Davide Ronfetto "Enlightening Nights, Darkening Days"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Luminol Records
Format: digital
Release date: January 27, 2022
Tracklist

1. Night City Lights (5:06) 

2. Absent (6:17) 

3. Under The Rain (5:49) 

4. Four Notes Of Shame (10:03) 

5. Love Moan (7:34) 

6. The Thin Man (5:28) 

7. Witch (6:05) 

8. Hidden Glade (6:42) 

Total Time 53:04 

Credits

Davide Ronfetto - Vocals and bass guitar

   With

Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, ORK) - Bass (3)

Heather Findlay (Ayreon, Odin Dragonfly) - Vocals (8)

Elisa Montaldo (Tempio Delle Clessidre) - Keyboards, Hammond, Synths and Mellotron

Edmondo Romano (Motus Laevus, PFM, New Trolls) - Sax (4)

Gabriele Tiezzi - Guitars

Omar Maiorano - Drums 

Music and lyrics: Davide Ronfetto

Instruments recordings: Stefano Angaramo and Simone Pollino

Vocal recordings, Mix and master: David Fulk at DSS Recording Studio

Artwork: Herwig Clayes

Description/Reviews:

This is a take on the form that does come with some similarities in style, mood and atmosphere to the ones explored by legendary band Porcupine Tree some 15 years back, with liberal amounts gentler atmospheric laden passages and some careful off kilter indie moments of the kind a band like Radiohead might take a deep dive into combined with driving, hard and occasionally aggressive guitar riff displays. Cosmic tangents and Mellotron-flavored landscapes and the occasional jazz-tinged undercurrent as much a part of the totality here as a fiery guitar presence. While this is an album that could be described in a lot of different manners, the easiest one and probably also the best one is to simply say that if you miss Porcupine Tree as they were just prior to 2010, this is an album that should fill a bit of that void in a good manner. (Olav M. Bjornsen at progressor.net's facebook)

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Initial Mass "Alluvium"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Progressive Hard Rock/Metal
Label: Luminol Records
Format: digital
Release date: January 13, 2023
Tracklist

1. Hadean's Fall (6:04) 

2. Trails Behind (2:42) 

3. Out Of The Mold (3:12) 

4. Horizon (3:54) 

5. Wake (6:27) 

6. Calm Wind (3:30) 

7. Believers (3:33) 

8. Memory Fade (4:02) 

9. Drifting (4:26) 

10. The Calling (3:54) 

11. A Crow In The Dark (5:26) 

12. Vacant Throne (5:07) 

13. In Stone Liz Granite (7:28) 

Total Time 59:45

Credits

Mark Baldwin: vocals, guitar 

Kevin Robertson: drums

Scott Smith: bass

   With

Liz Granite: vocals (2, 5, 13)

Produced by Initial Mass and Ron Sandoval 

Recorded and mixed by Ron Sandoval at Rev Studios

Mastering by Andrew Alekel

Description/Reviews:

Los Angeles-based heavy prog rock trio Initial Mass release their new album Alluvium with the Italian post-progressive label Luminol Records. 

The band’s fourth LP consists of 13 songs that explore strikingly diverse sonic territories across an evolving conceptual soundscape. Simply put, this is Initial Mass doing what they do best. The follow-up to 2019’s anthemic alt-rocker, Bending Light, manifests as some of the most intricate, calculated and cohesive compositions from the group thus far. 

Alluvium is a concept album, portraying the life of one individual as a metaphor for the rise and fall of humankind. The main character starts his journey, young and ambitious, excited for his chance to make his mark. Quickly, he becomes more intent on his desire to take what he wants from the world. As he grows more powerful, he refutes the warnings of nature’s conscience. Leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, he finds himself isolated in world that can no longer sustain life.

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Quiet Observer "Space honey" EP

Country: Ukraine
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Metal/Rock
Format: digital
Release date: January 5, 2023
Tracklist

1. Space Honey (4:34) 

2. Koi 3010.01 (3:22) 

3. Makemake сruise (4:28) 

4. To Bottle A Star (2:31) 

5. Kitchen Astronaut (3:30) 

6. Accent Problems (3:15) 

7. Lunar Mongols (4:41) 

Total Time 26:21

Credits

Dennis Fursov - playing,composing,mixing and everything else

Composed and recorded during 2022, at home, drums recorded at Quiet studio.

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Peter Rand "Cheshire Ghosts"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Rock, Progressive Rock
Format: digital
Release date: January 1, 2023
Tracklist

1. Autumn In Downland (6:36) 

2. Time Lapse (3:54) 

3. Rest Of Our Lives (5:37) 

4. Cheshire Ghosts (6:18) 

5. Storeton Ridge (4:11) 

6. Song For The Forest (4:11) 

7. Himalaya (5:47) 

8. In Circles (3:31) 

9. Noah's Archive (5:12) 

10. The Killing Fields Of Eton (5:00) 

Total Time 50:17

Credits

Peter Rand (Imaginary Kings) - Keys, Guitar (1,2,6,7,9, 10)

   With

Ramlee Oak - Vocals (1,4,6,9), Bass (1,4), Drums (4)

Moe Howard - Piano / Drums (1)

Dave Budd - Vocals (2)

Tom Corea - Drums (2)

Mario Licata - Bass (2)

Richard Bradley - Guitar (2)

Alex Dowding - Vocals (3)

Brian Henry - Drums (3,6)

Philippe Pansard - Bass (3)

John Schilling - Guitar (5,8), Drums (8)

Steve Johnson - Bass (6,7,9), Drums (9)

Michael Ousey - Vocals (7)

Nick DeNardo (Imaginary Kings) - Drums (7)

Vijay Puri - Guitar (7)

Daniele Silvestri - Drums (10)

Chris Branch - Bass (10)

Music by Peter Rand 

Mixed by Moe Howard (1), Richard Bradley (2), Alex Dowding (3), Ramlee Oak (4,9), John Schilling (5,8), Brian Henry (6), Steve Johnson (7), Chris Branch (10)

Lyrics by Peter Rand (1), Dave Budd (2), Peter Rand & Alex Dowding (3), Ramlee Oak (4,6,9), Michael Ousey (7)

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