Dramatic and evocative... Album Of The Year material There is cause for celebration in the land of Wobbler. The many-bearded quintet has emerged from their lair deep in the Norwegian woodland to deliver the follow-up to 2017's acclaimed From Silence To Somewhere. An even more robust and focused release, Dwellers Of The Deep marks the..
Simon Collins – Becoming Human (Frontiers)
It's been a bit since we've heard from Simon Collins. Seven years, in fact, since his band Sound Of Contact's debut album Dimensionaut and twelve since his third solo album U-Catastrophe were released to much acclaim. But on 4 September, the long-awaited solo followup Becoming Human was born, an hour-long platter of fresh new material..
(c) Lori Linstruth
Arjen In Transitus
It's been a busy few years for Arjen Lucassen since the release of the last Ayreon studio album The Source in 2017. Firstly, the colossal Ayreon Universe was a lavish stage production, a star-studded retrospective that spanned a quarter century's worth of music. Not to be outdone by his own opulence, Lucassen bravely upped the..
Flying Colors – Third Stage: Live In London (Mascot)
I should come clean straight away and admit that I thought I knew what I was getting with Third Stage: Live In London, the new live DVD from Flying Colors. I had expected to casually watch it in segments, taking breaks to do other things, listen to other music, scroll through that former classmate's social..
The Tangent – Auto Reconnaissance (InsideOut)
For all that is said about The Tangent's often weighty subject matter and acquired taste vocals, at its core is a brilliant cast of musicians whose magnificent works have graced the progressive rock landscape on a regular basis for almost two decades. With leader Andy Tillison's boundless creativity, dazzling guitar prodigy Luke Machin, skilled sticksman..
Abel Ganz – The Life Of The Honeybee And Other Moments Of Clarity
This iteration of Abel Ganz has produced a modern prog masterpiece. Scottish neo-prog band Abel Ganz have had a curious history. While many bands in the neo-prog wave of the 1980s burnt brightly for a short period and then faded away, Abel Ganz spluttered through the 80s - with their chance of recognition sunk by..
Rikard Sjöblom: Somewhere In Between Alone And Together
I don't know what they put in the drinking water in Sweden, but I wish they'd share their secret. The ever burgeoning music scene there has been a rich source of top shelf progressive bands for well over five decades. The 1970s brought us legends like Samla Mammas Manna and Kaipa. The second wave of..
Off on another one with Andy Tillison
I have no objection to music that makes you want to head-bang, as long as it remembers that you dance with your legs and feet.Andy Tillison, july 2020 The Tangent are one of the most skilled and interesting bands of modern times. Like all naturally gifted musicians, band leader Andy Tillison seems wholly incapable of..
Arena announce new lineup with Damian Wilson
Arena has parted ways with singer Paul Manzi, as announced on their official page 13 July: It is with sadness that we will be parting ways with singer Paul Manzi.He has been with us for ten years, three studio albums and a lot of touring, but these commitments, particularly the touring, were becoming a strain..
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..