(73:00; Freia Music) Here we have a “new” band which has been created by musicians who one way or another have known each other for a very long time indeed. Singer Ruud Stoker, keyboard player Julian Driessen and drummer Mike Boekhout have all been in Timelock for decades, while they were also all in Dreamcarnation, and Ruud and Julian were both in The Last Detail (while Julian is also known for being in the renowned Ywis and For Absent Friends). So where does guitarist/bassist Ron Koel fit in? Apparently, he was at school with Julian, and when they caught up at a reunion decided to record some music together and he ended up playing on the bonus tracks on the 2023 reissue of Timelock’s 2008 album, ‘Buildings’. It all seems very incestuous indeed if you ask me… The guys started working on this album during Covid, and it is based on a science fiction story written by Ruud, set in the year 5930, regarding signals originally heard on Earth in 3953. The album has been released in a 64-page ...

(69:00, Generation Prog) It has been way too long since the last Cea Serin album, 2014’s ‘The Vibrant Sound of Bliss and Decay’, which in itself took 10 years from the debut, but at long last they are back with the third. Founder Jay Lamm (vocals, rhythm guitars, bass, keyboards, piano) and drummer Rory Faciane, who was also on the last album, are both here but I note co-founder  guitarist Keith Warman is not. Instead we have a host of guest musicians in the guise of Andy Gillion (solo, ex-Mors Principium Est), Dann Hoyos (Rise to Fall), Vick LeCar (solo artist), Steve Blaze (Lillian Axe), Steffi Cannelli (Cirque du Soleil), João Miguel (solo, Enblood, Adamantine), Manuel Acevedo (SAUDA), Cecillia Cuccolini, and Coen Strouken (Circus of Fools, Eluveitie), while the album was mixed and mastered by Tom MacLean (Haken, To-Mera). Historically the band have discussed their love of Carcass and Cradle of Filth, and there is no doubt that their style of prog metal is at the more extreme en...

(99:13; Esoteric Recordings) This double CD captures the original line-up of Andrew Latimer (guitars, flute, vocals), Peter Bardens (organ, piano, Minimoog, Mellotron, vocals), Doug Ferguson (bass) and Andy Ward (drums & percussion) at The Marquee on October 30th, 1974. They were touring in support of their second album, ‘Mirage’, and the set was recorded on 16-track by Decca to promote their forthcoming American tour as well as getting more publicity for the album in Europe. Stephen W Tayler has mixed this from the original tapes, and for any fan of the band, this is absolutely essential. The guys are incredibly tight, having been working through the rigour which was the early Seventies rock scene of recording quickly and then spending most of the time on the road, and they had been hard at it since the album release in March 1974. Not only that, but they were already looking forward to their third album, the classic ‘Music Inspired by the Snow Goose’ and we get some of that mater...

(64:47; Discus Music) I believe that what we have here is a recording of the second-ever gig by the short-lived trio of drummer/vocalist Charles Hayward (Quiet Sun, This Heat, Massacre), Japanese guitarist Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple, Acid Mothers Gong) and Belgian bassist Guy Segers (Univers Zero). The previous night had been their first ever gig, which was also recorded, and released in 2015 as ‘Live at Café Oto’. Tonight, 25th May 2013, saw the trio at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar in Brighton and we get three tracks, with “Knead The Bread” clocking in at 21 minutes, “Limpid Intone (Psalmodie Limpide)” more than 32, with “Mineral Knot” feeling quite tame at just 11. This is all about collective improvisation, living on the edge, but what makes this so enthralling is that it is impossible to pick who is the most important contributor. Each of the players are key to what is going on, from the frenetic drumming to the melodic bass or the over-the-top guitar sounds, which all drag...

(49:00; 7d Media) I have long been a fan of Trey Gunn  and his 10-string touch guitar, as he been challenging the boundaries of what is possible with the likes of Fripp, Reuter and others in bands such as King Crimson and Tu-Ner. His inventiveness appears to know no bounds, and he is always looking for new people to work with and assist him in his quest and here we find him with David Forlano who provides electronics, EWI, alto saxophone, wood flute and bells. Forlano is a new name to me, but apparently he used to often team up with percussionist Toshi Makihara for improvisational performances, but in 2005 he took a 10-year sabbatical from all performance and sound work, coming back to it with renewed enthusiasm. Recorded live in Santa Fe in two sessions towards the end of 2024, there is definitely a coming together of two very different minds, each taking the lead when the time is right, but given the way they are composing live, and then adding additional layers, one never knows ...

(61:00; Madfish) I have been a fan of Spock’s Beard ever since Martin Orford sent me a copy of the American version of ‘The Light’, informing me that GEP were going to be releasing it in Europe. I saw the original line-up play a few times when they came to the UK, interviewed Neal, Nick and Alan at different times, and also saw the Nick-fronted version with Jimmy on drums. That night they were supported by CGT and Enchant, and I cannot have been the only one who was surprised when Ted Leonard later became the new frontman. It is seven years since ‘Noise Floor’, and I honestly thought the band was over given that Ted, Dave Meros and Jimmy had formed Pattern-Seeking Animals with John Boegehold and released five albums in the same period. But no, Ted and Dave have joined together again with Alan and Ryo and new drummer Nick Potter to provide us with ‘The Archaeoptimist’. Nick is a very special find, as one would expect given whose shoes he has had to fill, and he fits in seamlessly, as if...