Reviews

"Blue Jays" can, without any exaggeration, be considered a 'lost' The Moody Blues album.

»See See The Sun« was a very good debut and a valuable addition to the Dutch prog rock scene, even though it took Kayak quite a few more years before the rest of the world noticed them, even a little.

"Pathfinder" was the last classic album from the cult Scottish symphonic prog standard-bearers, who became one of those unlucky bands with outstanding talent and a big artistic fire, but who were simply never destined to break through to a…

"Cressida" was a pretty impressive debut from this progrock collective, hardly anyone remembers them these days, where the positive sonic elements outweighed some of its (typical first-timer) flaws.

Taken as a whole, »Exotic Birds And Fruit« was still a thoroughly solid effort, packing in a handful of really good songs, while elsewhere the Procol Harum guys, leaning more and more on their sharpened sense of humor, were…

"Illusion" is an album that didn't exactly go down in the annals of symphonic prog rock in letters of gold, which is no surprise given that it was a transitional record marking the farewell of the entire original Renaissance lineup, but…

For a band that struggled to keep its founding lead guitarist loyal, it's hard to believe the album »Traffic« came out so well as a whole, even throwing up a few unforgettable Traffic classics.

The debut »Rising Fire« embodies the thrilling musical boldness of five untamed stallions from the Slovenian Karst, who know the look and the craft of the classic heavy metal legacy inside out.

»Nice« was yet another The Nice studio effort where the second half of the album beat the first. Chieftain Emerson and his two sidekicks made small but noticeable progress over the previous album.

»Ars Longa Vita Brevis« was an important album for the development of early (symphonic) progressive rock, even if it was far from a masterpiece.

You could easily file Rhapsody of Fire under hyper-productive bands, cranking out studio albums on an assembly line over the last few years, but the music on "Dark Wings of Steel" doesn't suffer from that one bit, which is a really nice…

The long-awaited album that took a full 14 years to make.

On »Away With Words« you can hear loud and clear why Barre's guitar was an irreplaceable part of the Jethro Tull sound for more than four decades, and why it was only right that the story of the legendary band ended the moment he left.

Vengeance Falls is simply nothing more than an average record, and proof that even a creative outfit like Trivium can run a little low on steam.

The masters are still masters. "Now" is some of the best stuff Chicago have done since the end of the seventies, a deliciously tasty blend of the different styles they've experimented with throughout their career, with a big emphasis on the…

"No Mystery" is a masterpiece from the golden years of jazz rock fusion and one of the key achievements of the classic Return To Forever lineup, which by this point had stopped functioning as Chick's backing band, since every member of the…

"Unfinished Business" is a collection of old recordings that Loverboy never used on any official release until now. Even though it's technically a kind of compilation, it can rightfully be counted among the band's regular studio albums.

»Magnification« is stuffed with quality compositions that now and then recall the 'good old days', so it's no wonder it pleasantly surprised even some of the most skeptical fans when it came out. Unlike on »Time And A Word«, Yes found just…

The band's claim that this album is meant first and foremost for its loyal fans couldn't come across as more sincere than it does on "Redeemer of Souls"!

»La Via Della Seta« is a superb album that ticks every high artistic box for this legendary Italian symphonic prog-rock band, which means it was made more or less the way most longtime Le Orme fans wanted it.

»This Wicked Nest« is a very, very good new Helstar album. The songs don't have as much variety in mood as the material on its otherwise excellent predecessor »Glory Of Chaos« (2010), and there's only one direction: the final apocalypse.

What Quiet Riot 10 serves up is neither a real studio album nor a real live album, but a few slurps of lukewarm, soured beef broth.

Older Landmarq records are a seriously rare find on record store shelves these days, so "Origins" is a pretty sensible buy for anyone who wants to get to know the band's output so far.

The Lord works in mysterious ways. Classic representatives of American old-school speed metal Steel Prophet are back too! With their first album after a ten-year break! And a more than excellent one: "Omniscient"!

"Blueprint" is modern enough to keep Sebastian Hardie relevant symphonic prog masters in the 21st century, while the band has held on to the eclecticism and sophistication they've always been known for, so it's great to have Sebastian…

Live perfection has long been inseparable from the name Steve Hackett. Had the classic Genesis lineup recorded »Genesis Revisited: Live At Hammersmith«, it would surely be their best officially released live achievement.

Vader can still surprise you after three decades. With its variety and polish, Tibi et Igni is probably the band's strongest album in the last ten years.

The improvisational merry-go-round »Live in Mainz« is one of the better live documents from the Wetton-era King Crimson vault, and also a historical testament to a brilliant band that was already starting to come apart at the…

"Let's just hope that creative spark doesn't die out, and that the band puts out the next album within three years of "Resist Or Serve.""

The elder statesmen of the N.W.O.B.H.M. pioneers are back! With an outstanding recapture of the old days from 35 years ago, when heavy metal wasn't just a musical trend but a real musical revolution!

»Time And A Word« may be a typical product of its time sonically in many ways, but it still successfully secured Yes a spot among the most ambitious bands of the progressive rock movement.

»Heaven & Earth« is what its predecessor »Fly From Here« should have been, had the last few years played out a little differently – one of the best Yes albums since the 'golden' seventies came to a close.

»Lifesigns« is a must-have for anyone who loves British symphonic prog rock with a distinctive stamp, towering vocal harmonies, intense atmosphere, and modern production.

Welcome back home, boys!

"Mr. Hackett has no intention whatsoever of stopping spoiling his followers. "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" is already the second superb official live album from the 'Genesis Revisited' tour."

"Sagacity" is a letdown overall for anyone hoping for yet another Saga masterpiece, but it's still an extremely solid effort for those fans who didn't set their expectations sky-high, maybe even unrealistically so, and are happy just…

»Live in Detorit« is a fairly interesting and relatively good-quality recording of the most chaotic King Crimson incarnation, one that was 'bursting at the seams' the whole time but still had enough mutual cohesion and drive that night to…

The second studio album, released in 1988.

»Epitaph, Volumes Three & Four« is a must-have companion to the live album »Epitaph, Volumes One & Two«, which every King Crimson devotee has long had in their collection too.

Even though they're heavy rock veterans from Münster, Germany, "Freddy... Nothing As It Seems" is only Bodyguerra's studio debut.

A fresh stoner treat built on one clearly carved premise: homegrown character. Straight out of Lendava!

Drum legend Simon Phillips is back with one of the most distinguished albums the jazz rock fusion universe has ever produced. Plain and simple: this is a jazz album that will hook you!

With their debut, a "June downpour" of an album, the female duo All Strings Detached bring a new musical oddball to the Slovenian rock underground.

The big strength of »Chicago III« was its eclectic nature, which marked most of Chicago's albums from their early days anyway.

An album of polished style and execution, rich in message, whose caustic roughness and "desperado alter blues" charisma will sound awfully familiar to you.

»Chicago« was every bit as deserving of an even bigger commercial hit than the cult debut, and it gave this wildly ambitious collective its big breakthrough on the world music scene.

"“Heavy Rain” is a definite oddball in the Slovenian alternative rock underground."

After two years, countless gigs and a rejuvenated lineup, Sabaton return with a new studio album, Heroes.

»The Battle of Hastings« was an unexciting but still solid comeback for the Canterbury champions everyone had all but written off.

Incurabili are definitely oddballs. Two guitarists, two vocalists. Plug six strings into the mains and the busted, raspy sonic "feast" can begin. Anything but underfed, yet seriously "dislocated".

The hour of judgment has struck for this fake, crazy world! Pankeroschi from Kočevje are coming! With their first real studio record after 15 years of defiance!

Despite the fresh blood, Arch Enemy haven't risen above average. With a few exceptions, War Eternal offers nothing new that would count as an innovative record in today's flood of albums.

Honest, high-energy music from the American veterans once again.

Hunting for "holy simplicity" isn't always simple!

"Chasing analog rawness, a beautiful, stripped-down and honest hard rock effort that is anything but what the title promises."

In line with expectations, we got the album we expected from the band. It's very high quality again. It "holds up" credibly and ticks every musical box of Uriah Heep's stereotypical sound of the last six years.

With "Wrote a Song For Everyone", John Fogerty took a bow to his career of half a century and proved that the feuds that marked decades of his work were left far behind long ago.

Arsis haven't made any drastic changes on their fifth full-length. The music is still technical, fast and melodic.

The last Nazz album with Dan McCafferty!

Led by the unstoppable guitar shaman Carlos Santana, Santana shook the music world to its core with their self-titled debut, creating something totally new with their Latin rock fusion, so it's no surprise this album was a huge artistic and…

Raking in more cash and pleasing a modern fanbase, especially the latino pop rock crowd, were Carlos's driving motives this time around, but neither is an excuse for putting out a totally uninspired album of other artists' covers like…

House Of Lords minus James Christian equals Maxx Explosion!

The intergalactic master of the Telecaster is back with a new record of subtly playful originality, showing off his filigree-fine blues craftsmanship laced with touches of jazz, rag time, country, swing and rock.

The raging storm of sexual excess from this masterfully "planted" Sunset Strip parody has never sounded as polished as it does on the new album "All You Can Eat".

Carnivore Sublime doesn't quite manage to convince after the excellent Asylum Cave. The album is merely average: it'll scratch the itch for extreme-metal fans, but its generic feel means it can easily get lost in the pile of average…

A collection of romantic swings and ballads.

»Symphinity« was a solid (temporary) end to the creative run of probably the best-known Australian prog rock band, even though it came out under the name Windchase rather than Sebastian Hardie (as it by rights should have).

»Windchase« is still a great pick for anyone who loves a melodic take on symphonic prog rock, and it's an important milestone for the Australian prog scene too, even though Sebastian Hardie didn't even try to hide the strong influence of…

The record is multilayered and quietly showcases the complexity of Queens of the Stone Age (not just Homme), a variable that keeps serving up something different every time.

With »Back to Front«, the original Caravan lineup made a farewell album for their own souls, since by then they couldn't have cared less whether it brought them any commercial success.

The penultimate record from the biggest band on the planet.

The eclectic "Better Days Comin'" is by far the most artistically challenging album of the band's career. For all the incredible variety it packs in, it's crystal clear from start to finish that this is a Winger album through and through.…

WAMI is a new hard rock project that brings together three seasoned players, Doogie White (vocals), Vinny Appice (drums) and Marco Mendoza (bass), with a big new discovery from Poland, the barely 16-year-old Iggy Gwadera (guitar).

In the tradition of the classic Vandenberg albums of the eighties, with a strong dose of the sonic and stylistic kinship of the mighty Whitesnake, the Dutch guitar veteran returns to the scene with a new album and a new band.

»A War of Our Own« is, without a doubt, the band's most ambitious work to date. With this album they've successfully loosened up their established, predictable musical template.

Britain's Arthur Beatrice are one of the most interesting bands to pop up lately on the contemporary indie rock scene, and that's exactly what their landmark studio debut "Working Out" embodies.

After thirteen years, »Upitje spod Migovca« is back! With a second part. A double-CD retrospective compilation that sums up the last decade (plus three years) of the Tolmin music scene, or more broadly the Soča Valley's.

The debut from Conquering Dystopia embodies everything extreme metal is today.

The latest richly illustrated picture book of the Kočevje region's colorful musical mosaic brings less noise than the previous compilation, »Kočevje špila - Grupni«, but keeps everything that matters about the pulse of music-making in the…

»Angels Of the Apocalypse« doesn't deliver any musical high points either, since its compositions stick to the tried-and-tested, much-used recipe a la Timo Tolkki. An album for the diehard fans of symphonic Euro power metal!

Black Country Communion finally gets a rightful heir!

»Kill the Engine« is a new masterpiece of offbeat art-rock freshness, embodied by the piercing charisma and musical vision of this generous Slovenian artist.

An album of great charisma, backed by the musical vision of the master Neal Schon. »So U« is, artistically, a superb fusion of the entire musical background of three top-tier musicians, expressing that variability with an exceptional…

"Kill the Engine" is a new masterpiece of unconventional art-rock freshness, embodied by the fiercely penetrating charisma of this generous Slovenian artist's musical vision. With his new album, Grega Habič stays true to his one-of-a-kind…

The L.R.S. project is made up of three full-fledged names: Tommy La Verdi (21 Guns), Josh Ramos (The Storm, Hardline) and Michael Shotton (Von Groove, Airtime). And "Down To the Core" is their very "Journey-esque" debut.

Even those who are fed up to the back teeth with Ian's cynical attitude toward the 'Jethro Tull' name will agree that, strictly musically speaking, there's not much to fault on "Homo Erraticus". Despite the occasional reliance on an 'extra…

Toto marked their big milestone in the best way possible, releasing a double live album, the fifth of their career so far, packed with killer versions of some of their best-loved hits as well as lesser-known cuts from their colorful…

With their upcoming new album, FM won't be serving up any big stylistic departure from the current "Rockville" and "Rockville II". And that's exactly what their fans want most.

No standout moments, and a feeling we've heard these phrases somewhere, long ago, but still delivered with plenty of dedication and heart. Satisfying, but it's not exactly going to knock planet Earth out of its orbit!

Payne's version of Asia serves up a more-or-less successful but mostly pretty interesting set of covers of some prog rock classics on "Recollections", which means fans will surely have an easier time waiting for their first studio album…

"Four Moments" is a landmark album in the history of Australian symphonic progressive rock, and it deserves the respect of every worshipper of far better-known bands than Sebastian Hardie.

»N'monix« is a real treat for all the symphonic prog gourmets out there who love the authentic sound of keyboards from bygone, romantic times, when most music was still made with heart and soul.

'Many who now think they're kings up there will wallow down here like swine in the mire of filth, leaving behind them a name of infamy,' the ferryman Phlegyas warned Dante as they sailed across the Styx. Iced Earth were thinking much the…

»The Album« captured the sound of creatively pretty worn-out Canterbury scene legends, who were trying to survive by any means at a time when their stylistic approach was deeply unpopular and they were losing fans with every passing day.

With »Beat the Drum«, after a 'resurrection from the dead', Pallas made a great comeback album that somehow got overlooked among the pile of interesting (neo) prog rock releases of the late nineties.

»The Wake« is certainly not the best album in IQ's history, but it still marks the peak of their early period (the eighties) and their step up to the next level of maturity as songwriters and arrangers.

Whitechapel have once again made an album that, despite the band's skilled musicians, doesn't rise above the average. Still, for the deathcore scene itself, Our Endless War is more than a solid release.

"'Dub Naturalis' is an album you'll be digging into for a long time. In its cerebral hypnosis it grabs you instantly, but in the composing, its complexity demands a lot more listening."

»Tales from the Lush Attic« is a neo-prog classic, despite some rookie songwriting slip-ups and the rather limp production that marks the original version of the album.

Dubzilla are a razor-sharp art outfit who know exactly what they want to serve up when they follow their musical vision. With "Dub Naturalis" they deepen their sense of homegrown originality and strengthen their position in the Slovenian…