Beyond the Reach of the Sun ... was more streamlined and slithery, more chest-thumpingly direct, more epic and triumphant sounding. Riffs come in explosive layered packets. Leads, harmonies and melodies are more on par with wind-tussled mountain tops instead of sweaty bar shows and the band moves with finely honed, martial accuracy as conducted by Hannay’s rocket-in-the-pocket staccato swing and accents.
Songs like “The Torch” blaze with the shirtless glisten of ‘70s stadium rock power. “Cloak of the Vast and Black” swirls and whirls with a combination of hardcore intensity, grunge groove and expansive six-string parries. “In the Absence of Wisdom” is a hurricane-sized maelstrom of classic and prog rock elevated to grandiosity by a return to their growling sludge/death early years as the song/album concludes. The album’s first single, “Melt the Crown” mixes cues from legendary fellow hosers Rush and Harlequin, turn-of-the-millennium post-metal and the most psychedelic corners of the Rise Above Records roster.
Album opener “Forbidden Sanctuary” is the soundtrack to exploration, of new worlds and sonic arrangement as sine-wave guitars pull from vintage Mercyful Fate covens and Krautrock communes with synths opening up novel textural avenues, as they do on the ethereal wispiness and space rock/sci-fi soundscapes of the instrumental “Candescence.”
Featuring 10 captivating tracks that seamlessly weave together their signature sound—a fusion of Art rock, Progressive rock, and Electronic elements. CK1 will be a welcome addition to both old and new fans alike featuring several of their most popular tracks newly remixed, alongside new and unreleased tracks.Media/Samples
In 2023, after connecting with a group of New York musicians called The Band Geeks, Jon embarked on a summer of 2023 tour performing 2 hours of YES epics and classics. With The Band Geeks, Jon found a group of musicians that he felt could collaborate with him to create a body of work that rivaled the classic YES sound of the 70’s and 80’s. The result of this collaboration is “True”. The 9-song album harkens back to the sound of classic YES and features compositions of all lengths with the centerpiece being the 16 minute song “Once Upon a Dream”.Media/Samples
KINGCROW emerges once more from Italy's progressive rock forge with a legacy etched in eclectic sounds and emotional narrative. Their evolution is meticulously woven progressive rock, alternative ambiance, and metal, transcending mere genre labels.
With ‘Hopium’, KINGCROW delivers a poignant album that fuses profound introspection with the raw vitality of rock. Lyrics that dwell in existential quandaries meet melodies that pulse with life, encapsulating the band's journey through trials and resilience. This collection of aural stories is wrapped in musical precision that only KINGCROW can muster, an intricate escapade for the senses. ‘Hopium’ marks a zenith in KINGCROW's story, a manifesto of passion and a defiant stride into the auditory unknown.
“Strobemørke” sees Trojka venturing even further into their own unique world of prog pop. The compositions and soundscapes have grown ever more mature and dynamic, also frequently featuring strings, saxophone, flute and other instruments. The record spans from intense, heavy and psychedelic outbursts to more tender ballad-like moments. With “Strobemørke”, Trojka once again aims to create music at the perfect intersection of complex and catchy, melodic and mind-boggling – having a fantastic time while doing so.
The album's title is a play on the absurdity of life, reflecting on how major life events (such as death) can be explained easily with logic but are incredibly difficult to overcome in reality.On this album Lappo returns to his prog metal roots, but folds in inspirations from 90’s industrial, 00’s pop and 2010’s prog. Tracks like the opener "Recurring Dreams" display Lappo’s familiar lush prog-metal leanings, while songs like "Where Nothing Exists" and "Shy-Hearted" are the most aggressive and energetic tracks he has ever done. The album goes full pop on the Britney/Max Martin-esque "Break the Spell" and the power-balladry of "Bloodline", while the song "Light Pollution" presents a modern take on 80s AOR. As a whole, Reasonable Nonsense is an eclectic and engaging listen.Lyrically, the album highlights the contrasts between existentialism and nihilism. While "Break the Spell" is a triumph over anxiety, "Unenviable Inevitable" questions the meaning of life and doubts the ultimate value of existence. Other tracks take a more personal bend: "Light Pollution" is about excessive jealousy and "Long one Years" is a song about grief. On a lighter note, the twangy “Falling” celebrates letting old habits die and embracing the path forward. Reasonable Nonsense masterfully weaves its way through some of life’s contradictions over the course of its 10 eclectic tracks.
