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Ebb - 2025 - The Mirror

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(61:00; Boudicca Records) In 2024 I was fortunate to come across Scottish progressive band Ebb, who sent me their debut album to review. I am truly glad they did as I was stunned to discover that here was an independent outfit who were investing in a CD which came in an A5 book packed full of colour photos and lyrics. By then the album had been out 18 months, so I was somewhat surprised to discover I was the first person to review it for ProgArchives. In November 2025 they released their second album, ‘The Mirror’, and I am again the first person to review it, but worse than that, I am still the only person to have reviewed their debut! Yet again it has been issued in an A5 book which has been beautifully designed and contains the same line-up of Erin Bennett (guitars, lead vocals, trumpet) who also provides all the material, along with Anna Fraser (drums, percussion), Nikki Francis (Hammond, piano, synths, saxophone, flute, clarinet), Bad Dog (bass), Kitty Biscuits (backing vocals, pe...
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Dr. Coenobite - 2025 - Journey of Life

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(46:35; Coenobite Productions) Multi-instrumentalist Coen Vrouwenvelder had planned to take a year off after 2022’s ‘My Habit II’, but one thing led to another and for multiple reasons it has taken until 2025 for his 19th album to be released. Here Coen has undertaken a slightly different approach, so while we still get some unusual time signatures and chord progressions, this is more focussed around guitar, with keyboards being somewhat more simplistic and the guitars kept to the fore. He has never made any secret of his admiration for Andy Latimer, and “Tree of Life” certainly sounds heavily Camel influenced. It makes me wonder what would happen if he and Martin Springett ever undertook any musical investigation together, as their combined influences could well produce interesting results. Coen is not a great singer, and he recognises that, but there are times when he feels he needs to provide a voice to his stories, and as they are so personal he needs to do that himself. This means...
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Alberto Rigoni - Michael Manring - Stuart Hamm - 2026 - Dystopia

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(40:26; Melodic Revolution Records) At the bottom of the front cover it says, “A Progressive Bass Journey”, and in many way that tells you all you need to know about this album. The lead musicians on this instrumental release are Alberto Rigoni (Italy), Michael Manring (USA) and Stuart Hamm (USA), all playing bass in different styles and techniques, with the only other musicians being drummers Tim “Herb” Alexander (ex-Primus) and David Menoudakis who play on three tracks each out of the nine on offer. What they are attempting to achieve here is a fusion of progressive rock, metal, fusion, soundscapes, and experimental textures which together combine to create an album which is quite different to many others. It is hugely cinematic in that one can certainly imagine this being used in a science fiction soundtrack, and while they are all masters of their instruments this is about ensuring the basses are being used to create music, as opposed to all being about ego. In many ways it is a fa...
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Flame Dream - 1982 - Supervision

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(42:26; 3VE Records [2026 Edition] ) Track list: 1. Blackmail 4:41 2. Dancing into Daylight 2:11 3. Supervision 5:19 4. Signs of Solitude 4:11 5. Tragedy 5:12 6. Time for a Change 5:40 7. Woman's Art? 3:04 8. Paradise Lost 12:08 Line-up: Pit Furrer - drums, percussion Urs  Hochuli - bass, guitars, pedals Roland Ruckstuhl - piano, organ, keyboards, sequencer, vocoder Peter Wolf - vocals, flute, saxophones, percussion  Prolusion. Swiss band Flame Dream were active from their formation in 1977 until they disbanded in 1986, and then returned again as recording artists back in 2024. Following the band's return they have reissued the studio albums they made when they were active the first time around. Now in 2026 it is their fourth album "Supervision" that has been made available again in the good, old CD format. Analysis. While Flame Dream is a band that at least on their earlier albums had mixed aspects of different styles and sounds while also sticking rather close to a ...
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TDW - 2014 - Music to Stand Around and Feel Awkward To

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(57:24; Layered Reality Productions) Track list: 1. Some Things I 4:08 2. Chameleon 5:22 3. Surface Scratching 3:59 4. Heading Back 2:19 5. Home 4:40 6. Butterflies 3:56 7. Mourning After II 6:30 8. Dreamwalk II. The Descent 8:44 9. Shock Awakening 1:29 10. Jimmy 5:45 11. Some Things II 10:32 Line-up: Tom de Wit – vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers with: Laura ten Voorde - violin, backing vocals Sander Stegeman - guitars, backing vocals Rosita Reitsma - vocals Elvya Dulcimer - dulcimer Lennert Kemper - guitars Sybren Boonstra - guitars Michiel van der Werff - guitars Norbert Veenbrink - guitars Hanna van Gorcum - violin Tristan Visser - guitars Maarten Gunsing - vocals Joop de Rooij - synthesizers Frank Schiphorst - guitars Ben van Gastel - guitars Prolusion.  Dutch venture TDW is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Tom De Wit, a project that has been active since the early 2000's with close to a dozen productions released under this moniker as of 2026. The album "M...
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Arianuova - 2025 - Volevo Andare Altrove

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(52:43; Lizard Records) ‘Volevo Andare Altrove’ (‘I Wanted To Go Elsewhere’) is the debut album by Italian progressive outfit Arianuova (New Air). Daniele Olia (guitars,  keyboards, lute, vocals) had the idea of releasing a concept album about the atavistic desires of human beings, and to assist him in that resolve he brought in Luca Bonomi (drums), Massimo Zanon (lead vocals) and Michele Spinoni (guitar). The press release I read is in English, thankfully, but the album is Italian which means the story itself is rather lost on me. Apparently, the booklet also contains all the lyrics in English, so it will be useful to have that to hand when listening to this. While we do get some classic RPI touches here and there, and some definite nods to PFM, this also has plenty of Neo, Symphonic and Crossover stylings as well, which is where I would have put this on PA if I was still involved with the genre teams. Highlights for me are the delicate eight-minute-long instrumental “La quiete do...
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Anton Roolaart - 2026 - The Ballad of General Jupiter

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(41:37; Moonjune Records) This is the third album from Dutch multi-instrumentalist Anton Roolart (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synths) who has been joined by Rave Tesar (Renaissance) on piano and keyboards, drummer Bob Kirby, Wouter Schueler (flute, saxophones), Rozh Surchi (backing vocals) and Mark Donato (backing vocals). This is the first time I have come across Anton, and I note it has been more than ten years since his last release, but given how much of this he undertakes himself, perhaps it is not too much of a surprise. This is a carefully constructed and thought through album, which has been heavily influenced by the progressive rock of the early Seventies,  and it is not altogether a surprise to realise that the closing number is a cover of “Yesterday and Today” from Yes’ 1969 debut. This is an album which does take listening to, as there is a lot going on, and it is easy to let this pass by, but when one pays attention, it is possible to hear the many layers and sty...
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