(33:38; Nefarious Industries) US band Bassoon are out with the album "Succumbent", and progressive metal is probably the best manner in which to define the landscapes explored on this production. This all instrumental affair tends to alternate between more of a hard progressive rock expression with a booming dominant bass as the central element and a more distinct progressive metal orientation with the guitar riffs being more prominent, and the band also appear to be fond of adding a little bit of avant spice to their compositions. Off kilter rhythm details, unusual instrument details and atonal tendencies are all a part of the greater picture here. In addition we get noise constellations with similar properties to what one might find in free form jazz, quite a few more loose and open passages that come with a bit more of an improvised feel to them as well as several elegant, flowing and melodic side steps into more of a distinct jazzrock style along the way. An

(49:00; Scarlet Records) Italian band Eldritch are out with the album "Innervoid", and progressive metal is the style explored on this production. It is a fairly intense but also accessible variety of the form we get here, with a band that has a secure footing and foundation inside of the classic tradition of this form. This is progressive metal from the Dream Theater school of the tradition, but with a band that have replaced the numerous arrays of instrument and structure virtuosity with more driving and high intensity escapades instead, trading intricate instrument movements with more nuanced shifts in riff constructions and dramatic shifts in pace and intensity with transitions and alterations a bit more careful in form and function. Powerful and melodic lead vocals is an asset throughout, and while this isn't a band that wants to bask in a constant array of virtous instrumentality, those fond of shredding from the guitars and the keyboards of the kind t

(78:35; Liberation Hall) Progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer have existed in a few different variations over the years, and one of the short-lived variations of the band was the project 3 that came and went in the second half of the 1980's with US musician Robert Berry taking the place of Greg Lake. Berry has since revived the 3 project as his own creative vehicle and continued the legacy of that venture with further studio albums. This archival live album is with the original trio however, a production first released on CD in 2017 and with a vinyl version appearing now in 2023. It is interesting to hear this band skip back and forth between the more AOR-tinged original material they had on their sole studio album at the time and the more complex songs from ELP's earlier history, and the show as such indicates to me that the style and sound chosen for the 3 project was a very deliberate one. Otherwise I do find this live album to be one with more of a

(37:42; Rockshots Records) Italian band Raised By Haze are out with the album "Touch The Sky", and it'll probably be a matter of taste and subjective opinion in terms of classifying this album under classic rock or progressive rock. The songs tend to ebb and flow between gentler and more harder edged phases, where the former alternates between more straight forward semi-acoustic or light toned rock and a more jazz-oriented variety of the same while the latter tends to stay within a classic hard rock sound with deviations into a more playful and funk-oriented 70s type of hard rock. With occasional dips into landscapes closer to progressive metal in form, sound and function. Excellent, soul-filled lead vocals caters for the singing part of the experience, with a singer that probably would make quite an impression if she ever decided to hit the jazz circuit or pop music circuit too with her rich and emotionally laden well controlled singing voice. An album to

(54:32; Melodic Revolution Records) UK band Babal are out with the album "Let's Get Lucid", and progressive rock is the style explored on this production. It is a mildly chaotic and challenging album we have here, and one that probably and possibly are stretching out towards the more avant traditions of the form. While we do get several calm, careful and dreamladen arrangements and sections, we also get a number of parts, passages and sections defined and dominated by a more off kilter and quirky approach to vocals and instruments alike. With unusual vocal choices, odd rhythm details and scale movements and note and tone details pulled in from a bit off the beaten path. Elements from folk music find their way into these landscapes, some psychedelic seasoning is applied too, and in approach and execution I wouldn't be surprised if some tendencies from the jazz traditions have been influential either. If you enjoy progressive rock of the kind that is a bit

(8xCD Box Set, Spirit of Unicorn) So here we go on what is probably quite a pointless review, as if you don’t know who Wetton is then you will not be forking out the amount of money this costs, while if you are a diehard fan, you will simply have to get it as you will feel totally obliged. What we have here are 115 songs, more than 8 hours of music, containing all six of his studio albums (‘Caught In The Crossfire’, ‘Battle Lines’, ‘Arkangel’, ‘Sinister’, ‘Rock of Faith’, and ‘Raised In Captivity’) along with two CDs of previously unreleased material. Housed in a 12” by 12” box, this set includes a 64-page book with an introduction by Roger Dean and contains comprehensive sleeve notes by Nick Shilton, author of Wetton’s biography, “An Extraordinary Life”, published earlier this year. The book also features a raft of photographs taken from the Wetton archive and has been designed by John’s long-time friend, Michael Inns. That Wetton has been an incredibly important figure in the history