Solaris%2012.html

 

VLAD V

- Here’s a Brasilian quartet that was founded in ’86, the name is derived from a hero in the Roman history. The band is Jean Carlo (vocals, flute, guitar, violin, banjo and harmonica), Beto Luciani (guitar and violin), Claudio Reif (bass), Jairson Dorigatti (keyboards and accordeon) and Flavio Theilacher (keyboards and percussion). It lasted until the early Nineties to make a serie of records: “Vlad V” (’94), Espada E O Dragao (’96), O Quinto Sol (’99) and Volume IV (2003). The most obvious influences are JETHRO TULL and FOCUS (swirling fluteplay) but in general their sound is quite unique with passionate Portuguese vocals.

The third album O Quinto Sol is a pleasant blend of several styles (folk, blues, rock, prog) with the use of many instruments (violin, flute, acoustic – and electric guitars, bandolin, mouth-organ). The compositions are melodic and alternating, from dreamy with folky instruments till up-tempo with heavy guitarwork.

The fourth album Volume IV is in the vein of the third but has more hints from JETHRO TULL (even some covers). Most of the compositions sound pleasant with many shifting moods (even an Eastern climate) but some heavier tracks lack fresh ideas, a bit too much from the same. Nonetheless this is a promising progrock band.

 

Info: http://www.vladv.com.br/

 

WHITE CHAPEL – Le Masque D’Arlequin

- The sound from this French five piece on their debut CD entitled Le Masque D’Arlequin reminds me of the ‘Vikings’ of Europe: fluent rhythms featuring propulsive guitar riffs, a heavy rhythm-section and symptuous keyboard layers with lots of room for biting guitar runs and flashy synthesizer flights. But White Chapel has a less polished and more adventurous approach than Europe. The vocals are in French, I am not surprised that in the booklet he mentions Christian Dechamps, singer of the legendary French progrock band Ange. Between the mainly fluent, heavy and bombastic inspired tracks, we can also trace some mellow songs like the dreamy Elixer and the compelling Sarajevo (from the former Yugoslavia), you can feel the emotion about the sad history in the howling runs!

Although White Chapel sounds quite heavy, I won’t describe it as a progmetal band, to me it sounds more as a blend of ‘Gothic’, prog and hardrock/heavy metal, very tasteful and exciting.

 

Info: http://whitechapel.wifeo.com/e-presse-et-articles.php

 

                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the understanding Fandango and good luck with your 'up a gum tree' recommendations

 

Thanks for your post Atavachron, the first time I listened to Nostradamus, to me it sounded like a kind of Prog Metal version of Solaris  ...

 

I have the idea that Mass Media is a prey for jazzrock aficionado Dick Heath (I have already mentioned it a few times to him, I think he is too busy ) and Moonrise and Nemezis are perfect additions to be handled by our neo-prog expert E-Dub (I will PM Dick and Eric about this).

 

 

erik: I am beginning to understand your frustration...

 

I have been asked by Angelo to help out by offering a few suggestions as to where we could possibly locate new bands/ unsigned bands, so I was just getting the ball rolling on a few.  Not that I'm any kind of expert you understand, and most of my recommendations are probably 'up a gum tree'...