(48:40; Candlelight Records) When the new album was released in February 2024, it was something of a surprise to fans to discover there were two quite different but closely related versions coming out at the same time. When Ihsahn composed the album on piano, he did so with the intention of not only having an orchestra take on an important role within the album but also for that music to then stand alone in its own right. Interestingly I have seen very few mentions of this version of the album, which is a real shame as I am having difficulties deciding which is the superior, with this album containing some wonderfully classic influences by the likes of Beethoven and Wagner, and the lack of guitars and rock instruments not being missed at all. Some many notice the cover on this is almost the same as studio album, yet slightly blurred, almost as if something is out of focus yet while that may be the case with Ritxi Ostari, the same cannot be said for Vegard Sverre Tveitan who obviously h...

(48:40; Candlelight Records) There is no doubt that Vegard Sverre Tveitan is one of the most important musicians to ever come out of Norway, and if he had just retired after Emperor originally broke up in 2001 his legacy would have been huge. Of course, that was never going to happen, and as well as reforming Emperor a few times he has released solo albums which see him continuing to push music in new directions, although he has always maintained a close connection with his black metal roots. Here we find him combining black metal with orchestra yet ensuring that that the orchestra could still work on its own without lyrics or crunching guitars, producing two albums which are obviously closely linked (same songs and track listing) yet are also very different indeed. This is the studio version where he was joined by Tobias Ørnes Andersen and Tobias Solbakk on drums and percussion, with Ihsahn's son Angell Solberg Tveitan adding additional percussion and violins by Chris Baum. Ihsahn...

(19:59: Hydrogen Band) Following on from ‘H2 One’ we have ‘H2 Two’, which will soon be followed by ‘H2 Three’. Yet again what we have here are two lengthy tracks recorded live and without overdubs by Dave Newhouse (keyboards, flute), Barney Jones (guitar, metal clarinet), and Bev Stephenson (synth, bell tree). Recorded in 1980 the recordings have been de-mixed and remastered by Ian Beabout and are now being made available for our listening pleasure. Dave does make a confession that there are two one-minute sections on “The House on the Hill” where he accidentally combined two different sessions – he was going to delete them but when he listened to what he had created he felt this was a happy accident and perfectly fitted with the ethos of the band. I generally think of Dave as being primarily a woodwind player, but of course he did also play keyboards in The Muffins, and here he is combining with Bev to create layers and ideas while Barney can often be found moving in a quite different...

(47:12; Drifting Sun) It is strange to think that it is now nearly 30 years since the release of the debut Drifting Sun album, which I reviewed at the time, and although the band had a long time away from the scene they returned with their third album in 2015, and since then have been quite prolific with this being the eighth overall. I must confess I missed out on 2021’s ‘Forsaken Innocence’ and did not realise the line-up now involved bassist John Jowitt (IQ, Ark, Arena, Jadis etc) who replaced founder Manu Michael. John has returned for this one along with founder and keyboard player Pat Sanders and singer John 'Jargon' Kosmidis, who was also on the last release, while they have been joined now by Ralph Cardall (guitars, mandolin) and long-time Pendragon sticksman Fudge Smith. When I played this the first time, I must admit I was somewhat surprised at what I was hearing as it felt as if the band had really stepped up their approach in all areas, from performance to songs, ar...

(34:46; Cuneiform Records) When I write a review I always do so in the spur of the moment, and when done I check it for grammar and spelling and move straight onto the next one. It’s the only way I can review so many albums as I do each year, so having to rewrite a review is something I loathe with a passion but given that Word crashed on me the other day just after I finished writing this one, before I saved it, all I can do is try again to capture those feelings. Over the years the band has included many musicians, and has pursued many different stylings, but this album can actually be traced back to the Nineties. On January 31st, 1999, Thymme Jones (piano, keyboards, Moog bass, vocals, trumpet, tambourine, mouth snare, mouth percussion, handclaps, shaker, ambience) was in Solid Sound with Jeff Libersher (electric & acoustic guitars),  Dylan Posa and Phil Bonnet working on ‘Salad Days’ when during a break he and Phil discussed their joint love of Burt Bacharach. Just a few da...

(49:08; Cleopatra Records) As one may well gather from both the title and the artwork, here we have a group of very famous musicians undertaking a re-evaluation of one of the most important progressive albums of all time. We get seven tracks instead of the original five as it ends with two additional versions of “21st Century Schizoid Man”, and although some musicians play on more than one track, no song features exactly the same line-up as another. Todd Rundgren and Arthur Brown are the perfect choices to sing that song, as they add just the right amount of craziness while they are joined by former King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins, guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Ian Paice. Also included on the album is current King Crimson vocalist/guitarist Jakko Jakszyk, Joe Lynn Turner, James LaBrie, Marty Friedman, and Carmine Appice. Adding to this stellar lineup are rock and prog giants such as Steve Hillage, known for his work with Gong, and Jah Wobble, the post-punk bass maestro and PI...

(50:31; Nefarious Industries) I am fortunate enough to hear music from some incredibly varied and interesting labels, and there is no doubt in my mind that Nefarious Industries is one of the finest around in that they seemingly have no limits to what they release, understanding that there are some of us who enjoy being challenged in what we are presented with to listen to, and any label who delivers up the likes of Gridfailure will always find room for me to explore. Originally founded as a collective of like-minded individuals seeking an outlet to release off-kilter music, Nefarious Industries has grown into a label which has now reached the heady milestone of 100 releases and to celebrate they are releasing ‘Burn After Hearing’, a compilation of fourteen exclusive tracks that showcase the harrowing sonic landscape of their eclectic roster. It features new and exclusive songs from instrumental deviants and label co-founders El Drugstore, freshly reunited sludge thrashers Arbogast, D-b...