A Chinese Firedrill - Circles
Review by Gary Hill
A solo CD from Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Anthrax, Armored Saint, etc.), this qualifies as progressive rock if you consider the more metallic form of prog to still be prog. I know there are those out there (prog purists) who would be inclined to call it “metal,” but for my money this is progressive rock. I like this CD a lot. It’s definitely unique and creative.
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A Melodic Daydream - Pool or the Pond EP
Review by Gary Hill
While I’m not positive about the progressive rock categorization on this one, there are a couple tracks here that seem pretty definite about it. This five song EP includes two pieces that have a definite atmospheric prog rock tunes.
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Abigail's Ghost - Selling Insincerity
Review by Gary Hill
Conventional wisdom (and the hype surrounding this group) put Abigail’s Ghost into the category of progressive rock. That, combined with some of the music is the reason I’ve put them here.
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Acumen - Diversity
Review by Gary Hill
Acumen is the brainchild of Dimitrious James. Diversity, their third full album, features James with Cyndy Teseniar (vocals), Tim O'Neill (drums), Jared Manker (bass), and Justin Todhunter (guitar).
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Adult Party Experience - Overpenetration
Review by Gary Hill
This album is a bit unusual – OK, a lot. One only has to listen to the weird psycho fusion mix on this disc for a short time to figure that it fits into the genre of hard rocking instrumental prog that has a healthy dosage of jazz in the mix.
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Aethellis - Aethellis
Review by Josh Turner
Sometimes curious children venture out into the woods to an isolated spot and make simple discoveries. These mischievous miscreants find an interesting bug under a hidden rock, see crayfish swimming in creeks, or observe exotic butterflies suckling on the surrounding plants.
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Age of Nemesis - Terra Incognita
Review by Rick Damigella
Hungarian prog metalers Age of Nemesis are back with their third English language release, Terra Incognita. Originally released in their native Hungarian language in 2002, English speaking fans can now enjoy this unique concept album courtesy of this new Magna Carta release.
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Age of Nemesis - Psychogeist
Review by Steve Alspach
It took a long time to get Psychogeist off the ground here in the US. Age of Nemesis (they were called Nemesis - they tacked on the "Age of" in August 2005) recorded the tracks for Psychogeist some 4-plus years ago. In fact, some of the tracks were culled from earlier albums, but those original versions - in fact, the whole album - were translated into English.
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Agora - Segundo Pasado
Review by Gary Hill
For those of you who think that Latin music is just Shakira, Ricky Martin and El Tigres Del Norte, submit for your approval one Agora. This group, hailing from Mexico is a progressive rock band with a hard edge that really are quite promising. All the vocals and album notes here are in Spanish, but that does not take away from the power of the disc, even if you don't speak the language.
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Agua De Annique - Air
Review by Gary Hill
Anneke van Giersbergen is the main person on this project. She’s best known as the former singer of the band The Gathering.
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Aisles - The Yearning
Review by Gary Hill
I just now discovered this album, the debut release from Chilean band Aisles. It was released in 2005, and while I don’t really remember what the mass of discs to come out that year were,
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Ajalon - Eternity
Review by Josh Turner
This band is near and dear to me, because its name originated from the same source as mine. That would be the Book of Joshua.
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Ajalon - The Light At the End of the Tunnel
Review by Gary Hill
This album is a progressive rock work of considerable merit, whose lyrical content consists of competent and well-written Christian themes. The musicianship on this album is quite inspired and competent, and the album also features some strong vocals.
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AKLO - Beyond Madness
Review by Gary Hill
Eric Sandberg is the musician who works under the name of AKLO. With this disc he has created a tribute to the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
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AKLO - Unnamable
Review by Gary Hill
The second release by Eric Sandberg under the name AKLO, this one continues the creepy musical themes based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft that were begun on Beyond Madness. I’d have to say that I like this one better than its predecessor.
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Alaska - Alaska
Review by Gary Hill
Alaska, the debut album by the band of the same name, features progressive rock arrangements which hint at the styles of ELP, Yes and others. For the most part, the arrangements are predominately keyboard based, but there is some nice guitar work present as well.
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Roye Albrighton - The Follies of Rupert Treacle
Review by Gary Hill
This solo release from Nektar guitarist/vocalist Roye Albrighton is definitely that, a solo release. Do not expect a Nektar album here.
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Alientar - Alientar
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit it; I'm a sucker for Hawkwind styled space rock. For that reason, this disc appeals to me, but not only for that reason.
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Russell Allen's Atomic Soul - Russell Allen's Atomic Soul
Review by Josh Turner
The Darkness can step aside. This is the real deal when it comes to rock retro.
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Ed Alleyne-Johnson - Reflections
Review by Rick Damigella
One of the upsides of being in the midst of the demise of the brick and mortar record store is the ability to search through iTunes to find unique covers of your favorite artist’s songs. Now granted, there is plenty of substandard cannon fodder out there in terms of badly done covers, but every now and then you can run across a real treasure of a song.
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Altera Enigma - Alteration
Review by Gary Hill
It's beginning to seem like a pattern that death metal artists stretch out after a time into more progressive rock oriented territory. One only has to look to Green Carnation, The Gathering and others to see this pattern.
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Altura - Mercy
Review by Gary Hill
Many prog rock bands seem to be heavily influenced by Dream Theater. Altura is certainly one of those.
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Amaran's Plight - Voice in the Light
Review by Gary Hill
Here we have a band that shows a lot of promise. It’s a foregone conclusion that prog purists who don’t like any hints of heavy metal in their music will want to steer clear of this.
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Amarok - Sol de Medianoche
Review by Gary Hill
I don't think there are a lot of people who would say that this doesn't qualify as progressive rock. On the other hand, I doubt you've ever heard prog like this before.
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The Amber Light - goodbye to dawn farewell to dusk
Review by Josh Turner
This finds itself on the elegant edge of the progressive ledge. It walks the fine line between the dark underground caverns of the dwarves and the light and airy woodlands of the elves.
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Analog Missionary - Transmitter
Review by Gary Hill
What if Tori Amos wrote music for and sang in a progressive rock band? The result would probably sound a lot like Analog Missionary.
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Analog Missionary - Voyage of the Demeter
Review by Gary Hill
For those who might have questioned the inclusion of Analog Missionary in the progressive rock section of Music Street Journal based on the Transmitter album, this release should remove all arguments. This one was written as a soundtrack to the old silent film Nosferatu.
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Ancient Vision - Focus or Blinders
Review by Gary Hill
There are many people out there who have been searching for new progressive rock bands, but have been getting turned off by the heavy metal leanings that most of them have. If you are one of those people, this album is the answer to your quest.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
Review by Gary Hill
Before the Union album, Jon Anderson, frustrated with the musical direction of the Rabin era Yes, left the group and reunited with former classic Yes-mates Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford. Although, they were four fifths of the same lineup that brought such albums as Fragile and Close To The Edge to life, Chris Squire owned the rights to the name "Yes", and wasn't interested in letting them use it.
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Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
Review by Gary Hill
Voiceprint has just reissued this live set from the classic Yes spin off band. For those looking for the history of this release, please check out the review I did of the earlier version of the set.
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Ian Anderson - Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull
Review by Gary Hill
I have to go on record as saying that I am not always blown away by rock bands doing shows with orchestra. It often seems to me that in this type of an arrangement the symphony either serves as simply an accompaniment, a role that can be equally served by keys, or tends to overshadow or take away from the actual thrust of the musical compositions.
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Jon Anderson - Live in Sheffield 1980
Review by Gary Hill
This is part of a series of Jon Anderson releases that originated as bootlegs or forgotten demos, outtakes and the like. In this instance, the first half (OK, actually a bit more) of the set is a bootleg live show from 1980. As bootlegs go, once it gets past the first track, the sound is not bad. You won’t find yourself wondering if it’s a boot, but on the other hand, you won’t be tempted to shut it off because of the poor recording.
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Jon Anderson - Searching for the Songs
Review by Gary Hill
This is a collection of tracks that Anderson never finished. As he explains in the liner notes these were from a period where he was working hard at writing pop music. The thing is, this is still quite a powerful disc.
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Jon Anderson - Watching The Flags That Fly
Review by Gary Hill
Another disc of demos from Jon Anderson, these songs were originally written to be used on the second Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe album. Most of them wound up shelved, but have now been released on Watching The Flags That Fly.
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Jon Anderson - The Mother's Day Concert
Review by Gary Hill
Originally available only as a bootleg, VoicePrint has teamed up with Jon Anderson to bring this magical event to the general public. It should be said that since it was a bootleg, the sound quality is not what you might expect from a Jon Anderson release.
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Jon Anderson - Olias of Sunhillow
Review by Gary Hill
When the members of Yes all went off to do solo albums after Relayer, Jon Anderson delivered Olias of Sunhillow. In so many ways it was the most ambitious of the discs.
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Jon Anderson - Song of Seven
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time when this album from Yes man Jon Anderson was my all time favorite disc by anyone. Mind you times have changed somewhat.
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Jon Anderson - 3 Ships
Review by Gary Hill
This Christmas disc by Yesman Jon Anderson features some traditional and some original holiday music. The songs vary from fairly traditional (but modernized) to quite modern.
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Jon Anderson - Live From La La Land
Review by Gary Hill
When Jon Anderson embarked on his fully solo tour in 2005 it was presented as the DVD Tour of the Universe. It was also recorded and produced as this CD that, until now, was available only at live shows.
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Anekdoten - Gravity
Review by Steve Alspach
I really didn't know what to expect from Anekdoten when I picked up this CD - I've seen their name around enough, but I have to confess to ignorance. Gravity proved to be a winning bet.
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Jane Anfinson - Precious Details
Review by Lisa Palmeno
A world music sound permeates theatrical vocals and pop alternative savvy on Jane Anfinson's Precious Details. Anfinson's strong, haunting voice is a mixture of Kate Bush, Debbie Harry and the singer from Siouxie and The Banshees, while she drones on inward themes.
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Änglagård - Hybris
Review by Bill Knispel
Is it possible for a band to have released only two albums and yet achieve legendary status? Well, if that band is the Swedish group Änglagård, the answer is unequivocally yes.
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Anthropia - Ereyn Chronicles: Part 1 the Journey of Beginnings
Review by Gary Hill
Magna Carta has always been known as a progressive rock label. Mind you a lot of prog purists have always thought that the bulk of their output had too much metal in it for their tastes.
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Anubis Spire - Children of a Foreign Faith
Review by Gary Hill
I've liked Anubis Spire from the start. They've always had a strong, accessible, yet challenging sound.
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Anubis Spire - Old Lions (In the World of Snarling Sheep)
Review by Gary Hill
This is the debut album by this band, and the title to this album is definitely among my favorite titles of all time. The album combines diverse influences, ranging from Pink Floyd to Hawkwind, Rush and even Genesis, with minimalistic chord patterns and covers much of them with tasty guitar soloing.
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Anubis Spire - Back To Abydos
Review by Gary Hill
A collection of odds and end pieces that didn't make it onto their "Old Lions…" disc, this album is actually quite good. Every meal of leftovers should be this pleasing.
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Anyone's Daughter - Wrong
Review by Josh Turner
There is no doubt Anyone's Daughter makes great music. The real question is whether they are mainstream or progressive.
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Arena - Immortal
Review by Gary Hill
A fine concept album, this one has many great prog elements, most notably Pink Floyd and Marillion. The Marillion sounds are a natural, since this band was formed by former Marillo Mick Pointer along with Pendragon's Clive Nolan.
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Arena - Pepper's Ghost
Review by Steve Alspach
First off, I gotta admit that I had a college flashback with the CD booklet. The comic strip artwork by David Wyatt and Tim Bisley depicts the five members of Arena as men on a mission, each with a "mysterious" past, to clean up Victorian England. "Pepper's Ghost" is written loosely on this concept, and if you like comic art, "Pepper's Ghost" is worth buying just for that.
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Art Rock Circus - Tell A Vision
Review by Gary Hill
John Miner's Art Rock Circus has released a new double disc set called "Tell A Vision". While his vision has elements that I like, frankly, I think the album could have benefited from a little editing to create one exceptionally strong CD.
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The Ascent of Everest - How Lonely Sits the City
Review by Gary Hill
When you say “Nashville, Tennessee” it conjures up a lot of things. Country music, Graceland and the Grand Ole Opry are a few of them.
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Ray Ashley - Cinema Inferno
Review by Gary Hill
Although I am listing this disc as being by Ray Ashley, the credit on here is actually to the "Cinema Inferno Orchestra." However, the side of the CD sleeve says, "Ray Ashley", so that is the reason I chose that label for it.
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Ray Ashley - 3 Hour Detour
Review by Gary Hill
This release by Ashley, working under the name Three Hour Detour is a good prog release with echoes of such artists as The Allman Brothers, Kansas, Tempest and King Crimson. Other influences represented here include fusion.
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Asia - Fantasia – Live In Tokyo
Review by Gary Hill
Yes fanatic and general prog head that I’ve always been, when Asia released their debut disc, I was all over it. They were the progressive rock supergroup of the time and they delivered with a killer disc.
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Asia - Arena
Review by Gary Hill
This is not your father’s Asia. In it’s beginnings Asia was a band that was arguably the first progressive rock supergroup -- well, OK, ELP probably has that title, but for various reasons, the crown was placed on Asia’s head at the beginning of their career.
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Asia - Archiva 1
Review by Gary Hill
This album really is a very pop oriented album. It is included in the progressive section of the reviews because both Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are on the album.
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Asia - Live Koln
Review by Gary Hill
This double disc set is a very strong chronicle of a live performance by Asia. The repertoire includes material from every phase of their career, and they do a great job of performing it.
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Asia - Rare
Review by Gary Hill
This disc is a bit of a paradox. Although it was released under the moniker of Asia, the material here was actually recorded by just Geoff Downes and David Payne.
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Asia - Silent Nation
Review by Gary Hill
I remember when Asia's first album was released thinking that it was an intriguing combination of sounds, still basically prog rock, but packaged in very accessible cuts that really rocked. After a while Asia seemed to lose their sense of direction, and I often lost interest.
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Asmodeus X - Sanctuary
Review by Gary Hill
I first became exposed to this band while working on my book. One of the songs here is featured in that tome because of its link to the Lovecraft mythos.
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Astralasia - The Hawkwind Re-Mixes
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve got mixed feelings about remixes. For bands that I really enjoy, like Hawkwind, it lends a chance to experience familiar songs in new ways.
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At War With Self - Acts of God
Review by Gary Hill
If you are a fan of dark, moody neo-prog, you should really check these guys out. This album will probably not appeal to the prog purist as it is frequently in an almost gothic zone and wanders into metal and techno sounds, but for those who like the newer, more adventurous prog, it doesn’t get a lot better than this.
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Atomic Rooster - Best of Atomic Rooster - Volume 1 and Volume 2
Review by Gary Hill
Atomic Rooster have often been regarded by most as a progressive rock band. That is the first reason they are included in the prog section at MSJ. Reason number two is the fact that Carl Palmer was a member of the band.
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Attention Deficit - Attention Deficit
Review by Gary Hill
Described as "mad scientist rock", this album contains very intriguing instrumental music. With strong leanings toward modern King Crimson, the album covers progressive territory in a dark, gritty and somewhat chaotic manner.
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Attention Deficit - The Idiot King
Review by Gary Hill
Attention Deficit's second album, this one continues their trend of fusion oriented instrumental music. The album should appeal to fans of bands like King Crimson, Djam Karet and Frank Zappa.
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Ayreon - The Dream Sequencer Universal Migrator (Part 1)
Review by Gary Hill
Dutch band Ayreon has released two albums together as two parts of one story. The discs both have very different sounds, and a large cast of supporting musicians. This disc is the more melodic, song-oriented mode.
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Ayreon - Flight Of The Migrator Universal Migrator (Part 2)
Review by Gary Hill
Dutch band Ayreon has released two albums together as two parts of one story. The discs both have very different sounds, and a large cast of supporting musicians.
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Ayreon - - 01011001 – Special Edition CD and DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Ayreon is Arjen Luccassen. He creates magnificent rock operas under that name and manages to bring in some of the most impressive musicians in the business to work with him on these projects.
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Aziola Cry - Ghost Conversations
Review by Bill Knispel
Aziola Cry is an instrumental trio from Chicago consisting of Chapman Stick, guitar, and drums. Their music is dark, unrelenting and complex, drawing as strongly from first generation progressive artists (such as King Crimson) as from today’s practitioners (Tool).
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Aziola Cry - Ellipsis
Review by Gary Hill
If you like instrumental prog in the style of Djam Karet, but would like to hear that sound carried out with a bit more metal to it, then Aziola Cry is the band for you. These guys do have quite a bit in common with that other band, but they also share musical textures with Rush, Dream Theater and some metal bands.
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