"Teachings In Silence" is a compilation album by Norwegian experimental music act Ulver. The compilation was released through Black Apple in March 2002. It´s a compilation featuring all material from the two 2001 EPs "Silence Teaches You How To Sing" (September 2001) and "Silencing The Singing" (December 2001).

Featuring only four tracks and a total playing time of 52:59 minutes, "Teachings In Silence" is a compilation which is rich in quantity. The 24:05 minutes long title track from "Silence Teaches You How To Sing" opens the compilation and it´s a fragmented ambient electronic oriented track, featuring both drone/noise sections and more melancholic atmospheric sections. The three tracks from the "Silencing The Singing" are slighly more easily accessible and predominantly consist of repetion and subtle dark and melancholic melodies, glitches, and other atmosphere enhancing features.

It´s obvious that Ulver at this point in their career experimentet wildly and dipped their toes in a lot of different genres and stylistic elements. It´s certainly bold, but not necessarily their finest hour. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Absolutely fantastic - This is the best album I have heard in years. Love the changes in chord time signatures. Distinctive new sound with very good drumming, keyboard and lead and base guitar work. For me, Black science is the best of the 2 long tracks which are predominantly instrumental, but with some vocals. I have ordered the LP as a result of hearing the music on line and am looking forward to its arrival.

The track Evolution from the Black Science side I have played so many times, compliments of you-tube, but in truth this whole side is top dollar. The White Lies side I found a bit too heavy for me, but I am sure others may prefer this side. Often I listen to new music charting in prog archives only to be disappointed and cut the listen mid track. This one was different as the Black Science track progressed I got more and more excited. Once I hit Evolution I knew this was a bands album I had to get.

Give this a listen you will not be disappointed. This album deserves to make it big, its a masterpiece. This is my album of the year without any doubt.

Today we'll follow the Yellow Brick Road and check out the debut album from the new prog band (formed in 2021) called Emerald City Council, titled "Motion Carries." Who's on the council? The band is led by saxophonist/keyboardist Brent Bristow, who is a professor of music at Arkansas State University -Beebe. The singer is Jake Livgren, the nephew of Kansas legend Kerry Livgren, who has performed on some of his uncle's solo material and in his band Proto-Kaw. On drums, we have Noah Hungate, the son of Toto's David Hungate. On bass is Jeremy Nichols and the guitarist is Seth Hankerson. Also of note is the fact that the band's website lists Brandon Goff, a music industry professor at Francis Marion University, as a special collaborator who also provided a significant amount of guitar work. This began as an experimental recording project and became a band at the suggestion of Casey MacPherson of Flying Colors, and Jake Livgren created the name of the band. The band's website lists Bristow as the sole composer and album's producer. They also say the following:

The album includes several guest appearances, including guitar solos from Paul Bielatowicz (Carl Palmer, Neal Morse), and Mike Thompson (The Sons of Kirk), plus contributions from actors Jeffery Combs (Star Trek, Re- Animator) and Steve Rankin (Star Trek, X-Files).

So pay no attention to the man behind the curtain and we see what's what on this album, released in January of 2024.

Track 1 - Realize I?Escape from the Ancient

A droning keyboard starts us off, and what sounds like sax mixed with synth plays a melody over the top. A narrator (presumably by one of the actors listed) begins to speak. At 1:35, the band kicks in with heavy guitars, bass & drums, accenting sax/synth parts. My guess, though I don't know, is that Bristow is using a saxophone style MIDI controller here. Lots of shifting meters ensure making this prog fan smile. At 3:10, there is a nice guitar arpeggio pattern playing a countermelody to the strong rhythmic parts of the rest of the band. Not to lean on the Kansas connection too much, but fans of Kansas will love this! (I am one, so I know.) Jake hasn't sung a note yet, so it's the playing that's giving me the vibes. I am LOVING this! This is essentially an instrumental, outside of the narration, which returns at the end of the track. The message is basically about overcoming your past failures to find success in the future, but said much more dramatically and poetically than that! Outstanding opener.

Track 2 - Realize II?Brutal Camouflage

This begins with an acoustic guitar strumming joined quickly by sax over the top. Livgren sings for the first time, then the full band kicks in at a moderate tempo. I like the alternating vocal and instrumental sections. The blend of synth and sax is featured, followed by a part with mainly vocals and drums. Hungate does a nice job of "turning the beat around" here. At 2:50 there is a nice vocal with a countermelody. I love how the meters keep shifting throughout. The layers of music get quite dense as the end approaches, but everything fits together nicely. The song ends with a solo a Capella line from Livgren. Wonderful track!

Track 3 - Noisy Talking

Hungate plays a sort of tribal style beat, and the band joins him in 6-4. I believe. Vocals begin shortly thereafter. I love the guitar part at 1:05! Nothing too complicated, but it works. There is a nice bass run from Nichols after that while Livgren keeps singing. At around 1:20, the vibe turns to a slightly reggae feel. Nichols is playing some nice bass lines here. Livgren's vocals are fantastic. There are some nice solos at around 3 minutes. I am enjoying this song quite a bit. I like the instrumentals as the song winds down. Another great track.

Track 4 - Mortal Game

Keys and sax begin this one at a slow tempo. I like the way the bass slides in. I believe he's using a fretless bass. This song has a slight Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes" feel to it. Jake Livgren deserves more attention as a vocal talent in his own right. Hungate provides a nice, subtle tom-tom beat for this track. The guitar comes to the forefront at around 3:45. I believe I hear a mellotron in the background. The beat gets steadier at around 4:30 and there is a nice run at 4:44. The tempo gets faster and the music heavier as we approach the 5 minute mark. We are in a meter of 7 here. They are building to a big finish. It's simply beautiful at around 5:45! A fantastic slow burn of a track. The choir-like vocals near the end are magnificent. This album is really delivering!

Track 5 - Ice Thinning

The band jumps right in with a riff in 5-4 to start this one! The Kansas vibes come back here as Brent Bristow's sax reminds me of a Robbie Steinhardt violin part (and my slow self just figured out the connections- a relative of a Kansas member and a relative of a Toto member as part of the Emerald City Council, I get it!). The intro winds down to lead into the first verse, which begins with acoustic guitar and vocals before the rest of the band comes in. An instrumental break takes over in shifting meters and a nice riff. Another verse follows. I like the vocal harmonies at 2:15. Nice chorus at 2:30. An instrumental break takes over just before 3 minutes in. At 3:05, the tempo begins to change. A brisk sax solo happens over a quick rhythm. Another instrumental break follows. Livgren returns on vocals after the 4 minute mark. There is a slower tempo coda as we approach the ending. Flute and acoustic guitar conclude the song. Excellent prog!

Track 6 - Platforms of Illusion

This is a 20+ minute epic in six sections as follows:

I. Connection

II. Best Life

III. Comments

IV. Identity

V. Revelation

VI. Best Life (Reprise)

This band is serious about making a mark on the prog scene with a 20 minute epic centerpiece on their debut. Let's see how they do! If the first 5 songs are any indication, this should be excellent.

It begins with a bit of a renaissance vibe, with flute and harpsichord. However a cool bass riff takes over, soon joined by quick hi-hat work from Hungate. A guitar melody emerges over the top of the rhythm section. The lock- into a groove by 1:15. Nice guitar work here, but I am not sure who's playing it. I love what's happening at around 3 minutes. The choir sounding keys are nice. I believe I detect a mellotron again. At just before 4 minutes, I think we are transitioning to the second section. Acoustic guitar, joined by a marching snare drum take over, before Livgren begins singing. A nice melodic chorus comes in soon after. This is wonderful, thus far. Nice change to a bridge just before 6 minutes. The harmony vocals are fantastic at before the 7 minute point. A prog-tastic riff takes over at 7:20, possibly starting part III. I love the commentary on internet comments. A change to a slower tempo happens next around the 9 minute point. By 9:50, the tempo and riffage picks back up. It gets slow and quiet by the 11 minute point. That has to be a mellotron. Then we get an electric piano to accompany the sax solo. We are now in part IV. Soprano sax at just after 13 minutes. There was a Beatle-esque moment around the 14:35 point. Not sure if Livgren is harmonizing with himself or if one or if one of the band members is harmonizing with him, but it's impeccable. At around 15:50, they start rocking as the next section starts. Excellent drum fills lead us to an odd- metered synth melody. The next verse begins just after. This part is making me head bang a little. There is a melodic bridge at around 17:30. Then we get rocking again for sax and guitar solos. Acoustic guitar and vocals take over at around 18:10, but the rock comes back soon after. Section VI hits around 18:45. At about 19:25, the music echoes the intro, but heavier. Nice guitar melody, tight rhythm section and big mellotron lead us to the big finish. They nailed it! Outstanding epic!

Track 7 - Diversion I Not sure why its Diversion "I" as there is no "II." Maybe it's a prog joke like Dream Theater did with "Metropolis Part 1." It begins with a nice intro from the rhythm section and acoustic guitar. The soprano sax takes the lead afterward. This is shaping up to be an instrumental interlude. The bridge is on tenor sax instead before the soprano returns. There is a bit of a guitar shuffle as the track fades out. Nice one.

Track 8 - No Thanks to You

We begin with a big mid-tempo intro. The first verse begins with a tight backing track behind. The chorus switches from 4-4 to 7-4. Another verse and chorus follows. There is a cool odd- meter instrumental break at around 2 minutes. A nice guitar solo follows. There is a nice crescendo coming out of the bridge at around 3:20. I love the instrumental parts at the ending, lots of meter shifts! Great prog in a four and a half minute package!

Track 9 - Realize III

Excellent melodic intro. I know I keep making Kansas comparisons, but it really reminds me of them. That is a compliment, as Kansas is a top 10 band for me! Jake Livgren is an outstanding vocalist, indeed. Bristow is a fantastic songwriter. The instrumental section that begins just before the 3 minute mark is tasty. Nice drum fill from Hungate at around 3:25. Much of this song is in 6-4, but it feels like alternating measures of 4 and 2. At about 5:30, acoustic strumming takes over for the basis of the coda section. There is a little sax tune at the end to close the song and album out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Emerald City Council is a new prog force to be reckoned with! I hope they do live shows and keep making albums, especially if they are as good as this one. Again, it's hard not to make comparisons to Kansas, as their style is definitely influenced by them (with or without the family connection). It really does remind me of Kansas with sax in place of the violin. Every member brings excellent playing to the table, and they execute Bristow's songs perfectly. The production is stellar. I highly recommend this album to any prog fan, especially those with an affinity for Kansas. It isn't quite Close to the Edge level for me, but it's damn good! 4.75 out of 5 stars.

(Clicking 5, but really 4.75)

Expansive live album, accompanying the DVD of the same name. Of course, the DVD has the advantage of the visuals, which perhaps helps the vibe in those moments when the crowd noise gets quite loud in the mix - which happens fairly frequently, enough so that it starts to bug me. The band are on impeccable form, of course, but precisely because of that this can come across as just a polished rendition of the studio versions of the song with intrusive crowd noise breaking in here and there to undermine it. Alright if you want a whole lot of Rush songs spanning their entire career (as it stood in 2002) all in one place, but not their best live effort to my ears.

CHEER ACCIDENT are one of my favourite avant bands out of the USA, and man they have been on a run of late. Formed in 1981, they are more prolific now than they have ever been in the past. They have released six albums in the last three years, and I have none of those. "Chicago XX" is my most recent acquisition from this band from 2019, and they rose to the occasion here with an absolute classic for their 20th release. And no I'm not surprised.

This is the last album of that five album run that began with 2009's "Fear Draws Misfortune" that is right in my wheelhouse when it comes to their music. And this one might be my favourite along with that 2009 album and "Fades", my top three from them. We get eight tracks worth under 38 minutes, and once again they have surprised me. This is such a catchy and melodic album, but of course there are plenty of avant moments as well. I was just surprised at hearing song after song that has a heavy groove, and are vocal led. Very uniform this recording, and it's been a while that I've had a song stuck in my head, but "Life Rings Hollow" accomplished that. More on that later.

In the press release the band states that they maybe shouldn't be rocking out so much at their advanced ages. You have to appreciate the humour of this band. Off the charts. They describe this album as "Harmony and dissonance, love and hate, oboes and drums...they all help to form this delicious and strange bed fellowship." They also mention that this might be their most gripping album vocally, and I agree, with three singers bringing the goods. Including drummer and band leader Thymme Jones, Greg Beemster who sings on but one track, and the main singer Carmen Armillas who impresses big time. Thymme plays a surprising amount of trumpet on this one, along with keyboards, of course drums, and more.

The 2 minute opener "Intimacy" features angular sounds that are almost industrial sounding, bringing about a strange combination of sounds that remind me of THE RESIDENTS and THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS. I really like the 80's vibe with those bass synths on "Diatoms" that 3 minute third track. The synths pretty much growl here. Vocals join in and then an instrumental break that is experimental. I like when that guitar line kicks in around 2 minutes. My favourite track is "Life Rings Hollow". It was recorded in a different location that the rest of the songs and features a singer and musician who are only on this tune. That musician playing mellotron of all things. This song has been in my head on and off all last week. "So I took a little ride on the side of I won't be there". Love this one including the bass and mellotron.

"I Don't Believe" is the longest piece at over 7 1/2 minutes and is a top three with the previous track. It's not exactly ear friendly to start, but 1 1/2 minutes in to the end is all gravy. "Plea Bargain" and the earlier song "Diatoms" are in a tie for that third spot when it comes to favourite songs on here. I wish the next track "Things" was the closer, it would have been perfect. I put such a high emphasis on the opening and closing tracks and the closer here "Slowly For Awhile" just doesn't do it or me. A skippable finale unfortunately. It's slower than the rest and the vocals are annoying.

What an album though! So glad I picked this up this year, and how about that art work! Bringing CHICAGO's most famous band to mind with the script being in that same style as CHICAGO used to use. I really like what CHEER ACCIDENT created here. What a band!

Though "Kuu.." does not seem to be regarded as the pinnacle album for KAUAN - that honor tends to be bestowed upon its predecessor - this is definitely their most mature effort to that point. The symmetry of the 4 long tracks establishes an effective template for contemplative and evocative post rock that doesn't get all predictably cacophonous at the end, and is a fair bit more musical than their idols TENHI.

Each piece boasts well honed vocals minimally but invitingly, real drums, and always expressive piano and synths, "Tähtien hiljainen laulu" is elevated by guest Alina Roberts' voice as instrument. "Ikuinen junan kulku" is the closest they had come to a masterpiece by 2011, simply sumptuous, but ask me again tomorrow. The finale is almost as grand, with more singing than usual, even fashioning pleasantly melancholic lead guitar breaks, and finishing with a measured homage to their doom metal origins.

If you didn't guess already, I find this indescribably lovely, but am going to round down until I have spent enough time trying to figure out what's wrong. Wish me luck!

In continuum is a musical project founded and headed by Dave Kerzner, a prominent contemporary musician in the world of prog, most famous for the one-off project Sound of Contact, and while the latter was mostly centered around a crossover sound that approached both progressive rock and pop, In Continuum has a rather spacey, sci-fi edge to it, meaning that the music also gets a bit psychedelic at times, yet once again developing around the idea of a modern crossover prog sound, one that takes into account various influences and attempts to present itself as a polished, soundscape-y mixture of classic prog writing with modern production. Furthermore, the band's 2019 debut album titled 'Acceleration Theory, Part One - AlienA' features an impressive array of collaborators and guests, including Marco Minnemann, Randy McStine, Steve Hackett, Steve Rothery, Nick D'Virgilio, among others.

The music on 'Acceleration Theory, Part One' is as mentioned before, a fine amalgamation of progressive rock writing with pop and psychedelic sensibilities, sometimes reminiscent of the music of Rick Miller, for example. Rather melodic, often very mellow and even melancholic, the sci-fi themes of the record are a generally good fit for an album that is not really indulgent yet still sufficiently eclectic. At times, however, it feels like this is one of these stereotypical modern prog albums that get too predictable and monotonous, perhaps given the strong influence of Pink Floyd, I imagine, or the reliance on moody synth passages and washed-out melodies. On a more positive endnote, this album does have several really good moments, like the instrumental opening, a very fine tune that sets a nice tone, followed by 'Crash Landing' - an evocative and energetic piece. Other great moments include the more dynamic tracks 'Two Moons Setting With the Sun' and 'Scavengers', both of which are perfect examples of the songwriting strengths of Kerzner. The 11-minute epic 'Hands of Time' is another great highlight of the album, which is generally really good but with several derivative episodes.

'Morningrise' is the second studio album by progressive death metal legends Opeth, released in 1996 on Candlelight. Composed of just five lengthy tracks, all of which surpass the ten-minute mark, this is practically an overlong blackened death metal album with a bunch of acoustic passages, as the whole album generally relies on the counterbalance between these mellow, melancholic passages, and the heavy, fast-paced death metal riffing with growling vocals. Much in line with the rest of the Swedish band's early work, this release is very rough and with a slightly muddy production. Heaps of ideas are thrown into these overlong compositions, similar to much of death metal from that decade, most of which never really lead to anything too exciting or innovative.

And while this album can be seen as an improvement over 'Orchid', it is still a mostly bleak (and occasionally blunt) death metal album, with the production values of a typical record of the genre. Mikael's vocals do stand out together with some occasional fine riffs, just like the anticipation of what would become 'Demon of the Fall' (on the following album) at the end of 'Nectar', but most of the compositions on 'Morningrise' are directionless, a far cry from the excellent songwriting displayed on future releases of Opeth. The length of the album is hardly justifiable with its contents and substance; there are decent moments here and there, but at the end of the day, these songs are mostly full of unrelated ideas and lack the exciting movement of a progressive album. Perhaps a highlight of the album is the 20-minute epic 'Black Rose Immortal', a track containing fine heavy moments, and generally favorable transitions between the sections. Yet 'Morningrise' remains a laborious and mostly unsatisfying listen.

"Silencing The Singing" is an EP release by Norwegian experimental music act Ulver. The EP was released through Jester Records in December 2001. It´s a sibling release to the September 2001 "Silence Teaches You How To Sing" EP, and along with the material found on the sibling release, most of the material featured on "Silencing The Singing" was recorded during the recording sessions for "Perdition City: Music To An Interior Film" (Ulver´s fifth full-length studio album), which was released in March 2000.

The EP features 3 tracks and a total playing time of 28:55 minutes. Stylistically this is electronic ambient music, featuring a lot of repetition and slow building songwriting. Not much happens during the playing time, but it´s a relatively pleasant ambient release, with some subtle melodies to maintain the listeners attention under the layers of glitches and dark ambient elements of the music. "Silencing The Singing" is well produced too and if you enjoyed the dark ambient nature of "Perdition City: Music To An Interior Film", you may appreciate this release too, although it´s a bit more minimalistic. A 2.5 (50%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

There's a phenomenon where the Grammys award an artist for a current release when in fact they're being awarded for previous musical efforts. That feels to me like what happened with Dream Theater's 2021 album A View from the Top of the World. And if that's the idea, then I'm all for it. If one views the Grammys as the highest authority on Western popular music (ignoring that time they gave Best Metal Album to Jethro Tull over Metallica, but I digress), then certainly one of the most musically talented, creative, and boundary-pushing bands of my generation is long overdue for an award.

But judging the album alone... I'm sorry, I can't get there. It's what Dream Theater sounds like to people who hate Dream Theater.

Growing up I always heard that Dream Theater was boring, pointless technical wankery bereft of melody or structure--and I couldn't disagree more. Petrucci had a flair for solo lines that were technically impressive and memorable (Another Day, Voices, Surrounded), as well as the Yes-inspired prog metal that came to define their sound. And they used time signatures in the same way Soundgarden would a few years later on Superunknown-- not to be musically pretentious, but to make the flow of the song less plodding (see: Wait for Sleep).

I'm personally not a huge fan of Rudess, whose arrival seemed to trigger an arms race with Petrucci over who could cram more notes into a solo. Still, Dream Theater had some memorable songs and solid albums during this time-- even if they now heavily relied on influences like Muse, Rush, and Koji Kondo to get there. (Go back and listen to Panic Attack and tell me that Petrucci hadn't just marathoned Super Metroid before writing it.)

But on this album, the Rudess-Petrucci arms race crowds out every other musical idea. Myung is barely audible. Mangini continues to bring the slick professionalism that the band clearly aspires to, but the album is so overproduced as to feel like absolutely nothing. And the dissonant chords and time signature shifts now serve no musical purpose except to remind you, the listener, that Dream Theater are better musicians than you.

Sadder still is James LaBrie's diminished presence. You really start to notice what he once brought to the table that he can't anymore. LaBrie often gets a bad rap for not being as much of a virtuoso as everyone else in the band, but I would argue he's a different kind of virtuoso--one with a real knack for writing vocal melodies and giving exactly the kind of delivery each song calls for (in studio, at least--live is often a different story). I'm not a huge fan of The Astonishing, since DT don't even try to pretend they aren't rotely copying 2112 and Mindcrime anymore, but it really shows you what LaBrie can do even after the wear and tear of age, fatigue, and food poisoning.

But on this album you can barely hear him over the wall of sound that is the rest of the album, and he can't bring the same dynamism to his vocal melodies that he once did. This of course isn't his fault--no one feels the march of time more than the lead singer--but the music suffers nonetheless.

And yes, he wrote their Grammy-winning opener--but to be honest, I have similar trouble recognizing it on its own merits. The lyrics (when you can hear them under all that processing and bombast) often feel clunky and unnatural, like they were written by the Scorpions or Helloween--and at least they have the excuse of being German.

I have trouble even calling this album "progressive." Complex, certainly. Neoclassical, probably. And it's more metal than some of their earlier offerings. But how many times can you rip yourself and others off before the term "progressive" becomes an oxymoron?