Catukuá "Lomas"

Country: Argentina
Sub Genre: Experimental, Prog Folk
Release date: August 3, 2013
Tracklist: 

1. Choza 03:16
2. Insolación 03:25
3. Melodías 03:47
4. Nacida 03:31
5. Existir 00:41
6. Chicos 04:32
7. Befonnes 05:21
8. Oración 03:56
9. sureño 01:55
10. Iuju 04:13
11. Sopla 02:06
12. Pompa 06:25

Line-up: 
Carolina Restuccia (Factor Burzaco): vocals

Juani Restuccia: guitars
Hernán Lezak: bass
Juanzito Rivas: drums
  With
Pedro Chalkho (Factor Burzaco): guitar, vocals
Facundo Negri (Factor Burzaco): percussion
Camila Gonzales: flute
Alejandro Pozzo: trombone
Leandro Merli: trumpet

Description/Reviews: 

Under the name Catukuá, the Argentinian singer and songwriter, Carolina Restuccia, presents her first solo album: Lomas; an heterogenic group of songs, perhaps straddled rock & folklore.
Lomasis inspired by the development of somebody's look, determined by that person's context, and it is also a way of translating all those different landscapes supporting that person's growth, into music and art.
In takes place in a neighbourhood in which various people, scents, colours, sounds and customs are deeply mixed. Is because of this mixture, and this inspiration, that a certain combination of diverse music genres and related texts can be found in this album, creating an emotional core, an inner world speaking its own dialect.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

Links:
Facebook

Burials "The Tide"

Country: USA
Sub Genre: Progressive Metal
Release date: August 3, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. A Memory 07:00
2. By Design 03:53
3. Pitfall 05:07
4. The Tide: I. flood 09:30
5. The Tide: II. dust 06:17
6. The Tide: III. cinder 08:38

Line-up: 
Benjamin Caragol - Guitars/Vocals
Adam Wheeler - Bass/Vocals
Isaac Davis - Drums
Fester - Guitars

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Facebook

Agent "Kingdom of Fear"

Country: New Zealand/UK
Sub Genre: Alternative Progressive Rock/Metal
Release date: August 2, 2013
Tracklist: 

1. Autodestruction 1:52
2. Dark Dreams 6:04
3. Collecting Scars 3:57
4. Made of Gold 3:58
5. Leadhenge 1:01
6. Lunatic  3:30
7. Wilt the Garden 3:22
8. Intermezzo  1:35
9. Kingdom of Fear  4:40
10. Like You Never Left 3:20
11. Vondelpark 7:42
12. Lost in Transience 1:35
13. Vultures 5:14

Line-up: 
James Donaldson - Guitar and Vocals
Matt Flower - Bass and Backing Vocals
Gerald Gill - Guitars
Alex Alvarado - Drums

Description/Reviews: 

Although having very obvious influences like Karnivool and Tool, Agent have managed to bring their own ideas to an already complex progressive palette of sounds. The production is clear and precise with specific emphasis on the bass  which is only a good thing especially when quality bass playing is often buried in the mix and easily forgotten about. As with bands of this calibre, there is a subtle focus on atmosphere and Agent definitely carry on this trend.

Read the full review at rocknreelreviews.com

Media/Samples 
Entire album online

Links:
Web page
Facebook

Soul Cages "Moon"

Country: Germany
Sub Genre: Progressive Metal
Release date: August, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Always Meet Twice (5:24)
2. Darkness (4:20)
3. The Moon (7:54)
4. The Curse (4:16)
5. Tomorrow (4:48)
6. Waiting (6:35)
7. Beautiful (5:14)
8. Point One (Instrumental) (4:32)

Line-up: 
Jörg Nitschke - Drums
Knut Nitschke - Guitars
Thorsten Staroske - Vocals (lead), Guitars, Keyboards
Beate Kuhbier - Keyboards, Vocals (backing)
Jörg Bode - Bass

Description/Reviews: 

The Soul Cages music is enigmatic, adventurous, deep, melancholic and so emotional. The band's big goal is to express feelings through their songs. You may expect by a typical Prog band to focus on the presence of their technical and performing abilities -each member on each instrument- but this is not the case for Soul Cages. Soul Cages are using their technical performing abilities as tools to focus on the center of each and every emotion that could be generated through music. Yes they are using adventurous song structures, yes they are choosing some complex ways to express their blessed melodies, yes they would generate a big surprise to each and every listener that would listen their new songs, especially for the very first time, BUT the final result on each and every song included in this album is so warm, is so earthly, is so emotional and so inspired that you would catch yourself whispering again and again: "it is only music that matters". So what? You still have not got the point? Through their Progressive ways the Cages are generating music FROM the heart and FOR the heart. Like the good old days when Prog Rock and Prog Metal were setting our emotions afire. 

Read the full review at forgotten-scroll.net

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Darkness

Links:
Web page
ProgArchives
Proggnosis

simakDialog "The 6th Story"

Country: Indonesia
Sub Genre: Jazz-Rock, Fusion, Avant Prog, Ethnic
Label: Moonjune Records
Release date: August 1, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Stepping In - 10:00
2. Lain Parantina - 09:10
3. Harmologic - 03:56
4. What Would I Say - 06:20
5. For Once And Never - 07:03
6. Common League - 03:53
7. As Far As It Can Be (Jaco) - 08:07
8. 5, 6 - 04:35
9. Ari - 06:51

Line-up: 
Riza Arshad - Fender Rhodes electric piano, acoustic piano, synth, soundscapes
Tohpati - electric guitar
Adhithya Pratama - bass guitar
Endang Ramdan - Sundanese kendang percussion (left)
Erlan Suwardana - Sundanese kendang percussion (right)
Cucu Kurnia - assorted metal percussion

Description/Reviews: 

The Sixth Story is the exhilarating, full-throttle follow-up to 2009's critically-acclaimed Demi Masa, from the psychedelic gamelan-jazz-fusion phenoms, simakDialog. Raising the benchmark in a genre known for its brilliant artists is no easy feat, but this album is up to the task: each composition is an exquisite master-class rendering of equal parts elegance and intrigue. This is modern progressive jazz at its most original, most far-reaching and most achieving. Referencing the discernible influence of a host of the genre's most innovative voices -- from the great Miles Davis, to Return To Forever, to The Zawinul Syndicate, John Abercrombie Quartet, Tribal Tech, early Return To Forever, and even the late, great Charles Mingus -- the band continues to push the musical envelope: leaping boldly into places progressive music has never ventured, and few would be brave – or skilled-enough to even consider attempting. The guiding work of keyboardist Riza Arshad has never been bolder or more self-assured, with the maestro laying down line after line of flowing, sensitive, unpredictable-yet-wonderfully-articulate passages.
Guitar phenom Tohpati is equal to the task, compelled to produce some of his most emotional and ambitious fretwork to date. Framing a profound comprehension and command of the cuts' many intricate complexities, shifts and nuances, his world-class guitar stylings have never been sweeter; his tones, textures and phrases are consistently perfect for the occasion. Propelling the steady undercurrent, bassist Adhithya Pratama and their three seasoned percussionists – Endang Ramdan, Erlan Suwardana, Cucu Kurnia) – provide a solid foundation beneath the dense, weaving foreground musings of Arshad and Tohpati. Despite their propensity for waltzing wildly into the unknown, the band is always on sure footing through even the most challenging sonic terrain. This is as good as modern progressive jazz gets -- an astounding work of the absolute highest order ... and one not be missed. 

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
ProgArchives
Proggnosis

Ulver "Messe I.X-VI.X"

Country: Norway
Sub Genre: Electronica, Classical, Psychedelic
Label: Neuropa Records, Jester Records, Kscope
Release date: August 1, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. As Syrians Pour in, Lebanon Grapples with Ghosts of a Bloody Past (11:50)
2. Shri Schneider (5:34)
3. Glamour Box (Ostinati) (6:10)
4. Son of Man (8:23)
5. Noche Oscura del Alma (5:2

Line-up: 
- Kristoffer Rygg / vocals
- Tomas Pettersen / drums
- Tore Ylwizaker / keyboards, electronics, programming
- Ole Aleksander Halstensgård / electronics

Tromsø Chamber Orchestra
- Snorre Holmgren / 1st violin
- Yuko Kawami / 1st violin
- Aelita Osadchuk / 1st violin
- Brynjar Lien Schulerud / 1st violin
- Kristina Nygaard Walsnes / 1st violin
- Berit Fonnes / 2nd violin
- Eira Foss / 2nd violin
- Sari Martinussen / 2nd violin
- Anders Melhus / 2nd violin
- Katrina Brown / viola
- Mari Giske / viola
- Sigrid Lien Schulerud / viola
- Mario Machlik / cello
- Ørnulf Lillebjerka / cello
- Inga Raab / cello
- Stein Paulsen / double bass
- Arne Bjørhei / trumpet
- Ingrid Eliassen / trumpet
- Torbjørn Ingvaldsen / trombone
- Jens Christian Kloster / trombone
- Martin Romberg / grand piano

Description/Reviews: 

Music commissioned for Tromsø Kulturhus in cooperation with the Arctic Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra. Composed and first performed by Ulver, on primarily electronic instruments, with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra September 21 2012.  

"Much of this was recorded live, yet it is not a live album. We've spent long hours in the studio translating what happened that night.
We are at peace for now. It is more quiet than normal. More modern than medieval. But there will always be rapture. Consecration and crying. The father, the mother ... and ghosts. Shadows reverberates – it feels like a companion piece – and Silence's erratic electronique. Sample culture. War and vulture. People hurt. In spite we love. Our children. We fear their future.
Remember Górecki's No. 3: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. It has haunted us for years, and probably always will. The Gustavs Mahler and Holst. Sound collages from When or Nurse With Wound. 70's kraut and synth. Ash Ra and Autobahn. 80's pop scores. John Carpenter and Tin Drum. Terry Riley, again and again and again. Saint John of the Cross."

Media/Samples 
Teaser

Links:
Web page
Facebook
ProgArchives
Proggnosis

Dennis Williams "Ascension"

Country: Canada
Sub Genre: Instrumental Fusion
Release date: August 01, 2013
Tracklist: 
1 Race With the Wind 4:17
2 The Day I Said Good-Bye 6:43
3 Tears of the Sun 4:49
4 Ascension 7:09
5 Until the End of Time 5:00
6 A Walk in the Park 4:35
7 Samsara 8:38
8 Dark Moon Rising 6:15
9 The Freedom Fighter 5:28
10 Smoke 3:16

Line-up: 
Dennis Williams - guitars, bass and keyboards
Lou Caldarola - drums

Description/Reviews: 

Williams approach to the guitar is one that is inspired by the likes of Joe Satriani, Al Di Meola, John Petrucci and others resulting in a little jazz, a little classical finger picking, more than a little rock shredding and plenty of guitar notes flying fast and furious.
 The 10 compositions on Ascension present a wide of variety of guitar sounds and styles from acoustic to electric, from jazz to rock, from flamenco to classical and through it all there is a cohesive thread, namely the stinging lead guitar lines that surface at points in each composition. While some songs are longer, six to eight minutes and some are shorter, three to five minutes, every composition is a musical journey moving through different phases and then many times returning to the songs core theme or melody. As I said at the beginning, Williams loves to put lots of notes out there and yet I find myself attracted to the moments where the level of performance is a little calmer and perhaps exuding more mood with less performance. There’s nothing like a long and moving sustain. As on previous releases, given that these are instrumental tracks, Williams likes to insert either sound effects or spoken word passages to help create the song’s “message.” He does that here on at least three tracks. I should also mention the title track “Ascension” [7:09] is lifted to another level with the addition of the symphonic opening passage composed by Marie-Anne Fischer. It’s a great opening and truly heightens the dramatic impact of the piece.
 The music of Dennis Williams will certainly have some appeal to guitar fans out there, but I would suggest the music on Ascension may also hold some appeal to fans of heavier symphonic prog as well. Not intentionally progressive rock, many of these compositions, either because of their length or because of their subject matter do display plenty of musical change-ups.

Read the full review by Jerry Lucky

Media/Samples 
Sevaral tracks online

Links:
Web page
Facebook

Persona Grata "Reaching Places High Above"

Country: Slovakia
Sub Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: self-released
Release date: August 1, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Ace 7:03
2. Edge of Insanity 12:17
3. Istanbul 2:55
4. Orient Express 9:31
5. Venice 1:04
6. I Am You 14:10

Line-up: 
Adam Kuruc - keyboards
Martin Huba - solo guitar
Martin Stavrovsky - vocals, rhythm guitar
Jan Steno - drums
Timo Stries - bass
   With
Jana Vargova - flute

Description/Reviews: 

 The opener, Ace, begins with some ambient sound effects from what seems to be an airport or transit station, then drops some bass heavy notes before kicking into the first of many memorable riffs. Right away Stavrosky’s vocals come in, and man is this guy smooth. He has the range, of that there is no doubt, but he keeps it in check in favor of what is an album long demonstration of control, never once does he outstretch himself or do the music wrong, he is settled right alongside it. Musically, after the brief vocal introductory period, they seem to scatter all over the place in a brilliantly organized fashion, something that seems to be a trademark of theirs. Much of this song is very reminiscent of Kansas, if they really let loose and let their proggy hair down. The ensuing song, Edge of Insanity, opens on a melodically aching note, and then pushes it further with the addition of Vargova’s beautiful work on the flute. Of course this brings up tones of Jethro Tull, but that might be the flute bringing that up. Then, if we weren’t in a happy enough place, Vargova adds her lovely voice to the mix and gets us all mellow and happy. Then the band, in a very subtle and underhanded way, gets dark and disturbing, and they bury into that side for a while. The song is about transition, and they use these two sides to express this. Amidst this balancing act between the two spiritual sides is a wealth of brilliant instrumental work, with the keys of Kuruk and Huba’s guitars leading the way.

Read the full review by Lonestar at ladyobscure.com

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming

Links:
Web page
Facebook
Proggnosis

Odetosun "Gods forgotten orbit"

Country: Germany
Sub Genre: Progressive Metal, Post Metal, Art Rock
Label: Self-released
Release date: August 1, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Cracking Shell of Calypso - 5:28
2. Veil of Leviathan - 8:54
3. Eclipse Chaser - 5:22
4. Journey to Gliese - 6:25
5. The Swarming Infinity - 8:27
6. Gods forgotten Orbit - 8:00

Line-up: 
Luke Stuchly - vocals
Benny Stuchy - guitars, bass, synth
Gunther Rehmer - drums

Description/Reviews: 

Cracking Shell of Calypso, is the opening track. Clean strumming riff captures my interest immediately, short and gets right into the heaviness. Really digging the vocal style - its mid growl but easy to discern lyrical content. We are led into a bass line that has impressive tone and clarity. A solo comes in, fluid and well written, blending perfectly with the rhythm section."Veil of Leviathan", great title. Catchy and captivating bass line leads the journey into this composition. Drums sound powerful and well executed.
"Eclipse Chaser", this track builds many layers of harmony, from the open chords and progressive bass arrangements. It's a composition that makes your brain inspect all aspects of the riffs being projected. Journey to Gilese, (instrumental), two of the bands that come to my mind as I listen are Ozric Tentacles and Cynic. A strong rhythm section creates an immersed landscape, sort of a cosmic trip into unknown territories, I hear a Pink Floyd influence in the transitions, an amazing song indeed and probably one of my favorites."The Swarming Infinity", intensity comes roaring through my speakers, excellent vocals just dominate with power and brutality."Gods Forgotten Orbit", title track and last song on the album, a perfect way to encapsulate all the elements of cosmic trance. A great way to close the experience and found myself listening to it several times. (artemortificareviews.blogspot.com)

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

L'Albero Del Veleno "Le Radici Del Male"

Country: Italy
Sub Genre: Instrumental Symphonic
Label:  Lizard Records
Release date: July 31, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Dove Danzamo Le Streghe (5:41) 
2. ...E Resta Il Respiro (5:58) 
3. Presenze Dal Pasato (3:47) 
4. Un Altro Giorno Di Terrore (5:02) 
5. Due Anime Nella Notte (5:50) 
6. Al Di La Del Sogno...L'Incubo Riaffiora (12:08) 

Line-up: 
Nadin Petricelli - keyboards
Lorenzo Picchi - guitar
Michele Andreuccetti - bass
Francesco Catoni - viola
Marco Brenzini - flute
Claudio Miniati - drums

Description/Reviews: 

A new fantastic instrumental project, with special affinity with the horror movie sound of Goblin (more prog-rock than jazz), the looming atmospheres, the high emotional tension.
The various musical influences, along with the passion for cinema, form a project strongly introspective and emotional.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp
Un Altro Giorno Di Terrore
Dove Danzano Le Streghe

Links:
Web page
Facebook