Virtual Symmetry "Message From Eternity"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Progressive Metal / Rock
Format: digital
Release date: February 29, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Darkened Space (3:07)
2. Program Error (We Are The Virus) (10:55)
3. Soul's Reflections (6:36)
4. Pegasus (8:31)
5. You'll Never Fall Again (7:18)
6. Silent Sweetness (4:09)
7. Message From Eternity (23:08)

Total Time 63:44

Line-up: 
Marco Pastorino: Vocals
Valerio Æsir Villa: Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Mark Bravi: Keyboards & Sound Effects
Alessandro Poppale: Bass
Davide Perpignano: Drums
  With
Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater): Keyboard Solos (2)
Ruben Paganelli: Piano (2)

Media/Samples 
Program Error (We are the Virus)
Soul's Reflections

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Abraham Sarache "The Gardener"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Alternative Progressive Rock/Metal
Format: digital
Release date: February 29, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. The Crush: Eyes Of Fire (4:15)
2. Unwrap The Masks: Reflections (4:01)
3. First Round: Reflections (4:36)
4. Hope: Expect The Worst (4:49)
5. Silence: A Sacred Place (5:34)
6. The Hunt: Always With You (4:49)
7. Sweetness & Honesty: Confession (7:01)
8. Acceptance: Escapism (4:12)
9. Closure: Fear Is A World For Fools (4:23)

Total time 43:40

Line-up: 
Abraham Sarache

Description/Reviews: 

The Gardener is an alt/progressive rock concept album with the inclusion of folk instruments like ukulele and venezuelan cuatro. To express the feelings involved, different kinds of voice registers are provided: From a soft, melodious or whispered voice to raspy voice. Various pads and synthesizers are used to give depth and warmth to the songs where an acoustic guitar with a low tuning predominates. A multicultural composition on the instrumental level and a progressive rhythmic base create an exquisite atmosphere of imbalance and peculiarity.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Herd of Instinct "Manifestation"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock
Label: Firepool Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 2016 (digital), March 2016 (CD)
Tracklist: 
1. Manifestation Part Two (5:54)
2. Gridlock (3:37)
3. Baba Yaga (4:35)
4. Manifestation Part One (5:16)
5. Saddha (7:00)
6. Nocturne (1:48)
7. Dybbuk (6:08)
8. Time And Again (3:26)
9. Shatterpoint (6:34)
10. Waterfalls And Black Rainbows (3:46)

Total time 48:04

Line-up: 
Mark Cook: Warr Guitar, Fretted and Fretless guitar, Fretless Bass, Mellotron, Thumb Piano, Synth, Samples
Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet): Mellotron, Moog, Hammond Organ, Guitar
Mike McGary: Mellotron, Rhodes, Organ, Clavinet, Synth, Piano, Bells
Rick Read: Chapman Stick, Fretted and Fretless bass, Taurus pedals
Ross Young: Drums
   With
Bill Bachman: Drums (1, 3, 7)
Bob Fisher: Flute (4-7), Saxophone (2, 8)
Stephen Page: Violin (2, 6, 9, 8)

Description/Reviews: 

Herd of Instinct’s third album, Manifestation, is a transitional phase for the group. The group has expanded its sound from the original three-member unit to a larger ensemble. The music’s densely layered sound gives the listener a “textural” listening experience with pieces ranging from the bombastic Dybbuk to the somber flute/violin piece Nocturne. Many songs are based around Mark Cook’s Warr guitar and Rick Read’s Chapman Stick combined with Ross Young’s detailed drumming to create a clock-like precision of a layered polyrhythmic machine. Keyboardists Gayle Ellett (from Djam Karet) and Mike McGary play a crucial role in adding mood and texture to the music. Ellett also adds rhythm guitar to a few tracks and a poetic guitar solo on Shatterpoint. Bob Fisher, flute and saxophone, and Stephen Page, violin, are featured soloists who add diversity to the sonic palette of the band. Drummer, Bill Bachman, came on board towards the end of the recording process to add another element of intensity to the mix.

Media/Samples 
Manifestation Part 2
Trailer 

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Different Light "The Burden Of Paradise"

Country: Czechia
Genre(s): Neo-Prog
Label: User-Friendly Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 29, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. In the Grand Scheme of Things
   i. The Schemer Wakes
   ii. Letters for Alice
   iii. Happiness
   iv. The Stalker Walks
   v. Pascal's Wager
   vi. Out of the Goldilocks Zone
   vii. Together There
   viii. The Schemer Sleeps
2. Voice of Outside
3. A St. Martin's Summer
4. Eternal Return
   i. New Promise
   ii. At First Light
   iii. Nectar Junky
   iv. A Carpathian Day
   v. Default Setting Escape
   vi. Waking Moment
5. Transient Dream
6. Mare Imbrium
7. In Love and War
   i. Love
   ii. War
8. All for You

Total Length: 66:25

Line-up: 
Trevor Tabone - vocals, keyboards
Jirka Matoušek - bass
Petr Matoušek - drums
Petr Lux - guitars, backing vocals

Description/Reviews: 

 ‘The Burden of Paradise’ is a semi-conceptual album that deals with the idea of individual freedom and self-acceptance. Its is comprised of 8 tracks, some of which are subdivided into shorter sections and is a return to the neo-prog style of their debut album ‘All About Yourself’, which was recorded and released in 1996 when main songwriter Trevor Tabone was still based in his home country of Malta. This album is definitely their strongest so far, both musically and lyrically, and displays the band’s excellent playing and songwriting skills with a brilliant modern production.

Media/Samples 
3 tracks

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Diraxy "The Vagrant"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 29, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Prologue: A New Reality (2:48)
2. A Twist Of Fate, Scene I: Regression (4:34)
3. A Twist Of Fate, Scene II: Reflections (4:21)
4. A Twist Of Fate, Scene III: The Rise (7:28)
5. Action And Reaction, Scene I: Sleepwalker (6:07)
6. Action And Reaction, Scene II: Conjunction/Collision (6:37)
7. Action And Reaction, Scene III: The Fall (6:29)
8. Beyond This World, Scene I: A Vagrant In Time (5:19)
9. Beyond This World, Scene II: Fading From Reality (3:40)
10. Beyond This World, Scene III: The Demiurge (7:06)
11. Epilogue: A New Reality? (2:19)

Total time 56:48

Line-up: 
Dario Freddi - Vocals, Guitars, Programming, Keyboards, Piano
Anna Freddi - Vocals
Federica Manenti - Vocals
Marco Le Grazie - Guitars
Andrea Arrotta - Bass
Paolo Ossoli - Drums

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Simon McKechnie "From My Head To My Feet"

Country:  UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Voyager Records
Format: digital
Release date:  February 29, 2016
Tracklist: 

1. Hymn of Apollo
2. Jane Wenham's Trial
3. Year of Light (Instrumental)
4. From My Head to My Feet
5. Melita
6. Once Upon A Time (Instrumental)
7. The Harpists Song

Total Length: 52:57

Line-up: 
Simon McKechnie - Instruments, Lead Vocals, Gossiping Villagers (2)
   With:
Adam Riley: Drums
Richard Exall: Saxes, Clarinet
Imogen Small: Harmony Vocals, Gossiping Villagers (2)
Vaishali Londhe: Gossiping Villagers (2)

Description/Reviews: 

Seven songs that are rooted in progressive rock, but also show Simon's background in jazz fusion and classical music.

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Cosmo The Band "El Dulce Frío Del Adiós"

Country: Mexico
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock 
Format: digital
Release date: February 28, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Galaxias (3:22)
2. Hay Un Refugio En La Niebla (2:51)
3. Tu Vs Yo (2:46)
4. Dame Una Pequena Muerte (6:56)
5. Inyeccion Al Paraiso (2:39)
6. El Dulce Frio Del Adios (4:34)
7. Un Viejo Amor (3:34)
8. Te Toco Perder (8:40)

Total Time 35:22

Line-up: 
Jorge Jitov - Drums
Diego Jitov - Guitar
Israel Conde - Bass

Media/Samples 
Galaxias
Dame Una Pequena Muerte

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Lyrian "The Jester's Quest in the City of Glass"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Symphonic, Neo-Prog, Folk
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 28, 2016 (digital), April 1, 2016 (CD)
Tracklist: 
1. A Million Stars (4:55)
2. Ancient Spirals (4:57)
3. The Scented Chamber (5:03)
4. Here Lies A Mermaid (6:34)
5. The Fall Of The Cards (10:13)
6. Flight From The Enchanter (9:39)
7. The Humours Of The Grave (7:56)
8. Mister Silver (10:16)
9. I Trespass In The Kingdom Of The Black Doll (8:28)
10. The Ship Of Jesters (9:12)

Total time 77:13

Line-up: 
John Blake - guitars, vocals, percussion
Alison Felstead - bass, vocals, percussion
Paul W. Nash - guitars, keyboards, woodwinds, programming, vocals
Edgar Wilde - drums, percussion, vocals, programming

Description/Reviews: 

As the title suggests, the ten songs that make up "The Jester’s Quest in the City of Glass" tell the story of a comical knave and his journey in search of a mysterious prize. Along the way he meets wise flowers, alcoholic angels, mermaids, shape-shifting fortune-tellers, aged magicians, shining metal men and a whole shipful of fools. His journey represents a particular human life, but also the quest and fate of Everyman, and has echoes of some of the great legends of pursuit, from Moby Dick to Scooby Doo, from Robinson Crusoe to The Pilgrim’s Progress, from The Wizard of Oz to The Hunting of the Snark. Some of the songs are also musical tributes to bands beloved of Lyrian and of the dedicatee of the album. The music is progressive through and through, with Mellotrons in evidence, flutes and pipes, acoustic guitars and synthesizers, and a great variety of voices, playing the parts of the various protagonists. Narration is provided by superannuated thespian Brian Nash (Paul Nash’s father). The album is full of jests, but in deadly earnest,and of sober philosophy, but in pure jest.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Toska "Ode To The Author"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Metal
Format: digital
Release date: February 27, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Chalk Teeth (5:47)
2. Chasm (6:37)
3. Phoneme (1:50)
4. Illumo (8:06)
5. Anthropocene (1:22)
6. Infantile (10:11)

Total time 33:53

Line-up: 
Rabea Massaad - Guitar
Dave Hollingworth - Bass
Ben Minal - Drums

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

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Mugstar "Magnetic Seasons"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Instrumental Psychedelic, Krautrock, Space Rock
Label: Rock Action Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 26, 2016 (digital), March 4, 2016 (CD, vinyl)
Tracklist: 
1. Unearth (6:14)
2. Flemish Weave (6.04)
3. Time Machine (5:32)
4. Remember The Breathing (15:31)
5. La Vallee (4:17)
6. Magnetic Seasons (5:12)
7. Regency Blues (8:59)
8. Sky West And Croocked (5:30)
9. Ascension Island (17:25)

Total time: 74:44

Line-up: 
Pete Smyth - guitar, keyboards
Neil Murphy - guitar
Jason Stoll - bass
Steve Ashton - drums

Review/Samples: 

The opener and very much the most Mugstar sounding track of Magnetic Seasons. This starts the album with a sequence of delayed reverb guitar, eerily atmospheric. Then distorted bass lines, pounding drums and ritualistic chanting kick in. This leads on to Sabbath-style riffage before jolting into stabs - briefly evoking Zeppelin and Sabbath once again – at this point the track shifts gears one more time. Breaking the pace down as guitars work their way across the reconfigured rhythms to the fade.

Stream and read track-by-track review by Christian Eede at thequietus.com

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Riutta "Sinun täytyy elää vielä kerran"

Country: Finland
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Luova Records
Format: digital, vinyl
Release date: February 26, 2016 (digital), Spring 2016 (vinyl)
Tracklist: 
1. Pyhäjoki (4:45)
2. Valkoinen kohina (6:29)
3. Takaisin pimeään (4:54)
4. Sykli (8:00)
5. Kahdeksan minuuttia (6:15)
6. Terminaattori (6:09)
7. Lorenz (2:19)
8. Anteeksi nimessä ja veressä (6:36)

Total Length 45:41

Line-up: 
Henri Turunen - vocal, guitar, keyboard
Mikko Vuorela - guitar, keyboard
Jarkko Kangas - drums, keyboard
Antti Takalo  - bass
   With
Juha-Heikki Niemi - trumpet & flugelhorn (1, 2)
Antti Näpänkangas - trombone (1, 4)
Laura Näpänkangas - backing vocals (5)

Description/Reviews: 

Riutta’s new album ‘Sinun täytyy elää vielä kerran’ (‘You must live once more’) is a result of years of playing together. There is an enjoyable wholeness in the composition of this album. This is rock music going through tender as well as stormy phases with such ease that can only come from years of working as a band. The different shades and influences are skillfully fused by the bands ear for pop-sensibility.

Media/Samples 
2 tracks
Stream

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Headspace "All That You Fear Is Gone"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Progressive Metal/Rock
Label: InsideOut
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Road To Supremacy (4:58)
2. Your Life Will Change (6:41)
3. Polluted Alcohol (6:10)
4. Kill You With Kindness (8:17)
5. The Element (1:50)
6. The Science Within Us (13:14)
7. Semaphore (5:39)
8. The Death Bell (1:49)
9. The Day You Return (3:24)
10. All That You Fear Is Gone (4:53)
11. Borders And Days (5:23)
12. Secular Souls (10:35)

Total time 72:53

Line-up: 
Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
Damian Wilson (Threshold) - Vocals
Pete Rinaldi - Guitars
Lee Pomeroy (Steve Hackett, It Bites) - Bass
Adam Falkner - Drums

Description/Reviews: 

As for the music within, there's definitely some creativity and variety, yet with echoes of classic prog from Yes to Genesis to Threshold to Hackett. Some things are heavier, like Kill You With Kindness which is thick with riffs, bass and drums, but still has a segue distilled to voice and acoustic guitar in the center. Conversely, The Element dials back most everything to minimalism: voice, light guitar, atmospheric synths. Similar is the short The Death Bell, where piano comes to the forefront with Wilson's voice. The title cut follows a similar motif, quiet, yet with even brighter piano aids Wilson's impassioned vocals.
Alternatively, severals songs, like Secular Souls and The Science Within Us, the two longest songs here, work the juxtaposition of lightness and heaviness with more complexity, having moments and movements feature different elements. For example, within Secular Souls, before the midpoint the piano gets some attention. But after this, a strong bottom end takes over and the sound gets heavier, darker.

Read the full review by Craig Hartranft at dangerdog.com

Media/Samples 
Your Life Will Change

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Redemption "The Art Of Loss"

Country:  USA
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records
Format: CD, digital, vinyl
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. The Art of Loss
2. Slouching Towards Bethlehem
3. Damaged
4. Hope Dies Last
5. That Golden Light
6. Thirty Silver
7. The Center of the Fire
8. Love Reign o'er Me (The Who cover)
9. At Day's End

Line-up: 
Nick Van Dyk - Guitars, Keyboards
Chris Quirarte - Drums
Ray Alder (Fates Warning, Engine) - Vocals
Sean Andrews - Bass
Bernie Versailles - Guitars
   With
Chris Poland - Guitars (1, 2, 4,6-9)
Marty Friedman - Guitars (3, 6)
Chris Broderick - Guitars (6)
Simone Mularoni - Guitars (1, 2, 9)
John Bush  - Vocals (8)

Description/Reviews: 

Musically, The Art of Loss follows its predecessor, insofar as Redemption continue to expertly play melody against aggression, without losing sight of what a good song needs: hooks and dynamics. But their newest work finds composition, musicianship and production taken up another notch, with an array of songs ranging from hard-hitting melodic metal to the 23-minute epic "At Day's End".

Media/Samples 
Damaged

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Carpadium "What You Need"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Progressive Rock, Math Rock
Format: digital
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. / (0:23)
2. Lars Needs A Vacation (4:50)
3. Bear Doin' Cat Moves (3:21)
4. // (1:16)
5. Years Collapse And Grow Hollow (4:35)
6. /// (0:20)
7. Wool Station (3:41)
8. //// (1:48)
9. AA a aaaAAA aa aaaA A Aa A (10:01)

Total Time 30:15

Line-up: 
Ryan Bell - guitars
Jonathan Ward - bass, keys, synth
Andrew Mankin - drums

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

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Mars Red Sky "APEX III (Praise For The Burning Soul)"

Country: France 
Genre(s): Psychedelic, Stoner
Label: Listenable Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
1-2. Alien Grounds / Apex III (10:56)
3. The Whinery (6:05)
4. Mindreader (6:31)
5. Under The Hood (5:04)
6. Friendly Fire (4:51)
7. Prodigal Sun (6:45)

Total time 40:12
8. Shot In Providence (CD bonus track)

Line-up: 
Julien Pras - guitar, vocals
Jimmy Kinast - bass, vocals
Matieu "Matgaz" Gazeau - drums

Description/Reviews: 

In a live setting, Mars Red Sky tends to slow their songs down, serving up a sluggish delivery that enhances the dreaminess of their far-out melodies. For their 2016 release, Mars Red Sky has embraced this element of their live performances and incorporated it into their song writing. That’s not say that they’ve doomed the hell out of their music, but they have shifted gears away from their comfortable space rock niche. They’re now on a mission to challenge themselves and keep things interesting for both band and fans alike. The result displays the band’s eye for detail when it comes to building atmosphere; there’s a different brand of heft being pushed around here through the deployment of interesting time signatures, while all the while, a keen sense of what’s good for the song is maintained.

Read the full review by Victor Van Ommen at thesludgelord.blogspot.com

Media/Samples 
Mindreader
Shot In Providence
Stream

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Votum ":Ktonik:"

Country: Poland
Genre(s): Atmospheric Progressive Metal
Label: Inner Wound Recordings
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Satellite (4:56)
2. Greed (6:24)
3. Spiral (6:19)
4. Blackened Tree (3:46)
5. Simulacra (5:54)
6. Prometheus (6:59)
7. Horizontal (5:01)
8. Vertical (6:31)
9. Last Word (4:25)

Total Time 50:15

Line-up: 
Bartosz Sobieraj - vocals, acoustic guitar
Piotr Lniany - guitar
Adam Kaczmarek - guitar
Zbigniew Szatkowski - keyboards
Bartek Turkowski - bass
Adam Lukaszek - drums

Description/Reviews: 

Some atmospheric keyboard pieces pulsating in the right places, building up to some chugging riffs over mid-tempo drum work. It’s the first two tracks that define what ‘Ktonik‘ is offering here, a certain take on the sound that British legends Anathema started. While influences are evident, the album is nowhere near a carbon copy of atmospheric classics like ‘Judgement‘.
It’s tracks like ‘Spiral‘ that are demonstrating the Votum’s skill of progressive musicianship, building off of a sci-fi sound in the opening and progressing into some off-signature riffing, maintaining the core value of atmosphere throughout. The album is diverse in sound yet remarkably consistent, with the tracklisting diving into polar extremes such as the soft ballad of ‘Blackened Tree‘ and the top heavy ‘Prometheus‘.

Read the full review at themetalist.net

Media/Samples 
Satellite

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Tony Patterson "Equations of Meaning"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Esoteric Antenna
Format: CD
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
  1. Ghosts
  2. The Magdalene Fields
  3. Each Day a Colour
  4. Cast Away
  5. The Angel and the Dreamer (i.vision, ii. journey, iii. reprise)
  6. Beneath a Perfect Sky
  7. Sycophant
  8. And When the Sky Was Opened
  9. Pilgrim
  10. As the Lights Go Out
  11. The Kindest Eyes

Line-up: 
Tony Patterson (ReGenesis, Nick Magnus, John Hackett): vocals, piano, keyboards, guitars, orchestrations, flutes, programming, extras
   With
Nick Magnus (Steve Hackett, John Hackett): programming (2, 11), keyboards and programming (3)
Andy Gray: guitar solo (7)
Brendan Eyre (Nine Stones Close, Riversea): piano (10)
Adrian Jones (Nine Stones Close): slide guitar and guitar solo (11)
Doug Melbourne: mopho synth solo (5)
Siobhan Magnus: vocals (5)
Fred Arlington: horn and sax (9), sax (2), horn (5)

Description/Reviews: 

Continuing on from the success of the album Northlands (released in 2014 with Brendan Eyre), Equations of Meaning combines beautiful soundscapes with heartfelt, wistful songs dealing with such subjects as loss, longing and even a cynical observation of social media. The album features guest artists including Nick Magnus, Brendan Eyre, Andy Gray, Adrian Jones, Doug Melbourne and Fred Arlington and is a fine, melodic Progressive album.

Also read track-by-track review by Martin Hutchinson at progradar.org

Media/Samples 
Promo

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Mondo Drag "The Occultation Of Light"

Country:USA
Genre(s): Psychedelic
Label: Riding Easy Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist:

1. Initiation
2. Out Of Sight
3. Rising Omen
4. Incendiary oProcession
5. The Eye
6. In Your Head
7. Dying Light
8. Ride The Sky

Line-up: 
John Gamino - Vocals, Organ, Piano, Synthesizer
Nolan Girard - Rhythm Guitar, Synthesizer
Jake Sheley - Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Ventura Garcia - Drums, Percussion
Andrew O'Neil - Bass Guitar

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp  (3 tracks)

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N.y.X "The News"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Electronica, Progressive Rock
Label: Bad Elephant Music
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 26, 2016
Tracklist: 
01. Restless Slumber (At The Break Of Dawn) (4:43)
02. Groundhog Day (Wakening, Dressing, Starting Up…) (7:09)
03. A Sarcastic Portrait (Editorial, Home and Foreign…) (6:14)
04. Discord (Domestic Policies) (7:20)
05. The Paper (Titles & Subtitles) (5:25)
06. Oscillations Du Chaos – Part III (3:23)
07. The Daily Dark Delirium (12:52)

Total Time – 47:06

Line-up: 
Walt F. Nyx – Lead Vocals, Bass, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Synthesizers, Electric Piano, Loops & Devices
Danilo A. Pannico – Electronic & Acoustic Drums & Percussion, Piano, Synthesizers, Typewriter, Kaos-Harmonica, Gold Chain, Italian Voice (track 6), Loops & Devices
Klod – Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals, Soundscapes & Devices
      With:
Adrian Belew (King Crimson) – Electric Guitar & Soundscapes (track 3)
Ivan Bridon Napoles – Piano & Keyboards (track 6)
Marco Allocco – Cello (track 2)
Trey Gunn (King Crimson) – Warr Guitar & Soundscapes (track 7)

Description/Reviews: 

With retro synth sounds a la Tangerine Dream, cascading scales akin to the best Prog Rock bands of the 1970s, riffs made of osmium, soundscapes up there with the best chillout music (although chillout music this definitely is not), there really should be something for everyone. Everyone, that is, who can leave behind preconceptions of what they do and do not like. But here’s the killer thing… to enjoy this album you must be led by the desire to hear something that will make you feel uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable as in “this seat doesn’t recline far enough and the hand brake is sticking in my back”, I mean as in your “Comfort Zone”.

Read the full review by Phil Lively at  theprogressiveaspect.net

Media/Samples 
A Sarcastic Portrait 

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Peter Frost "Shootz"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Self Tapping Music
Format: digital
Release date: February 25, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Hootz (5:27)
2. Cold Wind Blows (5:50)
3. Chunky Chinks (5:48)
4. Could It Be The End (5:53)
5. Funf For Fear (6:39)
6. Fifteen Love (5:39)
7. Need Someone (4:34)

Total Time 39:50

Line-up: 
Peter Frost

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Love Of Chaos "Love Of Chaos"

Country: New Zealand
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Metal
Format: digital
Release date: February 25, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Apep (6:52)
2. Sobek (5:13)
3. Anuket (6:03)
4. Nekhbet (3:14)
5. Ra (4:42)
6. Ammit (4:37)
7. Horus (8:39)

Total Time 39:20

Line-up: 
Clive (Billy) Todman - Bass
Corez Stix - Drums
Chris Kirby - Guitars
Tim Gainsford - Guitars

Media/Samples 
Ra

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Structural Disorder "Distance"

Country: Sweden
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Label: Lion Music
Format: digital
Release date: February 25, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Desert Rain (7:34)
2. Someone To Save (8:53)
3. Silence (9:19)
4. The Herculean Tree (6:45)
5. Lightbulb Lover (7:32)
6. Pyrene (10:59)
7. Drifting (4:28)

Total time 55:30

Line-up: 
Markus Tälth - Guitar & Vocals
Johannes West - Acoustic Accordion, Electric Accordion & Vocals
Erik Arkö - Bass & Vocals
Kalle Björk - Drums
Hjalmar Birgersson - Keyboard, Guitar & Vocals

Description/Reviews: 

To be truthful, at the start of this album, I was nearly put off by Structural Disorder. Desert Rain begins as a pleasant number with polyrhythms that have a Middle Eastern feel. But then, past the midpoint, there's these ugly death vocals. I'm thinking, "Seriously? Is this how this album is going to go?" Well no. If recollection serves, that is the only appearance of dirty vocals, and it basically ruins an otherwise nice tune.
The rest of Distance is a swirl of melodic progressive metal which takes various forms.

Read the full review by Craig Hartranft at dangerdog.com

Media/Samples 
Desert Rain

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Deceptaloid "Lost And Found"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Metal/Rock
Format: digital
Release date: February 24, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Bluff (5:58)
2. Terminus (6:00)
3. Imbalance (4:39)
4. Breathe (4:42)
5. Withholding (3:45)
6. Rerouted (5:24)
7. Pond (7:40)
8. Vegetable Farts (3:46)
9. Iron Cowboy (7:28)
10. Pull (3:16)

Total time 52:38

Line-up: 
Jon DePue - bass
Will Burnett - everything else

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

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Stefano Testa "Andrea il Traditore"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Art Rock
Label: Mellow Records
Format: digital
Release date: February 24, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Prima di tutto (3:19)
2. Il senso del reale (4:31)
3. Good morning, Babilonia (5:34)
4. Notturno 1 (prima di una battaglia) (2:31)
5. Ce n'est qu'un début, continuons le combat! (1:08)
6. Un intermezzo: situazione di sette (1:52)
7. Notturno 2 (dopo una battaglia) (1:08)
8. Valzer del ritorno (2:42)
9. Era acqua che scorreva (1:26)
10. Questa assenza (4:16)
11. Frammenti da un interno (1:48)
12. Asta tosta (2:35)
13. La ballata della leggerezza (6:05)
14. Nel Grande Palazzo Grigio (6:29)
15. Dirindina (ripresa) (:53)
16. Un epilogo (4:43)

Total time 51:00

Line-up: 
Stefano Testa: vocals
    with
Walter Chiappelli: accordion
Marco Coppi: flute
Gianni Landroni: electric and acoustic guitars, vihuela and requinto
Damiano Puliti: cello

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Blaze "Overmind"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Progressive Rock/Pop
Format: digital
Release date: February 23, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Beyond (1:52)
2. Wings Of Hope (5:34)
3. Better World (4:28)
4. Daydream (4:37)
5. Lines Of Dawn (7:05)
6. Save Me (Glaring Omniscient Day) (6:18)
7. The Voice Of Mankind (5:50)
8. Will I Ever Find A Way (4:14)
9. Waiting For (5:57)
10. The Moving Labyrinth (6:54)
11. Through The Wind (8:59)

Total time 61:48

Line-up: 
Andrea Meschiari - Guitars, Voice;
Davide Laino - Keyboards, Synth, Second Voice;
Marco Zenesini - Drums, Second Voice;
Francesco Zenesini - Bass

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Divine Realm "Tectum Argenti"

Country: Canada
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Metal
Format: digital
Release date: February 23, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Tritos (3:44)
2. Cloak And Dagger (4:44)
3. Inherit The Earth (3:59)
4. Tectum Argenti (4:34)
5. Glass Empire (4:07)
6. Ab Aeterno (4:24)
7. Metaphor Of The Sun (5:00)

Total time 30:32

Line-up: 
Leo Diensthuber - guitars
Marc Roy - guitars
Tyler Brayton - bass
Josh Ingram - drums

Description/Reviews: 

Like most instrumental metal albums, many of the tracks sound similar to one another. The track lengths are perfect as nothing runs over 5 minutes, so they never drag on with boredom or are too short to really get into. It’s virtually impossible to break down each track, as the music travels at the speed of light through many avenues of progressive metal. If you love the modern style of Animals As Leaders, yet yearn for the classic metal virtuoso of guitarists like Steve Vai or Tony MacAlpine than this is for you.

Read the full review at rotation11.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Children in Paradise "Morrigan"

Country: France
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Alone (5:36)
2. I Wait (4:10)
3. I'm Falling (5:01)
4. Intro I Will Follow You (5:09)
5. Part I Morrigan (5:28)
6. Part II Cu Chulainn Is Mine (4:44)
7. Part III The Nightmare (4:12)
8. Stay (5:00)
9. In My Mind (5:48)
10. He's Dying (4:20)

Total time 49:28

Line-up: 
Avec Gwalchmei : Guitars
Dam Kat : Vocals, Guitar, Rhodes
Frederic Moreau : Drums
Stéphane Rama : Bass
Loic Blejean : Uillean Pipes & Low Whistle
   With
John Kenny : Carnyx

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Ostrich Society "The Ostrich's Odyssey"

Country: Norway
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Format: digital
Release date: February 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. You Failed (4:25)
2. Soma (4:12)
3. Sheep (4:53)
4. Halvorssen (5:53)
5. One Of A Kind (0:47)
6. Interlude (2:15)
7. The Ostrich's Odyssey I-II: Nilo (5:44)
8. The Ostrich's Odyssey III-VI: Liam's Plead (6:55)
9. The Ostrich's Odyssey VI-IX: To Break A Duck (8:34)
10. The Ostrich's Odyssey X: Khenti Amentiu (0:56)

Total time 44:34

Line-up: 
Birk Ramberg: Guitar, Vocals
Enrico Wolff: Piano, Organs, Synth, Backing vocals and Vocal-effects
Henrik Petlund: Drums, Percussion
Magnus Brandt: Bass

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Dark Insignia "Dark Insignia III"

Country: Canada
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Format: digital
Release date: February 20, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Gone Away (8:13)
2. Erased In Time (6:46)
3. Bodies (6:50)
4. No God (4:38)
5. Locked Inside (10:05)
6. Never Know (4:41)
7. You Blind My Eyes (6:08)
8. Sicker Than Before (5:43)
9. Bring You Back (9:19)
10. Now We Rise (5:28)
11. The Letting Go (7:04)

Total Time 74:55

Line-up: 
Adam Scott
  With
Kelly Kereliuk (Prismind) (5)

Media/Samples 
Gone Away
Erased In Time
Bodies
Locked Inside

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Their Dogs Were Astronauts "Mystery: Diary"

Country: Austria
Genre(s):  Instrumental Progressive Djent Metal
Format: digital 
Release date: February 20, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Spirit Mates (3:53)
2. Ignition (4:50)
3. Earthmover (3:24)
4. Mystery:Diary (4:25)
5. Blackbody (3:10)
6. Empty Shells (3:45)
7. Cerval (3:50)
8. Body Thief (4:21)
9. Sparks Pt. 1 (5:01)
10. Sparks Pt. 2 (4:21)
11. Lumos (3:14)
12. Squaring The Circle (4:02)
13. Ancient Soul (4:36)
14. Lynx (8:02)
15. Losing Speed (4:27)
16. Coming Home (4:28)

Total Time 69:49

Line-up: 
Denis Roth
Leonard Roth

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp  (name your price)

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Frequency Drift "Last"

Country: Germany
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Gentle Art Of Music
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 19, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Traces (7:08)
2. Diary (5:31)
3. Merry (5:08)
4. Shade (5:52)
5. Treasured (8:25)
6. Last Photo (7:59)
7. Hidden (5:34)
8. Asleep (8:31)

Total Time 52:48

Line-up: 
Andreas Hack
 - keyboards, guitar, theremin
Nerissa Schwarz
 - e-harp, mellotron
Wolfgang Ostermann
 - drums
Melanie Mau
 - vocals
Martin Schnella
 - electric and acoustic guitars
Rainer Wolf
 - bass

Description/Reviews: 

On their meanwhile sixth record Frequency Drift achieve a true quantum leap. For instance, one can of course once again hear the complex soundscapes that have been a band trademark since the beginning and that provide the backdrop for the stories of the six Bavarians. This time, though, songwriters and producers Andreas Hack and Nerissa Schwarz have decided to create a livelier, warmer and all in all more challenging big picture. Never have Frequency Drift sounded more graphic, never was the listener able to sense, grasp, see and, indeed, experience the cinematic aspect of the band’s music. As soon as the lights in the auditorium have faded out, the story begins to take the listener.
On their new album Frequency Drift once more refuse to accept the commonly applied parameters of the genre as a binding requisite. This time around, again there is tremendous experimenting with the alienation of sounds in order to be able to portrait the ragged emotional landscapes of Last even more hauntingly. That is why not only the electric harp plays a leading role more than ever, but one can also hear the sounds of rather exotic instruments as the mellotron as well as the theremin. Also there are breathtakingly extraordinary adapted arrangements that make the emotional force of the music even more intense.

Read the full description at gentleartofmusic.com

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming 
Merry

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Hypno5e "Shores of the Abstract Line"

Country: France
Genre(s): Atmospheric Progressive Post Metal/Rock
Label: Pelagic Records
Format: CD, vinyl
Release date: February 19, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. East Shore: Lanscape In The Mist (1:43)
2. East Shore: In Our Deaf Lands (12:45)
3. West Shore: Where We Lost The Ones (10:31)
4. West Shore: Memories (2:52)
5. Central Shore: Tio (5:26)
6. North Shore: The Abstract Line (6:56)
7. North Shore: Sea Made Of Crosses (6:02)
8. South Shore: Blind Man's Eye (15:10)

Total time 61:25

Line-up: 
Emmanuel Jessua - Guitar, lead vocals
Jonathan Maurois - Guitar
Gredin - Bass, backing vocals
Théo Begue - Drums

Description/Reviews: 

Musically, the band can be so heavy before shifting to an atmospheric section and then slapping you with some insanely angular guitar riffs. The beauty is that you have no idea what is coming BUT it never feels like there isn’t a flow to what is going on. “Shores of the Abstract Line” is NOT an easy listen but it is an album that you hear something new each time you listen to it. 

Read the full review by Rob Pociluk at  progressivemusicplanet.com

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Jazz Q "Talisman"

Country: Czechia
Genre(s): Instrumental Jazz-Rock, Fusion
Label: Studio Budíkov
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 19, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Darmoslap (4:29)
2. Staresina (6:20)
3. Povetri (4:02)
4. Achilova Pata (4:43)
5. Lehkomyslnik (5:04)
6. Ortel (5:10)
7. Navej (4:39)
8. Pelynek (5:18)
9. Drobnolisty Kvitek (3:45)
10. Pan A Rab (3:05)
11. Waltz Pro Tatu (4:47)
12. Talisman (5:09)

Total time 56:31

Line-up: 
Martin Kratochvíl - keyboards
Přemysl Faukner - electric bass
Zdeněk Fišer - guitars
Filip Jeníček - drums

Media/Samples 
Stream

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