Reviews (all) - Progarchives.com

ALBATROS Pentadelia (Heavy Prog, 2008)

Sun, 17 May 2026 10:43:59 EST

Review by siLLy puPPy — Like many up and starting bands the Spanish act ALBATROS which got its start in the year 2000 had a
hard time finding the perfect stable lineup when it formed in the city of Igualada near the
Catalonian city of Barcelona. With a temporary lineup the early demo "]]>��found a release but it would require six more years of struggling before a true debut album finally
emerged. By 2008 the band had refined itself into the team of Javi Fern]]>�Gonz]]>��long last was ready for primetime with its first retro meets modern album PENTADELIA which seems to
be a word of the band's own making.

ALBATROS could be considered a retro band of sorts as it happily borrows from past glories however
the group made a splash in some circles with its debut due to its creative style that alternated
various genres including hard rock, blues rock, space rock, symphonic prog and homegrown Spanish
influences. Many nods to past greats are on board including Pink Floyd, Rush, Led Zeppelin,
Porcupine Tree and closer to home, the rock andaluz act Triana amongst others. This album features a
total of eight tracks which amount to nearly an hour's playtime and find the band. While the
rotating genre generator seems to be the name of the game here, the band doesn't ever sound like its
forcing anything for its own sake as the album finds a playful pace to maintain.

This eclectic parade of genre styles on the catwalk is all tied together by lush symphonic
atmospheres which craft dense overcast as the hard rock riffs and psychedelic arpeggiated moments
gracefully morph into the next and although time signature excesses and technical wizardry aren't
the band's primary focus, the band still finds ways to unleash the prog excesses in subtle slower
building ways. While mostly instrumental throughout its run, vocals are a part of the tapestry with
most in Spanish but also some English used from time to time. Given the lack of compositional
complexities for the most part, the band relies on impeccable production techniques to allow the
rotating stylistic approach to seamlessly blend together and in that regard the album sounds like a
seasoned band that has mastered the production as yet another instrument much in the way Steven
Wilson did with Porcupine Tree.

Despite the presence of heavy rock guitar riffing the album comes off as fairly chill as the tempos
never gallop beyond the middle energy range and the smooth pacification of the soul is executed by
the smoothness of the layers of production and rather nonchalant moments of space rock yet due to
the harder guitar oriented segments the album has plenty of contrast which keeps it from sounding
monotonous. Overall this is a fascinating album that could fail in so many ways but yet the band
really keeps it hopping throughout its run. There are a few moments that don't quite float my boat
but there aren't really any throwaway tracks and the melding of the various influences is done so
brilliantly and seemingly without effort that it's hard not to get the warm and fuzzies while
experiencing ALBATROS' charming debut PENTADELIA. The band would venture further into hard rock on
future releases but on here the blend of the harder elements with the psych rock is truly
mesmerizing without resorting to escapism.

STEFANO PANUNZI Caravaggio (Crossover Prog, 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 09:53:15 EST

Review by tszirmay —
Another perennial favourite over the past decade is Roman composer Stefano Panunzi , I dove headlong into a
musical love affair with his Fjieri project which yielded two amazing releases that are a mainstay in my prized
collection. My attention was gripped when it became apparent that Mick Karn, the late and most influential bassist
of Japan was one of his idols, and that about just nailed it for me, as I hold Mick in the highest esteem. Stefano's
previous solo albums which I am proud to own were an ongoing journey that has become an experience in
maturity, aging like the finest Barolo, velvety offerings that caress the soul. He elevated his output with a couple of
recent masterpieces, namely Beyond the Illusion (2021) and 2023's Pages from the Sea, both albums holding a
reverential position on my prog mantle. Releasing on May 15, I feel both privileged and honoured to received this
new massive 2CD opus, signed by the man with courteous acknowledgement, surely among the most successful
releases of the year and beyond. All his usual musician friends appear here with a seemingly high level of gusto,
and rightly so, as this is a stunning success that needs to be heard.

From the opulent title track onward, Panunzi takes the listener by the hand (and the ear) in a luxuriant journey that
encompasses all of the hallmark features of progressive and what makes it so eternally compelling. From Grice's
graceful vocal, supported by ornate piano from our leader and David Torn's trilling guitar excursions to the rhythm
section of bass man Fabio Trentini and drum wunderkind Alessandro Inolti accentuating the emotional impact, the
mellifluous pigmentations on the sonic canvas come to life, painstakingly restrained with infinite detail as well as
laying down wider brushes of sensations.

At various stations along the massive set list, the two Fabios, Trentini and Fraschini both delight on the various bass
guitar duties that pay homage to the Karn legacy, unleashing thick rubbery al dente swerves and dives, such as the
magnificent choir-laden "I No Longer Know Who You Are" or the similarly merciful "On the Forgiveness Road". The
hushed brilliance of Tim Bowness'voice never fails to disappoint and on "Hidden Ties", it flirts with celestial beauty,
'unleashing the dark', within the confused confines of a bustling metropolis, where lives are kept secretive and so
are the lies that can come with isolation within such a huge pool of mirrors. The main chorus is a melodic
apotheosis of aural caresses, as depicted by Theo Travis' delicate flute and sax interventions. Velvet ruins.

Three pieces are co-written by guitarist/vocalist Alessandro Borgo Caratti , "No More Wars" needs to additional
explanation. I have studied this phenomenon of human stupidity up close all my adult life and have come to the sad
conclusion that humans are simply unable to fit into their skin, often educated to hate and despise their fellow
man, mostly for competitive advantage (read :greed). In war, only the first step is predictable, the rest is suffering
on all sides. The losers sometimes win and even the winners often lose. "Just Stop and Look Around" has Fraschini
wielding that monster Rickenbacker 4001, much to our delight. Later on, "I Cry for Love" Caratti keeps delivering
vocal brilliance, his slightly accented English utterly charming in the process, the input of this trio of songs doing
justice and providing sonic diversity to the overall presentation, a more accessible, melody-focused and anthemic
montage . The chorus is gripping , so 'don't walk away'!

Fjieri colleague and King Crimson stalwart Jakko Jakszyk appears on the sleek "Every Drop of Your Love -Reprise",
while Peter Goddard takes the mike stand on the sweetly despondent "Isolation", with Travis blowing a mean sax,
Trentini shoveling loads of heavy notes and guitarist Giacomo Anselmi shredding like a mad painter. Torn rips
(sorry, I needed the pun) through the stately and experimental "Hymn", which somehow rekindled my still stunned
memory of that park in Rome ruled by a noisy colony of green parakeets (Villa Doria Pamphili Park) !

As befits any full-blown presentation, Panunzi uses all the colors at his disposal, a wide palette that encompasses a
multitude of moods, atmospheres and intricacies , each instrument occupying a cornerstone section of the canvas.
"Don't Touch Me" has appropriately touch guitar specialist Markus Reuter on board, a clever move that clearly
pursues to portray the turbulent Caravaggio, a classic painter from the 17h century who was also quite a bellicose
character, unafraid of fisticuffs, various forms of argy-bargy with authorities and general other extremes. This is
bruising track with scintillating performances, such as Trentini's bass bopping like oil on canvas, Travis screeching
like a banshee and Reuter scouring the castle walls with unrelenting gritty snarl.

The slicing and gashing delivery on "Ink Scars" superimposes throttling instrumentation with a rather wraithlike
vocal from Elisabetta Todrani, that nasty 4001 bass causing deep slices within the highly rapid-fire drum assault
from guest Luca Ferari . Excruciatingly romantic, verging on desperate human intensity with just a slight touch of
finality. Brilliance shines again. Nothing better than a cello and piano duet to settle the pain.
Grice returns on "the Well", his melancholic voice a balm of soothing relief, intoning poignant lyrics like "a broken
signal, a darker path, a deeper channel into the heart", a sensational duduk played by Theo, in complete unison
with Stefano's elegant piano chords, and Fareri's reverberating percussive subtlety. 'I long to sleep, to dream again' .
Time for the blaring glare of Luca Calabrese' trumpet to adorn the jazzy instrumental "If It's Not Love , What Is?",
Fraschini and Inolti laying down a rhythmic pulse that propels the arrangement beyond the vagaries of routine. This
collision between velocity and brassy reflection is a masterclass in composition, full fleshed out by a wide expanse
of keyboard electronics that defy categorization.

Three 6 minute + pieces design the next tableau, beginning with the sweeping "Endless" (a Fjieri track reworked)
featuring vocalist 05Ric, adding some striking synthesizer swirls, grumbling bass and burly drum fills. Nicola Lori's
clanging guitar intrusion is sheer perfection, the ensuing choir work beyond words, as the vocal scours the heavens.
This piece could certainly continue endlessly. Then, its time for Torn to destroy the tranquility with his peculiar
talent, a less oblique delivery this time (Less Fripp and more Manzanera, if I may) as "Stepping Out of Your Dream"
yearns to maintain the idealist tendencies of a seductive mind, always in search of finding some reality to go with
the fantasy. Smooth as silk, like an early morning caf]]>�barebones minimalist approach yet profoundly drenched in melancholic introspection 05Ric skillfully handling all
but the keys and the Emanuele Bruno harmonica. Simply beautiful.

Stefano fished out a distant recording featuring Mick Karn's bass on "Tribal Innocence-part 2", together with
trumpet player Mike Applebaum, Porcupine Tree guitarist Michael Bearpark, as well as drummer Marco Foliano and
we get to comprehend the inspiring talent that is missed 'til this day. This track moved me to tears when I heard it
the first time, its that stunning! It has movement, melody, majesty and mood, all in equal amounts. That wobbly
bass remains heavenly etched in my soul.

The lengthiest track "Hold" clocks in a hair away from 9 minutes and once again, inserts a freshness that cannot go
undetected, with immediately identifiable bassist Colin Edwin (PTree) and guitarist Saro Cosentino joining in the
melee. The guitar duel between the latter and screeching Torn is palpably attractive, 05Ric crooning appropriately
and a melody to die for. Bringing in the celebrated Chapman specialist Cristiano Roversi (Moongarden) on "Lost
Inside the Wishing Well" proves how completely invested all the guests were when collaborating with the Panunzi
style. Combined with Grice's mellifluous lung support and Travis' delicate flute flutters, the stick entwined with
Trentini's badass basses and another percolating drum effort from Fareri , this album just keeps on giving
unconditional quality, nothing even remotely redundant or superfluous. "Breathing the Thin Air" is a reworking of
another Fjieri track that featured Tim Bowness, here replaced by 05Ric, whose lower register voice provides a
completely different feel.

Before the tragic closing instrumental "Gaza", one more opportunity for Grice to show his incredible talent on "Sea
of Madness", together with his wife Maria Peters on Greek spoken voice, Torn's shredding guitar phrasings and
Travis doing his flugelhorn thingy. Flooded in forlorn shrouds of sorrow, with lyrics like 'I kiss the cold lips of the
sea', 'Love is greater than riches, higher than wisdom, stronger than war', after listening to this marvel, one can
emerge from the rain, purified, cleansed and never alone again.

This album is like visiting the Dolomites , a Northern Italian (Tirol) mountain range famed for an infinite
continuation of towering peaks, stacked one behind the other, scratching at the clouds. A 2-and-a-half-hour alpine
trek that can only be described as exhilarating. If you enjoy musical mountain climbing, this is the journey you
should undertake, a personal bucket list release, that will surely crown my 2026 list. Capo Lavoro, maestro!

5 Roman forums

THE RETICENT On the Eve of a Goodbye (Experimental/Post Metal, 2016)

Sun, 17 May 2026 09:37:03 EST

Review by BrufordFreak — Musical presentations of personal stories of encounters with people suffering from mental health diseases, disorders,
or conditions are, in my opinion, one of the most perfect and most powerful vehicle themes for progressive rock
music--especially for the Metal sub-genres. In my opinion, The Reticent's Chris Hathcock has become one of the best
artists to ever do it. He dives so deeply and so unapologetically into the meat and grist of mental health suffering--this
time from the position of a caregiver (lover?) who laments the suicide of a female loved one while at the same time
tries coming to terms with his own combative (both internally and externally) role and ultimate helplessness in the
psychological disintegration and eventual demise of this fragile, haunted human.

I agree with Prog/Land that the story here is quite well told--and fits within the music very well. What surprised me
about this album is how thoroughly Chris Hathcock's singing mimicked that of Tool's Maynard James Keenan. If you
had told me that Maynard was, in fact, guesting on this album to perform the vocal duties I would fully believe you.
Fortunately, the music is not Tool-ish. It is heavy, often djenty, often layered with progginesses, and, again, quite
diverse in its dynamics: to better fit the story's lyrics. Luckily, I pretty much adore Maynard James Keenan's voice and
vocal stylings (though not as much as Karnivool's Ian Kenny, The Contortionist's Michael Lessard, or Leprous' Einar
Solberg), so the vocals on this album are quite welcome. (I even find them comforting.)

I also agree with Prog/Land that the music is often quite basic. There has not been as much attention paid to subtle
details as Chris did with his 2020 masterpiece, The Oubliette--and that the layers he uses are often quite simply laid
one on top of another without any interesting or effective engineering blending techniques. Also, I think he's come a
ways as a drummer (or at least using better engineering tools for his more recent albums).

In summation, I love that Chris has decided to use music to tell these tremendously important and heart-wrenching
stories of mental health issues. With On the Eve of a Goodbye I see, retrospectively, that Chris's craft has improved
tremendously--that he has evolved into a much more detail-oriented story crafter--especially where his music and
theatric presentation is concerned. He's also improved as both a musician and engineer/producer.

Favorite (five star) songs: 3. "The Hypocrite" (8:28) (18.333/20); both the musical sophistication and multi-dimensional
vocal presentation of the poetic lyrics of 6. "The Confrontation" (6:45) (14.25/15); the peak song of the album, the
piano-accompanied "scene of the crime" 13."Funeral for a Firefly" (7:16) (which reminds me TONS of the amazing work
of Gabriel Lucas Riccio on his 2013 studio album release as The Gabriel Construct, Interior City) (13.875/15); 14. "The
Day After" (5:48) (9.125/10); 15. "For Eve" (3:49), the wordless hammered dulcimer solo piece offered as a tribute to
the departed. What a powerful, lovely, touching, and, ultimately, seemingly appropriate piece to end with. I hope Chris
was left with some of the sense of resolution and detachment that I feel from hearing it. (10/10)

Also very good: 7. "The Apology" (4:56) which actually sounds like a Karnivool song (9/10), while the jazziness of 9. "The
Mirror's Reply" (7:25) is pretty cool (13.25/15).

Many prog lovers will bring up Sylvan's 2005 masterpiece Posthumous Silence to use to compare this album to but I
think this one even more powerful than that one because it is so much more personal--you can feel how much Chris
has suffered from the experience whereas Marco Gl]]>�the possible circumstances and effects of a suicide that had occurred in their community (that they'd happened to
have seen on the news). I'd also suggest bringing Steven Wilson's Hand.Cannot.Erase into the picture as another
masterful musical rendering of this kind of topic. In the meantime, please enjoy this album for the tremendous energy
that its creator invested--and hope that its accomplishment had the effect of being cathartic and healing for him.

A-/4.5 stars; an amazingly powerful and amazingly personal reliquary to one of life's mysterious tragedies that is
poetic, finely-crafted, and delivered with appropriate theatricity and beauty. The music is probably, sometimes, the
album's weakness, but it feels like quite an appropriate, even perfect, vehicle for this material--and certainly for this
individual. Therefore, I feel strongly that this album needs to be vaulted into the "masterpiece" category--and that
people would really benefit from hearing it.

O'MAN Katoaminen (Psychedelic/Space Rock, 2025)

Sun, 17 May 2026 09:31:33 EST

Review by Hrychu — Let's talk about Katoaminen. The 2025 spacey prog-stylized soundscape LP album by the genius
composer and bass guitar wunderkind from Finland who goes by the name O'Man a.k.a Pekka.

What caught my attention right away is the professionalism, the attention to little details in the
fields of production and sound design that usually characterize the more high effort and high budget
projects. Such rich textures elevate the album over typical indie solo prog rock releases that keep
cropping up constantly. You know, the caricaturally corny cookie cutter Neo-Prog stuff, like "The
Jester's Quest in the City of Glass", "New Life with Stolen Souls" or " The Watchers' Descent: Fall
of the Angels", et al. (welp, besides, the hyper-pretentious titles speak for themselves). But no,
Katoaminen is nothing like it. We're getting real here. Pekka knows what he's doing and knows his
weaknesses, so he sticks to the basics of what he can do best, thus, avoids delivering an overly
tryhard cringefest of cheese with tons of superficial bullcrap hiding poor quality musicianship
behind thick layers upon layers of clich]]>�to his advantage. The bass guitar isn't stealing the show, yet, you can clearly see that Pekka is a
master on his instrument of choice and proves it. Huge kudos to Pekka. The author's solo endeavor is
very nicely augmented with strattegically chosen guest performances, which are pretty memorable
despite being used sparingly. I'd give extra special praise to the virtuosic cinematic style cornet
lines courtesy of Michael White, and Mikko Taipale's Krautrock-like drumming.

The stylistic framework of O'Man is unique and hard to pigeonhole. Is it space rock? Psychedelic
rock? Ambient prog? Contemporary Krautrock? It's hard to say but for one, it's very organic and
doesn't sound like an overly obvious attempt at deliberate stylization. It's retro but it's also
fresh. It's adventurous... and yet it feels 'familiar'.

If there are any downsides, I'd have to admit that Katoaminen isn't free from filler. At times, I
get the feeling that the arrangements are empty. I know that the intention was to build up ambience,
but to be honest, the ambience is too "static" for it to drag on and on for so long, in my honest
view. Like, I fail to see the reason behind the intro to The Invisible Halls, which consists purely
of modulated wind machine noises, going for 2 whopping minutes straight, other than (of course) to
fill up the CD runtime. That's just one example but I hope you get the idea. I know it's purely a
matter of personal taste, and nota bene I'm not that keen on instrumental music, so I might be
biased in that sense. On the other hand, I wouldn't mind it had this record been embellished with a
great vocalist and witty lyrics. That alone could potentially make the extended vast ambient jams
more captivating.

BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO Buone Notizie (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1981)

Sun, 17 May 2026 08:34:16 EST

Review by Finnforest — More Good News

Buone Notizie continues Banco's uncertain ledge walk into the 1980s with all the many
pitfalls and unfortunate environment for established bands trying to navigate artistry while
business interests infect music in a more obtrusive way than years earlier, though, of course,
business has always had their hand in it. And yet here, in 1981, Banco are still flexing their many
deep personal assets, most obviously their talent and chops, but also their melodic and pleasing
composition skills generally. The fact is that the early '80s were really still the late '70s
musically in many cases, with a lot of bands still releasing solid music despite the cracks showing
on the drive belt. The real '80s decline for many bands started a bit later, and that is the case
for Banco as well.

Just as with their previous album, Buone Notizie is another decent pop-rock album that holds
onto many of their strengths if the listener enjoys pop-rock music generally and largely absent of
the "prog rock" era of Banco's past. Naturally, prog-only fans are going to be disappointed, but I
find much to enjoy here. As I mentioned, I like the FM pop-rock that was happening in this 78-82
window of time. Yeah, there's some disco influence, some of what we now refer to as "yacht rock,"
but these songs maintain dignity and provide a really good time to this music fan. Stellar studio
chops galore, quality pop-rock melodies that linger with you, great vocals, and tight, tough
productions.

The instrumentation choices remain more or less conventional with "real, organic" rock guitar and
drums as opposed to the "plasticky" sounds that would creep in later. Just some damn fine music if
one can accept the change from prog. Here one finds an Italian-flavored rock not so unlike what
Little River Band, Player, Ambrosia were into in the same era, or perhaps even Huey Lewis, The Cars,
or the poppier/less jazzy components of Steely Dan, et cetera. I liked Buone Notizie more
than the previous Urgentissimo. While I gave that album a 5/10 rounded up for affection, I'll
say Buone Notizie is a straight 6/10, no round-up help required.

I am certain that some of my prog friends here at PA and elsewhere will believe I've lost my marbles
giving Buone Notizie a positive review, but I can't help it. I listen to this album and
think, aside from those who can't get past the loss of prog rock, what is not to like here? This is
fun, upbeat, and flawlessly executed rock music for your car stereo sunny days or perhaps a game of
billiards in the basement with pals, where bad spontaneous dancing between shots could rear its
head. Enjoy this solid and confident pop-rock from a great band. Enjoy your life. Believe me, much
worse was coming for this band and others bands.

RICK MILLER Temporal Illusion (Crossover Prog, 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 07:40:09 EST

Review by alainPP — Rick Miller is the melodic rock composer, rolling out his albums each year like wallpaper. Crossover or melodic rock? Let's see if he's actually changed his tune!

1. Fill the Night: for the beauty of the piano and flute, the consistently excellent vocals lacking spontaneity, pastoral melodic rock reminiscent of David Gilmour's work, soulless, not inventing anything new but doing it well, balanced?in short, I immediately recognize Rick's signature style.
2. The Game: Worthy for its length and the incredible prog break, inviting you to take the plunge but falling back too quickly; otherwise, we would have remained with two separate tracks, in keeping with the composer's usual style. So, a mixed feeling: the necessary gentleness but a lack of energy, and this becomes more apparent with repeated listens; yes, this beauty takes its time to take off, even if that wasn't the intention.
3. Autumn, for its saccharine ballad feel, its Gilmour-esque solo, its delicate arpeggios, the reverberating finale; what I adored 5 or 12 years ago for its innovation now simply becomes repetitive, the sound running out of steam; a harsh observation about this excellent track that never quite takes off, as if trapped in a sonic boat.

4. The King of Men, for Sarah's flute, undoubtedly one of the best, Carolina with her oboe in the same tempo; the most space given to time and instruments on this instrumental with its simply divine opening; yes, I find the vocals restrictive, overwhelming the air more than anything else, with a feeling of excessive repetition; but surely also because this is my 13th album of his!

5. Gargoyles, for the cinematic, latent, languid intro, the oozing melancholy, the bewitching acoustics. Flies and the umpteenth melody of the genre begin; the best part is clinging to these internal meanderings that resonate in the ear, searching for a bygone era?it's meticulously crafted, unmistakably Rick, flawless. The downside is the feeling of a track looping and lacking that explosive energy.
6. Time and Again, and bam, melancholic oboe, Floydian guitar, all the ingredients are still there; the bucolic, meltingly melodic intro; a narrative over the encroaching choir?it's a step up. Latency, digression, cinematic quality, the solemnity, the 'amazing' track. The voice arrives, still on the 80s BJH, monotonous in fact, his signature, disrupting the imagined musical atmosphere. Rick, with his good intentions, actually holds us back, preventing us from escaping on his notes. The finale aims for grandeur but falls flat due to the explanations provided, which is a shame.
7. Overload, with its oriental, medieval drumming, reminiscent of 'Dungeons and Dragons', is a genuine invitation to travel. The rest of the album follows the same pattern, a nice encore with a rather bland, almost childish feel.

I'll be objective and point out that the monotonous vocals ruin the cinematic atmosphere of this otherwise excellent album. The orchestration, worthy of a master craftsman, is hampered by this heavy vocal weight, preventing it from soaring. Mind you, this isn't a bad album, far from it, just a very good one that could have been excellent.(3.5)

ELDER Through Zero (Heavy Prog, 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 06:52:37 EST

Review by alainPP — ELDER, a heavy psych-prog band initially influenced by DREAM THEATER, QUEENSRYCHE, and ANATHEMA, now
leans more towards MOTORPSYCHO, with whom they must be dreaming while composing. Melodic metal riffs, a
progressive feel, and an all-encompassing groove.

"Sigil To Ruin" begins, its reverberant, haunting sound and prominent bass; I recognize the latent power of OSI,
the delicacy of ethereal post-rock. Fresh, less dark, and now more addictive with its crushing repetition. The
track flows easily with its electro-syncopated midway, sharing high tones and percussive notes, supported by a
metronomic drumbeat. A long ambient-stoner development culminates in a breathtaking finale, reminiscent of
the magnificent 80s, KILLING JOKE, and LACRIMOSA.

"Capture/Release" continues, its ambient, syncopated sound reminiscent of MOTORPSYCHO, a bouncy
alternative mode. The reverberating sound, the vocals following the trance of the notes, and the crescendo leads
to bawdy territory with reworked, old-school sounds, seasoned with a touch of YES. The finale is typical of the
band, a deployment of powerful notes that encourage trance and ponderous contemplation. ELDER reinvents
itself, playing to the very end with disconcerting ease?their secret.

"Through Zero" is captivating and heavy, ethereal and electro over a pounding drumbeat. A struggle against the
Final with this addictive, salvific mantra-like feel. A deliberate redundancy through its monolithic electro-ambient
derivation. The finale is foreshadowed by the tonic crescendo and the encroaching guitar solos punctuated by
powerful shredding. "Strata" continues the journey in gothic dark wave mode, with THE CURE for the prominent
bass and MOTORPSYCHO for its reverberant sound, an alloy of metal, post-metal, and spacey stoner rock. The
syncopated drum break pad, its pervasive, hypnotic, metronomic, and apocalyptic sound on this electro-post-
punk-prog drift. Various solos before returning to the candid verse, a final, soaring fade-out that prepares for
the appearance of "Sight Unseen" in a post-archaic atmosphere, an elusive, soaring conglomerate, VANGELIS in
post-rock then TANGERINE DREAM in electro. The insidious, unstoppable build-up, the intensified vibration, the
erupting violence, the explosive sound for an apoplectic, demonic trance. The reference to the previous
'Capture', striking in its similarity and difference. Jack channels Simon of The Cure before the explosive hard-
heavy finale, dare I say demonic; an airy, Japanese, evanescent fade-out, too beautiful. "Blighted Age," acoustic
and reverberant, a repetitive musical mantra, its sound divisive in its gentleness after this deluge. The ethereal
instrumental serves as the opening theme, a soothing cinematic experience.

ELDER dares to reinvent itself, much like its lyrics about life, death, frustration, and hope. A high-energy YES for
the vocals, a fusion of DREAM THEATER, GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT, and current doomy-progressive psychedelic
bands.

PERIPHERY A Pale White Dot (Progressive Metal, 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 06:19:33 EST

Review by foppaprog — A Pale White Dot represents a new era of Periphery. This album, while including tracks that are exclusively 5 minutes
and under, includes a variety of interesting styles. From the electronic "Blackwall" to the deathcore "Subhuman" to the
beautiful acoustic closing number and title track "A Pale White Dot", there is something to offer for past and new fans
to Periphery alike. This album's tight runtime at just 47 minutes creates an accessibility that has not been seen in past
Periphery albums (not counting the Juggernaut duology as they are technically one album) while maintaining the
experimentation that Periphery are known for. The major downside of this being, of course, that those Periphery fans
who enjoy their epic, sprawling tracks such as Racecar and Reptile will find nothing in the vein of that here. However, I
still encourage those fans to listen as I am sure they will find something to love in this album.

MYRATH Wilderness of Mirrors (Progressive Metal, 2026)

Sun, 17 May 2026 05:34:03 EST

Review by BrufordFreak — The Tunisian prog metal band's sixth studio album since they burst onto the scene with 2007's excellent debut, Hope.
The core remains intact as does their excellent compositional blend of djenty metal with sophisticated instrumental
lines and vocal sounds and melodies coming from the traditions of their Arabian backgrounds.

1. "The Funeral" (5:36) sounds like old school (late 1970s 1980s power metal lite) with some Mark Truack, Ozzie
Osborne, and Peter Gabriel's Lion King-like African interests. At 1:20 the band switches out of intro/overture mode and
ramps up into a fairly standard metal vamp for Zaher Zorgati to do what he and Ozzie Osborne do so well. The
choruses are a bit more developed though they do reincorporate the Disney themes and extra layers but also amplify
the Ozzie reminders. (The band's video for this song is kind of cool.) (8.75/10)

2. "Until the End" (4:03) great power metal with the power of male and female duet vocals: Zaher and guest singer
Elize Ryd. The two vocalists do a great job as the band casts forth the excellent Arabian-flavored djenty metal that
Myrath excels at. Too bad the chorus borrows that "Enter the Sandman" riff Probably my other top three song. (9/10)

3. "Breathing Near the Roar" (3:34) more Lion King Africanisms with some other overly-familiar metal melody hooks.
(8.875/10)

4. "Les Enfants du Soleil" (6:03) children's voices in choir singing in French with acoustic guitar support before Zaher
joins in singing an emotional ballad-like vocal . . . until the end of the first minute when a Disco-Arabian hard rock
motif takes over. Nice metal bass work! Interesting conglomeration that just doesn't do it for me. (8.75/10)

5. "Still the Dawn Will Come" (5:01) group clapping pattern opens this before the djent-metal guitar riffs,
percussion/drums, acoustic guitar, heavy bass and strings join in. Now this is what I've been waiting for--the kind of
unique prog metal that Myrath has made uniquely its own. Excellent tune on all levels.
The best song on the album. This is what I came here for. (9.375/10)

6. "The Clown" (4:46) another power metal tune that just sounds too generic to the 1980s Ozzie-era--with weak
structure and very little instrumental excitement. The Arabic "background" singing in third minute is what I really came
for. (8.75/10)

7. "Soul of My Soul" (3:38) a four-chord ballad that opens like a metal tune but then turns into an early Elton John-like
piano-only song for Zaher's first verse. The choruses are where the music ramps up to prog Metal territory while the
verses are strings-supported piano dominant, which makes for an interesting contrast--one that feels more familiar
from a modern Country-Western or Christian Rock perspective. Overall, it's just a little too Anglo-syrupy. (8.75/10)

8. "Edge of the Night" (4:21) ramping it up again (finally) into the Arabian-infused power metal that I want from Myrath.
Great keyboard work from Kevin Codfert. (9/10)

9. "Echoes of the Fallen" (4:02) more of the music that have come to expect and deeply desire from Myrath--at least
the opening. Then it goes 1980s techno-New Wave! Then metal orchestra. (8.875/10)

10. "Through the Seasons" (5:48) opening with some traditional ethnic instrument (saz) delivering the song's main
melody before the full band takes it up and carries it forward until the choruses. Great orchestra and metal
instrument mix. Again, this is more like the music I came here to hear. The choruses are my favorite parts due to the
excellent melody lines and clarity of the instrumental palette. The instrumental "C" part in the fourth minute is
excellent, highlighted by the Tunisian hand percussion and saz being represented so clearly within the exciting metal
music. The song then ends with the solo saz supported only by a gentle harp-like keyboard, which is quite a contrast
to the main body of the song but totally in keeping with the song's overall main melody. Excellent construct. Definitely
a top three song for me. (9.25/10)

Total Time 46:52

While the quality of the compositions, performances, and overall production are still up to the excellent standards the
band has established over their 20 year career, I feel that there is not enough new or refreshing innovation here to
level it a masterpiece; there is a lot that feels old, rehashed, and/or reliant on old patterns and habits.

B+/four stars; an excellent addition of ethnically-blended Prog Metal that should satisfy many fans and but for me
strikes very little new territory.

PSYCHOTIC WALTZ A Social Grace (Progressive Metal, 1990)

Sun, 17 May 2026 04:33:37 EST

Review by Hector Enrique — Aslan, the raw and direct metal band founded and driven primarily by Buddy Lackey in mid-1986 in San Diego,
California, was the seed from which Psychotic Waltz, one of the pioneering bands of progressive metal, grew. With a
highly distinctive approach characterised by their unsettling visual aesthetic, profound and dark reflections, and
unconventional musical structures that blend the aggression of heavy metal in its various forms with unplugged
passages and atmospheric settings quite unusual for the time, the Americans made their debut in 1990 with "A
Social Grace".

An album which, whilst not reaching the virtuosic sophistication of the exuberant Dream Theater or the symphonic
neoclassicism of Symphony X, among other illustrious representatives of the genre, is composed, on the one hand,
of compositional structures akin to stylised thrash metal, laden with powerful, angular riffs from the synchronised
guitars of Dan Rock and Brian McAlpin on tracks such as the virulent "And the Devil Cried", or the galloping
"Successor" and "In This Place". It also draws on the energy of traditional metal mixed with psychedelic elements in
the enigmatic "Another Prophet Song" and takes an unexpected and very welcome acoustic interlude with the
ballad "I Remember", adorned by Lackey's flute notes, heavily indebted to Jethro Tull.

But where the album truly comes into its own, achieving a unique depth and power, is in its creation of oppressive
atmospheres and the heavy mid-tempo rhythms characteristic of doom or gothic metal, tinged with acoustic
touches found in tracks such as "Halo of Thorns", the disturbing "A Psychotic Waltz", or the apocalyptic "Spiral
Tower", a chilling piece featuring Rock's screeching synths, Lackey's expressive and theatrical vocals -capable of
reaching both impossible high notes and melodic elegance- and Ward Evans's standout, thick bass lines.

The hypnotic "Nothing", a forceful and introspective piece that pierces through appearances with a raw and honest
view of reality, brings to a close the journey through the dark and labyrinthine twists and turns of consciousness,
religious beliefs and the existential questions raised by the album.

"A Social Grace" was unfortunately misunderstood and marginalised at the time and had little commercial impact;
however, over the years, it has gained a reputation as an essential and ahead-of-its-time work within progressive
metal.

Very good.

4/4.5 stars

LA COSCIENZA DI ZENO La Notte Anche di Giorno (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 2015)

Sat, 16 May 2026 23:25:58 EST

Review by The Progolyte — My introduction to this band was indeed their third studio album, La Notte Anche Di Giorno, and while I
thought it was good, it was definitely a little overhyped and not a true masterpiece of the present age of
Rock Progressivo Italiano. Yes, it's still excellent and has many strong moments and some absolutely
fantastic ones, but overall this is just an excellent album of the Rock Progressivo Italiano sound of the
seventies with a more mature tone. Moving on, it is pretty complex, and it's supposedly their best work, but
I haven't checked out any of their albums as of writing this (July 1st), but I do plan to check those out in a
few days (however, I may not post my reviews for those records immediately). When looking at the
personnel, there is quite a lot, with Alessio Calandriello on vocals, Davide Serpico on guitars, Luca Scherani
and Stefano Agnini on keyboards, Domenico Ingenito on violin, Gabriele Colombi on bass, and Andrea
Orlando on drums.

The album is split into two twenty-minute-long suites, each of which has a number of unique sections. The
opening one, Giovane Figlia, has six parts, while the second one that is titled Madre Antica has only four
segments. Overall, most of the album is defined by short passages of varying intensity, though each of
them showcases various emotions, complexity, and styles. The music can range from symphonic prog, folk
music, and even art rock at points, but it is always exciting to hear. And though sometimes it slows down a
little too much and sort of ruins the flow of everything, it is overall really good at moving from one piece to
another and keeping its energy moving as it goes in between the various compositions. My personal
favorite of the two pieces is the first one, mainly because it has more details and has more lengthy solos
and intricate arrangements, combined with it just being a longer song in general. The second one also has
some great moments, but sometimes I feel like it should be more energetic and intense. I also thought the
influence of Le Orme was very powerful here, and though I absolutely love Le Orme, I would've liked it
better if the band came up with a more original twist to their music.

In conclusion, this was actually a really, really good record, it just has a few flaws that could be tweaked to
make it better. With an overall exciting sound and interesting music showcased on here, I'm awarding this
album a light to a mid 4/5, although I might revisit it as the reviews for this seem like it should be a lot
better than I originally thought.

SUFJAN STEVENS All Delighted People EP (Crossover Prog, 2010)

Sat, 16 May 2026 21:10:37 EST

Review by kenethlevine — This hour-long "EP" made a surprise bandcamp drop just a couple of months before the full length "Age of Adz"
appeared in 2010, and is another of Sufjan Stevens' prog entries. It is anchored by two versions of the title track
that total 20 minutes, that make S&G's "Sounds of Silence" to which it pays homage seem like a light ditty by
comparison, and the 17 minute jazz-blues-raga jam "Djohariah".

This isn't easy music by any stretch, but arrangement triumphs in the "All Delighted People" and tantric promises
in "Djohariah" notwithstanding, the inclusion of more typical Sufjan song oriented numbers only reinforces his legitimate strengths
and confirms these forays as overwrought and just to the weak side of fascinating. In particular, "The Owl and the
Tanager" is perhaps his most astonishing ballad, just he on voice and piano perhaps recounting an early affair that,
unlike this heartfelt tune, fell short of its promise,

To its detriment, this is an asymmetrical, incohesive and horizontally expansive production that reflects Stevens'
eclectic aspirations. While it's still provocative like most everything he has done, I'm not reveling in it.

CONNECTION THEORY Entropy (Crossover Prog, 2025)

Sat, 16 May 2026 20:56:40 EST

Review by kev rowland — It is unusual to find a band listed on ProgArchives with multiple albums but not a single review or rating, but that is
the case with Connection Theory, and even though they were only added to the site a few months ago I would have
thought someone would have stepped up by now. So when I saw a request from Duncan Cooper asking for reviews I
thought "why not?" which is why I am now listening to his latest release. Duncan is a multi-instrumentalist who on this
release provides guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, saxophone, flute, cello and drum programming and he has used the
talents of singers Carolina Padron (who is the main lead) and Denisse Ferrara. Unlike many who use programmed
drums he has done his best to make them sound like a human, with the result being very effective and one doesn't
really realise they are not the real deal.

This is a very melodic release, with a concentration on proper songs, very much crossover prog for the most part
although there are also plenty of Neo influences hanging around as well. I am glad Duncan utilised the two female
singers as they have very powerful voices indeed, with "Spiders" allowing them to show just what they can achieve
with some lovely belts, and it will be interesting to see if he uses them on his next release as well, given this was the
first time they had worked together. Duncan's debut came out in 2020, and this is his third, and it will not surprise me
if this gets picked up by a label at some point as it never comes across as self-released by a new artist as the only real
issue for me is the cover artwork which has a very AI feel to it indeed.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable modern prog release which should definitely be getting more attention that it has so
far, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

AGUSA Panacea (Psychedelic/Space Rock, 2026)

Sat, 16 May 2026 20:10:07 EST

Review by kev rowland — I am finding it incredibly difficult to wrap my head around the fact that Agusa were only formed in 2013 as if you had
told me this was from the Seventies, or at the very latest from the Swedish retro prog revival in the Nineties, then I
would have totally understood. During that time they have released six studio albums and four live, of which this is
the latest and contains just three songs. There have been various membership changes over the years, but this
particular line-up has been together for the last two albums, and it shows in the way they link together. Mikael ]]>��(guitar) is the only person still there from the very beginning, but Jenny Puertas (flute, vocals), Mikael ]]>��Roman Andr]]>��which only comes from countless hours playing together in rehearsal and on the road.

Take middle track "Den F]]>�less than nine minutes long, but now it is well over twenty minutes in length and includes a drum solo! If that isn't
Seventies, what is? Roman doesn't appear to own any keyboard sounds created less than 50 years ago, and that
provides a real chunkiness to proceedings while the guitar and flute interweave between those building blocks, and
both the bass and drums hit very hard indeed. I am sure this could not have come out of any country other than
Sweden as that country has long had an affinity with retrogressive prog and have produced a great many wonderful
bands (both ]]>��same letter) who have taken that as a base. However, Agusa appear to have created a time machine and have fallen
through a black hole to bring us future music from the past which is tangible and real. This is instrumental regressive
rock as its finest, and I love it.

ATILA Beginning of the End (Symphonic Prog, 1975)

Sat, 16 May 2026 19:48:38 EST

Review by siLLy puPPy — Ooooo! So painful it hurts and not so good! ATILA is a legendary symphonic prog band from 1970s
Spain from the city of Girona and was one of the many ELP influenced acts that inspired the power
trio act in prog. This band was formed in 1973 and featured Eduardo Niebla on guitar, Francis "Paco"
Ortega on keyboards/organ, and Joan Punyet on drums and unusually, the band had no bass player until
1977. Like many of the symphonic acts of the day, ATILA's sound was steeped in classical
arrangements set to rock mode with the emphasis on a strong keyboard and guitar presence and
emulating many of the Italian acts of the era with Hammond organ, Moog and synthesizers.

Another unusual move but not unheard of was the fact that ATILA released its first album BEGINNING
OF END as a live jamming session that featured pretty much one shapeshifting track that sounded like
a 30-minute live soloing session of sort with musical motifs sort of stitched together into a free
flowing morphing meandering session. Keys, guitars and drums all have their moments to shine but
unfortunately marred by a rather lackluster production and uninspiring in cohesiveness that doesn't
lend the symphonic prog style very well since this particular branch of prog relies heavily on
melodic motifs that spiral out into technical complexities. While considered a symphonic prog act in
general, BEGINNING OF END is also quite spacey and often featured a very dark atmosphere however
moments of some J.S. Bach lift it out of the shadows into a more lighthearted performance.

Very comparable at times to classic live Deep Purple excursions but also features moments that point
to Egg and other keyboard heavy prog bands with bands like The Nice and ELP at the front of the
line. While the production is shoddy it should be pointed out that this release was designed to be a
demo only but somehow ended up serving as the band's debut album which really does its legacy little
justice as the band's two following real albums are infinitely better in just about every way
possible however if you dig lo-fi unpolished albums that sound like bootlegged underground cassette
recordings from days gone by then you might have an appreciation for this. It has also become one of
those collector's salivating specimens since only 1000 copies were pressed with most being destroyed
leaving only a handful to circulate however this is really not one worth shelling out dough for!

Musically it's a decent album and it's clear these three musicians gel well together and can pull
out all the chops to craft some wily symphonic prog but it seems pointless to even release this one
to the public given most symphonic prog stalwarts aren't exactly into this sorta lo-fi thing.
Whatever the case here it is and ironically many databases can't even decide if this is a live album
or a studio one but it sounds like a live in-studio recording to my ears. It's worth a spin if
you're a fan of ATILA but even if so you're not missing out on anything special by choosing not to.
If taken as a demo however, then it's easy to hear exactly why the record company handed over a
contract and said "sign on the line!" A great band with a bad recording is what we have here. It's
salvaged by some excellent musicianship so it's not a complete waste of time but don't expect any
competing compositions at this stage.

2.5 rounded down

GRACE AND FIRE Live At De Boerderij (Progressive Metal, 2025)

Sat, 16 May 2026 18:24:29 EST

Review by kev rowland — Recorded at Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands on 12th October 2024, this captures the British prog
metal quintet when they supported Threshold on the 'Through Time' European tour. Founder and guitarist of that
band, Karl Groom, produced and mixed their debut which led to being invited onto the tour, and he has also mixed
this six-track release and will be on deck for the second album as well. For the debut Andr]]>�Gidney (guitars), Tim Ashton (bass) and Graham Brown (drums) had a few different session musicians providing
keyboards, but they are now settled as a quintet with the arrival of Joshua Gidney.

Although they are regarded as many as prog metal, to my ears they have more of the progressive hard melodic rock
style which came out in the Nineties, often linked to the Neo Prog movement, especially the likes of Galahad (where
Tim was a member, twice) from that period or Walking On Ice, and is a very British sound. They can riff hard, as on the
likes of "Eyes of the Seer" where one hears why Karl has been so interested in getting involved as early Threshold can
be heard, but the overarching vocal melody line puts a different twist on it altogether. Andr]]>�very clear indeed with just enough emotion to give it breadth, while the quartet behind him are locked in very tightly
indeed with Josh showing no signs of being a newbie. This is exciting and thrilling progressive rock with modern hard
rock melody balls and no wonder the crowd reacted in the way they did.

Getting this tour and being seen and heard by many more people will obviously have been huge for the band, but
they got there on musical ability and great songs, and I am definitely looking forward to the next studio album as this
digital-only release has whetted the appetite for more, much more.

THE GARDENING CLUB Wayne Kozak andamp; Martin Springett: Friendship (Crossover Prog, 2026)

Sat, 16 May 2026 17:00:46 EST

Review by kev rowland — I have been racking my brain, but I don't think I have ever come across an album quite like this one. Ian Anderson
famously wrote some songs about his old friend, bandmate and artist Jeffrey Hammond ('A Song for Jeffrey',
'Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square' and 'For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me') prior to him gaining an extra Hammond
and joining Jethro Tull, but this album is different as Martin has brought together a compilation to celebrate more
than five decades of friendship with Wayne Kozak who sadly passed away earlier this year. An accomplished
saxophonist, he recorded with Martin many times over the years, while he is renowned by Canadians for being the
tenor sax man for the legendary Powder Blues Band, as well as a sought-after session musician and performer who
worked with the likes of Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Loverboy, and
Randy Bachman.

This compilation includes rare/unreleased tracks but is mostly taken from Martin's solo albums and those by The
Gardening Club, all (apart from the last) featuring the sounds which made Wayne so highly regarded. Apparently,
the idea behind this compilation started a few years ago when Martin suggested to Wayne that they release an
album to celebrate their ongoing friendship, while now it is a celebration of what they achieved together. It goes
back all the way to 1970 with 'Only Son', where Martin composed the music to a poem written by Kipling, and even
though Martin does not appear on this track it was the one which set him on the path to being a musician. We get a
few songs on here from Martin's 2015 solo album 'Diving Into Small Pools', which has never truly gained the
recognition it deserves and the wailing sax on 'Warm Blood' is what really makes that song come alive.
The songs from The Gardening Club will of course be the most well known to many, and 'Strange Kingdom' from
'Bridge of Spirits' has long been a favourite and again shows the incredibly close relationship between Martin and
Wayne as it the sax which is integral to the song. The very final song is 'Friendship (For Wayne') with just Martin in the
studio, providing multi-tracked guitars and vocals as he says goodbye, and I can only imagine just how emotional it
was for him to record this and it is simply beautiful.

The album is a wonderful homage to his friend and their friendship, and he has even put Wayne's name first on this
release, to show just how much he meant to him. This means it is not necessarily the best collection of Martin's
songs but is instead designed to celebrate what they created together. However, it clearly demonstrates what a
major talent Martin is and that fans of the likes of Camel, Roy Harper or Anthony Phillips would find much on here
to enjoy. I only hope that people will discover this compilation and use it to not only investigate the very long-term
musical friendship and relationship between the two, but also as a way of discovering more of Martin's catalogue.
Oh, and as a nice final touch, this is the only album of Martin's which does not feature his own artwork, as the cover
is by Wayne.

PRIMUS Antipop (Prog Related, 1999)

Sat, 16 May 2026 16:17:47 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — Tom Waits' return to the world of Primus could only have been through a place without a door, a circus tent large
enough to contain every character who appeared on previous albums. It would be the band's last album for several
years, and its production was as heterogeneous as it was troubled, which didn't prevent the release of some great
tracks, some of the trio's most accomplished, featuring several guest musicians and sounding louder than ever.
After the mellotron intro, Electric Uncle Sam kicks off and we have what we came looking for: the bass front and
center, the guitar strumming, skating, dragging along the drums, which sometimes stop as if observing their
companions... only to then come back with everything.

That use of backing vocals, so closely accompanied by the band, hadn't been used in that way before, and it adds to
the sonic chaos, which ends up overwhelming the sound system and making it out alive...even those atonal
melodies like Natural Joe, so reminiscent of Primus, with cuts and breaks that guarantee a certain well-oiled
machine that never ceases to surprise because there are several accelerated changes, and they propose several
things at once.

Each track has a solo, and you can listen to the three solos separately or together...the characteristic is that it
doesn't let up, and Laquer Head returns to floating psychedelia.
The Antipop is something different...they aim to dissect their own style; here the drummer was Bryan "Brain"
Mantia, but as well established as the few but good ones who have passed behind the drum kit.
Eclectic Electric features James Hetfield of Matellica as a guest, and a lengthy, dark section where the three guitars,
along with Jim Martin and Lalonde himself, take turns. When Les Claypool kicks in, he adds his eclectic touch to the
title track's electric guitar.

Greet The Sacred Cow continues the Eastern influences that lend themselves well to the instrumental development,
but like almost every track on the album, it shares the common factor of bass "attacks," injecting extra energy that
nearly drowns out the melodies. If we trace them back... they are indeed present, and even with variations that
transcend the genre, which won't surprise those familiar with the band.

One could describe Mama Didn't Raise No Fool as having Primus-esque rock, with its intrusions that set it apart
from the commonplace, without reaching the radical extremes of some of their other albums. It's a powerful album,
but grounded in reality.
Dirty Drowning Man and Ballad of Bodacious are driven by pure bass and vocals that sound as if each character
from the previous albums is singing. At times, there's a distinct guitar solo, and Larry is left alone until the rest of
the band catches up. A certain stylistic exhaustion could be sensed, although each track sounds different and
possesses an overwhelming energy that made it unique. The Final Voyage of the Liquid Sky has a distinct bass
sound and is related to what Les Claypool would later do with his project, The Claypool Lennon Delirium.
Coattails Of A Dead Man is another gem on the album, cabaret...Kurt Weil, mellotron, waltzes...and Tom Waits, of
course.

As soon as Tom starts singing with Les Claypool, we understand everything...that kind of corrupted, postmodern
blues that Tom started doing after leaving the classic cool jazz of the 70s (which was also fantastic!) and it all seems
like something out of a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film, and his Delicatessen...they end up reinterpreting The Heckler with
"Brain" on drums and just like that, that obscure circus act arrived one night without anyone asking for it or
remembering having paid for a ticket, that troupe of musical outcasts, without a place anywhere because they had
several eyes on many places...they left until 2003, to return with an EP with the strange title Animals Should Not Try
to Act Like People

PRIMUS Tales From The Punchbowl (Prog Related, 1995)

Sat, 16 May 2026 16:16:53 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — If Primus's experimental approach were a spaceship, there have been times when it flew closer to the sun than
others... in Frizzle Fry things got so hot they burned themselves with oil, in Sailing The Seas Of Cheese they melted
the cheese molds, and in Tales From The Punchbowl the glaciers collapsed... leaving penguins stranded, and pigs
forced to flee the flood. These Dantean images illustrate the catastrophes of an album that, paradoxically, was
anything but catastrophic.

Tales From The Punchbowl concentrated the progressive and jazz-rock influences of a band that was never afraid to
showcase those other influences; funk seeped into hard rock like dampness on a wall... but in a different way than
the Red Hot Chili Peppers, darker and more complex, arrangements that resonated deeply within the listener's
psyche.

If Primus were to arrive on Earth as a vehicle, and if the mind had roads, the most traveled being the wider, deeper
streets, accustomed to receiving more vehicles daily... Primus would begin his journey along alternative paths,
narrower and with lighter tracks, where vegetation grows exuberantly because it is unaccustomed to visitors, and
the wheels struggle to grip the ground because there are fewer tracks from previous wheels.

The steamroller that transforms into a factory machine with a monotonous sound, which then becomes more
complex, with highs and lows, cymbals, bass, drums conversing in Professor Nutbutter's House Of Treats, until the
guitar breaks the balance to reach King Crimson-like atmospheres, only for a moment, in Primus there are always
subtleties, complex details that rescue the merely heavy from being only that, there is always something more
behind it, in a second listen or reading.

Mrs. Blaileen's eastern progression is the most appropriate to follow, with Les singing low, crouching and waiting.
And what overlaps here are the bass and guitar...doing so much that they sound like much more than just three
instruments alongside the drums of the great Tim "Herb" Alexander. Larry LaLonde's guitar at times sounds like Bill
Frisell at his most explosive. The progression builds steadily, yet it never explodes...there will be time for that later;
good things come to those who wait, enhancing the moment of their arrival.

That discovery of psychedelic heavy country continued with Wynona's Big Brown Beaver, plus the humor of
Claypool, where they experimented with a different rhythm and took turns playing LaLonde and then Les. They
were doing something new, and this one really explodes at the end, which is good...because for Southbound
Pachyderm, the tones go back down. Rush's influence is noticeable once again in the development, but obviously
it's more urgent, rougher and more primitive...the contained intensity is one of the keys they play with marvelously,
like a chemist knowing what dose to put in his preparations, Larry LaLonde tells one story, while Claypool tells
another with the bass, and his outbursts take the listener by surprise, until everything comes together like a
perfectly timed time bomb.

In this game of going where others don't, of walking uninhabited paths... one disappears at times and that makes
the return to the scene more powerful, even within ourselves, within our system of attention and concentration,
this album is an example of restraint... of when to hold on and when to let go.

Another theme is the wide range of bass guitars Claypool uses throughout the album, in addition to the
recognizable banjo on Wynona's Big Brown Beaver, the fretless, and upright bass as in Year Of The Parrot, where he
plays a solo rivaled only by LaLonde's.

That high-speed but atypically fast-moving machine that is Primus kicks back into gear on Hellbound 17 ]]>�guitar high notes almost reminiscent of Robby Krieger of The Doors. On "Glass Sandwich," he plays the bass like a
cello, and the dark, circus-like atmosphere takes hold, with several layers of sound overlapping. If things get gritty,
the jazz-rock-funk of Del Davis's "Tree Farm" clears the way. De Anza Jig blends LaLonde's banjo with Les's fretless
in a Zappa-esque jest.

On The Tweek Again is another track on the album, featuring a masterful bass line that, no matter how familiar one
is with the musician's skill, never ceases to amaze, especially within the context of the guitar accompaniment it
underpins. A power trio that is both classic and modern. Over The Electric Grapevine only confirms this, as it was
born a classic; its rhythm complements Claypool's vocals, and each note builds the information leading to the final
climax, a blend of oriental mystery and classical epic.

This is an album that takes its time with everything, because it was the 90s, and with less blues and more krautrock
and psychedelia, they construct elaborate heavy music, like that horror of the 70s that relied less on special effects
and more on psychological resources.

LUCIO BATTISTI Anima Latina (Prog Related, 1974)

Sat, 16 May 2026 16:15:22 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — Abbracciala abbracciali abbracciati was a way of opening the album almost like a spell of ethereal suspense where to
sustain that next step which for Lucio Battisti meant recording Anima Latina...which was nothing other than another
digression in his career, another healthy step aside to have more room to maneuver as had been Amore E Non
Amore.

With flutes, trumpets and Moogs he built an almost dreamlike atmosphere, unhurried, with jazzy flirtations and
languid singing...like that sun that reaches your eyes from the cover, making you squint to see better.
Due mondi continues the development of the wind instruments, but a very pronounced bass line, along with the
percussive rhythm and its vocals, makes it frenetic, increasing towards the end with the keyboard and a harp that
harmoniously passes the baton to Anonimo. The richness of the arrangements, with the vibraphone, guitar, and flute,
adds depth, which, when the keyboard is added, along with the time signature changes, ultimately achieves the most
dreamy version of the Italian symphonic atmosphere.

A final section, almost flamenco in style, serves as a coda, surprising and reminiscent of Camel. Gli uomini celesti
subtly builds African harmonies with the help of keyboards and guitar, almost as if inaugurating a Mediterranean
symphonic rock sound. The prominent percussion again plays an important role, while Anima latina, with its long
introduction, constructs notes from those very Italian choruses, but adapted for acoustic guitar and keyboards... the
bass and percussion do the rest, as this is a choral album in the truest sense.

There's even an almost otherworldly piano and flute digression in Il salame, though Lucio's strength, his voice and
guitar, is always present. Keyboards, like a river, guide the music along its course to La nuova America, where
trumpets, bass, and drums bring a new modernity, and they remain there...the trumpets playing with the
guitar...continuing to surprise us, until Macchina del tempo, with its otherworldly funk rhythm, further enriches the
atmosphere. And the magic in Lucio's voice, combined with his guitar and keyboards, imbues the music with melody,
suddenly transforming even the darkest corner into a song.

It's that Mediterranean symphonic rhythm he called Anima Latina ...and it became one of his best albums.

BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1972)

Sat, 16 May 2026 08:41:33 EST

Review by A Crimson Mellotron — The period 1972-74 marks a high point in the history of Italian rock music as emergent young bands
would challenge each other in terms of creativity, complexity and originality, thus forming the
basis of the local symphonic prog scene. Inspired by the likes of Gentle Giant, Genesis, ELP, and
Jethro Tull, several bands would start to experiment with complex arrangements, extended
instrumental sections, and a diverse range of influences, including classical music, folk and pop,
to give birth to a rather eclectic amalgamation of melodic sounds, as heard on a string of classic
records from that period. One of these classics is, of course, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's eponymous
debut album released in May of 1972, as recorded by the original six-piece band. A lavish symphonic
prog odyssey, this album features a delightful range of analog keyboards as well as an orchestral,
almost funereal, sheen that renders the music quite audacious and gritty. And then there are the
fascinating operatic vocals, which are by all means a very Italian thing!

Much in the spirit of the early 70s prog records, this album features three long pieces that are
pierced by three shorter instrumental interludes, forming a very balanced album structure. The music
is predominantly written by Vittorio Nocenzi, the band's keyboard player - his crossover-classical
approach to songwriting is very melodic, as multiple polyphonic sections reveal a deep understanding
of compositional theory as well as an acquaintance with the tropes of classical music. Beautifully
complex opener 'In volo' leads to the very energetic number 'R.I.P.', which is the first major track
appearing on this LP. The music is quirky and surreal at times, strongly reminiscent of the produce
of ELP or Yes. The next big piece is the 10-minute-long suite 'Metamorfosi', which might as well be
the best thing appearing on this album - an almost entirely instrumental piece, this song offers a
diligent balance between ethereal symphonic sounds and psych-laden complex sections, perhaps
somewhat similar to the ingenious music of Aphrodite's Child. Then we have the opus 'Il giardino del
mago', featuring a good eighteen minutes of pure prog brilliance and an impressive range of analog
keyboards used; the entire suite is excellently composed and features several truly sensational
parts. This is only followed by the closing piece 'Traccia', which is a serene classical-inspired
instrumental.

Impressive performances and excellent songwriting - there is plenty of fabulous music to be heard on
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's debut album, one of the definitive releases of the Italian prog scene.

BORDER HILLS Border Hills (Neo-Prog, 2024)

Sat, 16 May 2026 04:46:17 EST

Review by alainPP — Border Hills, a prog rock band that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, blends symphonic, classical, and new
prog elements.

"Sabbath" opens with a dark and unsettling intro featuring pervasive, ethereal synths. "The Dream of Flying"
showcases Elisa's astonishing vocals, reminiscent of Anna d'Albion's soaring high notes. Simone's Gilmour-esque
guitar solo and the synthesizer exude emphasis and resonance. A narrated break is punctuated by numerous
solos. The lyrics explore buried fears, sending shivers down the spine. "When Reason Sleeps It Generates
Monsters" evokes Genesis's second period with its meticulously crafted melodies. A mid-tempo vocal duet,
melancholic and accompanied by ethereal drums, offers a deceptively simple ballad about the cruel world we
live in. A truly lyrical moment of musical expression. A beautiful chorus and a swirling, languid guitar solo
complete the picture. "Into the Mist" follows, a vocal performance of pure lamentation, a pad of pure elevation
across two tones, a guitar of pure meditation, a synth of pure, marshmallowy contemplation, melting on the
tongue. This modern Genesis-esque instrumental killer begs to be repeated endlessly, dreamlike. "The Small
Town" offers a country feel with its slide guitar, and a high-pitched vocal for this nostalgic folk track where one of
the musicians experienced a tragedy. Contemplative notes in a melancholic lullaby mode, culminating in a
breathtaking guitar finale.

"The Door" puts the prog sound back at the helm with its crystalline, pastoral, and universally appealing opening,
featuring a touching Elisa. The build-up with the keyboard in the background, the melancholic guitar for the
battle-ready crescendo. The epic solo, the burning R]]>�with the bouncing foam. "Saturn" with its solemn organ, a Johnny Hallyday title coming to mind. A choppy title, a
heavy riff, opalescent keyboards. It nods to Edenbridge, The Gathering, Lesoir, with a touch of nostalgia. Good
prog metal without instrumental explosions, just a gentle flow of notes with a melting guitar. "The Haunted
Mansion" follows with a cinematic interlude of baby cries, wind, and a haunting psychedelic drift on a cruel story.
"Giant" features a bucolic guitar arpeggio guiding Elisa through the lands of Iona, reminiscent of Magenta's folk
period and Mostly Autumn's Heather era?an ethereal band with a melting female voice. A melting pot for a sad
melody, cradled by the evocative and magnetic vocals. The keyboard is the soul of the track, launching into a
melancholic, moving solo. As with any good ending, we expect a huge guitar solo, and it is exceptional, inviting
endless reverie. A stunning tribal outro.

Border Hills delivers an omnipresent masterpiece: melody, atmosphere, dramatic sweetness, suave and
pervasive. Imagine Pink Floyd meeting Genesis in the 21st century with a dripping Mellotron. Prog rock as we still
dream of it.(4.75)

BLACK SHEEP WALL Songs For The Enamel Queen (Experimental/Post Metal, 2021)

Sat, 16 May 2026 00:50:12 EST

Review by UMUR — "Songs For The Enamel Queen" is the fourth full-length studio album by US, California based sludge
metal act Black Sheep Wall. The album was released through Silent Pendulum Records in February 2021.
It]]>�changes since "I'm Going To Kill Myself" as Andrew Hulle has joined on guitar. Lead vocalist Brandon
Gillichbauer did not perform bass (as he usually does) on the album and the bass tracks were instead
recorded by session musician Jason Grissinger.

Gillichbauer]]>�The Enamel Queen" and compared to his lead vocalist debut on "I'm Going To Kill Myself", his
performance on "Songs For The Enamel Queen" is more mature and convincing. Stylistically the
material is a relatively experimental/progressive type of sludge metal with strong post-hardcore
leanings. It]]>�hardcore. There are atmospheric parts on the album too though which sometimes provides the music
with a post-metal touch.

"Songs For The Enamel Queen" features seven tracks and a total playing time of 58:37 minutes. Three
of the tracks are shorter compositions while the remaining four are all over 10 minutes long.
Especially the longer tracks are quite creative and explores many different musical ideas and
structures (the 13:23 minutes long "New Measures of Failure" is a good example of that). Featuring a
heavy, raw, and detailed sound production, "Songs For The Enamel Queen" is a both well produced,
well performed, and well composed album from Black Sheep Wall. While it]]>�listening music, it]]>�more in line with the earlier releases by Black Sheep Wall without replicating themselves and still
featuring much more focus on atmospheric sections.

Upon conclusion it]]>��forgotten where they came from. I have great respect for their experimental approach to songwriting
and the patience to build their compositions to heavy climaxes but also stripping the heaviness and
replacing it with bleak atmospheric parts when that is called for. Black Sheep Wall are capable of
delivering all stylistic elements with equal amounts of passion and conviction and "Songs For The
Enamel Queen" is therefore another strong release in their discography. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is
deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

LE ORME Florian (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1979)

Fri, 15 May 2026 23:05:01 EST

Review by The Progolyte — Ignoring the vocals, this album has created what is essentially an entirely different sound for Le Orme,
because this album has no drums, is a mix of chamber music and Rock Progressivo Italiano, and is by far
the most peaceful album Le Orme has ever released (at least among the Le Orme albums I have heard).
Even though this was a radical shift in the band's musical direction at the time (especially since the eighties
were approaching and all of the major progressive rock bands, including the Italian ones, were all switching
to pop around this time), it somehow works, and it honestly makes sense why Le Orme of all bands would
try making an orchestral album this late into the seventies. If Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso also did it with Di
Terra, then why couldn't they? The music here is still quite complex, while also not entirely leaving the
previous album's more catchy and melodic sound. The lineup doesn't change for this album, but the
instruments the members are playing does, with Germano Serafin playing acoustic guitar, violin, bouzouki,
and mandola, Aldo Tagliapietra on vocals, cello, and classical guitar, Antonio Pagliuca playing various keys
such as piano, harpsichord, and harmonium, and Michi Dei Rossi playing various percussive instruments
and vibraphone, marimba, and glockenspiel.

The music here is very pastoral, and the classical influences combined with the guitars and similar string
instruments remind me of what The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was doing at the time and would do in the
coming years and decades, and I am a huge fan of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, so I'm not really
complaining about that. My personal favorite track is the instrumental title track, which has the most
complex and tense structure and is full of really beautiful moments with tons of details that stick out, and
the following songs are also really good, with compositions like Jaffa, Pietro Il Pescatore, and
ejejfndjekckcene continuing this atmosphere and style in a similar fashion in terms of the music quality
(although all of the songs have these features). Speaking of atmosphere, the whole thing is very
atmospheric and feels otherworldly at points with its whimsy and tranquil feelings. I really wish this album
were longer than just a little over thirty minutes, because the music on here was exceptionally strong
compared to what Le Orme would continue to put out in the coming decades, but the album after this,
Piccola Rapsodia Dell'ape, continues this musical direction, although it isn't as good.

In conclusion, this is truly the last great Le Orme album in my opinion, and unfortunately, the band would
never truly capture this unique sound correctly again (however, they got close with their next album), but
overall, this was the best way to close Le Orme's classic era. It has all the details you would want in a Le
Orme album and so much more as well, and in the end, I'm awarding this album a strong 4/5, possibly even
a 4.25/5.

SONIQ THEATER Just Like Magic (Crossover Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 21:04:31 EST

Review by kev rowland — One always knows it is the New Year as there will be an email from keyboard player Alfred Mueller telling me about
his latest album. He has only missed one year since 2000 when he commenced his solo career (he was previously in
Rachel's Birthday. This is his 26th album, and I have reviewed them all, and whenever I listen to them, I always feel he
should be far more recognised, not just for his longevity and commitment but also because he has released some
very nice material over the years.

This album finds him turning more to Wakeman than Jarre, especially on numbers like "King's Enchanter (magic mix)"
which has some nice punch and power and rocky elements, although the programmed drums are always an issue.
However, he provides multiple keyboard layers, and it fairly bounds along which is nice. Over the years Alfred has
experimented with vocals here and there, and it is rare that it is a positive outcome and sadly that is what we have
again here on "Tears" which is a perfectly nice piano-led number, but the vocals simply are not up to the task and he
would have been much better using a session singer as the result would undoubtedly have been much better. Overall
this is a solid release again, although to my ears not really up there with some of his others, but undoubtedly in 12
months' time I will be listening to the next album, and I look forward to it.

THE SOFT MACHINE Thirteen (Canterbury Scene, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 20:36:24 EST

Review by kev rowland — Soft Machine has had probably one of the most convoluted membership histories of any band, but there is no
doubt in my mind that the current line-up has continued to keep the name alive and are directly linked to the
original band. Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean were both in the band in the Sixties, and it was they who formed Soft
Ware in 1999, alongside former Soft Machine drummer John Marshall plus Keith Tippett, who had played with Dean
at the turn of the Seventies. After a few line-up changes, Hopper, Dean and Marshall invited ex-Soft Machine
guitarist John Etheridge into the fold, at which point the name changed to Soft Machine Legacy. Sadly, Dean passed
away not long afterwards, and he was replaced by Theo Travis (ex-Gong), while the death of Hugh Hopper led to
another ex-Soft joining the band, Roy Babbington. Marshall and Travis are still there today, while Babbington and
Marshall have since passed away and been replaced by Fred Thelonious Baker and Asaf Sirkis. This does mean that
the current band contains just one member of the group who was with them in the Seventies, but they can
demonstrate a consistent relationship, and if anyone was ever in doubt as to whether they are the real deal, just
listen to this.

It is nice to see them reverting back to the album naming convention they followed from 1969 to 1973 when they
released some of their most compelling works, but it is not just the name on the cover or the artwork (which ties in
with 'Seven'), but very much in the music which is provided here. The new members of the band have fitted in
perfectly, with Asaf Sirkis being one of the most dynamic and exciting drummers around, knowing when the time is
right to be bombastic, playing with multiple sticks to get different cymbal sounds, or when not to play at all,
contributing both space and melody alongside the rhythm. Fred Baker has a long relationship with the Canterbury
scene (taking over from Hugh Hopper in In Cahoots, for example) and has a deft touch on fretless bass, providing
warmth and underpinning the lead melodies of Marshall and Travis. The latter is a multi-instrumentalist, and here
he can be found providing saxophones, flutes, duduk, Mellotron, pianos, electronics meaning the overall sound of
the band can be different from track to track, while Etheridge may be in his seventies (and incidentally is the longest
serving Soft in the band's history) but shows age is not slowing him down as he is still a master.

The final track will be a surprise to many, as it features none other than Softs founder member Daevid Allen, who
passed away in 2015. It was recorded when Travis was in Gong, who then composed "Daevid's Special Cuppa" to
include it and the result is a. hypnotic number quite unlike anything else on the album as it a psychedelic tribal set
piece with soprano sax, guitar and duduk (a haunting Armenian traditional wooden flute like instrument). The band
are touring constantly, and this album clearly shows just how many hours they have spent together as it is
incredibly cohesive, at times showing them at their most boisterous while at others it is sheer beauty.

BORDER HILLS Border Hills (Neo-Prog, 2024)

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:14:50 EST

Review by tszirmay — Another one of those hidden prog gems that flew 20 feet off the ground, invisible to even the most sophisticated
radar (The Rogue has a very advanced system, but obviously, not foolproof). This 2024 album finally gets the
treatment it fully deserves, the hint blip that ultimately caught my attention was the presence of celebrated Italian
guitarist Simone Cozzetto who has a few tasty solo albums as well as playing with Massimo Pieretti. Keyboards and
composing are in the hands of Francesco Proietti while the drums are performed by Ivo di Traglia. The sumptuous
vocals are Elisa Benedetti's domain, and she does a bang-up job. The parameters are well founded in a variety of
styles, from cinematographic, Celtic, folk, alternative influence but well assembled in a classic prog gift-wrapping.

Nothing like a somber electronic intro to set the right mood and "Sabbath" certainly does the trick quite well.
Shimmering electronics weaving within percussive shudders and echoing effects are de rigueur. "The Dream of
Flying" goes from dreamy to aerobatics with gritty propeller-driven guitars, elevator bass and thruster drum
support, leaving Elisa to build up her magnum voice soar mightily into the yonder way above , Simone peeling off a
blazing axe venture as well as a narrated bit, one really has a sense of floating above the clouds, boldly winging it
like a proud eagle. The die is cast, 'alea jacta est' as they once uttered in the roman forum.

"When Reason Sleeps, It Generates Monsters", now that is what I call a bold title, maintains the concept of slumber
as an igniter of thought , with both Simone and Elisa collaborating on the vocal side, Francesco doing some terrific
work on the ivories as the arrangement fluctuates between accessible and profound, a Cozzetto glissade bubbling
by at warp speed, presumably engendering the promised ogres that will eventually show up on the segue "Into the
Mist", without question a peak moment on their recording, as atmospheric piece of prog genius one is likely to
encounter anywhere. As the title implies and the vaporous cover art comes to mind, this is a gloomy soundscape of
impeccable construct, colossal walls of mellotrons blending with electronic synths unafraid to venture out in solo
land, Elisa slashing through the fog with deliberate ambition and the drums flailing away as if to clear the road
ahead. The fretboard spotlight is equally brilliant, casting desperate light on the onward perils. Amazing track.

Through the haze, we arrive to "The Small Town", a sense of salvation overtly expressed by Simone, carrying the
vocal with utter simplicity, embellished with an arrangement that features little dross or overkill, a sterling neo-prog
ditty, with a sad song verse/chorus format that tells a story about an ordinary guy, in an everyday settlement, the
trials and tribulations that make life what it is.

Another sizeable mass of notes appears at "The Door", a howling voice beckoning one to pass through the gate,
tingling acoustic guitars and twinkling ivories crisscrossing in close quarters, as Elisa waltzes vocally through the
threshold of broken dreams. It's intoxicatingly hypnotic, the voice in full command of the senses, captivating,
alluring and convincing, on the verge of exploding in unabashed anguish, brilliantly taken over by the serpentine
lead guitar (man, can he play!), massive mellotron choir as a captive audience. Elisa raises the volume and the
power to a higher realm, flirting with the divine. Both Simone and Francesco slam the gate shut and throw away the
key.

Cosmic travels, anyone? The tempo reaches tornado-like proportions on the metallic-tinged "Saturn", the incendiary
riffs tumble like acrobats in a row, the ruthless beat harsh and acidic, only finding solace with a recurring piano
motif to keep things honest . Elisa's lungs get a workout, delivering a slew of pirouetting notes and then holding the
screech without remorse. Our axe slinger demolishes all notions of time and space with a galactic barrage that
displaces asteroids in its wake.
The short instrumental vignette "The Haunted Mansion" has both angst and serenity as its main purpose. The
keyboards painting a wide backdrop, while the percussive machine pulses along without fear. Wind wuthering
through the broken widows left agape, and the door ajar.

"Giant", a nearly 10-minute grand finale, settles the score once and for all, with a meaningful melody that fits
perfectly with the deliberate vocals, the predictable dense arrangement laden with layers of keyboard eccentricity.
A repetitive piano and strings curtsy that keeps things orchestral and attractive, the idyllic lay-up for another
tumultuous synthesizer fluster, followed by more final wild guitar incursions. The instrumental variations come as a
wall of sound exhortation that lathers on a gigantic symphonic sheen to all the crushing bluster, as the sonic missile
heads straight up to the skies. The dog barks but does not bite.

This needs a follow-up, an unexpected surprise that is in need of further exposure, even possibly surpassing all the
overt qualities expressed within the grooves.

4.5 frontier mounds

RICHARD BARBIERI Hauntings (Progressive Electronic, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:13:49 EST

Review by tszirmay — Surely the greatest non virtuoso keyboard player in music today, with a career spanning the likes of Japan, Rain
Tree Crow, the Dolphin Brothers, No-Man, Tim Bowness, Steve Hogarth and Porcupine Tree, plus a bevvy of solo
albums. He is above all a textural sound manager, and tonal artist, with the innate ability to colour any
arrangement in a camouflage of density and purpose, a rather discreet genius, not too far removed from Brian Eno
in the technical sense. If you are expecting toe-tapping karaoke, with a hefty dose of get down and boogie, well
perhaps you need to find another venue. This is a rather ghostly environment , more conducive to introspective
fever and possible imminent nervous disorder. It remains in the ear of the beholder. Among the greatest fretless
innovators, there is little doubt that Jaco Pastorius (RIP) and Tony Levin are luminary legends. Yet there is my
personal favourite, the much-missed Mick Karn (RIP), with whom Barbieri played with in the band Japan. Who best
to consider in the role than that other monster bassist Percy Jones (whose Brand X career is also legendary) taking
on the pivotal foundational work on this album. Bring in the celebrated Swedish drummer/percussionist Morgen
Agren (Kaipa, Zappa), as well as the current master of trumpet in Progland, the prolific Luca Calabrese to complete
the quartet.

Eleven medium sized snippets that can only be qualified as challenging sonic jewels, demanding the same level of
concentration from the listener that what was put in by the composer, in order to be fully satiated. The two opening
pieces are slithering bass reptiles that occasionally tongue their way towards unsuspecting prey, Percy carrying the
wobbly Karn style to perfection, while Barbieri splatters a canvas of dense colorations that defy the normal
standards of keyboard orchestrations. With titles like "Snakes and Ladders" and "Anemoia", you kind of get the hint.
Slight right turn into more ambient surroundings for the next two sonic paintings, "Victorian Wraith" perfectly
sombre and funereal, while the effectively timeless warp of "1890" is nothing less than modern electronic art.
Mellow, yellow.

Another dual punch in the gut, coming first is the oblique and jaunty percussive romp on "Artificial Obsession", a
nocturnal urban wasteland of oppressive illusions and synthetic preoccupations, seductive but certainly not sexual.
The Jones bass curvatures together with the background moaning are outright sinister, the Barbieri prancing
keyboards suggesting absurdity amid all the pervasive solitude. "Paris Sketch" keeps the momentum, just changes
the geography, drums played with freshly baked baguettes, foie gras lipstick staining the YSL shirts and copious
amounts of Pommard to wash away the way too numerous to name carnal sins. (oui, mon cheri!). The City of Light
at 4.00am is certainly dark. Then comes daybreak, "le petit matin, croissant/cafe au lait", the Champs Elysees
stretching the numb muscles back into some semblance of civic life. "Perfect Toys" is the aftershave and razor, the
eau de Cologne and the hair combed into an acceptable coif, cool threads and shiny shoes. Cigarettes and figurines of the Virgin Mary, perhaps. All toys. The barely awake, narrated Lady Marmalade voice offers the eventuality of fertile seduction.

"Traveler" has a hustling bustle rhythm that cannot camouflage the giddy trepidation of fleeing the daily routine to
discover new experiences. Its cool boom-boom-tchak groove has tons of e-piano glitter, sinful synth petulance,
blatant bass clanging and pleading/squeaking whine (and she is not from Bordeaux). Delightfully abrasive, brazen,
obstinate and spasmodic. Like an old Japan track without vocals. Travel back in time, I guess.
The final three tracks contain an ambient wake-up call, then a solemn final bedtime call and crowned by a glorious
au revoir on "A New Simulation".

Honestly, I found this revealing record to be way more adventurous and stimulating than any of the previous final
string of Porcupine Tree albums. Exceptional soundscapes abound , a tantalizing option for both the the casual
listener and the intense prog nerd that enjoys scalpel-like finesse.

4.5 Gallic ghosts

LUCIO BATTISTI Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno (Prog Related, 1972)

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:03:44 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno begins with two themes that Mina Mazzini would reinterpret on her 1975 album,
MinacantaLucio. Thus, I giardini di marzo starts acoustically, then strings join in, almost as if conducted by John Paul
Jones. I like the interplay of contrasts between the string sections and the more stripped-down guitar, almost like an
opening suite.

Innocenti evasioni is an ideal continuation, still sounding modern and psychedelic, with keyboards and a funky guitar.
It's not progressive, but there is a search for textures, a fusion of styles, and a constant movement.

E penso a te corresponds to the most pleasing section of the album, no less beautiful for that, but in the Italian
popular tradition, including an emotional chorus that comes after the piano and that is impossible not to hum.
Comunque bella has a very special melody, unfolded through Lucio's singing, which begins solo and then with the
entire band bursting forth like a sunrise that banishes the night's dampness, with a distinct, almost recited style that
accompanies the organ. The power of the moments when he is alone, reciting with his guitar, is extraordinary.

One of Lucio's strengths is his acoustic guitar playing in less acoustic, more powerful, and aggressive contexts... and
this explodes in Il leone e la gallina, which is further enhanced by the bass and drums at the end.

Sognando e risognando is another of the album's experimental tracks, one of the few, with a subtle beginning, as if
sung by Gabriel from early Genesis, before the band explodes with a glam-tinged echo. Again, the contrasts provide
the necessary power to build the desired atmosphere, ending with a great guitar riff that, precisely because it's
unfinished, is all the more unforgettable.

Il fuoco continues the strange atmosphere with the guitar floating like in space rock...until culminating in waking up or
remaining in the dream forever, with humanity and its circular behavior residing in that recurring contrast of the
album.

LUCIO BATTISTI Amore e Non Amore (Prog Related, 1971)

Fri, 15 May 2026 17:02:05 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — Amore e Non Amore is several albums in one...a concept album about different forms of love...a semi-acoustic
progressive album in collaboration with the musicians of Premiata Forneria Marconi, the first of a more bohemian
and experimental period. It was recorded before Emozioni, but the studio decided to release it later, so it would
end up being his third album...the first one that sounds like he's entering the 1970s, a psychedelic sound but with
progressive development, as evidenced by the length of his opening track, Dio mio no, which also features him
singing like never before, more visceral and committed.

Flavio Premoli on organ, Franco Mussida on guitar, Giorgio Piazza on bass and Franz Di Cioccio on drums, plus
Lucio himself on guitar and piano, sometimes alternating acoustic and electric, which gave the album that
distinctive flavor, almost as if that union between Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Jimi Hendrix, which was so much
talked about at the Isle of Wight festival, had finally been realized.

Seduto sotto un platano con una margherita in bocca guardando il fiume nero macchiato dalla schiuma bianca dei
detersivi plays between jazzy blues until the strings are added, but at no point do the organ and guitar stop
improvising on top. Giving the impression that at any moment it could go in another direction...and that is precisely
what happens.

Una maintains the rock'n'roll format with a choir but a drum kit that is omnipresent, and of course Lucio's voice,
which distinguishes it from the rest.

7 agosto di pomeriggio, with the acoustic guitar, he constructs a delicate oriental melody, which, when the piano is
added, recalls the most sacred acoustic passages of the Mahavishnu, but then they become atonal... and also
brings to mind Oregon. Se la mia pelle vuoi is a more classic rock song, well-executed and with the added benefit of
a rawer sound due to the echo effect. The format alternates between more conventional songs and others that
break the mold, perhaps playing with the album's title and theme. This is how Davanti ad un distributore
automatico di fiori dell'aeroporto di Bruxelles, anch'io chiuso in una bolla di vetro (which, not surprisingly, also has
a long title) unfolds with the orchestra in an almost cinematic way.

Supermarket reminded me of the electro-acoustic rock and roll that Johnny Hallyday also made in France, full of
swing, alternating with psychedelia and a certain flirtation with progressive symphonic music. They could make the
acoustic guitar sound funky, and croon over it like any other instrument while the tempo sped up, making full use
of the acoustic format.

Above all else, Italian music, both melodic and progressive, has always possessed a strong sense of rhythm and
melody... and both permeated each of its exponents. "Una poltrona, un bicchiere di cognac, un televisore, 35 morti
ai confini di Israele e Giordania," the album's final track, is no exception, blending an epic accompaniment with a
warm and simple melody that culminates in an orchestral flourish. Lucio's music would never be the same after this
album, which served as a turning point, a pivotal moment in his career.

EL TUBO EL�STICO El Tubo El�stico (Post Rock/Math rock, 2015)

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:16:19 EST

Review by tszirmay —
Being a regular listener of Friday Night Progressive radio show, where Ron seems to always find interesting new
artists that are utterly deserving of exposure, along comes another new discovery that caught me by surprise. Like
my esteemed friend Lazland loves to state, 'Too much music, not enough time". Never a dull moment in the prog
rogue's flourishing life , as this hitherto unbeknownst to me band from Jerez de la Frontera Spain exploded my
head, something fierce, like the delicious variety of sherries they bottle (Xerex) and export worldwide. The quartet
has two guitarists and a bassist, all seconding their talent with synthesizers, an athletic drum master to keep the
pace blistering and lots of incredible sounds. This debut was issued in 2015 and have also released another studio
follow-up in 2018, as well as a2020 live recording.

"Pandora" meanders into the consciousness with sonic patterns that seek only to hypnotize, weaving the mood like
a magical carpet ride, an aural tapestry that evolves into sensual erogenous zones emanating from the carnal guitar
twosome, expertly kept in tow by a hard carving bass and splintering percussive elements. The box is now left ajar,
with the menacing spirits fully liberated from their cage, free to roam wherever inspiration may bring them. An
excellent first bite.

As the title surely implies "Camaleon" is a shifty creature that can merge itself into any backdrop and appear
invisible. The dual axe attack is characterized by interwoven flicks of the wrists that can both shred and/or flutter,
while being solidly held together with geometric rhythmic play that constructs the camouflage. The fiery guitar
display is bold enough to engage in soloing, in either expected or uncharacteristic ways. Eventually, the picture
blends into the horizon.

From here on in, the general atmosphere overtly veers into their instrumental comfort zone. The lengthiest track
here, the nearly 9 minute "Ispra" secretes the true meaning of the band's moniker, an elastic tunnel of sound that
may recall some of the more experimental moments of the sadly short-lived, Andy Summers-Robert Fripp
collaboration though the Spaniard foursome offer a more foundational expanse to their work, each musician
having a say in the development. It can also be trippy with occasional glints of Hillage-like guitar playing, giving it a
cosmic fragrance that expands deeper into the universe.

That inescapable aroma of variable geometry appears in full regalia on "Rojo" (red), a cartesian extravaganza of
insistence and mathematical precision, an uncoiling vermillion reptile that shows little mercy o remorse. The fury
eventually rises to volcanic levels, the bass spewing plumes of ashen burps, the drum assault unrelenting as if to
blur all sense of time and space.

Dreamier realms on "El Enjambre" (swarm), as the more acoustic side appears in order to set up the eventual
communion of sounds, the drums performing the way they play football, ticky-tacky, lots of short passes, forging
ahead, nevertheless. When the stormier weather brings in the darker clouds, the thunder and lightning dual guitar
shatter the ears with some furious encirclements. Its appropriately gritty, tempestive and reckless, just like mother
nature can sometimes be. A powerful flock of seagulls (no, not the band), searching for a wide enough landing.

Diversifying finale what with the insertion of electronic keyboards into the mix, adding even more crosspollination
to their already fragrant formula, "Vampiros y Gominolas" (Vampires and gummies) impishly stands out as a
declaration of doom with some tasty swirls flush with hope and passion. The balance between stark repetition (the
KC influence, perchance?) and soaring cosmic forays can be a fascinating discovery for those who enjoy intensity
and fire in their musical journeys.

The next one may be the Frontera threshold being crossed. Vamos a ver (we shall see) .
4 flexible cylinders

ROBE Lo Que Aletea En Nuestras Cabezas (Heavy Prog, 2015)

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:16:30 EST

Review by siLLy puPPy — With the end of the successful popular run with Extremoduro that lasted from 1987 to the mid-2010s,
frontman Roberto Iniestra better known as ROBE launched his solo career in 2015 and continued the
style more or less in the same fashion of his wildly successful band. Known for his poetic lyricism
and transgressive rock style, ROBE became one of Spain's biggest superstars and considered one of
the most important acts to emerge in the entire world of Spanish music although practically unknown
to the rest of the world before the advent of the internet. While the band blended the sounds of
hard rock, progressive rock and folk, on ROBE's debut LO QUE ALETEA EN NUESTRAS CABEZAS (That Which
Flutters In Our Heads) takes on more of the softer aspects of folk rock.

ROBE pretty much continues his poetic prose in the Spanish language set to music with a set of eight
tracks in the same vein as the latter Extremaduro albums only featuring less harder rock aspects
therefore the guitar grunge and soloing is pretty much absent and the folk and baroque pop aspects
are emphasized. Prominent in the album's 44 minute run are violin sounds as well as clarinet, an
accordion and a touch of jazzy saxophone at times. Most pronounced is the piano and while not
guitar-free, the six string is very much not the focus on this debut release. This could even be
considered a mostly acoustic album sounding more like traditional Spanish folk music than rock
proper.

Being the musical legend that he is, the fanbase embraced ROBE's solo career with open arms and the
album debuted at No. 1 on the Spanish charts and was awarded gold status which in that nation means
more than 20,000 units sold. While a solo album, it's still very much a band sound with six other
musicians backing and honestly other than the heaviness factor sounds just like anything Extremaduro
was cranking out which is not surprising considering ROBE was the leader and creative force. The
tracks pretty much continue the same sort of churning rhythmic drive and folk flavors that even the
harder Extremaduro albums showcased and like those albums LO QUE ALETEA doesn't offer a lot of
variation between tracks as the emphasis is clearly on the poetic prose rather than the musical
innovation which will be a major road block for those who don't speak Spanish.

Honestly i've never really seen the mass appeal of Extremaduro and same goes for ROBE as a solo
artist. While the music is competent and hardly unlistenable in any way, there's really nothing here
that's extraordinary. The rhythms are rather straightforward, the compositions aren't anything fancy
and there is really no prog to be heard at all. This is basically folk rock that focuses on ROBE's
wordplay and the music is secondary. Part of the problem with me personally is that i don't find
ROBE's vocal style particularly palatable and the music seems to sound pretty much the same from the
opening "Un Suspiro Acompasado" to the closing "Contra Todos" but i could say the same about even
Extremaduro's most lauded works. Obviously it's probably one of those types of acts that you have to
be in the right time and place to comprehend but as an outsider simply sampling these works i'm
rather underwhelmed with it all both musically and vocally.

CROWN LANDS Apocalypse (Heavy Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 12:59:02 EST

Review by yarstruly — Clicked 5, but really 4.5 (4 is just too low)

Canadian duo Crown Lands has just dropped their new album Apocalypse on today (May 15, 2026)! I had hoped to
get an early review copy, but it wasn't to be this time. But that's OK, I'm here to get you the info as quickly as I can.
As you may know, I wrote an extensive Spotlight article on them last year (on my blog, "Scott's Song by Song and
Spotlight Site"), and the "band" is actually a "Power-Duo" consisting of:

- Cody Bowles / vocals, drums, percussion, Ney flute, Pentatonic flute

- Kevin Comeau / 6 & 12 string electric & acoustic guitars, bass, minimoog, Oberheim OB6 synthesizer, Taurus
pedals, mellotron

I am excited to hear this new album, especially the closing title epic. As usual, this is a "cold listen". Let's jump in:

Track 1 - Proclamation I (1:22)

We begin with the shortest track on the album which fades in with electric piano, and a mellotron chorus joins.
Other synth sounds enter then drums, eventually building into essentially a grand introduction for the album. It
leads into?

Track 2 - Foot Soldier of the Syndicate (4:18)

? which begins with a rockin' guitar riff, of course, as one might expect, sounding like late 70s Rush. Cody Bowles
does sound a lot like a young Geddy. Crown Lands definitely wears its Rush influences on its sleeve, but it could be
seen as a new song in that style; and the boy does have range! There is a bridge at around 2:10 which mellows
things down a bit. A cool guitar solo from Comeau follows with Cody doing his best Peart fills. After another verse,
there is another brief solo, before we have what sounds like either an army or an angry mob chanting. But here's
the thing? even though it is clear who their influences are, the song absolutely rocked and was very original. I like it;
a lot.

Track 3 - Through the Looking Glass (3:45)

This begins with an acoustic 12-string with effects on it. A wind chime adds a nice touch. They are in a moderately
slow tempo. Bowles actually sounds a bit more like Robert Plant then Geddy Lee here. The chorus explodes with
power chords before returning to the more mellow verse. Another heavy chorus follows and leads to a brief
instrumental part. Another pair of choruses follows, and I swear Bowles hits the stratosphere with his voice.
Impressive! Great track!

Track 4 - Blackstar (4:02)

This one begins as a more straight-ahead rocker; maybe more like Triumph than Rush. But the guitar/bass
turnarounds are really cool between phrases. This would have been all over the radio around 1986 for sure! There
are some processed vocals in the bit leading up to the killer guitar solo. That chorus is tailor made for arena sing-
alongs! Maybe not the proggiest thing ever, but a killer track nonetheless!

Track 5 - The Fall (4:31)

After a big intro, they go into a guitar pattern with delay that will certainly remind pretty much everyone of Pink
Floyd's "Run Like Hell", or Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" (I also get Yes' "It Can Happen" as well). Seems like they are
expanding their influences on this one. The chorus is big and bold with sustained chords and vocal lines. The intro
riff returns between verses. This is another one that stays in a straight-up rock 4-4, but it's still very enjoyable.
There is a key change before the guitar solo at around the 3-minute point. Bowles is really hitting those drums hard
near the end of the song. Excellent cut!

Track 6 - The Revenants I (5:26)

This one begins with an acoustic 6-string, while Bowles sings a high-pitched melody. Some mellotron joins the
accompaniment as we go along. So far it is pretty much an acoustic ballad, wondering if it is going to explode and
rock out before it's over. Doesn't seem like it will. There are bells tolling at around 4:30 and this is where Bowles
plays "pentatonic flute". It ends with a long, slow fade out.

Track 7 - Apocalypse (19:01)

So here is the moment I've been waiting for; well 19 of them, really. The closing epic title track. Let's see what they
do with it. A low synth drone fades in as it begins. Then there are serious "Xanadu" vibes. (That's my favorite Rush
song, so I don't mind.) However, it doesn't remain a "Xanadu" clone. There are some serious odd-meter riffs with
some staccato notes underneath. Bowles is showing his skill as a drummer here. And the riff that they lock into at
just before the 2-minute mark is completely progtastic! The Alex Lifeson chord voicings are still present, but
otherwise they are doing their own thing. The vocals enter at about 3 minutes in. He is singing very aggressively. A
new guitar riff hits at around 3:45 at a moderate tempo, heralding the start of a new segment of the song. At
around 5:40 they go into 7-4 and things quiet down a bit. There are even some layered vocal harmonies. But at
around 6:30, a new groove hits with some accented notes, then a fast guitar riff that once again conjures Rush
vibes. But the vocal parts here are quite different; there's A LOT going on! At around 7:30, there are some "stop
time" riffs before the fast tempo resumes. This seems like a hybrid between Rush's "Cygnus X-!" and Yes' "Gates of
Delirium" battle scene; very exciting. Things calm back down around 8:20 with some peaceful synth and mellotron
choir sounds leading to harmony vocals. There is a guitar solo just after 9 minutes with some homages to Brian
May in the stacked harmonies. A big vocal section gives way to a "chime-ey" guitar part on electric 12-string, then
flute joins. A bit of staccato riffing takes us to another fast riff that feels like running. The vocals are processed with
an interesting effect. This is definitely a full-on prog epic! Lots of sudden time shifts and riffs coming faster than I
can tell you about. Just know that if you like heavy-prog epics, this is a must to check out. Things get quiet again at
the 14:30 point. The vocal style Bowles adopts here even has a touch of the blues. Comeau definitely loves the
Lifeson-style chords, though. Great drum fill around 17:20! Melltron returns as we approach the big finish! While
the Rush influences are undeniable, I also get a bit of early Queen, particularly from "White Queen (As It Began)" in
the conclusion and we are left with desolate wind sound effects. What a ride THAT was! Definitely the centerpiece
of the album.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

If the first six songs were good, then the seventh one is absolutely incredible. The first half of the album was only
moderately proggy, but still strong songs. That epic title track, though? Just wow! The only thing I could see
rubbing people the wrong way is that Bowles' voice might not be for everybody. But musically, it's phenomenal.
This is a killer heavy prog album worth checking out. These two super-talented guys really know what they are
doing. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars, or 90%.

EMBRYO Embryo's Reise (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1979)

Fri, 15 May 2026 08:01:12 EST

Review by siLLy puPPy — Aa one of Germany's most innovative and famous of the Krautrock bands that started in the late 60s
and nurtured the world of psychedelic rock into some of the most experimental sounds of the decade,
the Munich based EMBRYO was recognized as one of the most talented and cutting edge acts that
encompassed the diverse number of bands spinning the Kraut ethos into crafty new creations. While
the lineup was essentially a rotating collective with over 400 musicians participating since its
1969 to present date, the 1970s featured a few stable members that was considered the band's peak.
After initiating its own unique connection of Krautjazz which mixed the disparate genres of
progressive rock, jazz fusion, folk and psychedelia, EMBRYO caught the ethnic bug in 1972 with a
tour of North Africa sponsored by the Goethe Institute and began to incorporate Moroccan scales and
instruments into tis already eclectic musical style.

By 1978, the core members of Christian Burchard, Roman Bunka, Edgar Hoffman, Uwe M]]>�member Michael Wehmeyer embarked on a most ambitious adventure by taking a nine month tour that
would lead them as far as India through such diverse lands as the European Balkans, Turkey, Iran,
Afghanistan and Pakistan along the way. This massive undertaking included all the band members along
with their families, a film crew, two bus mechanics and even performance artists that included a
clown and tightrope walker. While the Goethe Institute did fund a portion of the journey, primarily
the band funded the tour through its live performances with most of it recorded and later edited
down to create the band's lauded release EMBRYO'S REISE, a massive double album that was released in
late 1979. Along the way the band also sought out local musicians to play with which makes this
album sound more like a musical travelogue than a traditional album proper.

EMBRYO'S REISE is a mix of the band's own Krautjazz style that it brought to life throughout the 70s
mixed with all the ethnic musical styles along the way. Many of the improvisational jamming sessions
were recorded and edited down and mixed with studio works once back in Germany. The album feature
everything from pure ethnic musical excursions to bizarre rock-oriented noise rock ("Es Its Wie's
Ist") however for the majority of the works the band blended its jazz fortified Krautrock with its
usual funk and Moroccan influences. The tracks vary wildly from ranging from Indian music influences
in one track to Afghani the next. In other words the tracks are not arranged as a chronological
reinterpretation of the tour but rather on the overall fusion effect that would inspire the band to
continue the world ethnic fusion that it still engages in today even after Marja Burchard took over
her father Christian Burchard's legacy after his passing in 2016. The band skillfully blends in the
ethnic guest musicians into its rock ethos but there are also many moments where the focus is
exclusively on the guest musicians from the various destinations.

While not the first to undertake such an album concept since the Italian band Aktuala embarked on a
similar journey into Africa in 1976 which resulted with the album "Tappeto Volante," EMBRYO crafted
a much more memorable album that actually delivered the Krautrock aspects in collaboration with all
the various ethnic flavors on board. Perhaps the album might be a little too long for its own good
but honestly once it's playing there are really never any down moments as the album evokes the sense
of jubilee that music has been a part of in every culture throughout all of time. It's a rather
celebratory album of one of humanity's most significant art forms and handled with such care that
the album still feels relevant in the modern era long after the days when venturing to far flung
places such as India felt exotic. Perhaps EMBRYO's most famous release and definitive release that
demonstrated that progressive rock still had some life in it even at the very close of the 1970s
when most other seasoned prog bands had jumped ship or assimilated into the world of punk / new wave
or pop.

NAPOLI CENTRALE Mattanza (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1976)

Fri, 15 May 2026 07:41:25 EST

Review by BrufordFreak — The sophomore studio album release from this Napoli-based band was recorded in early 1976 for Dischi Ricordi and
released in April.

1. "Simme iute e simme venute" (7:48) the music of this song makes me feel as if I'm listening to AREA's cousin. Great
sound production as the clarity and crispness of the keys and other instruments are all captured so well. (The vocals
not so well.) The music really does remind me of the Milanese pioneers--which makes me wonder if the Area albums
had been heard/received by this band. Singer/saxophonist James Senese's vocal performance feels more jazz scat-
vocalese than lyrical, which, of course, puts him in a category like Demetrio Stratos. The bluesy rock music is nice but
not as jazzy as I was expecting (and/or hoping for). (13.125/15)

2. "Sotto a' suttana" (9:08) a musical voyage that feels far more jazzy, far more within the realm of Herbie Hancock or
The Soft Machine Jazz-Rock Fusion. Nice Fender Rhodes work from Giuseppe Guarnera, enjoyable sax work from
James (which is saying something since I rarely enjoy saxophone play) as well as some very solid funk lite work from
bassist Kelvin Bullen and drummer Agostino Marangolo. Franco Del Prete's percussion work is kind of using the
"everything but the kitchen sink" method of employ. I just realized for the first time that there is no guitarist in this
ensemble. Nice! The song is so smooth, mellow, laid back, yet rich in melodies and rich in Jazzy sound palette. In the
eighth minute James feels compelled to start throwing some of his wordless jazz-scatting into the mix--which is then
accented by some group percussive words thrown into the mix while James returns to his Jay Beckenstein sax playing.
Solid, entertaining, and enjoyable with fine performances top to bottom. (18.125/20)

3. "Sotto e 'n coppa" (8:08) another dreamy, floating on water soundscape over which James plays his soprano and
tenor saxophones while Giuseppe Guarnera duplicates James' melody notes with bass clef chords on his keyboard.
Very cool! Around the three-minute mark the band picks up the tempo ever-so slightly, turning the mellowness into
something more exciting and energetic--which the "banks" of horns and keys definitely take advantage. I'm reminded
here of both Klaus Doldinger's PASSPORT and Eumir's DEODATO. Fun, engaging stuff! (13.375/15)

4. "'O nonno mio" (1:50) a gentle little acoustic guitar finger picker for James to sing over with his raspy voice. The
music has the support of Fender Rhodes, bass, and some background sax. (4.5/5)

5. "Sangue misto" (13:30) a mutli-part suite that starts out with a motif traveling at a suburban pace with some rather
free and open construction and aqueous sound palette turns funky jazz-rock after the opening 90-seconds with a cool
ascending chord progression being negotiated by bassist Kelvin Bullen's arpeggiated bass moves into and through
some Herbie-like moments before fading away to make room for the quick emergence of a more dynamic if
somewhat klezmer-like movement--which then gives way to yet another motif--on that begins in the middle of the
sixth minute--which is a bit more up-speed--though it does peter out fairly quickly as the seven-minute mark takes us
on a left turn into a more trepidatious alley of intrigue and subtlety--which is highlighted by the occasional injection of
horn and keys three-note bursts. In the ninth minute this turns into a full-fledged saxophone solo over the continued
"look and see" foundation of gentle, careful Rhodes, bass and cymbal support. James really lights this one up--for over
a minute--before Giuseppe and Franco are given the stage. I like these kind of long, drawn out, subtly-diffused solos.
With about a minute to go, the high-speed finale, then, comes as a bit of a shock, tying it all together but leaving me
wondering what exactly did I just "drive" through. Interestingly crafted but I have no real argument or problem with it.
(27/30)

6. "Forse sto capenno" (4:44) swirling piano arpeggi, percussives, and bowed-bass, present a kind of McCoy Tyner-
scape for James to lend his emotional saxophone play to. There is a bit of "Coltrane Sudia" feel here but also some of
Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and even Rick Wakeman. Nice work from James: definitely a passionate performance.
(9.125/10)

7. "Chi fa l'arte e chi s'accatta" (4:36) another heavier AREA-like motif over which James sings in what sounds like
saxophone-speak in place of words (though I do hear Italian--or, as one reviewer claims, "Neapolitan"). The main
foundation of the motif is held together by bass, drums, and repeating chordal riff from Giuseppe's left hand but then
James' sax(es) and Giuseppe's right hand step forward to offer some really cool (heavily-reverbed) melodic chords
between the vocal passages. James returns to his raspy screams and yells just before the band takes a sudden turn
down a steep downhill passage of frenzied panic--just before the song cuts out! It's over! Wow! Now that was not
expected! (9/10)

Total Time 49:44

After reading several other reviews before taking on this album for myself I find myself feeling mystified at the "Miles
Davis Bitches Brew" and "folk" references. I hear the strains of "late night Coltrane" and Weather Report but am
surprised that no one else is picking up on the Area similarities!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of wonderful rock-based Jazz-Rock Fusion. If you like bands like AREA, you'll probably
love this.

KARNIVOOL In Verses (Heavy Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 07:35:25 EST

Review by BUHA — The first album after a long break of thirteen years does not disappoint anyone and confirms the band's
evolution.
Karnivool continue to evolve with every release, and In Verses is no exception. It's an incredibly well crafted
album that honours everything that came before while still pushing forward.
Salva, Ghost and Reanimation are my favorite songs but the whole album is remarkable and worth listening to
without a break.
It's probably the album I've listened to the most this year and every time I discover new and subtle shades.
I hope the band Karnivool will come on tour in Europe to support this album.

PORCUPINE TREE The Sky Moves Sideways (Heavy Prog, 1995)

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:59:11 EST

Review by A Crimson Mellotron — The third studio album under the Porcupine Tree name sees the project transition into full-on band
mode, with the significant contributions from Steven Wilson's bandmates shaping the sound of one of
the most hypnotic and nostalgic releases of the mid-90s. Drenched in a revivalist space rock
aesthetic, 'The Sky Moves Sideways' features a combination of longer suites and shorter songs,
similarly to 'Up the Downstair'. Several winding instrumental sections are imposed upon the
listener, in which the band experiments not only with the oozing space rock quirkiness that had
shaped earlier albums, but also with singer-songwriter material, pop music, ambient soundscapes (or
rather, space ambient) as well as dance music with trip hop undertones. The overall result is an
extravagant posh mixture of post-Floyd psychedelia with strong leanings towards prog and
electronica, on an album whose structure approaches that of a post-rock record. Given that this is
hardly one of the most accessible PT albums, it is no surprise that it is often seen as one of the
more underrated ones.

The centerpiece here is the two-part title track, with both parts amounting collectively to a good
thirty-five minutes' worth of music. This is a really impressive composition that goes through a
couple of very distinct sections - we have the soothing slow-burn psychedelia in the beginning of
part one, which is followed by a very intense and upbeat section that features some fine
percussions, a trance-like rhythm, swiveling flutes and a rampant guitar solo to round it all out.
It almost sound likes a pumped-up version of Ozric Tentacles. An ambient section acts as a
transition between the two parts, whereas the second one is really hazy and ambiguous, with lots of
interesting ornaments and improvised bits. The entire thing is hypnotic and transcendent, definitely
a memorable listen. We then have two excellent shorter songs - 'Stars Die' and 'Dislocated Day', on
which Wilson fuses the spacey atmosphere of the album with an alternative-sounding edge, with
heavier guitars and more discernible song structures coming to the fore. Another interesting
highlight is the improvised piece 'Moonloop', with its towering 17 minutes of atmospheric guitars
and psytrance undertones.

The entire record is quite different from the rest of the Porcupine Tree catalogue, and even if it
preserves the laid-back spacey grooves of preceding albums, there is a much more experimental,
almost improvisational, execution of the ideas that makes it all the more compelling and peculiar.

LEGACY PILOTS Camera Obscura Volume II (Symphonic Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:54:28 EST

Review by Rysiek P. — My musical journey with Legacy Pilots is like a case of the dripping of water that wears away at the rock. I made
a few unflattering comments on MLWZ.pl while reviewing their album "Thru The Lens." I wasn't entirely thrilled with
their latest offering, even though many well-known musicians participated in its recording. But the dripping of
water wears away at the rock... dripping with individual pieces of information and interviews that appeared
practically shortly after the release of the previous album, which could be summed up by quoting a fragment of a
recent interview with Frank Us: "I like the idea that you can choose which album to listen to, depending on your
mood. 'Camera Obscura' is the biggest and most polished production Pilots have released to date. I think it will take
listeners weeks to truly get to know this material, because we've incorporated an incredible number of ideas into
the songs, and there's a lot to discover."I am deeply convinced that we have managed to create something more
than just a few exceptional songs here." These words were the proverbial last straw before we began listening to
the contents of the two albums that the band had prepared this time.
For the first time in their history, Legacy Pilots have recorded a double album, presenting for the first time over
ninety minutes of music, which has two facets, almost in keeping with the division into albums subtitled vol. 1 and
vol. 2. Of course, the lineup of musicians participating in this "musical process" is also impressive: Todd Sucherman
(Styx), Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats), Lars Slowak, Finally George, Pete Trewavas (Marillion), Steve Morse (Deep Purple, Kansas), the ubiquitous John Mitchell, and vocalists Jake Livgren and Liza. Almost all of them had already participated in the recording of the band's previous releases. And after these more or less formal pieces of information and remarks, I can finally say and this time they managed to carve a hole in my musical heart and soul, into which the entire contents of this release have poured. Each of the two discs is a set of lenses that convey a diminished and slightly "inverted" (i.e. processed for the purposes of musical display) image of the world around us. Both discs are "camera obscuras," painting a real picture of the world around us with musical descriptions that are sometimes soft and gentle, sometimes blurred, sometimes revealing the depth of infinite sharpness, sometimes scaling the interpreted images to the dimensions of individual musical pieces. And, in keeping with the quoted words of the interview, they create the possibility of any interpretation and choice, dependent solely on our cognitive desires.
The album, subtitled Vol. 1, is a masterful display of composition and arrangement. The band begins their
narrative in an incredibly cohesive and perfectly played manner with a three-part piece titled "Midnight Tide,"
which, although just over eight minutes long, demonstrates that this album will combine symphonic elements,
lightly improvised jazz sounds, and delicate progressive passagework. The middle, instrumental section of this piece
sounds exceptional, providing a perfect transition between the slightly jazz-rock first part, whose main theme is an
"analysis" of the passage of time: "Though small our footprint in unfolding time / In living we reclaim our quiet
rhyme", and the third part, which returns to the jazz-rock style of the first part with additional, stronger elements.
What distinguishes this composition? The wonderful vocal lines truly sound exquisite.
They say you only look your best in a photo with your friends ? you're probably familiar with this rather
pessimistic saying. The song "My Anchor" featuring Liza on vocals, contradicts this thesis: "You, you're my best
friend / You are the light in my life / You stand by me as I stand by you for the rest of our lives / We've had our
storms, our nights of rain / Words like thunder, hearts in pain / But when silence falls, and shadows grow / I see the
light in you?I know." And it's not just a contradiction; it's also a very atmospheric song that leads the listener into a
land straight from Madonna's calmer songs. Yes? I know how it sounded, but please listen carefully to the vocal
line, which, despite the similarity (in my opinion), is very catchy and, together with the music, creates a very
pleasant atmosphere.
From there, it only gets better, as the band invites the listener on a shared flight into the heavens. In the
instrumental track "Cloud City," featuring Todd Sucherman and Lars Slowak, you can simply feel how each guitar
chord allows for a languid immersion in the entire landscape of delicate sounds. The musical expanse opens up,
inviting you to join them in traversing the vastness of space. Listen to the synthesizers halfway through the third
minute?we're on the bright side of the sun.
The spirit of space travel also permeates the composition "A Fleeting Echo": "In the quiet of the stars, / The
Earth's just a dot in the endless dark / The countries fade, the lines erase / What's a kingdom when the world's in
space?" I won't deny that this part of the first disc is one of my favorites. And if you're looking for songs that play
with the deepest emotions, this is the time to start. Finally George's wonderful vocals and Seth Hankerson's
(Emerald City Council) guitar work wonderfully together to create this incredibly relaxing song. There's not a single
unnecessary note, nor any unnecessary musical showoff? it's the pure musical essence of the best sounds, and it
lasts over ten minutes. And those synthesizers? but that was already mentioned? and on top of that, eight minutes
and thirty-two seconds ? the apogee of beauty!
This lineup is almost a guarantee of hearing something interesting: Finally George, Marco Minnemann, Seth
Hankerson, and Pete Trewavas. And so it is. "Time Never Pauses" - despite the ticking clock, it doesn't allow for a
second of rest. Our melodic-songy flight continues. "Time feels endless / When you were so young / Now every
second leaves a trace / A quiet ache we can't erase / Time never pauses, it only runs / From rising moons to setting
suns / The days we hold, the breath we take / Are borrowed moments we can't remake." Musically, another
excellent composition.
The first disc ends with a hit. "Afterglow" is one of the most beautiful songs of the past six months. John
Mitchell's voice adds a dramatic, yet deeply moving tone to the incredibly lulling music. Make a note of this title
somewhere; it could be the song of the year. What's more, the album also includes a radio version, less than three
minutes shorter, perfect for even very pop radio stations.
Album number two...? Don't ask. The band takes liberties, and the six songs on it reveal not only the band's
ambiguous side, but also (for me) a completely new side... full of improvisation, experimentation, sounds that are at
least unconventional and seem to be in slight contrast to the first disc. This is certainly a conscious decision, if you
remember the excerpt from the interview with Frank Us quoted at the beginning ? after all, the instigator of this
"commotion."
Listen to the nearly sixteen-minute composition "The Illusion of Knowing," divided into six scenes. A short
introduction ("Introduction") takes us to a musical observation of self-doubt, the downplaying of insufficient
knowledge when performing important tasks, and, in short, an analysis of Dunning-Kruger syndrome ("An
Observation by Dunning-Kruger"), which follows a path marked by symphonic arrangements with a very delicate
vocal line. Subsequent scenes in this story ("Echoes of Belief (Inspired by Confirmation Bias)" and "Against the Ivory
Tower") delight with their combination of symphonic sweep and incredibly delicate and highly narrative vocals. Jake
Livgren and Liza create incredible duets, a dialogue that explores issues of everyday life and the importance of
scientific evidence. An additional element of attraction is the guitar playing, which in the final part ("Reprise")
together with synthesizers creates an incredibly dramatic atmosphere expressed in the words: "...But can they
break free from the prison of their belief? / Face the storm and the questioning sea? / Prophets fall when the
seekers rise / Reclaiming the truth from the web of lies".
Immediately after this composition, a continuation, as it were, begins. Of course, the narrative arc once again
centered around the issue of self-belief ? "You should start shining / Just stand in for yourself / Their views can be a
self-made cage / Limiting your steps, fueling rage." Musically, "Leave the Prison" is simply magnificent. Full of
melancholy and a glimmer of hope, conjured up by a very delicate melody.
What would someone who can't sleep, weary of life, of everyday life, of themselves, see in a camera obscura? ?
"We're riding for years in a tunnel of horror / And these ghosts we can't get rid of / They haunt me almost every
night / I toss and turn I'm still awake." The song "Hounted House" doesn't answer this question, it only asks it.
Musically, it forces us to submit to sadness and melancholy, resounding like a complaining mantra on a restless
night.
The fourth track is an instrumental piece titled "Fear Pt. Three (Continuation)"... a continuation of... what? A
continuation of the two parts of "Fear" from 2020's "Aviation"? Is this the third part, following the two included on
that album ? "Fear Part One - Proximity and Distance" and "Fear Part Two - Hope and Failure"? Dark and unsettling,
full of organ improvisations, as trippy and jarring as the fear each of us has probably experienced. These are
questions for each of us to answer individually.
The penultimate track from the second album is like the words of the chorus ? "I'm dreaming, yeah / I'm
dreaming / While I'm running" (I dream, / I dream / when I run. "I'm Running" sounds like an uninhibited musical
display based on wonderful synthesizer work, a light touch that embellishes this composition somewhat in the style
of The Alan Parsons Project. Although the final two minutes provide many experimental and improvisational
passages.
And finally, the end... an instrumental composition with the perverse title ? "So Obvious While Obscura". Was
the best saved for last...? For those seeking uninhibited, improvisational musical expression, this track will
undoubtedly be the perfect culmination of the album (well, both albums). Other listeners shouldn't be disappointed
either. Despite a certain amount of improvisation, it's a perfect example of a symphonic jumble with such
wonderful shifts in rhythm, tempo, and mood. To paraphrase the title, one could say... it's obvious this is how this
album (these albums) had to end. And yet, it's somehow perversely obscure. After all, it's a distorted image of
what's around us ? beware, it's a camera obscura...! After all, every image can be inverted.
This album has carved a large hole in my musical heart and soul, into which all the sounds recorded here fall. I
can't say it's an album to listen to again and again. It's a rarity that requires the right occasion and the right attitude.
It's not a record that will make you shiver. It requires focus and willingness, but in return we get two full-length
releases full of incredible compositions that flow with the power of symphonic rock mixed with a touch of
improvisation, experimentation, and rock swagger. Most importantly, all of this works together for over ninety-four
minutes to create a magnificent double album. I recommend it, although it will take some effort to appreciate its
beauty.
See also MLWZ.pl

KARMAMOI Eternal Mistake (Heavy Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:50:34 EST

Review by UnValley — Eternal Mistake is not simply another progressive rock concept album, it feels like a cinematic meditation on humanity, memory, artificial consciousness, and the terrifying beauty of emotional imperfection. Karmamoi move far beyond traditional prog structures here, building a record that constantly shifts between intimate fragility and explosive tension, while maintaining a surprisingly coherent emotional arc from beginning to end.

"The Regrets - Lara Is Your Name" opens the album like the first scene of a dystopian film. The spoken-word atmosphere slowly dissolves into dark melodic textures and a haunting sense of emotional disorientation. The band immediately establishes the central theme: the blurred line between human feeling and synthetic existence. The vocals carry both warmth and unease, while the instrumentation balances cinematic orchestration with modern progressive heaviness. At times, however, the intro lingers slightly too long before fully unfolding, which may test listeners expecting a more immediate impact.

"Don't Knock On The Door" feels dreamlike on the surface, but there is anxiety hidden beneath every note. The track floats through melancholic guitars and restrained electronics, creating a hypnotic tension. It's one of the album's most emotionally deceptive songs: delicate and elegant, yet constantly hinting at collapse. Still, the song occasionally plays things a bit too safely, never quite exploding emotionally in the way its atmosphere seems to promise.

With "I'm Not On Your Side", the album suddenly becomes aggressive and confrontational. Sharp riffs, distorted atmospheres, and nervous rhythmic changes transform the song into a critique of manipulation, technological alienation, and fractured identity. The energy here is explosive, but never chaotic; Karmamoi know exactly when to let the heaviness breathe and when to attack. If there is a weakness, it lies in the chorus, which feels slightly less memorable compared to the strength of the instrumental sections surrounding it.

"Nothing But" is one of the emotional peaks of the album. Stretching beyond ten minutes, it unfolds slowly and patiently, allowing themes of obsession, loss, and emotional dependency to evolve naturally. The arrangement continuously mutates between fragile passages and powerful crescendos, while the guest guitar work of Randy McStine adds both technical elegance and emotional intensity without ever feeling excessive. Some listeners may feel that a few mid-song transitions are overly extended, but the track's emotional payoff ultimately justifies its ambitious structure.

"The Mirror - No Soul" is perhaps the album's philosophical core. The opening section feels almost existential, like an artificial being becoming conscious of its own emptiness. "No Soul" then expands that idea into one of the most musically adventurous tracks on the record. Jazz-inflected textures, bluesy phrasing, electronic layers, and progressive structures coexist without ever sounding forced. At moments, though, the density of ideas risks overwhelming the emotional immediacy of the song itself.

The title track, "Eternal Mistake", is surprisingly direct and emotionally accessible. Beneath its melodic elegance lies one of the album's darkest realizations: mortality itself may be humanity's defining flaw. The chorus has a tragic beauty to it, and the arrangement avoids unnecessary complexity in favor of emotional clarity. While effective, the song's more conventional structure makes it slightly less adventurous than the album's strongest progressive moments.

"The Question - We Are Going Home" introduces a moment of vulnerability and hope. The dialogue-like opening feels almost like two consciousnesses trying to understand what love truly means. The duet vocals between the band and guest singer Susanna Brigatti bring warmth and humanity back into the narrative, creating one of the album's most touching moments. Her performance adds emotional depth and contrast without overpowering the atmosphere of the piece. The pacing, however, briefly slows the momentum of the record before the final act fully arrives.

Then comes "HERO", arguably the album's progressive centerpiece. Nearly ten minutes long, the track constantly evolves while remaining fluid and dynamic. The keyboards add sophistication and movement, the rhythm section remains vibrant throughout, and the composition feels alive from beginning to end. Lyrically, the song dismantles the mythology of modern heroism, exposing insecurity beneath the masks people wear. The keyboard contribution from Adam Holzman enriches the song considerably, adding layers of texture and atmosphere that elevate several sections into pure progressive grandeur. A tighter edit in some instrumental passages might have strengthened the impact even further, but the ambition is undeniable.

"Passing Away" acts as the emotional descent after the intensity of "Hero." There is sadness here, but also acceptance. The guitars feel spacious, the melodies reflective, and the entire track carries the sensation of drifting through fading memories. While beautifully atmospheric, it risks blending too softly into the surrounding material and leaves a less immediate impression compared to earlier highlights.

Finally, "No Fucking Way" closes the album with anger, rebellion, and unresolved tension. Instead of offering a comforting conclusion, Karmamoi choose disruption. It's abrupt, raw, and almost sarcastic - a final refusal to surrender individuality to control, conformity, or artificial perfection. Some listeners may find the ending intentionally frustrating rather than cathartic, but that discomfort also feels central to the album's message.

What makes Eternal Mistake so compelling is not only its musicianship - although the performances are consistently impressive - but its emotional intelligence. Many progressive rock albums become trapped inside their own technical ambitions. Karmamoi largely avoid that trap, even if there are moments where the conceptual scope slightly outweighs immediacy and conciseness.

The album feels modern without abandoning the spirit of classic progressive rock. You can hear echoes of cinematic sci-fi, melancholic art rock, heavy progressive textures, and orchestral atmospheres, yet the band still sounds unmistakably like themselves. At times the record demands patience, and not every transition lands with the same emotional force, but its ambition, atmosphere, and narrative depth make those flaws feel relatively minor.

In the end, Eternal Mistake is less about artificial intelligence than about human fragility. It asks whether love, memory, pain, and imperfection are flaws to overcome - or the very things that make us alive. Karmamoi may not answer every question perfectly, but they create an experience rich enough to make the listener stay inside those questions long after the music ends.

RADOMIR MIHAJLOVIC R. M. Tocak (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1976)

Fri, 15 May 2026 06:11:47 EST

Review by BrufordFreak — Smak leader and guitarist Radomir "Tocak" Mihajlovic goes solo (even though his support band here is the complete
complement of his band, Smak).

1. "Oro" (2:34) a very sophisticated/demanding whole-band noodling exercise using Middle Eastern melody lines to
extract the skillful displays of virtuosity from all of the band members. (9/10)

2. "Aria Daimond" (6:35) sophisticated chord play from Tocak and organist Laza Ristovski opens this for the first 45
seconds before drummer Slobodan Stojanovic ("Kepa") and bassist Zoran Milanovic jump on board to serve up some
Blues-Rock fare for Tocak to show off his prodigious skills over. I have to say that everybody in this quartet shows
considerable skill--you have to in order to render the subtly-designed rhythms and melody lines that the composer
(Tocak) has proscribed for them. (9/10)

3. "Svrabe? (Boom '76)" (5:31) using a little Ohio Players funk to ground this R&B masterpiece, we get to hear some
more excellent instrumental work from Laza and Zoran in this multi-motifed song (the second of which is quite the
show case for "Kepa"'s skills as the band goes full-on hard rock so that Tocak can shred like a guitar god. In the middle
of the song the band drops away to watch Tocak work tout seul on his rock electric guitar shredding--a stretch that
takes us to the end of the song! Yes: two minutes of isolated electric guitar shredding! I'd rather have heard the full
band version for the entire length of the song. (8.875/10)

4. "Neki Paraziti" (3:08) more great skills display--from all four--as each adds their own special spice to the funky-rock
mix. What a great thing funk has been for Rock 'n' Roll! Laza's organ (and other keyboard) work is awesome but then
so is Zoran's bass, Kepa's drumming, and Tocak's guitar playing. The only thing missing are some catchy hooks or
earworm melodies. (8.875/10)

5. "Organizam Blues" (7:05) opening as the EAGLES/LYNYRD SKYNYRD-like four-chord blues-rocker that it becomes,
kind of plodding along while Tocak solos like the Eagles or Skynyrd tandems (only, I assume, by himself--on two
separate tracks). The skills are fine though I hear very little (like none) of Laza and very little is asked of either Zoran or
Kepa: it's just a vehicle for some nice twin-guitar soloing. Tocak never really ascends to the adrenaline-generating
heights of the two tandem teams I've compared him to but there's nothing poor or insufficient either. (13.25/15)

6. "Modifans" (4:30) a rather soul-less vehicle for more guitar skill display. Repetitive and relatively melody-less blues-
based music though impressive from a guitar fan's perspective. Reminds me of how I hear and receive Dixie Dregs
music. (8.875/10)

Total time 29:23

I really consider this music far closer to Rock 'n' Roll's registry of Hard Rockers or even Blues Rockers. I think the only
reasons that one might even consider this music for Jazz-Rock Fusion would be the purely instrumental nature of the
music as well as the high-level skillsets of the band members; there is very little Jazz emanating from these songs,
more of a Dixie Dregs and/or Cream vibe than Mahavishnu or Headhunters.

B/four stars; an excellent display of musicianship (and composition) that is, unfortunately, lacking something (besides
content: it's less than 30 minutes in length). Recommended for lovers of great electric guitar play; less so for those
seeking something more.

ANTHONY PHILLIPS Science - Mystery 2 (Symphonic Prog, 1990)

Fri, 15 May 2026 05:19:35 EST

Review by zeb1981 — Im not shure what to say about this release
Here is some info about Ant`s contributions :

Big Business (3:28) *
Chasm (3:22)
Sombre (1:48) [A Flock Of Souls] *
Helicopter (2:40)
Blues (3:26)
Hanging Rock (2:05) [Along The Towpath] *
Footsteps (1:58)
The Scaffold (1:20)
Alien (2:15)
North Pole (2:59)
Gentle Piano (1:43) [The Sky Road] *
Tri-Angles (3:00)
Neutral Anticipation (3:01) [Another Day basic track]
Celestial (3:00) [Mountain Voices] *

* = also commercially released under the same track title

This is yet another Library Release, But to be perfectly honest this is only
for UBER fans of Anthony Phillips, I listened through it once, and that enough for me

Again, hard to rank this at all. maybe a 2.5 for Ant`s contributions
The other artists, i didnt bother listening to

JAMES VINCENT Space Traveler (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1976)

Fri, 15 May 2026 05:13:10 EST

Review by BrufordFreak — One of the most talented UNKNOWN artists I've ever stumbled upon. How this guy never "made it" is beyond my
comprehension. The material for this amazing record was recorded At Capitol Studios and released by Caribou
Records sometime in 1976.

A1. "The Garden" (0:53) a true orchestral intro that bleeds right into . . .
A2. "Mankind" (4:20) opens with the energy of a funky 1970s Motown hit song as James' guitar fronts and leads
everything but the vocal, there is a great thickness to this while the engineer has everybody's tracks lined up without
anyone stepping on the toes of others. There's some Isley Brothers, some Earth, Wind & Fire, even some Jacksons feel
to this. Too bad it's not more lyrically or melodically engaging.(8.75/10)

A3. "Drifting Into Love" (4:45) amazing song with awesome vocals from Verdine White, amazing keyboard work
(clavinet and more) from Ronald Stockert, and such solid rhythm work from the rest of the band. (9.25/10)

A4. "Alone" (2:39) solo classical guitar. Quite proficient and professional (and original). (9.667/10)

A5. "Space Traveller" (3:21) opening with some full-finger picks of a couple classical guitar chords before the band
kicks in with a beautiful strings-supported space funk romance ballad. Syrupy but eminently enjoyable. (9.125/10)

A6. "Firefly" (5:39) a bit corny but the funk is great! Like a white rock guitarist's Earth, Wind & Fire. (9/10)

B1. "Song For Jayme" (5:34) keyboard bass with drums and rhythm guitars opens this before it slides into a gentle
strings-supported Smooth Jazz instrumental piece supporting a George Benson/Earl Klugh-like guitar lead. One
mustn't forget how skilled/talented this guy is as a guitarist, but also as a composer of these rich songs! Very
impressive guitar playing. (9.125/10)

B2. "How I'm Gonna Miss You" (5:15) back to the lush strings-supported mid-1970s Motown sound as James' deeply
soulful vocals could be mistaken for bassist Verdine White's Earth, Wind & Fire vocals--only James might be better!
Great support from the background vocalists, as well. Very powerful! (9.25/10)

B3. "Stepping Up" (1:13) the intro for the next song. Powerful! (4.5/5)

B4. "Walking On Higher Ground" (4:01) I love the combination of clavinet, fuzz guitar, and piano moving forward the
middle ground of this song while bass and drums provide minimum dynamics as James' Temptations-like vocal and
dynamic guitar play occupy the top end almost exclusively. Great background vocal support as well. (9.25/10)

B5. "Moonday" (6:57) a fusion of African rhythms, Jazz-Rock guitar, Yacht Rock keyboards, and Steely Dan-like total
sound palette that comes out as a great Latin percussion vehicle for Fusion. I love the inclusion of berimbau and other
African hand drum instruments as well as James' courageous and unique blending of traditions and sounds.
(13.875/15)

Total time: 44:38

For an artist I'd never even heard of before this year I have to say that I feel rather sad that history has never
recognized this incredibly talented guitarist and songwriter: he really deserves his props. Though I don't really
consider this prime Jazz-Rock Fusion (it's more akin to jazzy Soul/R&B), it is definitely amazingly-well conceived,
crafted, and performed music.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of eclectic rock- and jazz-infused Soul/R&B from an underappreciated (unknown!)
talent that the world should know. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

ANTHONY PHILLIPS Deeper Mysteries (Symphonic Prog, 1985)

Fri, 15 May 2026 04:54:31 EST

Review by zeb1981 — This release contain one side with ALL Anthony Phillips on Keyboards and Composions
All of this music is very similar to his music released on "Private Parts and Pieces Vol 7"
Infact this release contains early versions of some of the songs from that album

1 Light Reflection (2:54) [Between The Rings] *
2 Time-Lapse (2:48)
3 Mirage (2:15)
4 Icicles (1:56) [Ice Flight (iii) Flight Of The Albatross: Ice Island (original version) X
5 Caves (2:47)
6 Rapids (3:16) [Streamer (full length version) X
7 New Dawn (3:24) [Evening Ascent] *
8 Majestic (2:42) [Rottweiler] *

]]>�X = commercially released in a different mix/version under the track title in brackets

For those who wants to listen to this, Just do a you tube search :
Various: Deeper Mysteries (1984//UK Library LP//Atmosphere Music ATMOS 011)

I never bothered listening to Side B, which is all composed by Geoff Leach

This one is hard to rate based on the 23 minutes by Ant, But if you enjoy his PP&P Vol 7 Slow Waves, Soft Stars
Be shure to take a listen to this, imho all of these songs would fit easily as bonus tracks on that release !

BLACK SHEEP WALL I'm Going To Kill Myself (Experimental/Post Metal, 2015)

Fri, 15 May 2026 03:17:20 EST

Review by UMUR — "I'm Going To Kill Myself" is the third full-length studio album by US, California based sludge
metal act Black Sheep Wall. The album was released through Season of Mist in January 2015. It]]>�successor to "No Matter Where it Ends" from March 2012, although the two full-length studio albums
are bridged by the June 2013 "It Begins Again" EP. Since the release of "It Begins Again" guitarist
Garrett Randall and lead vocalist Trae Malone have left and Black Sheep Wall is therefore down to
the original trio lineup of Brandon Gillichbauer (bass, vocals), Scott Turner (guitars), and Jackson
Thompson (drums). The former assumes the lead vocalist role for the first time in the band]]>�history, since the vocals on the band]]>�otherwise also recorded by the same core trio, featured guest lead vocals by Jeff Ventimiglia (I Got
Shot in the Face, The Faceless). Former vocalist Malone is however featured as guest vocalist on the
tracks "The Wailing and the Gnashing Teeth" and "White Pig".

The change on the lead vocalist spot has quite a significant impact on Black Sheep Wall]]>�Gillichbauer has a raw high pitsched screaming hardcore vocal style, rather than the more deep
brutal shouting on the previous releases. The instrumental part of the music has also changed/been
developed since the earlier releases and it]]>�post-metal than the more heavy and brutal sludge metal of past releases. The music is still quite
heavy and doomy at times, but Black Sheep Wall incorporate a lot of atmospheric parts and clean
guitar sections, which make "I'm Going To Kill Myself" their most varied release up until then.

"I'm Going To Kill Myself" only features four tracks, but they are all very long. "The Wailing and
the Gnashing Teeth", "Tetsuo the Dead Man", and "White Pig" are all 9-10 minutes long, while album
closer "Metallica" is a 33:05 minutes long mastodon of a track. The semi-clean/acoustic guitar
dominated atmospheric "The Wailing and the Gnashing Teeth" is quite the unsettling and harrowing
listening experience with Gillichbauer screaming throughout the track. It]]>�a creative structure. "Tetsuo the Dead Man" is heavier, featuring more distortion, and a more doomy/
sludgy feel. The same with "White Pig" which is a nicely atmospheric yet heavy sludge metal track.
Gillichbauer]]>�sludge/doom metal territory. The longer you get into "White Pig" though it becomes quite the
adventurous and progressive song, so this is by no means run-of-the-mil sludge metal.

Of course a 33:05 minutes long track like "Metallica" deserves it]]>��not everyday you come across a sludge metal song that long. Stylistically it]]>�same mold as the other tracks on the album though, just longer and actually less experimental than
some of the other tracks. It]]>�screaming vocals on top but the crushingly heavy riffs and drumming are quite repetitive on
"Metallica". The track can more or less be broken down into three 10 minutes long and quite
repetitive sludge metal sections/sub-tracks and a few atmospheric interlude moments.

"I'm Going To Kill Myself" features a raw, heavy, and detailed sound production, which suits the
material well, and upon conclusion it]]>��quite different from their preceding releases which is in large part due to Gillichbauer taking over
the vocal duties, but also because of the more experimental and at times slightly avant-garde nature
of Black Sheep Wall]]>�
(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT The Turn of a Friendly Card (Crossover Prog, 1980)

Fri, 15 May 2026 02:37:53 EST

Review by A Crimson Mellotron — 'The Turn of a Friendly Card' is the fifth studio album from The Alan Parsons Project, marking a
slight return to the progressive rock sound of the duo's earlier days, as preceding album 'Eve' had
focused on a soft rock aesthetic that had almost completely stripped the project bare of its musical
personality. Nevertheless, this 1980 concept album sees APP come back to experimenting with a
variety of themes and moods as well as capturing some of the more convincing vocal performances of
the year. We could probably speak of a formula that the duo uses to construct their albums, a
formula that works by combining a symphonic-laden background with tight grooves and a singer-
songwriter style of art rock, with a strong emphasis on the vocalists' role in bringing the concept
to life. And in the case of 'The Turn of a Friendly Card', it all seems to work brilliantly - the
mood is dramatic and the themes are playful and groovy, while the production is as good as ever. And
while this is not the best APP album, it certainly has several great songs and a couple of really
memorable themes.

Now, this record had become the best-selling LP of the duo after its release, and if you think about
it, it is more a child of the 70s than it is of the 80s - which is probably why you could draw
comparisons to what Genesis, Rush, or Peter Gabriel were doing around that time. The soft tones, the
elegant guitars, tight rhythms and the playful-melodic aesthetic had brought a marketable art rock
ambience to the progressive rock genre that is depicted beautifully by this album. There is the
gorgeous opener 'May Be a Price to Pay', which brings elements of 'Tales' or 'I Robot' to the mix,
while the hit single 'Games People Play' offers a very accessible poppy sound, which the duo had
already explored on 'Eve' and on 'Pyramid'. 'Time' is another interesting piece, an almost
psychedelic pop ballad that works well in the context of the album. The instrumental track 'The Gold
Bug' opens side two with a funky lounge groove and is then followed by the five-part title track
suite. This is not a typical prog rock suite but rather a patchwork of different themes, of which
the main one is quite delightful, together with the excellent rocking number 'Snake Eyes'. It is an
ambitious long track that impresses with the fine instrumental parts and lush melodies, which is
probably valid for the entire album here. So whether you like it or not, the fifth APP studio album
is objectively a very effective art rock collection with great production and songwriting.

ANTHONY PHILLIPS Gemini - Pieces for Piano (Symphonic Prog, 2026)

Fri, 15 May 2026 01:45:31 EST

Review by zeb1981 — This is another double album recorded solely by Mr Phillips
44 Piano pieces, with little to no overdubbing
Most of the pieces are very straightforward, calm and (sadly) predictable
which is the opposite of everything that makes Mr Phillips a true GENIOUS !

The ONE song which MUST be mentioned though :
"Chansons Sans Mots" a 18 minute long suite !
This is just PRIME Anthony Phillips, and holds up to anything he ever have done before !!
WHOAH !! 5/5 for this little masterpiece !

Im trying not to be too negative about this album, but most of it left me cold and bored tbh
Even if there are other good moments on this album, Overall 44 piano only songs is for me 33 too many

(S O R R Y A N T !)

Audio wise, this sounds better than any of his older Piano only albums,
But those have to me a mystique and charm not featured outside the earlier mentioned EPIC !
And when it comes to Ant`s music im such a sucker for his GUITAR work, or even Orchestral albums, or early "Prog" albums where he manages to blend it all so perfectly together as a whole

I really wanted to enjoy this entire album, but as with his earlier piano only albums :
"Soiree" and "Ivory Moon" which i also struggle with as a whole (Shure Ivory Moon have some real good stuff on it, But Soiree is the most boring Ant album there is, NOT his worst though (That one goes to "Sail The World"
Gemini sounds to me like a continuation of "Soire" with mostly stiff, bland, songs of lost love and grief and so on....uhm, im shure if i was a 65 year old sensitive man, i would probably enjoy it all a little more than i do....

Anyway, sorry for this downer review, i look forward to other reviews being published in here !
BUT the fact that i give this a 3/5 is only for the EPIC song and one or two other shorter songs......
I`d honestly rate it a LOW 3 out of 5 in total.............. (Should i regret posting this review !? Admins feel free to remove it, when others have done better and more positive reviews of this album. I SO WANTED TO LOVE THIS ALBUM. Peace on earth !

LE ORME Storia O Leggenda (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1977)

Thu, 14 May 2026 22:07:41 EST

Review by The Progolyte — While it may not be as good as their last album, Le Orme's 1977 record titled Storia O Leggenda is definitely
worth talking about when it comes to the greatest records in their discography. It's a rough continuation of
what came with Verit]]>�mixes in intricate sections here and there to keep things interesting. I also really liked the album cover and
its similarities to Uomo Di Pezza, as both covers were done by Walter Mac Mazzieri, who would
unfortunately go on to rarely do more amazing artwork for the band. Overall, I think I would've liked this
band better if they had a more progressive sound in the music, as if they did, we might've gotten something
close to Uomo Di Pezza or Collage, and I think I would've really enjoyed that. When looking at the lineup of
the album, the personnel include Germano Serafin on all guitars, Antonio Pagliuca on keyboards, Aldo
Tagliapietra on bass, lead vocals, and also Indian harp (which I didn't know he could play), and Michi Dei
Rossi on drums and percussion.

While all the songs on here are quite short (all of them are around four minutes long, with only one song
reaching the five-minute mark), they each bring some good quality music to the table and manage to each
stand for themselves as great songs. Maybe not amazing, but just great. As for what my favorite songs
were, it's hard to pinpoint which ones because they were all kind of blending in with each other stylistically
and were all equal in terms of how much good material was on each song, but I'd probably pick the ending
track Al Mercato Delle Pulci because it's arguably the most complex and is more defined by rock and the
heavier Rock Progressivo Italiano sound rather than folk or pop. By heavier I don't mean hard rock or heavy
prog, but the track just has more present guitars in the song. Overall, this was a great album full of pretty
good material that could've had more potential if they had more energy and were more intense instead of
it being shorter, more radio-friendly oriented songs.

In conclusion, this is an excellent album definitely worth checking out for fans of Le Orme. Maybe not the
best place to start with them, but still a pretty good album. I personally think its current rating at the time
of writing this, 3.53/5, is perfect for it, so I'm giving it a slightly high 3.5/5.

CROWN LANDS Apocalypse (Heavy Prog, 2026)

Thu, 14 May 2026 18:32:20 EST

Review by TheCysquatch — The third full-length by Ontario power duo Crown Lands is largely structured like a strict combination of
their first two albums: the big hooks and short, accessible tracks of Side A evoke their self-titled debut,
while the massive title track that sprawls across Side B continues in the epic prog tradition of their
sophomore release, 'Fearless'. But while the earlier albums were somewhat more derivative of Led
Zeppelin and Rush, 'Apocalypse' sees the band moving more into their own unique niche beyond their
influences.

Make no mistake, though: there's still a plethora of musical touchstones and references to Rush and Led
Zeppelin here (as well as to Pink Floyd and King Crimson). But at the same time, many of the riffs bring to
mind The Sword, being stylistically centred in a sort of caveman-esque stoner rock paradigm, though they
are still far more intelligent and ambitious than the genre's standard fare.

'Proclamation I' kicks things off with layers of keyboards slowly growing across long, dramatic suspensions.
It's an effective buildup, creating anticipation and momentum efficiently across a tight 81 seconds.

'Foot Soldier of the Syndicate' picks up this momentum and rips into a killer, swaggering riff which gives
way to some insanely high pitched, shrieking vocals. The chorus hook is exceptional, while the bridge
sections see vocalist Cody Bowles trading their trademark shrieks for a playful, whimsical, almost sultry
delivery that brings to mind 1973-1975 Robert Plant. This delivery recurs frequently throughout the album,
but most notably in the verses of 'Through the Looking Glass' and 'Apocalypse'.

'Through the Looking Glass' slows things down but still manages to carry the drama onwards admirably.
That chorus is especially unbelievable, and little details like the guitar fills at the end of vocal lines and the
piercing delivery of the soaring melody make this a deceptively rich listen. Lyrically, this could be the most
they've ever hammed up the fantastical themes (and that's saying something), and it delights my nerdy little
heart in the same way the cheesiest power metal bands do.

'Blackstar' boasts another rager of a riff, and the chorus hook seems plucked straight out of 80s arena rock
for the purposes of being a blast of a sing-along. The heavily processed lead guitar blazes through a
melodic yet primitive stoner rock solo section that swirls in a wonderfully heady way.

'The Fall' has yet another massive riff and chorus, this time a bit more mid-paced but no less catchy. What's
really neat to hear is the more subdued verses, which, with a strict four-on-the-floor drum pattern and
palm-muted single-note guitar line, evoke 'The Wall'-era Pink Floyd without becoming totally derivative. The
dense tangle of overlapping lead guitar phrases at the end is complimented by some fun rolling drum fills.

'The Revenants I' is a gorgeous, tranquil acoustic ballad. The high vocals that slide so easily in and out of
falsetto bring to mind their earlier track 'Sun Dance', while the pristine, gloomy acoustic guitar part feels
like something off of Pink Floyd's 'Animals'. When the deep mournful flutes previously used on their twin
'Ritual' mini-albums come back at the end of the track, it's a perfect climax to the piece and also a
wonderful demonstration of how the instrument can be applied to a more conventional setting than the
band's rather experimental 2025 EPs.

The album's centrepiece, the side-long epic title track, is the most musically and lyrically ambitious thing
they've done to date, blending elements of all their earlier stylistic approaches and the diverse sounds of
their influences as well as using new techniques in arrangement like gang vocals and densely harmonized
antiphonal vocal passages to organize and deliver the narrative in a maximally effective manner.

In between heavy, grand verses we get a lot of musical contrast, including one section clearly inspired by
Pink Floyd (specifically 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)'), several others bringing to mind the playfully hocketed
guitar lines of King Crimson's rock gamelan era, and, of course, several bearing the synth sequences and
add11 chords of 1978-1987 Rush. Towards the end, misty Mellotron accompaniment fades in alongside the
acoustic guitars, tinkling pitched percussion, and gentle vocals to create a gloomy backdrop that brings to
mind Opeth's 'Damnation'.

Across all these disparate movements, we are led through contrasting emotions: triumphant refrains,
disorientingly cacophonous bridges, and mournful interludes. Taken as a whole, they form a remarkably
effective tour through the stages of a great battle. Seventeen minutes in, the verse is repeated one last
time before a stately, solemn outro full of long suspensions and resolutions brings things to a close. It truly
feels like the bittersweet conclusion of a cacophonous cataclysm, leaving one to grieve for what has been
lost and wonder with equal hope and anxiety about what may come next.

Overall, this is a much more dense work than their earlier efforts, featuring far more layering of vocal lines,
keyboards, and guitars, and a greater focus on storytelling. This density initially made it a bit of a tough nut
to crack, but across dozens of listens over the last couple months I've found that it really unfolded into
something incredible. It helps that the mix is so rich and clear, allowing all those myriad layers to be
investigated and appreciated in depth.

Thus far in the band's catalogue, guitarist Kevin Comeau has looked to maximize the sonic impact of his
guitar, bass, and keyboard lines by keeping them very separate and covering as much space as he can with
minimal overlap between them. That's still largely true, but this album feels more skewed towards keeping
the guitar at the forefront of the instrumentation, leaving the other ones playing more of an accompanying
role. Whether it's simply a stylistic choice or an increase in confidence on the instrument, the result is the
same: this album boasts way more swaggering riffs and bold solos than anything this band has done
before.

It says a lot about the consistency of Bowles' drum pedigree that a collection of performances as
impressive as those found on this album would be included as an afterthought here. While the big stories
with this record are to be found elsewhere, I'd be doing Bowles a disservice if I failed to mention the drum
work now. Technical prowess and tasteful, laid-back song-serving work are perfectly balanced throughout.
Though their evolving vocal approach played a much more noticeable role on this record, the drums were
also immaculate.

If you'd asked me a few months ago whether this album would stand up to 'Fearless', I might have replied
in the negative. I wasn't quite sure what to make of the title track at first, and might even have been a little
concerned about what the full album would hold. But now I'm hard pressed to find anything to complain
about at all. Whatever it lacks in immediacy, this album more than makes up for in musical and lyrical
depth and evolution. It may, in the future, be broadly recognized as an improvement upon its predecessor.
It seems Cody and Kevin have exceeded themselves once again in delivering an exceptional bit of music.

GENESIS Duke (Symphonic Prog, 1980)

Thu, 14 May 2026 14:40:12 EST

Review by Fercandio46 — The Ghost of Mayfield Lodge was a track by Brand X, Phil Collins' side project, from a 1978 album on which he didn't
participate. But by 1980, Genesis had five members live...three in the studio, and while recording Duke, the ghost of
Mayfield Lodge crept in at times...making it four, with the past battling the present that was mutating into another
band in the future...and that's how Duke was composed, allowing you to glimpse who each track belonged
to...instrumental passages against new wave pop songs, cover art that hinted at the change of direction...and yet
Phil Collins' beard and beret...Tony Banks' inclinations towards operatic arrangements, and those powerful,
melodically rich bass lines from Mike Rutherford brought to life the band's last album with progressive passages,
uneven, but complexly rich in its sound, echoes of which would remain in future songs on Genesis (1983) and We
Can't Dance (1991).

The band's songwriting style was no longer the same after Banks and Rutherford recorded their respective solo
albums, A Curious Feeling (1979) by Banks and Smallcreep's Day (1980) by Rutherford. They had already been
composing as founding members of the group, but releasing albums under their own names changed the
landscape. Collins was still unsure about his material, as he harbored artistic inclinations that made him judge it as
commercial and not worthy of release, and this was evident in each of his compositions on the album. But when
they composed together...the old magic of the trio was present, and exciting instrumental passages emerged.

Behind the Lines starts off strong and could easily be interpreted by a horn section, which speaks to Phil Collins'
love for soul, funk, and Earth, Wind & Fire. However, its development is epic, and Tony Banks manages to make the
melody progress with sections that follow one another with admirable logic. It flows naturally, is digestible, light,
and complex at the same time. Collins already has a well-defined personality as a singer, something that has been
developing since he took on that role years ago. It's an album of luminous, almost festive energy, unlike ...And Then
There Were Three... but it's still them.

New technologies were present...as is evident in Duchess, but with a symphonic approach, a dramatic sensibility,
the drums, and Collins's precise vocals fill the entire space, and the trio seems to need nothing more. Guide Vocal
still showcases Collins's debt to Gabriel, subtle and with contrasts, as will Man of Our Times, by Rutherford,
powerful and sung in diverse tones, reminiscent of the lyrical styles of yesteryear.

Misunderstanding belongs to Collins, and it already sounds like a different band, or rather, a different solo artist. A
different foundation, a different development, almost a ballad somewhere between disco and the 50s, yet very
catchy, already showcasing his talent as a hit songwriter with genuine freshness... only perhaps it felt out of place
within the band's context.

Heathaze is unmistakably Tony Banks... his layered style is recognizable, and Collins sings it beautifully, feeling what
Banks wanted to convey, singing it with wisdom. Had it been made years earlier, it would have been even more
complex, and indeed, the version that remains is complex and beautiful, full of feeling and many simultaneous
arrangements to discover with each listen. The magic of Tony Banks that made him so beloved.

Turn It On Again is ideal for playing live in stadiums...and that's exactly what they did! It might be new wave, but it's
a very powerful track, with presence, and again...it would be great in another context, but on the album as a whole,
it sounds like it belongs on a compilation that mixes Genesis band material with Collins' solo work. Something that
had never happened before.

In Alone Tonight it's so noticeable that the original skeleton of the song is Rutherford...that one imagines it on an
Anthony Phillips record!, maybe Collins only makes it his own in the chorus. Cul-De-Sac should have been on A
Curious Feeling, and it shows. It has so many different facets... and it tackles them all at once, resulting in a truly
thrilling experience. Phil rises to the challenge and sings fabulously, while also playing those complex, constantly
shifting drum parts with the precision of the exceptional drummer he always was. The composition blends a certain
music hall feel with elements reminiscent of Kurt Weill, and again, he perfectly captures the song's drama in his
vocals... along with the keyboard flourishes, making it one of the album's gems.

Please Don't Ask is one of those devastating Collins ballads that, when played by his bandmates, acquire more
depth, but it corresponds to a terrain that he would elaborate on later.
Duke's Travels closes as it began, with the trio playing together...with improvisation as it was originally
composed...and the same symphonic device of repeating previously played sections, like horn echoes, as they had
done in "Los Endos" from A Trick of the Tail.

Here, Phil plays the drums...and Tony plays his classic rapid scales and interludes, in a powerful and dark symphony
akin to the final segment of Cinema Show. Rutherford's skillful accompaniment is also on full display, bringing the
progressive period to a grand close, with pomp and circumstance. To quote Elgar, the keyboards soar...the drums
seem to be everywhere...and everything accelerates because there's no room for melancholy in the '80s. The trio
plays at full throttle as if they were performing live; Mike's bass is more prominent...and the music freezes like a
cinematic snapshot of happier times.

HAKEN Visions (Heavy Prog, 2011)

Thu, 14 May 2026 12:47:15 EST

Review by A Crimson Mellotron — Haken's 'Visions' is the band's sophomore studio release, a daring concept album that has become one
of the most remarkable and beloved albums in modern progressive metal. With this record Haken did
not just replicate the intensity of their debut LP 'Aquarius', but they actually managed to expand
their musical vocabulary and construct an eclectic collection of songs that is as technically
fascinating as it is musically enjoyable. There is a fine range of styles and structures on
'Visions', as indicated also by the album's track list, with the band combining excellent standard-
length metal numbers, with long and winding multi-part epics that definitely rival the complexity
and eclecticism of some classic prog suites. And in this regard, what I appreciate about 'Visions'
the most is perhaps the Gentle Giant-esque quirkiness and the ostensibly more experimental
compositions. There is a strikingly fine balance between symphonic and heavy, too, which would
become a trademark of the band's sound.

Of course, comparisons to 'Metropolis Pt. 2' seem to be inevitable, and while there are similarities
between the structure and style of the two concept albums in question, 'Visions' stands out with a
surreal atmosphere that can probably be attributed to the band's fascination with classic symphonic
prog, elements of which can be found all over this 2011 release. This is a record that is very warm
and melodic, and the guitar tone in particular is really enjoyable - just listen to the excellent
playing on the opening track 'Premonition', which works as an overture and introduces some really
peculiar, playful themes that would be picked up and expanded later on. Among the standout
compositions here is the epic 'Nocturnal Conspiracy', with its thirteen minutes of intense, hyper-
modern atmospheric prog metal. Compositionally, this has to be one of Haken's best recordings,
indicating a maturing band that is looking for that balance between light and heavy. 'Insomnia' is
another great track with lots of technical licks, while 'The Mind's Eye' introduces a softer, more
ethereal side of this record. Of the next two tracks, I tend to prefer 'Deathless' over
'Shapeshifter', mainly because it is the less conventional of the two, with Haken exploring an
interesting darker aesthetic. The closing piece is the exquisite 22-minute-long title track, which
is a really complex piece that sees Haken juggling between multiple styles and tackling a motherload
of odd time signatures. Definitely one of their signature pieces.

In a word, 'Visions' is a wonderfully executed album, behind which lies a fascinating concept, with
the band exploring the story lavishly through the multi-faceted nature of their music, delivering
one of the most exhilarating performances in contemporary prog metal. Together with 'The Mountain',
this album has to be one of their best releases overall.