(51:26; Kong) Track list: 1. Radiance 4:38 2. Hit That Red 3:27 3. Fringing 4:31 4. Rök 5:01 5. Mirrorizon 5:25 6. Glasslands 4:31 7. Ripper 4:36 8. Chaos as Law 4:35 9. Stray Marks 4:34 10. Flat Earth Sobriety 3:57 11. Destressed & Unrestrained 6:11 Line-up: David Kox - guitars, samples Tijs Keverkamp - guitars Oscar Alblas - drums Mark Drillich - bass, samples, guitars with: Jan Akkerman - guitars Prolusion. Dutch band Kong has been a presence in the European music scene for more than thirty years, with their first studio album appearing way back in 1990. They have nine albums to their name at this stage, with the first batch of these appearing in the 1990's and the second batch appearing after a decade of silence as a studio band from 2009 and onward. Their ninth and most recent studio album "Traders of Truth" was self-released in the spring of 2023, following a nine year break as recording artists. Analysis. The music explored on this latest album by Kong comes wi

(37:00; Aumega Project) Venus Loon is a one-man project from multi-instrumentalist Peter Lawson, who had previously been in other bands before setting out on his own. His primary instrument is the guitar, but he also provides bass and keyboards as well as programmed drums. He suggests this album, released towards the end of 2021, is Space Rock, Psychedelic, Krautrock, Experimental (England), but to my ears it is mostly solid middle of the road crossover prog with quite a few psychedelic influences. It is not either heavy or deep enough to be thought of as space rock (although there are sone spacey synths here and there) while there is little which I would think of as experimental either. It is mostly instrumental, with some voices and samples here and there, and for the most partis quite laid back in its approach. When he does provide a solo on electric guitar, Peter shows that is where his strengths really lie and we get some very nice runs and shreds indeed, but the production itself

(30:31; Aumega Project) I must admit I smiled when I saw the cover of Peter’s first album from 2022, as what we have here is a digital release which has a battered look about it, along with a “Super Duper Saver $3:88”. I also smiled when it started playing, as the opening title cut has clips in it from the original Apollo missions, but more importantly there has been quite a change in the production from the previous one. Here we are allowed to hear the guitars, and this track features some lovely distortion as well as clear solos while the bass is also way more effective (it sounds like he is using a pick to get a hard strike, which definitely works well), and the keyboards also fit in well. The programmed drums are still somewhat of a problem for me, but they have always been something I have disliked with a passion, and again there is no doubt their usage is a step change from the previous release. In fact, the only thing I am not a fan of this with this track is the fade out, somet

(34:37; Aumega Project) Released in September 2022, Peter continues the progression I had heard between the previous two albums, but here it is somewhat more dramatic as he is no longer working on his own, but is joined by Wolfgang Ostermann  who provides drums and percussion. This latter is often by drummers as they play cymbals, but here we have a true percussionist who is not only using different instruments but refuses to stick to any particular style so is all over the place, even taking on the lead role where Peter drifts back at times. The coming together of these two is quite dramatic, as it allows Peter to work in a very different style, and right from opening track “The Balance of Insanity” (where we learn from a newscaster that the UK is at imminent threat of nuclear attack) one gets the feeling this is a very different release. “Hats Off To Havoc” starts with guitars in pain, before Peter and Wolfgang start coming back in together, heavier and harder yet the production is a

(39:45; Claudio Delgift) While this is mostly a solo album from Light guitarist Claudio Delgift, who provides guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming and vocals, he has also brought in friends to help in multiple areas, including drummers, percussionists etc. I also note that Light keyboard player ONE can also be found on one of the tracks. The result of very clever arrangements and additional guests means this never comes across as a solo album but instead feels much more like a band, with huge swathes of sound and some nice guitar solos which are often the lead melody. This album was released after the second Light album, ‘The Miracle of Life’, and although the third Light album has yet to appear this never feels like a stop gap but more like a totally justifiable side project which more than stands on it on. The highlight is undoubtedly ‘The March of The Raged’ which features drummer Pablo Pucheta and orchestral arrangements from Francisco Nogueiras which is bombastic and at time

(49:36; Talking Elephant Records) Back in the Sixties, drummer Clive Bunker and guitarist Mick Abrahams were in a band called McGregor's Engine, and when they came across John Evan Smash, he and Mick joined forces with Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick to become Jethro Tull. Bunker left after ‘Aqualung’ so he could spend more time with his new wife, taking up a career as a session musician (I remember seeing him with MMEB some 30ish years ago). During the Eighties, the fanzine where I had my first ever piece of writing published, ‘A New Day’, became more and more important to anyone in the Tull scene and it was of no surprise to anyone that they started encouraging those connected with the band to release albums under their new label, and hence in 1998 Bunker released his solo debut. While Bunker provided drums and vocals, he also added other instruments, but there is no doubt that progheads were salivating at the though of Martin Barre and Ian Anderson appearing with Bunker for the f

(60:00; Mice on Stilts) Some ten years ago I was a member of the ProgArchives Crossover Team (yes, to be allowed to be included on PA each band is judged by a committee). We were asked to pass our critical eyes and ears over the somewhat strangely named Mice On Stilts and I was somewhat surprised, nay amazed, to discover they hailed from Auckland. There followed a period of discovery which soon led me to TeMatera Smith and AAA Records, getting involved with the label and turning up at Red Room Studios, and of course catching up with MoS and helping them with the publicity for their debut. I was fortunate enough to catch them in concert quite a bit, and was there the night they supported Yes at the Aotea Centre. However, they were a band in flux, and not everyone who was playing at that time had been on the debut, and there were more changes afoot during and after the recording of Hope For A Mourning, and soon they had disappeared. I was deeply saddened by this state of affairs as Ben M

(47:37; Coenobite Productions) I reviewed Coen’s 1992 debut album, ‘My Habit’, all the way back in 1993 and he has now decided that the time is right to produce a sequel. Much has changed since those days of course, one being that Coen obtained his doctorate so changed from The Coenobite to Dr. Coenobite, and on the debut album he was photographed wearing a monk’s habit, whereas these days it is much easier to get something digitally. His recording equipment and knowledge of how to get the best out of it has also changed, but what is the same is that Coen still does it all himself (ok, he had a guest guitarist on three of the tracks of the debut, but he has used others very rarely). Coen has long been a fan of Andy Latimer, and there are some quite definite Camel influences in here, and Coen uses a wide variety of instruments (both real and programmed) to produce a sound which feels like that of a full band and not just one man in his studio. At times this is quite symphonic, and even

(94:00; Inside Out Music) I don’t think it is possible for Roine Stolt to release a bad album, no matter what band he is involved with, and here we have the fifteenth studio effort from the group who took their name from his incredible 1994 solo album, which I loved when it came out. It thrust the name of the ex-Kaipa guitarist right into the heart of the underground, and in these days of the internet it is hard to explain just how big an impact it had on the scene when it was released, back when all anyone had were a few fanzines and word of mouth. Since then, there have been various musicians through the group, and to be honest as long as Roine is there in control of it all that is all that matters. But, one of the major issues he has always had is a refusal to self-edit as much as he should, and it is not unusual to release albums which are overlong and should have been cut back in size. At 94 minutes this is not their longest release, but that is still pretty lengthy and demands tw

(71:46; Talking Elephant) After Gillan left Deep Purple in 1973 he may not have formed another band immediately as he looked at what he wanted to do, but it was always expected that sooner or later he would come back to the scene, and in 1975 he announced the Ian Gillan Band. What was not expected though was the style of music, as he had gone both heavy and somewhat progressive with Purple (and would return to the heavy with Gillan), but here we were treated to jazz rock. I must admit I bought ‘Clear Air Turbulence’ when it came out in 1975, and really enjoyed what he was doing as it was so different from his previous releases, although it was not viewed as kindly by many other fans, which is why he eventually formed Gillan, keeping only keyboard player Colin Towns from IGB. This release is a compilation of rarities taken from the four albums originally released on Angel Air, ‘Live At The Rainbow’, ‘The Rockfield Sessions’, ‘Rarities’ and ‘Live In Hiroshima’ with liner notes from Chris

(62:00, Ryanetics) This is the second album I have heard from Ryan, but in many ways, this is a far more complete and balanced work than ‘The Healing Guitar’. Dan Van Schindel not only assisted on production but also provided drums while Jimmy did everything else (although he is joined by his brother Johnny on the album’s eight-minute closer). There are a couple of songs with vocals, and they are well done, but to be honest I would have preferred to have had a fully instrumental release as he is covering a load of musical bases and it is just a load of fun, which shows just what can be done when someone really knows what they are doing.  This never comes across as a solo project and has a very band feel about it, and there are plenty of nuance and touches which would make one think this was released in the Seventies as opposed to 2021.      There are times when Jimmy is lightness personified, and others where his guitar is absolutely filthy, and all this can be heard on one of the voca

(45:09, Quadrifonic) As one can tell from the title, this is the third and final album in the series from Jean Pierre Louveton, guitarist with Nemo. There are many more musicians involved with this one than the last, but drummer Jean Baptiste Itier (also of Nemo) is still there, the only musician to also feature on the last two releases, which were basically solo ventures by Louveton. Lyrically this concludes the trilogy about human history, all in French, but musically it is so closely related to his time with Nemo that fans of that amazing band (undoubtedly one of my very favourite French acts) need to get this not only due to JPL and Itier playing on this but directly due to the musical qualities. Louveton has a love for the symphonic, yet also enjoys crunching his guitar so the combination is always an interesting mix, so much so that he has been indicated as crossover within PA but that is because he crosses so many different sub genres within the progressive scene as opposed to p

(59:49; Quadrophonic) Back in 2002. Nemo released this their debut album with a line-up of Jean Pierre Louveton (electric guitar, vocals), Guillaume Fontaine (keyboards, acoustic guitar, vocals). Benoît Gaignon (bass) and Pascal Bertrand (drums, marimba, percussion). Some 20 years later and the current band have recorded a new version of their debut as a thank you to their fans, with the rhythm section now Lionel B. Guichard (bass) and Jean Baptiste Itier (drums). If that were not enough, there are also two additional tracks to the original in "Africa", which is the original 1997 demo from which "Luna" was taken, rearranged and re-recorded plus "Battleship", which is an unreleased track recorded during Nemo's first concert, March 16, 2002 (so features Gaignon and Bertrand). I had not previously heard this album, not coming to Nemo until a little later, so I have no idea how this compares to the original, whether it is a note for note replication or if

(116:54; Majestic) Track list: - CD 1: 1. In Memory of … 4:56 2. VOZ I. New World 4:23 3. VOZ II. Crossing Meridian 7:49 4. VOZ III. Approaching Storm 6:28 5. VOZ IV. Milestone 2:54 6. VOZ V. Whispers 4:10 7. VOZ VI. Freefall 4:56 8. VOZ VII. Darkened Worlds 5:12 9. VOZ VIII. Rise to the Surface 5:58 10. VOZ IX. Skies Clear 3:01 11. VOZ X. Voyage Ends 8:19 - CD 2: 12. Zosimos Sleeps 1:05 13. Becoming 10:13 14. Spirits Dwell 8:19 15. Around the Sun 6:40 16. Hyperbole 8:43 17. Becoming (Reprise) 6:37 18. Red Skies 17:11 Line-up: Jeff Hamel - guitars, keyboards Mike Kosacek - drums, percussion with: David Cagle - vocals Tara Morgan - vocals Chris Hodges - vocals Celine Derval - vocals Prolusion. US project Majestic is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Jeff Hamel, and from 2008 and onward this has been a steady going venture in the US progressive rock scene with nine full length albums released as of 2023, with the most recent dating back to 2020. The double album "V.O.Z.&

(43:44; Slychosis) Track list: 1. The Sphinxter 7:22 2. Elements 5:45 3. The Mariner 4:43 4. Elegy for Christy 4:27 5. The Memory 6:21 6. Dreamscapes (2012) 4:26 7. Samuel (2012) 6:34 8. Glass 1/2 Full (2012) 4:06 Line-up: Gregg Johns - guitars, keyboards, bass, vocals Tony White - vocals, guitars Shannon Goree - drums, percussion, vocals with: Bones Joshua Theriot - guitars Prolusion. US band Slychosis first appeared back in 2006 with their debut album "Slychosis", and for the next decade this band released new material at a steady pace, with a productive ten year long concluding with the band's fifth album "V" in 2016. The band is still active, with a few singles released in the last few years, but with progress on new full length productions having been slowed down for a number of different reasons. The album "Fractured Eye" dates back to 2012, and was self released by the band. Analysis. The music explored on this production will easily be categori

(130:02; Royal Mushroom Records) Track list: 1. The Catbird Seat 6:23 2. Bright Blue Day 7:28 3. A Faint Transmission 8:19 4. The Ice Parade 7:31 5. Sungazer 6:28 6. Jesus Don't Live Here No More 5:34 7. Before the War 6:02 8. The Frankenstein in You 5:08 9. Three Little Red Men 5:30 10. Fear of Underwater Thunder 8:27 11. Flags 5:23 12. This Tidy Little War 5:36 13. The Royal Mushroom 6:13 14. Rivers of Roses 6:28 15. Into the Night 5:49 16. This City Alive 5:54 17. The People in Gray 7:27 18. None But the Mighty 11:01 19. Much Later 9:21 Line-up: Kevin Young - vocals, guitars Neale Brassell - keyboards Sam Prather - bass Scott Prather - drums, percussion with: Dave Ducey - drums Prolusion. US project A. Plot can trace its roots back to the start of the 1980's, when main men Neale Brassell and Kevin Young formed the band and had a thing going for a bit before life happened and A. Plot went on an extended hiatus. But in 2014 the creative duo started working together again, with

(50:07; Salim Ghazi Saeedi) Track list: 1. Drenched by Desire of You 7:32 2. Bodily Invasion 4:09 3. United Ubiquity of Flesh 3:57 4. Universal Resurrection Is the Sexiest Day of All 4:12 5. At Home Dwells Death (Prelude) 4:33 6. At Home Dwells Death 4:40 7. Million Hands Oriental Dancer 5:38 8. Lion's Mouth Is My Home 4:07 9. Let's Sit Naked, O' Friend 4:02 10. No Wind and I'm Out 4:20 11. Untamable Heart of the Artist 2:57 Line-up: Salim Ghazi Saeedi - guitars, bass, keyboards, programming Prolusion. Australia based composer and musician Salim Ghazi Saeedi has his background from the nation of Iran, where he used to be a member of the band Arashk prior to opting for a solo career as the best option to pursue his creative impulses. He has four albums to his name as a solo artist at this point. "United Ubiquity of Flesh" is the most recent of these, and was self released back in 2017. Analysis. Just where to categorize the music explored on this production rem

(58:56; Absolute Probability Recordings) Track list: 1. Across the Star 3:49 2. Echo Us 9:37 3. Dark Shock 8:35 4. It's Time for Winter 3:42 5. Inland Empire 7:42 6. Nest Egg 2:08 7. From the Furthest Memory 1:14 8. Far Above the Sky 5:19 9. Solarium 6:33 10. Singing With You 10:17 Line-up: Ethan Matthews - vocals, guitars, synthesizers, glockenspiel, percussion with: Aaron Bell - bass Prolusion. US project Echo Us is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Ethan Matthews, and since the first singles were released more than 20 years ago Echo Us has been a steady creator of a fairly unique variety of progressive rock that has been explored on seven full length albums to date. The most recent of these albums is called "Inland Empire", and was released on the artists own label Absolute Probability Recordings in the spring of 2023. Analysis. The specific style of progressive rock explored on this latest Echo Us album is difficult to pinpoint into any specific subdivisio

(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic

(60:22; Roz Vitalis) This is not the latest release from one of my favourite Russian bands, Roz Vitalis, but is actually their debut from all the way back in 2002. I think it was their fifth album where I first became aware of them, and although I have gone back to one of the earlier ones since then, this is the first time I have come across this one. Unlike the later albums where it is a proper band, this has much more of a solo feeling about it, and I was somewhat surprised to see that Ivan Rozmainsky (keyboards, programming, soprano recorder) actually brought in two other keyboard players in Nadezhda Regentova and Vladimir Polyakov while there are also some vocals here and there. Here we have a musician who has been influenced not only by the keyboard players from the past, but from classical as well. He has then brought that together in this album where keyboards (including a nice harpsichord sound) are by far the dominant sound. Being more than 20 years old, one of the major issue

(81:20; Roz Vitalis) On November 27th, 2021, Roz Vitalis held a 20th anniversary concert where they revisited material as well as performing some which had not yet been recorded. Ruslan Kirillov (bass), Vladislav Korotkikh (flute), Ivan Rozmainsky (conception, keyboards), Vladimir Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (guitars), and Evgeny Trefilov (drums) were playing for the first time with AndRey Stefinoff (clarinet), plus they were joined on percussion by Yury Khomonenko who was a member of the band between 2011 and 2013, while five compositions were performed with drummer Philip Semenov who was the band's first official drummer from 2008 to 2018. In recent years there has been less of a concentration on studio releases, with only one studio album since 2015, and instead we have been receiving many live albums, which not only are obviously much cheaper to record but allow us to heart the band in an environment they are very much at home. With no vocals present, it does take a lot for a fully in