Tortoise "The Catastrophist"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Electronica, Post Rock, Experimental
Label: Thrill Jockey Records
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: January 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. The Catastrophist (3:52)
2. Ox Duke (4:49)
3. Rock On (3:13)
4. Gopher Island (1:13)
5. Shake Hands With Danger (4:10)
6. The Clearing Fills (4:22)
7. Gesceap (7:37)
8. Hot Coffee (3:53)
9. Yonder Blue (3:18)
10. Tesseract (3:54)
11. At Odds With Logic (3:15)
12. The Mystery Won't Reveal Itself (To You) [Bonus Track] (4:01)

Total time 47:37
Line-up: 
Dan Bitney
John Herndon
Doug McCombs
John McEntire
Jeff Parker
   With
Todd Rittmann: vocals (3)
Georgia Hubley: vocals (9)

Description/Reviews: 

While the Chicago-based instrumental quintet has nodded to dub, rock, jazz, electronica and minimalism throughout its revered and influential six-album discography, the resulting sounds have always been distinctly, even stubbornly, their own.
This fact remains true on The Catastrophist, Tortoise’s first studio album in nearly seven years. It’s an album where moody, synth-swept jams like the opening title track cozy up next to hypnotic, bass-and-beat missives like “Shake Hands With Danger,” a downright strange cover of David Essex’s 1973 radio smash, “Rock On,” sung by U.S. Maple/Dead Rider’s Todd Rittmann, and the bittersweet, honest-to-goodness soul ballad “Yonder Blue,” sung by Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley. Throughout, the songs transcend expectations as often as they delight the eardrums.
The album’s debut single “Gesceap” embodies the transformation of the original suite commissions, as it morphs from two gently intersecting synth lines into a pounding, frenzied full-band finish.
As ever, Tortoise has conjured sounds on The Catastrophist that aren’t being purveyed anywhere else in music today. There’s a deeply intuitive interplay between the group members that comes only from two decades of experimentation, revision and improvisation. And at a time when our brains are constantly bombarded by myriad distractions, The Catastrophist reminds us that there’s something much greater out there. All we have to do is listen.

Media/Samples 
Gesceap

Links:
Web page
Facebook
Progarchives
Proggnosis

Chronos Zero "Hollowlands - The Tears Path: Chapter One"

Country: Italy
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Label: Scarlet Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: January 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. The Compression Of Time (5:51)
2. Fracture (7:06)
3. Shattered (5:52)
4. On The Tears Path (5:03)
5. Who Are You? (A Shape Of Nothingness) (1:10)
6. Who Am I? (Overcame By Blackwater Rain) (6:04)
7. Ruins Of The Memories Of Fear (5:15)
8. Phalanx Of Madness (5:52)
9. Oblivion Pt. 1 - The Underworld (7:36)
10. Oblivion Pt. 2 - The Trial Of Maat (5:42)
11. Oblivion Pt. 3 - The Harp (5:08)
12. The Fall Of The Balance (1:34)
13. Near The Nightmare (4:44)
14. From Chaos To Chaos (2:35)

Total time 69:32

Line-up: 
Enrico Zavatta - Guitars, Piano and Keyboards
Federico Dapporto - Bass
Edoardo Velli - Drums & Percussion
Margherita Leardini - Vocals
Manuel Guerrieri - Scream vocals
   With
Jan Manenti (Love.Might.Kill)  - Vocals
Giuseppe Rinaldi - Keyboards

Description/Reviews: 

Wel well well, what do you get if you cross Symphony X, Amaranthe and Rhapsody? The answer would be something close to the sound of Chronos Zero who hail from Italy and boast a progressive metal sound, a futuristic concept album dealing with science fiction and fact and three vocalists; two male, one female all of whom weave complex vocal melodies together. The band have added the growling vocals of Manuel and the soaring classically trained pipes of Margherita since their debut meaning that the Russell Allen-like throat of Jan Manenti (from Love.Might.Kill) now has two perfect foils to tell the complex story. Luckily he is also aided by the virtuosity of the band who rely on the tried and tested method of having the single guitarist playing with insane skill, a rhythm section that changes the time signature and pace at will fluidly adding twists and turns to the songs and a whole load of keyboards from a dedicated keyboardist as well as the from the guitarist, this means the whole thing is cinematic in scope and like I said the Symphony X looms large but not enough to overpower what the band are trying to do, they have enough individuality to separate them from the pack. As I said the album is a concept and as I haven't read the booklet, or heard the debut album, I can't really tell what it's about but it seems to be set in a futuristic world which means that the prog/power of the band is perfect fit, the album weighs in at 14 songs an none of these are short full of instrumental sections, solos as well as barrages of riffage, especially Shattered which tries to throw in as many as possible with three time changes in the song, so if you are not a fan of prog metal it may be a slog but for those that like their metal clever, vivid, huge in scope and full of technical musicianship then Hollowlands - The Tears Path: Chapter One (to give it it's full title) will be sitting somewhere near the top of your must buy list! Expressive, symphonic metal from this Italian metal mob. (musipediaofmetal.blogspot.it)

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Web page
Facebook
Proggnosis

Vulkan "Observants"

Country: Sweden
Genre(s): Progressive Rock/Metal
Format: digital, CD, vinyl
Release date: January 22, 2016 (digital)
Tracklist: 
1. Sleepwalkers March (3:14)
2. Invisible Thrones (8:38)
3. From Here To Where It All Ends (Terminus) (3:32)
4. Hypnotica (7:19)
5. Cosmigrants (0:37)
6. Consequence Of Ignorance (6:49)
7. The Luning (3:32)
8. Endineer (7:12)

Total time 40:53

Line-up: 
David Engström
Mag Munson
Jimmy Bob Lindblad
Johan Norbäck
Vincent Andrén

Description/Reviews: 

 It's a combination of styles, including post-rock, psychedelic rock and dark, progressive metal.  First and foremost, it's loaded with immersive rock songs and enhanced with stunning electronics and soundscapes.  There certainly are some highly skilled musicians in Vulkan, that's for sure.
The album opens with one of the best intros ever.  'Sleepwalker's March' is an awesome post-rock track, which almost made me wish the rest of this album was more of that goodness.  However, things change a bit in 'Invisible Thrones', especially when the vocals come in.  At this point I'm reminded of something between Tool, Anathema, Pink Floyd, Opeth and Explosions In The Sky.  As a fan of all those bands, I can certainly approve of this blend.

Read the full review by at merchantsofair.com

Media/Samples 
Invisible Thrones

Links:
Web page
Facebook

Steven Wilson "4 1/2"

Country: UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label:  Kscope
Format: CD, vinyl, digital
Release date: January 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. My Book of Regrets (9.23)
2. Year of the Plague (4.15)
3. Happiness 3 (4.31)
4. Sunday Rain Sets In (3.50)
5. Vermillioncore (5.09)
6. Don't Hate Me (9.34)

Total Time 36:42

Line-up: 
Steven Wilson - vocals, guitars
  With
Guthrie Govan - lead guitar
Nick Beggs - bass, Stick
Marco Minnemann - drums
Adam Holzman - keyboards
Theo Travis - saxophone, flute
Ninet Tayeb - vocals
Craig Blundell - drums
Chad Wackerman - drums
Dave Kilminster - guitar

Description/Reviews: 

Happiness III (I wonder what happened to “I” and “II”?) is a jolly little pop song, no, it really is, and it will have you bouncing about the room like Tigger on speed. It’s up! It’s jolly…well, tune-wise, anyway, as there still remains more than a dash of regret in the lyric. With a catchier title Happiness III would make a great single, assuming they still make things called “singles” these days!
The other rather good song on here is opener My Book Of Regrets, but it does not quite hit the heights of Happiness III, being a tad formulaic in the modern Steven Wilson “prog song” way, with its trademark lyric of urban alienation. It does contain some rather fine guitar work, that can’t be denied, including a short but crafty reprise of the Time Flies Floydian riff. Year Of The Plague and A Sunday Rain Sets In are top-notch, if inessential instrumental interludes, the latter being the best. Filmic in extremis, this tune could be running in the background of an arthouse spy movie. Vermillioncore is a fine five minutes worth of Steven’s best heavy alt-prog, where the band get to stretch out. Naturally the tune builds to a rifftastic crescendo, zipping along like a speeding bullet train. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it ticks all the right boxes, and the fans will love it.

Read the full review by Roger Trenwith at theprogressiveaspect.net

Media/Samples
Bandcamp 

Links:
Web page
Facebook 
Progarchives
Proggnosis

The Mute Gods "Do Nothing Till Your Hear From Me"

Country:  UK
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: InsideOut
Format: CD, vinyl
Release date: January 22, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me - (7:45)
2. Praying To A Mute God - (5:06)
3. Nightschool For Idiots - (6:00)
4. Feed The Troll - (4:55)
5. Your Dark Ideas - (4:41)
6. Last Man On Earth - (5:30) (Limited edition bonus track) 
7. In The Crosshairs - (3:18)
8. Strange Relationship - (6:10)
9. Swimming Horses - (7:05)
10. Macro Capelo - (5:10) (Limited edition bonus track) 
11. Father Daughter - (4:09)

Total time 59:49

Line-up: 
Nick Beggs (Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett, Fish On Friday, Lifesigns) - bass, Chapman Stick, guitars, keyboards, vocals, programmiing
Roger King (Steve Hackett) - keyboards, guitars, backing vocals, programming, produciton
Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, Mike Keneally) - drums, percussion, guitars, sound design
    With
Lula Beggs – Vocals
Nick D’Virgilio – Drums, Guitar and Keyboards
Adam Holzman – Keyboards
Gary O’Toole – Drums
Rob Reed – Multi-instrumentalist
Frank Van Bogaert – Keyboards & Backing Vocals, additional mixing
Ricky Wilde – Keyboards, Programming, Guitars & Backing Vocals

Description/Reviews: 

Musically, the album does have an overall prog vibe but more prevalent is the pop sensibility throughout. ... every song is quite hooky and rely more on song-crafting than how many notes can be played. In that regard, you can tell that Steven Wilson has perhaps rubbed off on Beggs a little bit.

Read the full review by Rob Pociluk at progressivemusicplanet.com

Media/Samples 
Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
Feed The Troll 

Links:
Web page
Facebook
Proggnosis

Lamashtu "Fallna Själar"

Country: Sweden
Genre(s): Progressive Rock, Doom
Label: Älvsång Production
Format: digital
Release date: January 6, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Fyll Mig (6:24)
2. Min Stjarna (4:20)
3. Blod Blod Rott Blod (3:08)
4. Jag Och Gud (2:26)
5. Lamashtus Vals (4:57)
6. Dockans Roll (4:17)
7. Ge Mig Allt (10:09)

Total Time 35:41

Line-up: 
Sandra Mattsson - vocals
Pazuzu Johan Älvsång - vocals
Empusa Mimmi Kemppainen Persson - vocals
Hecate Yvonne Platon - vocals
Buer Isak Andersson - vocals, instruments

Media/Samples 
Min Stjärna
Blod Blod Rött Blod

Links:
Facebook

Manoel Macia & Rafael Pacha "El Límite Imaginario"

Country: Spain
Genre(s): Instrumental Symphonic
Format: digital
Release date: January 21, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Mapa De Nubes (5:55)
2. Aqui Hay Monstruos (5:17)
3. En La Sangre (4:55)
4. Miras Cortas (3:57)
5. Folia Del Naufrago (4:44)
6. Kraken (21:35)
7. El Limite Imaginario (2:19)

Total time 48:42

Line-up: 
Manoel Macia & Rafael Pacha

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Web page (Rafael Pacha)
Facebook (Rafael Pacha)
Facebook  (Manoel Macia)

Perihelion Ship "A Rare Thunderstorm in Spring"

Country: Finland
Genre(s): Progressive Metal/Rock
Format: digital
Release date: January 20, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Misplaced Rainfall (8:58)
2. The Emperor Idea (7:38)
3. Fool Of White Antlers (8:57)
4. The Poet From The Mad Moon (4:48)
5. A Rare Thunderstorm In Spring (21:07)

Total time 51:28

Line-up: 
Andreas Hammer - Guitar, Vocals
Jani Konttinen - Hammond Organ, Mellotron
Jouko Lehtonen - Bass Guitar
Jari-Markus Kohijoki - Drums
    With
Joonas Pyhtilä (Carved In Ashes) - Drums (5)
Alma von Creutlein - The Many Voices of the Godmachine (5)

Description/Reviews: 

Peihelion Ship's debut full-length album draws a lot of inspiration from Opeth's seminal fusion of progressive acoustic and death metal but these Finns have their own unique spin on this style that draws heavily from early 70's prog rock including great use of heavy keys and the mellotron. The 21 minute epic finale is a total stunner of heavy prog from a band that cites inspiration from those great 90's Swedish prog rock bands Anglagaard and Anekdoten. (progmetalzone.com)

Also read the review by Rob Pociluk at progressivemusicplanet.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links
Facebook

Pi Xprnc "Oblivion Works Inside Us"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Format: digital
Release date: January 19, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Chaos V (Where Is The Truth?) (2:55)
2. XPRNC (7:00)
3. Falling (3:08)
4. Mantram (3:26)
5. As You Live You Will Die (5:33)
6. Dust (3:57)
7. Primum Mobile (6:06)
8. Chaos V (II) (2:34)

Total time 34:39

Line-up: 
Karen Gonzalez - Guitars, synths and vocals
Edmanuel Castillo - Bass and backing vocals
David Cajías - Drums

Description/Reviews: 

Musically we're dealing with an album that resides in the borderlands between art rock, alternative metal and industrial music somewhere. Frail, light toned and reverberating guitar licks, chugging compact riff walls and wailing, emotional guitar soloing all have their place, the bass guitar can be steady and supporting just as much as driving and energetic, the rhythms non existent, basic or intricate. If you enjoy variety there's a lot of it to be found on this album, and occasional intriguing details I don't encounter too often to boot. Light toned, brittle impact riffs for instance. One distinct and notable trait that does merit a special mention are the lead vocals. Miss Gonzales has a strong, melodic and harmonic voice, pitch perfect as far as I can tell, with something of an expertise in tightly controlled, emotional delivery. Fans of high quality vocal performances will enjoy this part of the proceedings no matter what they think about the music itself.

Read the full review by Olav Martin Bjørnsen at progreviews.blogspot.com

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Web page
Facebook
Progarchives

Beledo "Dreamland Mechanism"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Jazz-Rock, Fusion
Label: Moonjune Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: January 19, 2016
Tracklist: 
1. Mechanism. (5:21)
2. Bye Bye Blues. (5:36)
3. Marylin's Escapade. (8:40)
4. Lucilla. (6:28)
5. Sudden Voyage. (5:01)
6. Big Brother Calling. (4:13)
7. Mercury In Retrograde. (4:19)
8. Silent Assesment. (5:01)
9. Budjanaji. (5:00)
10. Front Porch Pine. (5:28)

Total time 55:07

Line-up: 
Beledo - guitars, violin, keyboards, accordion, fretless bass (4, 9), voice (9)
   With
Lincoln Goines - electric bass (1-3, 6-8)
Gary Husband - drums (1-3, 6-8)
Endang Ramdan - Sundanese kendang percussion (4, 9)
Cucu Kurnia - Sundanese kendang and metal percussion (4, 9)
Tony Steele - electric bass (5, 10)
Doron Lev - drums (5, 10)
Dewa Budjana - 2nd electric guitar solo and background electric guitar (9)
Rudy Zulkarnaen - electric bass (9)

Description/Reviews: 

Beledo's MoonJune Records debut, "Dreamland Mechanism," is a star-studded, multifarious affair. Supported by a cast of modern progressive jazz-fusion luminaries (featuring the likes of Gary Husband, Dewa Budjana and Lincoln Goines, for starters), the Uruguayan-born, NYC transplant guitar maestro puts not only his virtuosic guitar playing on display, but also his enormous talents on a variety of instruments (acoustic guitar, acoustic piano, violin, accordion, Fender Rhodes, Mini Moog, fretless bass guitar), in a session with more twists, turns and surprises than an Agatha Christie novel!
Equally showcased are Beledo's adept skills as a composer and arranger, as this engaging release covers the stylistic gamut in most convincing fashion. From intimate jazz, to blazing fusion, world music, and thematic prog at its most sublime and majestic, the album scales great sonic heights, while never idling in one place for very long. In his most ambitious undertaking to date, Beledo pulls out all the stops -- giving guitar aficionados plenty to rejoice over, while appealing to a much broader, diverse audience. He rocks with authority and conviction; he dances on air; he grabs the reins and gallops difiently over the edge.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp

Links:
Web page
Facebook