A deeply thoughtful work which delves beneath the surface of the music to give the listener a real glimpse into what it is to be 'that Joe Payne'. Most people - or most prog fans,certainly - will probably know Joe Payne (with or without 'That') as the singer with bombastic symphonic band The Enid. When..
Lamb Of God – Lamb Of God (Nuclear Blast)
It is difficult to think of Lamb Of God as "veterans" but incredibly this Richmond, Virginia quintet has been around for 26 years now beginning life under the moniker of Burn The Priest in 1994, and it was following a name change that Lamb Of God made their entrance via the New Wave of American..
KANSAS – Singer Ronnie Platt gives his thoughts
Summer 2020 sees legendary US band Kansas releasing their seventeenth studio album, entitled The Absence of Presence, and it’s drenched in the sound which has made them one of the most iconic bands from the USA. You want classic rock, Prog rock and heart wrenching ballads, all played with the high quality of musicianship which..
Kyros – Isolation gigs, interview
Readers will recall the recent review of Kyros' latest album Celexa Dreams, launched in June of this year. It received positive reviews throughout the music press rock, demonstrating a skillful mix of Alt-Rock, Electronic Rock and Art Rock with heavy leanings towards Prog Rock. The band have cited influences as diverse as Porcupine Tree, Kate Bush, Muse, Radiohead, Rush, CHVRCHES, The Dear Hunter, Duran Duran, Trevor Horn, IQ, Spock’s..
STRAWBS – Burning For You / Heartbreak Hill (Esoteric)
Burning For You is a much better album than its reception at the time indicated ... while Heartbreak Hill is simply essential Strawbs. The very end of the original Strawbs career is covered here with these two Esoteric reissues, covering what was intended to be the last album they recorded in the 1970s, and the..
Vulkan – Technatura
Vulkan (the Swedish word for Volcano) is a heavy progressive rock band from Karlstad, Sweden. They started out in 2006, making a few recordings under a different name which they later changed to reflect the heavier sound they were creating. Heavy, epic and with a true sense of melody wrapped within a musical structure that..
Figures – Operating In Unsafe Mode
The alternative music scene in Melbourne, Australia in the 2010’s was dominated by two major genres: Old-school hard rocking Acca-Dacca Aussie rock, and the new kid on the block: Progressive Rock. Thanks in the latter to the major success of Aussie-prog aficionados Karnivool, a horde of local bands was unleashed, seeking to build on the magic,..
Frank Zappa – The Mothers 1970 (Zappa / Universal)
Without having done the math, it's quite possible that we have reached the point where there have been more posthumous volumes in the Frank Zappa catalogue than were released while he was alive. Hardcore fans continue to be spoiled by the endless wellspring that is the Zappa Family Trust, whose every trip to the vault..
BLOODY HEELS – Ignite The Sky (Frontiers Music)
Ignite The Sky is the second album to be released by Bloody Heels, a most energetic hard rock band from Latvia. The band formed in Riga in 2012 and so far has released the Summer Nights EP in 2014 and their debut album, Through Mystery, in 2017 both of which marked the band as one..
Geoff Tyson – Drinks With Infinity (Cargo Records)
Geoff Tyson is a California-born guitarist with a long history, but who is only just now releasing his first full-on solo guitar instrumental album. Tutored on classical piano as a boy, Tyson’s world was turned upside-down when he first heard Eddie Van Halen and became a guitar convert. As soon as he hit his teens..