This is a short (roughly 20 minutes) EP that should definitely appeal to fans of modern King Crimson.
Colosseum II - Electric Savage Review by Gary Hill With Gary Moore on guitar and Don Airey on keyboards and an outfit doing a fiery form of fusion, how can you go wrong? The truth is, you can’t.
Although very little has been heard of them in their native country, Dolly Rocker Movement have obviously got the right stuff with Danish label Bad Afro Records picking them up for their 3rd outing, Our Days Mind The Tyme.
I’ve read a few reviews of this disc that just plain trashed it.
Half Past Four - Rabbit in the Vestibule Review by Gary Hill Combining classic progressive rock sounds with jazz and a serious bit of weird humor, this is a cool album.
A live album, this is some killer fusion. Since fusion includes both jazz and rock and since Allan Holdsworth has been in several prog outfits, I consider this progressive rock.
Take a healthy helping of ambient, textural music. Blend in some jazz. Stir some King Crimson into the mix. Sprinkle with some space rock and a bit of jam band.
For me Red has always been King Crimson’s ultimate album. I know, there are those who will point to Larks’ Tongues…, but personally I think this one is more cohesive and to the point.
Mooch’s latest CD is a concept album that delivers the pagan year as 8 tracks each corresponding to one of the 8 major festivals of the pagan calendar.
Bill Mumy - Speechless Review by Gary Hill I definitely wouldn’t consider the bulk of Bill Mumy’s material to be progressive rock. However, this instrumental album would pretty easily fit into that category, and that is why I have included it there.
I really like this album a lot. Profuna Ocean’s blend of progressive rock conjures up a lot of different acts, but they still maintain a unique identity.
Trevor Rabin’s first solo album (after leaving Rabbit and well before joining Yes), this is really (with one or two exceptions) not a progressive rock album.
This is a cool disc. It combines classic metal with European epic metal and other forms of true steel to create a sound that never gets tiring or redundant but still feels cohesive.
I had written off Fear Factory quite a long time ago.
Gamma Ray - To the Metal Review by Gary Hill When Kai Hansen left Helloween he formed Gamma Ray. For that reason one would expect the group to sound like Helloween.
Every now and then I get a CD that totally blows me away. I had not heard anything from Icarus Witch and my only recollections of the band were posts I saw on Blabbermouth.net.
With a name like “Mob Rules” you might think that these guys were going to have a sound that was based on the Black Sabbath era that was fronted by Ronnie James Dio (or the band now called “Heaven and Hell”).
Take an epic metal sound and stripped it down to a more raw production. You’ve got a really good idea of what this disc sounds like.
Sahg - Sahg II Review by G. W. Hill It seems that in terms of Norwegian metal bands, this outfit is a supergroup. That said, I’m not hugely into that country’s music so I haven’t heard any of the bands these guys come from.
This album really is genre bending. A lot of the disc is in keeping with the NWOBHM sound of early Iron Maiden and yet they include death growls and hair metal in the mix.
I’ve always liked Black 47 a lot, but I’ve always considered their Fire of Freedom album to be their best – with nothing else coming close.
Chain Reaction - Electric Playground Review by Gary Hill This hard rocking album sits fairly firmly in the territory of classic rock. It’s a strong disc, but perhaps a bit lacking in terms of production.
This best of compilation from Cherry Poppin’ Daddies seems to be focused primarily on the ska side of the group’s sound. Of course, given the title that makes sense.
Bouncy, catchy and compact in size, this disc definitely entertains. It’s got a lot of folk and country, but overall is a singer/songwriter type of deal.
This is a great CD with a lot of variety to it. It is well immersed in modern rock, yet it also loaded up with a lot of retro sounds. It rocks out, but knows when to drop it back, too.
Bill Mumy - Carnival Sky Review by Gary Hill I really like Bill Mumy’s music. There’s generally nothing earth shattering or genre breaking, but it’s just accessible and yet meaty at the same time.
This is a compilation of recordings (a “best of” collection) from Joey Stuckey. Stuckey is a guitarist and vocalist whose music seems to work around a lot of musical territory.
I’ve never been a big fan of Free. I have to admit that for some reason I have a dislike of Paul Rodgers’ voice.
Gary Moore - The Definitive Montreux Collection DVD Set Review by Gary Hill Gary Moore has brought his brand of rocking blues to the Montreux Jazz Festival a number of times. This killer set documents those appearances. It is a companion to the 5 CD set that was released last year.
Northern Illinois has always been a Mecca for music; mainly because of Chicago, Rockford and Rosemont, which have hosted most of the greatest rock bands in the world.
WASP - Live in Lincolnshire, IL, March 2010 Review by Greg Olma What do you get when you take away the blood, raw meat, and “The Rack” from a W.A.S.P. show? A concert filled with great metal music played by a super tight band, that’s what.
