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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Apollo Architect The Wanderer Review by Gary Hill Music like Radiohead manages to combine an alternative rock sound with progressive rock. The result is something that’s both modern and new and still recognizable as prog. That type of sound is what this group practices. They also bring widely diverse things like thrash and space rock to the table. All in all, this is great modern prog for those with an adventurous spirit. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Intro (Waking Up) Although this instrumental is mostly atmospheric, it still has melody and motion built into it. It’s a cool way to start this in style.

Runner Although it starts intricate and gentle, this instrumental works out into more rocking territory. It has a definite alternative rock vibe, but lands somewhere in the vicinity of the proggy end of that – like Radiohead.

Vegas Desert? / ?A Cold Night While this is titled as two connected songs, it almost feels like three. The first section is intricate and pretty. Then it works out to a more raw jam that has some hints of thrash. Once that runs through, though, we’re taken into another melodic movement. That one starts quite mellow, but grows out gradually.

Stargazer This has a mellower movement and more rocking one. It’s more of a metallic sound that holds it a lot of the time. The melodies are intricate, but the song doesn’t wander far from it’s origins other intensifying.

Goodbye... and Hello The first section of this is perhaps a bit too much like the track that preceded it. There’s a stop before the second section joins, though. That movement is where things get interesting. It comes up with an almost sedate fusion texture and grows out from there. It has space rock, fusion and more built into the waves of sound. This movement is one of the most effective instrumental segments of the whole set. My only complaint is that it doesn’t last long enough. Then we’re taken into another intricate passage that builds nicely. It’s closer to more mainstream modern progressive rock. It works out toward noisy near the end.

Deep Breaths / Answers This literally does have two parts to it. The first has a melodic modern progressive rock sound merged with space rock and psychedelia. It starts mellower, but builds out nicely into more rocking stuff. The second half is quite impressive. It’s got many of the same sounds heard throughout, but manages to bring them to a new level of effectiveness. There are moments that make me think of the intricate, melodic side of Metallica.

Piercing the Heavens Arguably the strongest and most purely progressive rock piece here, this is dynamic and powerful. It is also intricate. It grows from mellower and more melodic music to more metallic before the ride is over. It’s great stuff and an excellent closer.

More CD Reviews

Metal/Prog Metal

Non-Prog

Progressive Rock

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