The overall sound of the band reminds me in some way of another Italian band called Minstrel. Their approach is theatrical and emphatic while the music draws from heavy metal, opera, new wave, psychedelia and many other sources of inspiration....“Il fuoco segreto “ (The secret fire), a beautiful concept album inspired by Goethe's Faust. The overall sound is heavier than in the previous work and the new vocalist showcases a great personality delivering some operatic passages, dark growling and soaring melodies. The band interpret Goethe's story freely, adding a touch of original poetical inspiration and dark, Gothic sounds with good results. Despite the changes in the line up there is a strong stylistic continuity with the previous work and maybe Mephisto is just the name of the mysterious painter we met before... (Andrea Parentin)
The album was recorded from 2010 to 2011 in various studios in the UK, and some of the recordings were also made in Spain. It was mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated producer extraordinaire Steven Wilson. The album is a development from previous Travis & Fripp releases in that it is not only mixed in 5.1 surround sound - it was largely conceived in surround sound. So for example, on 'Hear Our Voices' the four part flute choir with the lead soprano sax voice is mixed with one flute in each corner and the soprano sax front middle. 'Open Land' has different woodwind textures around the 360 degrees listening space, and some movement too eg the pair of clarinets which slowly move behind the listener. 'Return to Saturn' has the cascading clarinet chords and they are voiced so that each part of each chord is placed separately around the 360 degrees listening space and each chord completes one full circle.Media/Samples
Style of the newest Roz Vitalis studio album titled "Patience of Hope" can be also described as the "Unclassifiable Branch of Prog Rock"; Avant Prog, Sympho Prog, Instumental are, perhaps, the most relevant tags. The conception of the album is about the essence and the mysteries of HOPE. In particular, it is about ability to keep in confidence and maintain endurance in the times of troubles. It is possible when human life has been penetrated with the Unfading Sun. (MALS)Read reviews in English at progplanet.com and in Russian at soundvoyager.blogspot.com
Classical music form, polyphonic texture, competing in density and complexity with Ozric Tentacles, masterly guitar parts played in shred technique, metal-double-pedal drum base, notes of ancient India sounding is Sanskrit.
The disc released in autumn 2012 was recorded in 2000. The album compositions had been written mainly long before the 2000th (since 1977 till 1984), nevertheless they sounded newly and freshly by the time of the record. They still sound in the same manner and the reasons for it are: the time outrunning presentation of rhythmic section, timeless music language and difference from anything familiar. So, music lovers do not have similar associations, everyone finds something of his own.Media/Samples
A concept album telling the story of Adrian, who is experiencing serious personality problems. Doctors diagnose the condition as a disease with the symbol "301.81". After implement treatment, Adrian is still experiencing bouts of aggression, suffers from a lack of empathy for the world around him and is very narcissistic. The individual songs on the album give us the dramatic conditions in which his illness falls into and shows how more and more immersed he gets in his own hermetically sealed world, despite numerous attempts from his environment to prevent it...The group feels perfectly at ease mixing different styles. So we have 12 tracks on the album, which enter the mainstream of rock, metal, rhythms jazz / fusion with some references to rock and pop prog... On "301.81" we have to do with an energetic album, which tends toward the dark thinking. It should be emphasized, however, that the music on the new album is not a classic Dutch nor neoprogressive school in which the country has always been known for making the world a number of examples of "good work" in the form of an entire galaxy of outstanding groups and albums richer. Rather, it is music "rock inside", which is likely to win the hearts of both older and younger listeners, looking for innovative sounds and arrangements.Read the whole review by Artur Chachlowski (in English at bottom)
Perspective is an album that has been a long time in the making, all the music and lyrics were written by Jake and he played or programmed all the instruments on the album except cello which appears on closing track A Still Small Voice. The album clearly shows Jake's influences from Billy Joel and Dream Theater throughout with strong influences from Neal Morse both musically and lyrically.
Also read the review by Steven Gizzi at audiointimacy.wordpress.comRead the full review by Tony Bird at DPRP.net
In 2010 brothers Andy and Matt Thompson and drummer Andrew Prestidge formed Zoltan with the intention of putting Andy’s vast collection of vintage synths to good use. After initial rehearsals proved fruitful, it was obvious that fusing together everyone’s disparate influences was creating something greater than the sum of its parts. The music gradually became a mix of 1970s Italian horror soundtracks, retro progressive rock and modal riffage a la Circle, Zombi or krautrock artists such as Manuel Gottsching and Harmonia. Zoltan’s sound travels in time to a dystopian future built on the bedrock of the present, inspired by the band members interests in vintage science fiction and psychological horror movies.Media/Samples
The Glacial Drift is a musical duo formed by Hilde Clark-Snustad (Montana, USA) and Xavier Alejandro Reyes-Ochoa (Ecuador). The band is based on a progressive rock sound that incorporates elements of south american music, psychedelic music, electronica, funk, latin, jazz and experimental rhythms with complexity, strong varying dynamics and odd timing.Media/Samples
Their music has been described as a pastiche of folk, blues, progressive, 70's psychedelic and stoner rock. This year the band recorded their sophomore album "Harmony Square," a cinematic rock-oper.
An album of varied instrumental music by Norwegian composer / producer / performer, Bjørn Lynne. This album features 12 tracks drawing on influences from electronica, fantasy, scifi, chillout, and ambient. Bjørn Lynne combines lush audio textures with his unmistakeably Bjorn Lynne melodies and production.Media/Samples
Retro meets future -- the organic meets the mechanical -- and the earthy meets the interplanetary.
Venturia are a metal band with this album leaning slightly towards a more popular style that makes some of the tracks more commercial and radio friendly. The album is melodic with catchy rocking riffs, lots of harmonies with beautiful vocals that add to the accessibility of the music. The album has lots to offer to the metal fan - fast drums, heavy guitars and solos, swirling keyboards and driving bass - and clocks in at just under forty minutes of high quality songwriting. The vocals of Charly and Lydie are impressive and work well together to become one of the highlights of the album. Fans of Evanescence, NightWish, Within Temptation or Lucid Fly should find quite a lot to enjoy and the only drawback I found was that the tracks are quite similar so the album lacks a bit in variety. Putting that aside I found it to be highly enjoyable and well produced with good sound, nice clear vocals and fine playing.
Read the full review by Tony Bird at dprp.net
Promising debut album by this young quintet which combines Jazz, Rock, Funk, Progressive Rock, and some Blues compositions, in which the flute marks the distinctive touch. In some moments we can trace certain affinity with Tanger or Focus.Media/Samples
The album contains four shorter tracks, of which opening track "Three's A Crowd" full of keyboard wizzardry by Erik de Beer and the incredible beautiful and touching unplugged "Worries", so beautifully sung by leadvocalist Marion Brinkman, immediately catch the ear.The album also contains their ultimate epic masterpiece "The True Tale Of Duplo The Equivalent", finally revealing the true identity of the little guy on the LLP guitarpick. This over one hour lasting epic against the silliness of both communism and capitalism is by far the best way to discover all the possibilities of this Dutch symphonic rock band. Here you have it all: the richness of true Hammond sound, the analogue strength of several Moog synths, electric guitar leads that remind us of the fullness of the best Hackett sound, an abundant woodwind section adding to the diversity of the sound and an excellent female lead singer. Live this epic has been their battle horse for years and it's now finally recorded in its definite studio version. Those who like the sound of solid symphonic progressive rock combined with beautiful insertions of woodwinds like the flute, oboe, clarinet & bassoon, mixed to the subtle sounds of lutes, mandolins, harpsichord and a chitarrone can't go wrong with this album. (record heaven)Media/Samples
This album is over-all a little bit looser than the very highly arranged and produced Double Negative, but it also has a bit more of a 'live feel', even though it isn't a live in the studio recording by any means. It's said it fits somewhere between Bandwidth and Double Negative stylistically.Links:
In the five years they have been together, Elephant9 has brought back a form of music which has long been dormant. I am talking about fusion, as played by cats like Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and John McLaughlin back in the early '70s. In other words, the real stuff....
Call them fusion, prog, psychedelic, or whatever. None of these tags do justice to what Elephant9 are all about. They create music that is as adventurous and powerful as any I have ever heard, and Atlantis is proof positive that they have only just begun.
Media/SamplesRead the whole review by Greg Barbrick at blogcritics.org
Brave Journey seems to mix traditional Irish, Afro-Cuban rhythms, symphonic grandiosity and Uriah Heep. You’ve got a U.K.- born guitarist, a Midwest gal with some serious pipes, a classically trained violinist and round it out with a highly competent rhythm section. They make a style of music that falls into its own category...
Portland Oregon’s The Mercury Tree come up with another (their 3rd full length) highly melodic occasionally aggressive mixture of dreamy progressive, post, electro, ambient, perfectly balanced pop/rock.
Media/SamplesRead the full review by Lee Henderson at prognaut.com
Charmanis describes this as a concept album about an unnamed character going through a journey of good intentions, bad decisions, emotional fracture and resolution until the final track which is, appropriately enough, a song of moving-on entitled Say Good Night.
It's not exactly The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway or even something mid-period Floyd-like but his background in Beatles is evident (some classy George Harrison-like slide figures) as much as a sense of hefty rock. It's a mid-point between many influences but comes off as something of his own...What also makes this interesting is that Charmanis keeps you both outside the character but also drawn in. With very little assistance (guests on cello, occasional vocals, piano) this is quite a grand but sharply focused conception and he can bring as much seriously disturbing sky-falling guitar crunch as elevating resolution.
Solitude Rotation is made up of nine tracks once again, clocking in at a scant 30-minutes, but it is a very captivating 30-minutes none-the-less. The instrumental sound of the band is one that I’m quite sure will appeal to fans of what’s often referred to as Chamber Rock, the kind of music created by bands like Karda Estra. The music itself is restrained and kept to essentially the thee prime instruments. But what they may be lacking in terms of instruments they make up for in unusual arrangements. The music floats along, in a plaintive and even mournful manner, drawing the listener into a unique series of musical soundscapes. It can get quite mesmerizing. The interplay between the guitar and the violin propels these compositions along
The music of Solitude Rotation at first glance wouldn’t be something you’d think would appeal to prog fans and it probably won’t appeal to some. However there is something in the sound and style that will appeal to others. On the surface, no it’s not a progressive rock album at all, however for those of you who appreciate the more subtle sounds instruments can make Star FK Radium will be a most enjoyable listening experience. (Jerry Lucky)
Moonwagon are an outstanding Finnish instrumental progressive space-rock quartet formed in 2008. Foyers of the Future (2012, digipack, 62-minutes) is their second. Labeling Moonwagon simply ‘space-rock’ would be selling them short, as there is more to their music than what you might expect from that label, but their music does sound like a band playing together (and enjoying the hell out of it) as opposed to a studio construction, and the space-rock energy and flow is dominant. They have a rich sound palette; they have a dedicated keyboardist with an impressive arsenal, while the stringed things used include electric mandolin and dulcimer alongside the expected electric & acoustic guitars. (Kinesis)
‘AstralPhase’ is the first full-length CD from Polish ANVISION, another in a line of solid progressive groups coming out of that country in recent years. What makes this newcomer really special is how they can demonstrate the diversity to provide a catchy blend of melody and power. The battery of sound meshes with dark and light themes, sudden changes in tempo, a sense of direction, lots of atmosphere, a deal of determination. There's progress of alternating pieces within each track and the overall feel of this release is a unit of very catchy compositions and expert instrumentation. Whether it’s with extensive guitar soloing and sensitive singing, or multi-layered keyboard parts, expressive drums and creative bass, it is all about the big picture. A word should be said about the production, by the band themselves, which is of a high standard, as is the accompanying booklet. Undoubtedly, AnVision is one of the great surprises for 2012. And if you’re a fan of melodic prog metal oriented towards the current neo-progressive scene, you'll want to check this out. (Prog Head)Media/Samples