Classic Dutch Prog & Neo Prog

AHORA MAZDA      Not a racy Japanese sports car, but the highest deity in Zoroastrianism (not a word you see every day) and also the name of an avant-garde Psychedelic Rock band from Holland who breeze through the windmills of your mind. 

JAN AKKERMAN      The primary Focus of Dutch Symphonic Prog in the band he formed with Thijs Van Leer in Amsterdam way back in 1969, Jan Akkerman was once voted the Best Guitarist in the World by Melody Maker magazine, and that's no Hocus Pocus. Yodeli, Yodeli, Ee, Aye, Oh.  

ARGUS      No surprise that Dutch Neo Prog band Argus are fans of Wishbone Ash, although the two albums in the Argus catalogue sound nothing at all like their favourite band. What is surprising though is that Argus employs the use of a Theremin, which you may not have heard since last watching a spooky sci-fi movie from the classic late 1950's/early 1960's era. 

   1979: Avalanche - Perseverance Kills Our Game - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fATRJo7E9c

  1975: Bonfire - Bonfire Goes Bananas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNPYDj87VUU

  1969: Brainbox - Brainbox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnJV7-qU7Lw

  2011: Brainbox - The 3rd Flood - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghwsq2oj1Qk

BRAINBOX      A Dutch Proto-Prog band featuring a pre-Focus Jan Akkerman on Brainbox's self-titled debut, so it doesn't take a Brainbox to know this is an essential album for Focus fans. 

CHRISTIAAN BRUIN       If Peter Banks is the Architect of British Prog, then Chis Bruin is surely one of the prime architects of Dutch Prog (alongside Arjen Anthony Lucassen), having composed such epic productions as The Black Codex quadrilogy (divided into 52 episodes and apparently inspired by Harry Potter) and his monumental Inventions trilogy, not to mention being involved with several Dutch bands, including the orchestral pop Mayra Orchestra, Progressive Metal band Adeia, Neo Prog band Nine Stones Close, and whilst still somehow finding the time to play drums with Sky Architect too! Whereas there may have been no beginning to Jeffrey Archer's talent (at least according to Clive Anderson),  there really is no end to Chris Bruin's talent. And the best place to start with his extensive discography? Well, why not take A Glimpse Inside Chris Bruin's superb debut album. You won't be disappointed. 

CARGO        Clear the decks and get ready to take delivery of a Cargo-load of Heavy Prog all the way from Amsterdam. 

CIRKEL      Taking Neo Prog to new levels of obscurity comes Dutch band Cirkel, where The First Goodbye also turned out to be their last. Cirkel have been described as a poor man's Moody Blues, where it's not so much Nights in White Satin, but more a case of Nights in Plain White Linen, for those on a tight budget. 

CODA      !!WOW!! Just Wow! What a Symphony! I'm blown away by the lush symphonic soundscapes of Coda, a majestic Dutch Symphonic Prog band led by multi-instrumentalist Eric DeVroomen. This is the kind of passionate prog that YES and Genesis could only dream of doing in the 1980's & 90's. Va Va Vroomen!