This album is clearly better than anything the real Yes have produced in this millennium. What is your emotional reaction to the phrase ‘they are a tribute band’? Most would probably admit to an instinctive negative feeling. After all, where is the creativity in being a tribute band? Despite this stigma, the number and quality..
Caleb Dolister – Daily Thumbprint Collection 3, The Wandering (Orenda Records)
This album is a good wake-up call to remind us what progressive music really is. ‘Caleb who?’ you might be asking yourself at this moment in time. Unless you are an avid fan of avant-garde music then the chances of you having heard of him are slim. First up, Caleb is a drummer based in..
White Lion – All You Need Is Rock ‘N’ Roll – The Complete Albums 1985-1991 (Cherry Red)
The 1980s was very much the decade of Hair Metal or Glam Metal. Those who grew up in the 80s as teenagers might look back at the period nostalgically but most of the rest of us who grew up before or after that decade probably cringe at the sight of the ridiculous quantity of hair..
Northern Crown – In A Pallid Shadow
The first three tracks are faultless metal classics. They represent an amazing leap forward by the band. This band tags itself as ‘Epic Doom Metal’ but if you are not keen on doom metal then PLEASE do keep reading! This Florida-based band’s 2018 eponymously titled second album introduced keyboards, softening their Candlemass-influenced roots, and that..
Witnesses – Doom II
Have you ever wondered what Brian Eno would sound like if he wrote a doom album? I know that’s an odd question but believe me it didn’t come totally out of the blue! Witnesses is the project of New Yorker multi-instrumentalist Greg Schwan (ex-keyboard player of doom merchants While Heaven Wept). Like many, he likes..
Michele Conta – Endless Nights (AMS Records)
Conta has produced a fine album very much in the Italian prog tradition. The name of Michele Conta will probably ring a bell to aficionados of Italian prog music. For those of you still scratching your heads, Conta was the keyboard player in the Italian prog band Locanda delle Fate which in 1977 released its..
IO Earth – Aura
IO Earth have once again managed to produce a powerful and emotionally moving album that will be a strong candidate for the best progressive album of the year How to describe the music of IO Earth? Many bands like to say that their music can’t be pigeon-holed but that phrase definitely rings true for the..
Judie Tzuke – The Chrysalis Recordings (Cherry Red)
This three CD set represents Tzuke at her artistic peak and proves categorically that she was much more than a one hit wonder. The 1979 hit single Stay With Me Till Dawn – a good ballad made memorable thanks to the glorious vocal delivery of Tzuke – has etched itself into the national consciousness as..
Snowy White – Lucky Star (Cherry Red /Esoteric)
Esoteric have a well-deserved reputation for digging up forgotten gems from the back-catalogue and remastering them brilliantly. They’ve once again hit the jackpot here with a fascinating six CD set covering Snowy White’s early solo career. The set spans the six studio albums from 1983’s debut album White Flames through to 1994’s Highway To The..
Ciminero – Subterranean Awakening
Ciminero show that doom can be modern, interesting and doesn’t have to be just about crunching guitars and gut-wrenching misery. Ciminero is a brand new four-piece doom band based in Helsinki, with guitars, bass and drums played by Finnish natives and female vocals from Italian Valentina Vigato. Valentina may have had a strong say in..