(52:19; Progrock.com's Essentials) This is the second album from Imaginaerium, and here Clive and Laura have taken a somewhat different tack as this feels way more like a band than a project. The initial idea for Imaginaerium and the resulting debut ‘The Rise of The Medici’ was when singer Laura Piazzai was performing in one of Clive Nolan’s productions and she suggested to Eric Bouillette that he ought to compose something for her. He thought this was a great idea, and in turn contacted Clive for assistance with the lyrics, but this soon changed into a more collaborative work with both providing the music. I first came across Laura when she and Clive collaborated on  ‘From The Outside In’ where Laura sang on new versions of some of his material, and in some ways, I feel this album is closer to that than the debut. In some way this is due to Eric dying sadly way too young,  so the leaders are down to just two. However, unlike that release, and more in tune with the debut, ther...

(38:05; Progrock.com's Essentials) I am convinced that if someone had approached Andy Glass a while back and told him that all his work and trials over the last 40+ years would be finally worth it, that his band, himself and one of the singers would all be voted #1 in the latest Prog Reader’s Polls, with three others also getting in the Top Ten, while their latest albums would be highly acclaimed by both fans and critics he would have had a very good laugh indeed, as what has happened with Solstice in the last decade has been nothing short of remarkable, and highly deserved. The debut came out in 1984, the second in 1992 and the third five years later before they went into hiatus. It wasn’t until 2010 that the fourth album was released, and Solstice was by now gaining some continuity with the first appearance of Jenny Newman (violin), Pete Hemsley (drums), Robin Phillips (bass) and Steven McDaniel (keyboards, vocals). This was followed up with ‘Prophecy’ in 2013 with the same line-...

(47:57; Broodmen) Track list: 1. Homeland 4:42 2. State of Things 4:23 3. Amsterdam 3:31 4. Lament 5:36 5. Can't Stand the Heat 5:59 6. Badalamenti Gore 5:32 7. Through the Woods 2:50 8. Still Standing 4:23 9. Rumenka Blues 6:18 10. Everything's Going to Be Alright 4:43 Line-up: Dragan Alimpijevic Pik - guitars Zoltan Simon - drums Lazar Novkov - accordion with: Vasa Vuckovic - saxophone Prolusion. Serbian band Broodmen appears to have been in existence in some form or other for the better part of a decade at this point, with the band hitting the social media platforms as far back as 2017, and it looks like the band released their debut album the very same year. Back in 2022 they released a live album too, and now in 2025 the band is out with their second studio effort "Liminality", which appears to have been self released by the band. Analysis. The sounds, moods and atmospheres explored on this production is of a kind and nature that makes me conclude that this is a ...