Devin Townsend "Z²"

Country: Canada
Sub Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: Century Media
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: October 27, 2014 (Europe), October 28, 2014 (USA)
Tracklist: 
Disc 1: The Devin Townsend Project - Sky Blue

1. Rejoice - 4:16
2. Fallout - 4:30
3. Midnight Sun - 4:58
4. A New Reign - 4:52
5. Universal Flame - 4:39
6. Warrior - 3:31
7. Sky Blue - 3:52
8. Silent Militia - 4:28
9. Rain City - 7:45
10. Forever - 3:45
11. Before We Die - 8:24
12. The Ones Who Love - 1:32

Disc 2: Ziltoid/Z2 – Dark Matters

1. Z² - 3:59
2. From Sleep Awake - 3:00
3. Ziltoidian Empire - 6:25
4. War Princess - 8:17
5. Deathray - 4:43
6. March of the Poozers - 4:43
7. Wandering Eye - 3:40
8. Earth - 7:38
9. Ziltoid Goes Home - 6:20
10. Through the Wormhole - 2:10
11. Dimension Z - 6:13

Line-up: 
Devin Townsend – vocals, guitars
Dave Young – guitars, keyboards
Brian Waddell – bass
Ryan Van Poederooyen – drums
   With
Anneke van Giersbergen – backing vocals
Chris Jericho – vocals (as "Captain Spectacular")
Dominique Lenore Persi – vocals (as "War Princess")
Randy Slaugh – live symphony, string arranging

Description/Reviews: 

Picking up right were they left off with Epicloud, Devin Townsend Project takes you through a roller coaster of emotions. Keeping it as heavy as possible at times while still mixing it up as the group is known to do, mostly to keep the audience on the edge of their seats upon first listen. The remaining thousands upon thousands of listens this album will receive you’ll be singing along just like a teeny bopper at the One Direction concert.

 Read the full review at damnationmag.wordpress.com

Media/Samples 
Rejoice
Deathray

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Generation of Vipers "Coffin Wisdom"

Country: USA
Sub Genre: Sludge, Post Metal, Post-Hardcore
Label: Translation Loss Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: October 27, 2014
Tracklist: 
1. Damaged Awake 04:30
2. Coffin Wisdom 06:09
3. Dark Matter 04:30
4. You Deserve This 04:52
5. Haunted 06:29
6. Stolen Voices 04:07
7. Crawling on the Ceiling 07:28

Line-up: 
B.J. Graves - Percussion
J. Holt - Guitar, Vocals
T. Kammeyer - Bass

Description/Reviews: 

While the atmosphere is similarly stifling and the music obviously draws on the same sort of relentless hardcore punishment delivered by the above-mentioned bands, I would more closely compare Generation of Vipers with Neurosis, early ISIS, and even Intronaut. Most of their songs dominate the middle range of the tempo spectrum, allowing the percussion work and guitar and bass riffs to actually be heard and appreciated. Dark, static-infused ambient drone textures fill out the mix.

 Read the full review by at medium.com

Media/Samples 
Stream

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Solaris "Marsbéli krónikák II (The Martian Chronicles II)"

Country: Hungary
Sub Genre: Instrumental Symphonic
Format: CD
Release date: October 26, 2014
Tracklist: 
    Martian Chronicles II Suite (22:26)
1. Martian Chronicles II 1st Movement (6:12)
2. Martian Chronicles II 2-6th Movement (12:44)
3. Martian Chronicles II 7th Movement (3:30)
4. Voices from the Past - 1st movement ( 2:05)
    Voices from the Past - 2nd movement (5:33)
5. The World without us (4:03)
6. The Pride of Human insects (3:04)
7. Impossible 'We are an impossibility in an impossible Universe' Ray Bradbury (4:12)
8. Alien song (4:03)

Line-up: 
Csaba Bogdan - guitars
Robert Erdesz - keyboards
Attila Kollar - flute, tambourine, whistle
Laszlo Gomor - drums, percussions
Attila Seres - bass
Ferenc Raus - drums (5, 7)

   With
Edina Szirtes 'Mokus' - violin, vocal
Zsuzsa Ullmann - vocal
Tunde Krasznai - voice
Balazs Szendofi - bass
Peter Gerendas - acousic guitar
Ferenz Muck - saxophone
Tamas Erdesz - guitars

Media/Samples 
Tétel
Lehetetlen / Impossible

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Arx "The Speed of Darj"

Country: South Africa
Genre(s): Progressive Thrash Death Metal
Format: digital
Release date: October 26, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Megalomaniacs 04:36
2. Hate Love 04:50
3. Pulse 03:45
4. Fire Inside 05:07
5. The Speed of Dark 05:41
6. The Void 05:15
7. The Speed of Light 04:29
8. Mists of Transformation 05:49
9. What Could've Been 06:54
10. Animals in Human Skins 04:46
11. In Pieces 04:29
12. Into the Red 05:28

Line-up: 
Yuri Zager - Bass, Vocals
Joseph Scheel - Guitar
Christopher Blake - Guitar

Description/Reviews: 

The band may label their sound as thrash metal, but that is only partially right. While the music offers thrashing riffs and pummeling grooves, there is a lot going on; from rich melodies to hook-laden choruses to epic chord progressions. One might inclined to describe this as melodic thrash, but Arx throws just enough crushing heaviness throughout The Speed of Dark to defy the tag. At over an hour long, the band juggles enough variation to keep things interesting, from the spacey, psyscheldic soloing on “What Could’ve Been” to the epic pacing of the title track; it should suffice to say that it’s not all windmilling, headbanging thrash metal. Chugging thrash riffs collide with moody atmospheric passages and drop into melodic licks; constantly changing gears and keeping the listener on their toes.

 Read the full review by Shawn Miller at metal-observer.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp ( name your price)

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Sisyphean Conscience "Malignant Transformation"

Country: USA
Sub Genre: Progressive Metal
Format: CD, digital
Release date: October 25, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Banished 01:32
2. Accidental Death & Dismemberment 03:24
3. Fallacies 04:14
4. Claptrap 03:55
5. Empty Threats 05:13
6. Triumph 04:16
7. Marauder 03:22
8. Onus (feat. Patrick Jobe of The Odious) 03:06
9. Malignant Transformation 06:38

Line-up: 
Blaine Brun - Guitars
Garrett Haag - Drums, Vocals
Austin Haag - Bass
Taylor Gorman - Vocals

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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DM "Bloodspit"

Country: Poland
Sub Genre: Stoner, Psychedelic, Post Metal
Format: digital
Release date: October 20, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. First Blood II 21:31
2. World disease 07:05
3. Bloodspit 26:28

Line-up: 
Mr D: guitars, effects.
Mr M: drums, midi.
   With
Lindey Lindstorm: noise breath

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (name your price)

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Slug Comparison "Slug Comparison"

Country: Canada
Genre(s): Progressive Rock/Metal
Format: digital
Release date: October 24, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Bringer of Doom - 04:08
2. You've Seen Me - 03:46
3. Summer '99 - 04:21
4. Short of Hell - 03:18
5. Evil Walks - 03:12
6. Long Live the Night - 08:35
7. In the Dark with Divinity - 03:45
8. Something to Bear - 05:35
9. Common Room - 04:09

Line-up: 
Doug Harrison (Fen): vocals, guitar, piano, synth programming, bass on tracks 1, 2, 5
   With
Randall Stoll (ex-Fen): drums on tracks 2-8
Mike Southworth (ex-Fen): production, mixing, programming, additional drums on track 1
Mike Young (ex-Devin Townsend, ex-Fen): bass on tracks 3, 6-9
Tatyana Dobrowolski: additional vocals on track 6

Description/Reviews: 

After the claustrophobic darkness of the previous two tracks, the opening to ‘long live the night’ proves something of a relief with its gentle acoustic work and folk elements, not to mention some stunning slide work. Of all the tracks here, ‘long live the night’ is the one that most captures the feel of vintage Pink Floyd with its rich, lyrical feel and stunning musicianship and if you were to only preview one track from this album before taking the inevitable decision to purchase it, then this should probably be the one. A piece of work that evolves from humble origins into a full-on progressive epic, ‘long live the night’ is a truly wondrous piece of work that draws the listener headlong into Doug Harrison’s wonderfully diverse world. This is grandiose, theatrically-inclined progressive rock at its finest and if any artist has ever truly captured that wonderful mixture of excess that abounded in the heady days of the Gabriel-led Genesis, the Waters-led Floyd and King Crimson, then it is Doug Harrison with this stunningly inventive piece of music. More of a symphony than a song, ‘Long live the night’ is a stunning musical endeavour with a powerful anti-war message and a deft use of light and shade that sees it swell to a stunning crescendo awash with the sound of battle and crushing riffs. 

 Read the full review at sonicabuse.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

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Fossil Evolution "World In Motion"

Country: Belgium
Sub Genre: Symphonic
Label: FREIA Music
Format: CD
Release date: October 24, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Beautiful Colours
2. World In Motion
3. Next Time
4. The Voice Inside
5. Oblivion
6. Considering

Line-up: 
Arnold De Schepper (Isopoda) : bass, vocals, bass pedals
Arne De Schepper: drums, vocals
Maarten De Schepper: guitars, vocals, programming
Wouter De Schepper: guitars, vocals
Pieter De Groeve: keyboards, vocals

Description/Reviews: 

The album is a beautiful blend of symphonic and neo-progressive rock with jazz, pop & rock. The roots of the band lie with Isopoda of which Arnold De Schepper was one of the founding members. He teams up with his sons Arne, Maarten & Wouter plus school friend of the boys Pieter De Groeve. The album has 5 new compositions plus a beautiful rendition of the Isopoda classic "Considering'.

Media/Samples 
Trailer

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Kingfisher Sky "Arms of Morpheus"

Country: Netherlands
Sub Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Label: Suburban Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: October 24, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Hypnos
2. At Least You Tried
3. King of Thieves
4. Open Eyes
5. Insomnia
6. I'm Not Alone
7. Strength of the Endless
8. Heather
9. The Morrigan
10. Mercy on this Wounded Heart
11. Maddy

Line-up: 
Judith Rijnveld - Vocals
Ivar de Graaf (ex-Within Temptation) - Drums, Bass
Edo van der Kolk - Guitar
Chris Henny - Guitar
Maaike Peterse - Cello
David Gutiérrez Rojas - Keys
   With
Kristoffer Gildenlöw (ex-Pain of Salvation, Dial en Rust, For All We Know) - Bass

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Hypnos
King Of Thieves

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Phi "Now The Waves Of Sound Remain"

Country: Austria
Sub Genre: Post Progressive Rock
Label: Gentle Art Of Music
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: October 24, 2014
Tracklist: 

1. Buy Your Piece Of Love (04:41)
2. Welcome Tomorrow (08:36)

3. Tune In Zone Out (05:19)

4. Maye Sometime Else Then (05:05)

5. Revolution By Design (04:08)

6. Behind A Veil Of Snow (05:45)
7. The Liquid Hourglass (02:46)

8. Now The Waves Of Sound Remain (12:10)

9. This Last Favour (04:51)


Line-up: 
Markus Bratusa - Vocals, Guitar, Programming
Arthur Darnhofer-Demàr - Bass, Vocals
Gabe Cresnar - Drums

Description/Review

On this record the mighty walls of Tool’s guitar sound meet the driving rhythms of Rush and gently merge with sophisticated arrangements that resemble the delicacy of Porcupine Tree. The Jeff Buckley-esque jazzy elegance provides the music with the final ingredient that completes the fused aesthetic of the old and the new.


In order to make this album the comprehensive experience that it has ultimately become, Phi have created and implemented a textual concept in which the discourse on music’s role, its significance, its drift into banality and the corresponding deterioration in value in today’s society functions as a backdrop for a both detailed as well as cynical analysis of major issues. The enormously powerful message of this album lies in the fusion of emotion and the coolness of the intellectual: art is so much more than only a mere product. ‘Now The Waves Of Sound Remain’ challenges the boundaries: this is music with a ‘double bottom’.



Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Behind A Veil Of Snow
Teaser

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