Steve Hackett To Revisit Foxtrot
Former Genesis ace guitarist Steve Hackett maintains his impetus of the Genesis related tours. Following on from the recent Seconds Out tour he has announced Steve Hackett Genesis Revisited – Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour for 2022. The tour will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary Genesis album Foxtrot which, in 1972, […]
CD REVIEW – Marcin Pajak – Sound of the Trees
Marcin Pajak’s fourth studio album is ten tracks of varied, but solidly progrock, its main theme of lifestyle changes, adapting to new trends and following marked tracks as we journey through all the growing isolation and confusion of today’s world. But who is this fella? Hailing from Kielce, Poland, Marcin Pajak is a London-based guitarist […]
CD REVIEW – The Broken Hearted Bride – The Strawbs
Esoteric Recordings deserve praise for their release of a newly re-mastered and expanded edition of 2008 album ‘The Broken Hearted Bride’. The album was recorded at producer Chris Tsangarides’ Ecology Rooms studio in Kent in April and May 2008 and saw a reunion of the Strawbs’ line-up that had recorded the legendary albums ‘Hero And […]
Drifting Sun Updates
Neo-proggers Drifting Sun have announced that their album Trip The Light Fantastic from 2015 is available again after being out of print for some time. It was viewed as a comeback release for the band that has now been given a new lease of life, and is revamped into a sleek 6-panel digipak with a […]
Francie Conway Gets Festive
Irish singer song-writer Francie Conway is about to release a Christmas single. Called Christmas Night, it finds Francie in a reflective but positive mode. It is an affirmative tune that is hopeful and progressive. It is available from 8th December, which happens to be the anniversary of John Lennon’s passing. The track, which is predominantly […]
CD REVIEW – The Little Unsaid – December Songs
Possibly not the usual kind of thing we might bring, but sometimes roots releases need a bit of a profile, and seeing as it’s seasonal, why not? December 2021 brings an intimate, seasonal solo release from a songwriter-producer, band name The Little Unsaid but aka John Elliott. Lockdowns permitting he’s been a busy chap recently […]
CD REVIEW – NOSTALGIA FOR INFINITY, ARK & BROKEN BUT STILL STANDING by HATS OFF GENTLEMEN, IT’S ADEQUATE
by Aaron Gidney For those you unfamiliar with Hats Off Gentlemen, It’s Adequate – they are London-based Progressive Rock band based around Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland – both multi-instrumentalists. In addition, Flautist Kathryn Thomas (Malcolm’s wife) contributes to the band regularly. Broken But Still Standing was originally released in 2017 and was the band’s […]
Roots in December
Malcolm MacWatt – Settler ‘Settler’ builds on the success of last year’s ‘Skail’ EP, conceived and recorded at home during the first Covid lockdown, MacWatt exploring ties between Scotland and the New World. Recorded under the umbrella of US-based Need To Know Music, with vocal contributions from Americana artists Gretchen Peters, Laura Cantrell, Jaimee Harris and British icons Eliza Carthy and Kris Drever, the album […]
CD Review – The Steve Gibbons Band – Rollin’ The Albums (1976 – 1978)
Whilst not achieving the superstardom of some of its contemporaries, The Steve Gibbons Band was a well-respected, liked and commercially successfully group in the mid to late Seventies. Whilst centred in the music of an earlier era, the band managed to compete with the prevailing punk ethos comparatively well. (Perhaps it was due to the […]
CD Review – The Tea Party – Black Moon Rising
Boasting a career spanning over thirty-years and with releases on nine major-labels, Canadian band The Tea Party – composed of vocalist and guitarist Jeff Martin, drummer and percussionist Jeff Burrows, and Stuart Chatwood on bass and keyboards – has been successful without necessarily claiming the big headlines. But you can’t argue with two million records […]
Statement from Big Big Train
David Longdon17th June 1965 – 20th November 2021 Big Big Train are extremely saddened to announce the death of David Longdon this afternoon in hospital in Nottingham, UK at the age of 56 following an accident in the early hours of Friday morning. He is survived by his two daughters Amelia and Eloise, his mother […]
Marillion – The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Tour – 18th November 2021 @ Bridgewater Hall Manchester
Marillion’s The Light At The End Of The Tunnel tour found its way to Manchester’s excellent venue Bridgewater Hall on Thursday 18th November 2021. And I was there….. Announcing the tour, Steve Hogarth said at the time: “……it is in fact, The Light at the End of the Tunnel. We spent our time IN the tunnel writing our twentieth […]
CD REVIEW – FOUR by SEIMS
by Aaron Gidney SEIMS are a cinematic Math Rock band hailing from Sydney, Australia. Four is the band’s latest numerically-titled offering, following on from 2017’s aptly-titled, Three. The album was released on Oct 22 via Bird’s Robe, Art As Catharsis, and Dunk! Records. Apparently, the concept of the album was initially inspired by the Myers-Briggs […]
CD REVIEW – VISIONS by SOUP
by Aaron Gidney Norwegian Post-Rock Proggers, Soup unleash their latest adventure, “Visions”on November 19. Founded in 2004 by Erlend Viken, this is the groups seventh studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s Remedies. Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree fanboys and girls will be right at home here – with Lasse Hoile responsible for the artwork. Musically, there […]
CD REVIEW – This Winter Machine – Kites
“ Four years and two albums in, only singer Al Winter remains from the line-up that recorded 2019’s ‘A Tower Of Clocks’ (first album ‘The Man Who Never Was’ came out in 2017 btw). Joining him in the new-look line-up are guitarists Dom Bennison and Simon D’Vali , drummer Alan Wilson and bassist Dave Close. By the […]
CD Review – Drifting Sun – Forsaken Innocence
Although the band was founded back in the 1990s it is fair to say that Drifting Sun have had an ephemeral existence. The group trundled along with various members then took an extended hiatus for around fifteen years or so until original member keyboardist Pat Sanders decided to reanimate the band with new musicians. This […]
Asia Release Live Version Of Heat Of The Moment
Pop-prog supergroup ASIA has released a live version of their 1982 global smash hit Heat of The Moment. The track is taken from their forthcoming 10CD boxset The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1, to be released through BMG Records on 26th November 2021. It can be pre-ordered here:- https://asiaband.lnk.to/OLB1PR Asia: Geoff Downes (The Buggles, Yes, […]
Tarja Turunen Book Release
Tarja Turunen made her name as the greatly talented vocalist with Nightwish from 1996 to 2005, before launching her solo career and becoming the most widely recognised voice and star of operatic metal. She has performed operatic rock at football stadia in South America and sung opera in central European opera houses. A TV star […]
Jethro Tull’s New Album
Veteran proggers Jethro Tull have announced details for the group’s first studio album of new material in over eighteen years, since The Jethro Tull Christmas Album in 2003. Originally making headlines in March of this year, the band’s newest offering, titled ‘The Zealot Gene’, will have a January 28th, 2022 release on Inside OutMusic. To […]
CD Review – Schwertmann – Theater Of Grief
It must be a little bit of a quandary for an artist, when making a solo album, whether to stick with a style that his home band fans would recognise and appreciate, or to spread their musical wings a little bit, taking more risks and straying into other areas. Most people will have examples of […]
CD REVIEW – HFMC – We are the Truth
“‘We Are the Truth’ is our most adventurous album to date. The music is positive, warm, organic, soulful and thoughtful. The lyrics are a cry for compassion, respect and love. ‘We Are the Truth’ is both musically and lyrically very much about the world today“. So says founder and key musical architect Hasse Fröberg of […]
CD REVIEW – UTOPIA FOR REALISTS : HUNGARIAN PICTURES – by MANDOKI SOULMATES
by Aaron Gidney Originally released in 2019, this expanded reissue is rereleased on 24 September 2021 via InsideOut Music. Brainchild of the Hungarian Vocalist/Percussionist, Leslie Mandoki, Mandoki Soulmates features an all-star cast including Ian Anderson, Al Di Meoloa, Mike Stern, Jack Bruce and Bobby Kimball to name a few. Hungarian Pictures is a Prog-Rock suite […]
CD REVIEW – THE TALL SHIPS/MAP OF THE PAST – by IT BITES
by Aaron Gidney Finally, 2021 sees the release/remaster/reissue of these two fine albums – often overlooked as part of the Art-Rockers canon. Arena/Frost* guitar hero, John Mitchell ably picked up the reins left by It Bites Mainman, Francis Dunnery following his departure after releasing third album, ‘Eat Me in St Louis’ in 1989 and then […]
SINGLE REVIEW – SOFT EXPLOSION – by GROOM EPOCH
by Aaron Gidney Australia’s Groom Epoch, release their new single ‘Soft Explosion’ via Golden Robot Records. For those unaware of Groom Epoch – it’s a project led by ex-The Church drummer, Richard Ploog and features an all-star cast of Australia’s finest. According to the Golden Robot bio, ‘Groom Epoch is an all star cast of […]
Roots in November
John Wort Hannam – Long Haul This 8th album follows 2018’s ‘Acres of Elbow Room’. Birthed in early pandemic days, random ideas coalesce into narratives of small victories earned through faith, resilience and humour, reaching beyond isolation to a shared sense of gratitude for what we have, and grief for what we’ve lost. Recorded remotely with […]
Tony Kaye – Sweetest Dreams Released
Tony Kaye has released the emotive Sweetest Dreams from his impressive debut solo album End Of Innocence which is Out Now through Spirit Of Unicorn Music (distributed via Cherry Red Records). The former YES keyboard legend was moved to commit his thoughts and feelings to a heartfelt personal musical interpretation following the terrible events of […]
CD Review – Light By The Sea – Only Death Makes Icons
This, the debut album from Dutch duo Light By The Sea, is an intriguing one. The band believe that they are on a musical journey which wasn’t planned, but was meant to be. Created during the Covid related quarantine, this project is the lovechild of Eszter Anna Baumann and Davy Knobel, whose broad-ranging music consists […]
CD Review – King Of Sweden – The Training
King Of Sweden, formed in Finland in 2019, has released the group’s debut album The Training. The band is a three-piece consisting of guitarist and singer Sampsa Nelimarkka, drummer Janne Savela and bass player Erkka Heinilä. The trio had played together before, but with Sampsa Nelimarkka playing the bass and Erkka Heinilä playing the guitar. […]
CD Review – So Far As I Know – The Omega Point EP
There’s seemingly plenty of musicians out there trying to create something a little bit different. It may not be commercial, or indeed even very popular, but once in a while you come across a band that thinks just a little differently. So Far As I Know are a Russian band that has been around for […]
CD REVIEW – The Neil Morse Band – Innocence & Danger
The Neal Morse Band (now NMB) was formed in 2012, featuring long-time collaborators Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards and guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals) and Randy George (bass), as well as Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals) and Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals). The band’s discography begins with The Grand Experiment, followed by 2016’s The Similitude Of A Dream, […]
CD REVIEW – Cosmograf – Rattrapante
OK, here’s the leveller. I haven’t followed Cosmograf for a while now, as one of those perceived “it’s getting samey situations”. And as I say, that was a perception. Sometimes it is good to take a break at times, to get a fresh perspective. More later. For any who don’t know, Cosmograf is the solo […]
CD REVIEW – Stefano ‘Lupo’ Galifi – Dei Ricordi, Un Museo
“Dei ricordi, un museo” is the first solo album by Stefano “Lupo” Galifi, singerof legendary Museo Rosenbach, who in 1973 released “Zarathustra”, an Italian Progressive Rock masterpiece that no doubt fell on deaf ears in these blinkered isles. Back on stage and into recording studios in recent years as the singer of Il Tempio delle […]
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Spirit of Progressive Rock 