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Amaseffer - Slaves For Life
Review by Gary Hill
Much of this CD is pure metal. The truth is the rest of it, though, is so symphonic and soundtrack based that it really doesn’t qualify as metal.
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Andi Sex Gang - Inventing New Destruction
Review by Gary Hill
I know that a lot of people consider this group to be Goth – and to good degree I can see that.
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Astralasia - Volumes 1 & 2
Review by Gary Hill
This is a compilation of material from Astralasia, two tracks (the closers) of which had never been released until this came out.
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Attrition - The Eternity LP
Review by Gary Hill
I really know pretty much nothing about this act or CD except that it is apparently a collection of rarities.
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Blackmore's Night - Secret Voyage
Review by Gary Hill
Blackmore’s Night might not be on the radar in terms of pop culture, but they’ve certainly built a well-deserved following of those “in the know.”
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Bland Bladen - I Grevens Tid
Review by Gary Hill
Sharing personnel with Øresund Space Collective, this disc also shares some musical ground with that outfit.
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California Guitar Trio - Echoes
Review by Gary Hill
California Guitar Trio are certainly well known for creating unique progressive rock instrumental pieces.
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Canvas Solaris - Cortical Tectonics
Review by Gary Hill
Canvas Solaris have put out another CD and it is, once again, quality stuff. This music is all instrumental and shares as much with the world of fusion as it does with progressive rock and metal.
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Alex Carpani - Waterline
Review by Gary Hill
This is an Italian release and it showcases a new blend of classic prog sounds with jazz and fusion.
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Chain Reaction - Out of the Dark
Review by Gary Hill
This is an interesting band. My guess is they are a lot better live than on album.
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Days Between Stations - Days Between Stations
Review by Gary Hill
This is really an intriguing album. Days Between Stations have created a unique sound that certainly exists within the realms of progressive rock.
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Rod DeGeorge - Cosmic Playground
Review by Grant Hill
Rod DeGeorge is probably a new name for most MSJ readers. But, if you love to hear guitar in the tradition of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, to cite a couple of artists in his style of playing, I think you may want to check out Rod's new release, Cosmic Playground, available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/roddegeorge .
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Fish - 13th Star
Review by Gary Hill
I first became a fan of Fish in his Marillion days. For my money the CD’s that group released when he was the front man were the best of their career.
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Josh Fix - Free At Last
Review by Gary Hill
On the one hand this is some killer pop rock. On the other hand it’s progressive rock in the same way that Queen was progressive rock.
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Trey Gunn - Music For Pictures
Review by Gary Hill
This CD is a collection of tracks that Trey Gunn did for film scores between 1998 and 2006.
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Heavy Water Experiments - Heavy Water Experiments
Review by Gary Hill
This may be a new band, but the main man behind the project is not a new name. David Melbye has been featured at MSJ through his work with Imogene, Fuzz Beloved and Ludivine.
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Highest Place - Dilemma's
Review by Gary Hill
I know the prog purists are not going to like this one. Yes, there is a lot of metal here.
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Honeygene - A Beautiful Place to Get Lost
Review by Gary Hill
This album from Honeygene isn’t precisely progressive rock, but there are enough proggy tendrils here to get it included in that section of Music Street Journal.
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Kansas - Two For the Show 30th Anniversary Edition
Review by Gary Hill
Kansas is a band that hasn’t always gotten the respect they deserve in the progressive rock community. Sure, part of that fact is due to their pop rock period in the mid portion of their career.
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King Crimson - The Collectable King Crimson, Vol. 3: Live in London, Pts. 1-2 1996
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve never had the chance to see King Crimson live. I really regret that.
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Kosmos (Finland) - Polku
Review by Gary Hill
Not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name, this outfit is a Finnish group. This is their second CD and it represents an interesting blend of progressive rock, folk and psychedelic textures.
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Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve seen these guys reviewed as a heavy metal band. As such I’ve seen them get some moderate to mediocre reviews.
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Magic Mushroom Band - Singles and Rarities
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve got this included in the progressive rock section because it’s got a definite space rock vibe and has a lot in common musically with Pink Floyd and Hawkwind.
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Sean Malone - Cortlandt
Review by Gary Hill
For my money fusion and progressive rock share so much DNA that they often cross into one another’s territory.
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Manes - How the World Came to An End
Review by Gary Hill
This is an amazing CD! I know I’ve seen these guys listed as a metal band, and a couple of the songs here might qualify, but that’s really limiting them.
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Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight
Review by Gary Hill
Let me say for starters that I really like Steve Hogarth’s voice. I think he does a great job of serving as Marillion’s lead singer.
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Moonbound - Confession And Release
Review by Gary Hill
This might not be the most obvious choice for the progressive rock section. Surely Moonbound’s music is quite pop oriented.
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Mos Generator - The Late Great Planet Earth
Review by Gary Hill
It seems certain that this is not the most obvious choice for inclusion under the “progressive rock” banner.
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No-Man - Schoolyard Ghosts
Review by Gary Hill
Porcupine Tree’s Steve Wilson is half of this outfit. In many ways the music is similar to the output of that group.
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The Odysseys - The Odysseys
Review by Gary Hill
There seems to be a whole wave of neo-prog acts who draw as much from psychedelia as they do from progressive rock.
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Ozric Tentacles - Sunrise Festival
Review by Gary Hill
Ozric Tentacles have outdone themselves with this live set.
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Phideaux - Ghost Story
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve gotten to know the music of Phideaux over the last couple years and really like it. So, it seemed a good time to have a look at something from their catalog.
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Port Mahadia - Echoes In Time
Review by Gary Hill
This CD is a concept album and has both an epic and personal angle to its story.
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Peter Primamore - Grancia
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing CD. It does a nice job of straddling the fence between jazz and progressive rock.
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The Reasoning - Awakening
Review by Gary Hill
This band was formed by Matthew Cohen when he left Magenta.
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Rosemary - The Fabulous Life Of... EP
Review by Gary Hill
I was going to review this CD a while ago and had it in the progressive rock section. After a more thoroughly listening I decided that it didn’t fit and I didn’t get a chance to review it that issue.
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SBB - The Rock
Review by Gary Hill
The latest album from this Polish band, this disc is quite intriguing. The group put together a sound that’s sort of part 1970’s hard rock, part progressive rock, part pop rock and part fusion.
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Scribe - Scribe
Review by Gary Hill
Describing themselves as “punk progressive rock,” Scribe show off a range of influences that you probably would never picture working together.
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Seer - 2020
Review by Gary Hill
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing and moderation is often the key. That holds true in a lot of things in life.
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Septimania - Coachmania! The Coachmen on Holiday in Septimania
Review by Gary Hill
I know, I know, this isn’t progressive rock like Yes or ELP or even Dream Theater. It isn’t far from the sounds of RIO groups like Univers Zero, though.
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Spock's Beard - Live
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit, I haven’t seen Spock’s Beard live since the departure of Neal Morse. While this wasn’t a conscious decision, I have to admit to some trepidation about how the band would sound without their former front man.
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The Strawbs - Hero and Heroine
Review by Gary Hill
Perhaps The Strawbs biggest claim to fame (at least in the U.S.) was the fact that Rick Wakeman had at one time been part of their ensemble. Well, that was a very short tenure and The Strawbs have a long career and a lot of albums without him.
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Styx - The Complete Wooden Nickel Recordings
Review by Gary Hill
This double disc set is a compilation of the first four Styx discs, all in one place.
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John Tapella - Guitar Knights
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of guitar based instrumental music should like this one a lot. Tapella is a great guitarist and he has created a CD that showcases his talent through a number of intriguing tracks.
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Tuner - Totem
Review by Gary Hill
This is the first disc that was released by Tuner – a collaboration of Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) and Markus Reuter (Centrozoon).
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Twilight Dementia - Twilight Dementia
Review by Gary Hill
Twilight Dementia might not be an obvious choice for progressive rock. They certainly don’t fit in terms of the old school 1970’s style of prog.
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Univers Zero - Univers Zero
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of the first Univers Zero album.
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Various Artists - CPR Volume 3
Review by Gary Hill
“CPR” stands for Christian Progressive Rock and that’s precisely what we get here (well, I’d argue that one of the tracks is actually metal, but that’s just me).
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Von Garcia - I Think a Think
Review by Gary Hill
These guys are an intriguing outfit. Their music seems to skirt the boundaries between space rock, Pink Floydian textures, jazz and jam band music.
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Western Civ - Regent Kingfish Slumberpad
Review by Gary Hill
This is probably not the tightest fit into progressive rock. That said, it is certainly very much in the mode of the more modern, noisy, experimental form of prog – like Radiohead.
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T.H. White - The Private Spotlight
Review by Gary Hill
I’m sure there are those who would say that this is not progressive rock. It does in fact have a lot in common with house and techno music.
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Zero To Ballistic - Idiom
Review by Gary Hill
I’m sure the prog purists out there would hate this CD, but really I can’t imagine a metallic (or at least partly so) disc that belongs in the progressive rock category more than this one.
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Allen-Lande - The Revenge
Review by Greg Olma
This 2nd collaboration between Russell Allen (Symphony X) and Jorn Lande (Masterplan) is one of the best releases I have gotten my hands on in I don't know how long. Both guys are great singers but it's the material that is what is really impressive here.
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Axxis - Doom Of Destiny
Review by Greg Olma
This is my first exposure to Axxis but with a little research, I found out that they have been around since 1989. They have a dozen albums already yet it seems I have been in the dark this whole time.
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Broken Dagger - Chain of Command
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing release. The CD is a concept album and showcases a band that is capable of some pretty amazing metal.
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Cardiac Arrest - Cadaverous Presence
Review by Mike Korn
Hailing from Chicago, Cardiac Arrest is proudly trying to uphold the tradition of true death metal as it was originally conceived.
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Circle II Circle - Delusions Of Grandeur
Review by Greg Olma
Zak Stevens has returned with a new disc that sees him experimenting a little with newer sounds. I really liked his last CD Burden Of Truth but I'm glad he has decided to expand his music a little.
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Dethklok - The Dethalbum
Review by Mike Korn
From their immense fortress of Mordhaus somewhere on the barren plains of Mordland, the mighty force known as Dethklok surveys their domain. Dethklok is not only the greatest death metal band to ever exist, but a globe-spanning power of tremendous potency.
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Empire - Chasing Shadows
Review by Greg Olma
Here is another project that I have not really explored yet they always included singers that I like. From what I gather, this is the brain child of Rolf Munkes.
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Equilibrium - Sagas
Review by Mike Korn
Recently, there's been a huge surge of interest in "folk metal" bands that combine ancient melodies and instruments with the electric power and distortion of heavy metal. Groups like Korpiklaani, Turisas, Finntroll and Eluveitie are making waves all over Europe and are even starting to gather a cult following over here in the States.
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Eternal Descent - Losing Faith
Review by Gary Hill
This CD is quite good, but it’s not great. It features an epic metal type of sound and they pull it off quite well.
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Immortal Dominion - Awakening - The Revelation
Review by Greg Olma
Immortal Dominion have been around since 1992 but this is the first time I have crossed paths with them. This new CD Awakening - The Revelation should be in any extreme metal fan's collection.
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Judas Priest - Nostradamus
Review by Gary Hill
I have been a Judas Priest fan for a very long time. I first heard the Hell Bent For Leather (Killing Machine for those of you not in the US) album when it was the latest release and was hooked.
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Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1
Review by Mike Korn
Black metal is an ever-evolving genre that is very difficult to pin down. However, one quality it must have in order to be considered valid is a feeling of darkness and foreboding. Based on that qualification, the Chicago area's Nachtmystium is one of the most successful black metal bands around.
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Jon Oliva's Pain - Global Warning
Review by Greg Olma
Anyone who knows their metal knows that Jon Oliva was one of the masterminds behind Savatage. Now that Savatage is on hiatus (not forever I hope), Jon Oliva splits his time between Trans Siberian Orchestra and Jon Oliva's Pain.
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Rage - Carved In Stone
Review by Greg Olma
Rage have been around since the mid-80's and this CD is a clear indication as to why. The guys have always been producing quality music and although they have on occasion experimented, they have always delivered the goods.
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Scorpions - Humanity Hour 1
Review by Gary Hill
I was a huge fan of the Scorpions in the Uli Jon Roth days. I stuck with them through the first part of the post Roth era.
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Storm Warrior - Heading Northe
Review by Greg Olma
From what I can gather, this is the fourth official CD from StormWarrior (a couple of tapes and a vinyl disc preceded their 2002 full length). I'm not much into viking folklore but these guys present it wrapped in a great metal way that I can excuse the cheeziness of some of the lyrics.
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The V-Rats - Intelligent Design
Review by Gary Hill
The V-Rats are the same band as The Vaseline Rats – they just made a bit of a change to their name.
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Chris Barber - Chris Barber Presents The Blues Legacy – Lost & Found Volume 1
Review by Gary Hill
Here we get the first CD in this series. These are old recordings of live shows from the British jazz band lead by Chris Barber.
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Chris Barber - Chris Barber Presents The Blues Legacy – Lost & Found Volume 3
Review by Gary Hill
The third CD in this series of blues jams with Chris Barber’s band and notable guests, this has a lot of great music.
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Delaney Bramlett - A New Kind of Blues
Review by Gary Hill
The British really have a thing for the blues. It seemed to define a whole generation of musicians across the pond.
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Burntside - Burntside EP
Review by Mike Korn
Here's a local punk rock band who has been pretty active lately. Whenever I see them live, they play covers, and they do a good job of it, but they are capable of more than just playing somebody else's music.
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Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider
Review by Gary Hill
Alice Cooper is a performer who has (in the opinion of this reviewer) always had a problem with consistency. Sometimes it’s represented with an album that has some awesome music, but a few songs that leave you scratching your head.
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Chris DeMarco - Lost and Found
Review by Gary Hill
The title Lost and Found refers to the fact that this CD includes both old and new songs from Chris DeMarco.
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Cameron Dye - Thick Skin
Review by Gary Hill
This CD is actually a single – with just three songs. The tunes are all different, but the overall effect is of a bluesy singer songwriter motif.
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Everlast - Love, War And the Ghost of Whitey Ford
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve always appreciated Everlast’s music, although this is the first full album of his I’ve owned.
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The Funk Brothers - Live in Orlando
Review by Gary Hill
Funk Brothers they may be called, but these guys were the session musicians behind all the Motown hits. It’s no surprise that they perform these songs better than anyone else.
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Johnny Hallyday - Live at Montreux 1988
Review by Gary Hill
We as Americans can be pretty arrogant when it comes to music. It’s hard for us to imagine any kind of a pop or rock star outside of our own little musical world.
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Carrie Ann Inaba - Promises
Review by Gary Hill
I will confess to ignorance about Carrie Ann Inaba. Apparently she’s quite a famous person, mostly for her dancing.
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Marina V - Modern Fairytale
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit to being a huge fan of Tori Amos. That’s important because Marina V’s voice has a lot in common with Amos.
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John Mayall - Live at the Marquee 1969
Review by Gary Hill
John Mayall is certainly considered by many to be the catalyst and center of England’s blues movement.
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John Mayall - The Masters – Special Edition
Review by Gary Hill
This CD features music from the film Turning Point. It shows the old school John Mayall sound, which I’d probably best describe as “hippie blues.”
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Sheri Miller - Mantra
Review by Gary Hill
Sheri Miller’s EP shows that not only is she a great singer, but also an excellent songwriter with a lot of versatility. The music on the CD covers a wide range of sounds and textures.
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Ministry - Cover Up
Review by Rick Damigella
Cover albums are a dangerous thing, especially when done by an established band. They generally fall somewhere in between the categories of sheer brilliance and complete rubbish, mostly in the latter and rarely in the former.
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Nazareth - The Newz
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve always loved Nazareth. Their blend of hard rock with a gritty edge to it never seems to disappoint.
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Pablo Cruise - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Pablo Cruise
Review by Gary Hill
Pablo Cruise probably doesn’t get the credit they deserve. Sure, if you only base your judgment of the band on their hits you’ll decide that they were a pop group.
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Dan Politano - Staring With My Eyes Closed
Review by Gary Hill
This EP is strong, if perhaps a bit lacking in terms of unique character.
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Sacha Sacket - Lovers & Leaders
Review by Gary Hill
I nearly put this one in the progressive rock section. Sackett’s style of moody pop rock is not that dissimilar from some of Porcupine Tree’s work or that of modern Marillion.
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Sister Hazel - Before the Amplifiers- Live Acoustic
Review by Gary Hill
You’ve really got to love Sister Hazel. For one thing they produce music that’s both catchy and substantial.
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Stuff - Live at Montreux 1976
Review by Gary Hill
This release is, as the title suggests, a concert recorded in 1976. It took place at the Montreux jazz festival – and this is a jazz performance – how fitting!
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Various Artists - Vladivostok FM - Music from Grand Theft Auto IV
Review by Rick Damigella
Now before you panic, no, Music Street Journal is not suddenly shifting focus to review video games. However comrade, the unique sounds of Russian and Eastern European popular music found on one of the in-game “radio stations” in GTAIV is definitely worth a listen.
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Virginia Coalition - Home This Year
Review by Gary Hill
There’s something to be said about the timeless quality of good pop rock. Those types of tracks always work.
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April Wine - Live in London DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I don’t know what it was about April Wine, but I always really liked this band. Admittedly some of their music was just plain arena pop rock – and a bit generic at times
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Terry Bozzio - Live With the Tosca Strings DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Those who come here on a quest for rock music will probably be disappointed. The music presented here is amazing.
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Decapitated - Human’s Dust DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD shows Polish band Decapitated pounding out their brand of technical death metal in live concert.
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Deep Purple - Around the World Live DVD Set
Review by Gary Hill
This is an amazing set and well worth the price of admission. You get four DVD’s (three full concerts and a documentary) all encased in a classy box.
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Bob Dylan - Down the Tracks - The Music That Influenced Bob Dylan DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I had a flawed idea of what this DVD would be about. I thought that it would essentially be a collection of vignettes about artists who influenced Bob Dylan.
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Gorgoroth - Black Mass Krakow 2004 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
If you are a fan of intense extreme metal and haven’t heard this band I can’t think of a better introduction.
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Hanoi Rocks - The Nottingham Tapes DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Hanoi Rocks certainly have had a cult following for years. This DVD captures a 1984 show that found the band in concert in the UK. It shows a group that were at the top of their game – and straddling a number of musical styles.
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Buddy Miles - Changes DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This DVD features drummer (and as we see here, also guitarist and vocalist) Buddy Miles playing with a couple different bands in two concerts.
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Bill Monroe - Father of Bluegrass Music DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This documentary does a great job of bringing people into the world of bluegrass and more specifically into Bill Monroe’s world. It features more music than a lot of documentaries – and that’s a good thing.
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Ted Nugent - Sweden Rocks DVD
Review by Gary Hill
As someone who has seen the Nuge live a few times in my life, I can testify that he delivers on the rock and roll promise.
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The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead: A Classic Album Under Review DVD
Review by Gary Hill
As these DVD documentary series go, I really like the Under Review Series. This one is no exception.
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Spock's Beard - Live DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I remember when I heard Spock’s Beard for the first time way back when I wasn’t really blown away by them. Mind you, I enjoyed their CD’s enough, but they just didn’t seem to have any “magic” to them.
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Various Artists - Go Ride The Music and West Pole DVD
Review by Gary Hill
For fans of 1960’s rock (and who isn’t, really?) this DVD set is a treat. It features two films of music from the heady days of 1969 and is a real tribute to the peak of psychedelia.
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Various Artists - Heads Up 2007 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve got to admit that some of the Christian rock thing leaves me perplexed. I can’t help but think of the second Spinal Tap movie and the reference to the “Monsters of Jesus” tour.
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Various Artists - Iron Maiden and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Considered by many to be one of the most important periods in the history of metal, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) saw the rise of groups like Iron Maiden (hence the title), Def Leppard, Samson, Saxon and others.
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Various Artists - Punk’s Not Dead DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This is quite an interesting documentary. It shows the history of punk rock from its beginnings through rare footage and interviews with many of the bands involved. You can tell that the people involved here really love punk rock.
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Rick Wakeman - Rick Wakeman’s Grumpy Old Picture Show DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Those looking for a smoking live concert video of Rick Wakeman probably should turn their attention elsewhere. This is in many ways so much more.
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Zebra - Zebra The DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I remember way back in the day thinking that Zebra were one of the proggier metal bands of the ’80’s.
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ZZ Top - Live From Texas DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I saw ZZ Top live once in the ‘80’s and thought the show was downright boring. I had always figured that they weren’t that great live and that’s why they hadn’t released a live video.
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