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| Progressive Rock CD Reviews |
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Don Airey - All Out
Review by Larry Toering
Following up his last release seemed to be a fairly swift effort, but it was a good idea for Don Airey, as this one is a little more up my alley.
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Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman - The Living Tree
Review by Gary Hill
Going into this album it’s pretty easy to know what you are going to get.
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Anyone's Daughter - Adonis
Review by Larry Toering
This is a German prog band with a lot of roots from different branches of the musical tree. With a name that is familiar to me, but not likely just anyone.
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Mike Batt - The Hunting of the Snark
Review by Gary Hill
This is sort of a marriage of progressive rock with musical theater and is based on the writings of Lewis Carroll.
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Birthgiving Toad - For Awkward Company
Review by Gary Hill
This disc is certainly not for everyone. Its weird blend of noisy sounds and strangely processed vocals is far from mainstream music.
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Blackmore's Night - Shadow Of The Moon
Review by Larry Toering
This is the first Blackmore's Night release, and when it came out it didn't seem as if the project would go as far as it did.
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The Bolland Project - (Darwin The Evolution)
Review by Larry Toering
This is a concept album based on Charles Darwin, composed by the brothers Bolland, and narrated by Ian Gillan.
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BunChakeze - Whose Dream?
Review by Gary Hill
This is quite an intriguing disc. The music here is both original and yet rooted heavily in classic progressive rock.
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Circa: - And So On
Review by Gary Hill
The easy explanation of Circa: would be to call them a Yes spin-off band since both Billy Sherwood and Tony Kaye have been in that band.
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Circa: - HQ
Review by Gary Hill
With both Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood onboard, comparisons to Yes are obvious.
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Ben Craven - Great & Terrible Potions
Review by Gary Hill
The Roger Dean cover certainly makes a listener expect some old-school progressive rock. In many ways this lives up to that promise, but it goes further than that.
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Dixie Dregs - Night Of The Living Dregs
Review by Larry Toering
This is a half studio, half live recording, and one of the best Dixie Dregs outings from which to choose.
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Fatal Fusion - Land of the Sun
Review by Gary Hill
Perhaps some of this album doesn’t fit firmly in the progressive rock realm, but overall I am confident putting the whole thing there.
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Sean Filkins - War and Peace & Other Short Stories
Review by Alison Reijman
One of the great legacies of English prog rock is its continuing additions to its anthology of albums at whose heart is the storyteller’s art.
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41Point9 - Still Looking for Answers
Review by Gary Hill
This is modern progressive rock with a real leaning on the guitar end of the spectrum.
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Furyu - Ciò che l'anima non dice
Review by Gary Hill
Certainly some will question putting this album in the progressive rock category.
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The Galactic Cowboy Orchestra - All Out of Peaches
Review by Gary Hill
The easy description for this is “instrumental music dominated by violin.”
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Steve Hackett - Live Rails
Review by Larry Toering
What can be said about Steve Hackett that hasn't already been said?
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Jakszyk, Fripp and Collins - Scarcity of Miracles
Review by Gary Hill
This is billed as one of the King Crimson spin-off groupings and since Mel Collins and Robert Fripp are both included, that makes sense.
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Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses
Review by Scott Prinzing
Jethro Tull’s 1978 release, Heavy Horses, sits in the middle of what many Tull fans consider a folk-influenced trilogy, beginning with Songs from the Wood (1977) and ending with Stormwatch (1979).
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Jethro Tull - Live - Bursting Out
Review by Larry Toering
Recorded from various locations throughout Europe, on the 1978 Heavy Horses tour, Jethro Tull came up with a vibrant recording, and this 2004 remaster contains a vastly improved sound to bring it up to date.
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Kansas - Audio-Visions
Review by Scott Prinzing
I remember sitting in the custom speaker-fitted barber chair at my local record mecca as a teenager and listening to the needle drop on the first side of this album on virgin vinyl.
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Kansas - Power
Review by Larry Toering
This is the first Kansas album to feature Steve Morse, and it holds up very well.
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Karmakanik - In a Perfect World
Review by Gary Hill
Karmakanic’s latest release is a killer progressive rock album that combines a lot of sounds into something that’s quite unique.
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Jim Ladd - Headsets: Chapter I: Alone Out Here
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing disc. It’s a space oriented (but really it goes a lot more cosmic than just space) concept album.
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Jim Ladd - Headsets: Chapter II: Sides
Review by Gary Hill
Here’s the second disc in the Headsets series.
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Tony Levin, David Torn, Alan White - Levin, Torn, White
Review by Gary Hill
There is certainly something to be said for truth in advertising. Looking at the group name and the album title, really sets the stage for the music within.
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Jon Lord - Beyond The Notes
Review by Larry Toering
By the time of his previous solo album, Jon Lord had not broken away from Deep Purple yet.
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Jon Lord - Sarabande
Review by Larry Toering
At the moment there is much to be said on behalf of Jon Lord, who recently earned an honorary degree, has been very busy recording and playing live since leaving Deep Purple at the turn of the century.
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Kurt Michaels - Soaring Back to Earth
Review by Gary Hill
The new disc from Kurt Michaels combines progressive rock with pop rock ala The Beatles.
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Moksha - Here to Go
Review by Gary Hill
Moksha combine jam band sounds with fusion, space rock and progressive rock to create a sound that’s just plain impressive.
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Musica Cthulhiana - The Fourth
Review by Gary Hill
This disc is meant as music for role playing gaming, specifically Lovecraftian.
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Muskox - Invocations / Transformations
Review by Gary Hill
Combining fusion with modern progressive rock and a lot of other sounds, “Invocations / Transformations” is an intriguing disc.
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Ian Narcisi - Feel No Evil
Review by Gary Hill
What an intriguing EP this is.
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Ian Narcisi - Phone Call to Infinity
Review by Gary Hill
Here is a three song EP from progressive rock artist Ian Narcisi.
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Ian Narcisi - Weight of the Words
Review by Gary Hill
The first full length release from Ian Narcisi, this shows him to be a musical force not to be ignored.
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Chris Opperman - The Lionheart
Review by Grant Hill
This is a most intriguing CD from progressive composer/pianist Chris Opperman. Berklee trained, having splashed onto the contemporary music scene with his extensive work with Mike Kenneally, Steve Vai connected with Opperman and hired him as his orchestrator.
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Øresund Space Collective - Entering into the Space Country
Review by Gary Hill
I believe this album from OSC is a vinyl only release.
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Pelican - City Of Echoes
Review by Larry Toering
City Of Echoes is an instrumental album, but one can still sense this music can be sung.
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Quatermass - Quatermass
Review by Larry Toering
This progressive rock trio took its name from a fictional science-fiction BBC TV character named “Professor Bernard Quatermass.”
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Joe Satriani - Joe Satriani
Review by Larry Toering
This is the album Joe Satriani owed the record company while he was with Deep Purple, and one of the reasons given for not continuing with them.
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Billy Sherwood - Oneirology
Review by Gary Hill
Arguably Billy Sherwood’s biggest claim to fame is his stint in Yes.
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Shooting Star - Shooting Star
Review by Larry Toering
This AOR band from Kansas City are a relatively unknown outfit for the most part, even though they have several albums.
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Supertramp - Brother Where you Bound
Review by Gary Hill
This album divided Supertramp fans.
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Supertramp - Crime Of The Century
Review by Larry Toering
Enter Supertramp, by way of a Crime Of The Century, and they pulled it off and got away with it.
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Tin Scribble - Unlive from a Dead City
Review by Gary Hill
The hard-edged modern progressive rock that makes up the music here shares some territory with Tool, but is more proggy and often quite melodic.
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Yes - The Definitive Rock Collection
Review by Gary Hill
Here is another compilation of Yes music. It is the first two CDs from The Ultimate Yes, repackaged.
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Yes - The Yes Album (Expanded and Remastered)
Review by Gary Hill
The third album from Yes, The Yes Album was a transitional disc.
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| Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews |
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Average White Band - Live At Montreux 1977
Review by Eric Meli
Average White Band was formed in 1972 by a group of Scotsmen with a fondness for soul and funk music.
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David Lee Bryant - Country Blues Boy
Review by Gary Hill
With an album title like County Blues Boy, the plot of the disc would seem to be laid bare.
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Canned Heat - Live at Montreux 1973
Review by Mark Johnson
I have been a fan of Canned Heat since way back in the 70s.
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Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III
Review by Larry Toering
Chickenfoot returns with a proverbial, if borderline, masterpiece tucked under their arms, as they cruise through ten slices of near perfection on their sophomore outing.
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Eli Cook - Ace, Jack & King
Review by Gary Hill
While Eli Cook is billed essentially as a blues artist, his music goes a lot further than just the blues.
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Deep Purple - Deep Purple
Review by Larry Toering
Deep Purple's third album, simply titled “Deep Purple,” was arguably the strongest of the first three, and most of this Eagle re-issue is of digitally remastered quality, done in 2000.
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Deep Purple - In Concert 1970 – 1972
Review by Larry Toering
One of several live and studio re-issues to come from Eagle this summer, is this two-disc set that was originally released in 1980, and a couple of times since.
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Deep Purple - Live In London
Review by Greg Olma
There has been much said about the different lineups of Deep Purple but for my money, the Mk 3 lineup stands up as their best.
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Deep Purple - MK III The Final Concert
Review by Greg Olma
Eagle Records is certainly making Christmas come early this year.
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Deep Purple - Scandinavian Nights
Review by Larry Toering
Recorded live in Stockholm 1970, this Eagle re-issue is of a historic show that was bootlegged several times over before it was finally released in the late eighties.
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Deep Purple - Shades of Deep Purple
Review by Larry Toering
The Deep Purple mkI albums are as important as any other in the history of the band.
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Deep Purple - The Book Of Taliesyn
Review by Larry Toering
Deep Purple's second album was often the least critically acclaimed of the first three, perhaps rightfully so, perhaps not.
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Doobie Brothers - Live At The Greek Theater 1982
Review by Gary Hill
Here’s a killer live album from The Doobie Brothers. It’s amazing how many hits these guys had.
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Duncan Faure - Anthology
Review by Gary Hill
This double disc set features music from Duncan Faure.
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Rory Gallagher - Defender
Review by Gary Hill
This was the penultimate album Rory Gallagher would release before his death.
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Rory Gallagher - Fresh Evidence
Review by Gary Hill
This was to be the final Rory Gallagher release before his death.
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Rory Gallagher - Wheels Within Wheels
Review by Gary Hill
Here we have a posthumous collection of cuts from Rory Gallagher.
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Gordon Avenue - Broken Pieces Make The Beautiful Things
Review by Larry Toering
This northwest band is the brainchild of Gordon Avery, and they're well known by their crowd for their engaging performances and infectious melodies.
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John Illsley - Streets of Heaven
Review by Gary Hill
This solo album from John Illsley isn’t a huge surprise.
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Lloyd Jones - Highway Bound
Review by Larry Toering
Lloyd Jones puts in an outstanding performance, as usual, on this collection of great tunes.
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Jami Lunde - Big Black Birds
Review by Gary Hill
This is a strong, but not overly original album.
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J.D. Malone and the Experts - Avalon
Review by Gary Hill
What a cool album this is! It just exudes an American vibe.
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Eamonn McCrystal - When in Nashville
Review by Gary Hill
The type of music presented on this album fits under the heading of “adult contemporary music.” That said, in the 1970s this would have probably been called “pop rock.”
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Sheri Miller - Winning Hand
Review by Gary Hill
The new EP from Sheri Miller finds her continuing her musical explorations with style.
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Kenneth Nash - Mama Blue Shoes
Review by Gary Hill
Combining world music with jazz and even a little rock, this album is an entertaining one.
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Vincent Poag - Circling Back
Review by Gary Hill
Let’s address the 800 pound gorilla in the room right off the bat.
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Rockpile - Live At Montreux 1980
Review by Larry Toering
There is no better way to present Rockpile than with this Montreux Jazz Festival performance, and thanks to Eagle it is now available on CD.
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Something Heroic - Choose Your Sides
Review by Gary Hill
Much modern alternative rock crosses the line into nu-metal territory. In fact, it’s often hard to find a dividing line between the two genre.
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Spyro Gyra - A Foreign Affair
Review by Gary Hill
I have to admit that I haven’t kept up with Spyro Gyra over the years. So, I was pretty surprised to hear vocals on this disc.
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James Lee Stanley and Cliff Eberhardt - All Wood and Doors
Review by Gary Hill
This is an extremely interesting project. While it’s listed as a duo there are a number of guests (some quite notable).
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Patrick Storedahl - The Whole Year Inn
Review by Gary Hill
The Whole Year Inn is an expansive release, both in terms of scale and scope.
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Various Artists - Triple Threat of Terror
Review by Gary Hill
Terror rock is cool genre.
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Doogie White - As Yet Untitled
Review by Larry Toering
Pulling out all the stops, Doogie White manages to bang out a solo album, whilst having so many other things to do.
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Johnny Winter - Live at Rockpalast 1979
Review by Gary Hill
A live recording from Johnny Winter, this is a great release.
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Counting Crows - August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve got to admit to not being a huge fan of Counting Crows.
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Emerson, Lake and Palmer - 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert DVD
Review by Gary Hill
While Emerson and Lake have toured recently, and Carl Palmer frequently performs ELP songs with his own band, real Emerson Lake and Palmer concerts are a rarity these days.
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Eric Himy - Chopin 200th Anniversary Celebration Concert DVD
Review by Dan Fredrickson
Eric Himy is an incredible pianist, and his DVD celebrating Chopin takes viewers on an entertaining, educational trip that encompasses a wide variety of Chopin’s works.
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Iggy And The Stooges - Raw Power Live: In The Hands Of The Fans DVD
Review by Gary Hill
Is there really anyone who can compare to Iggy Pop?
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The Jesus Lizard - Club DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This live DVD finds the Jesus Lizard on their 2009 reunion tour.
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B. B. King - Live DVD
Review by Larry Toering
The blues master lets it all hang out on this fantastic performance which includes Terrance Howard, Solange, and Ritchie Sambora.
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Gary Moore - Live at Montreux 2010 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
With Gary Moore’s passing in February of 2011, this DVD takes on a greater importance than it would others have had.
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Procol Harum - Live at the Union Chapel BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
This film of a 2003 concert was originally released on DVD in 2004.
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Paul Rodgers - and Friends - Live at Montreux 1994 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve got to admit to something that might be considered by some to be sacrilege.
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Twisted Sister - Double Live DVD
Review by Larry Toering
On this two disc set, Twisted Sister are found in all of their glory from the early days to the more recent reunion era.
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Various Artists - Blues And The Alligator: The First Twenty Years Of Alligator Records DVD
Review by Gary Hill
There’s a whole school of Chicago blues and there’s a label built right in Chicago to celebrate it.
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Various Artists - Live from Tokyo DVD
Review by Gary Hill
It’s something rock bands and music fans have known for years, Japan loves music. The Japanese culture around rock stars is intense.
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Johnny Winter - Live at Rockpalast DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This release features a TV appearance by Johnny Winter. I’ve already reviewed the CD version of this set, so the best answer for the music evaluation comes by checking out that review.
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Yes - Symphonic Live BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
Since we’ve already reviewed the DVD version of this set, this review will focus on the difference between this new BluRay release and that original one.
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Jon Anderson - Live in St. Charles, Illinois, August 2011
Review by Gary Hill
Don’t go to a Jon Anderson concert expecting a Yes concert.
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Chase - Live in Chicago, IL August 2011
Review by Greg Olma
I have to say that I was really excited to go see Adrenaline Mob on their first ever tour but what made it an even better night of music was that Chase was opening up the show.
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Curved Air - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
On a personal note, this was the first prog band your humble reviewer got into at an incredibly tender age but they are back touring extensively and sound as vibrant and edgy as ever.
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Dope - Live in Rockford, Illinois, July, 2011
Review by Kat and Mike Heitzman
When Dope took the stage it took a few minutes to get the sound just right.
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The Enid - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
If ever there was going to be a band to confound and delight, then it was this quintessentially English prog institution led by the Dickensian Robert John Godfrey.
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Godsmack - Live in Tinley Park, Illinois, August, 2011
Review by Mike Heitzman
I would have to say that Godsmack was the band most people came to see for Mayhem Fest 2011.
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Jethro Tull - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
This reviewer was approaching the final act of the day with a certain amount of trepidation.
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Megadeth - Live in Tinley Park, Illinois, August, 2011
Review by Mike Heitzman
The mighty Megadeth took stage at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater and took the crowd by storm.
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Nonpoint - Live in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, August, 2011
Review by Kat and Mike Heitzman
Clouds loomed overhead as the last storm just passed when Nonpoint took the stage.
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Pallas - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
The opening slot of the High Voltage Festival went to the rejuvenated Scottish neo-prog rockers whose new lease on life has come through the release of XXV, their critically acclaimed follow-up (albeit 20 years later) to The Sentinel.
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Papa Roach - Live in Rockford, Illinois - September, 2011
Review by Kat and Mike Heitzman
As soon as these guys took the stage, it was apparent they had a lot of energy.
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Spock's Beard - Live at London’s High Voltage Festival, July, 2011
Review by Alison Reijman
It was quite a feat that the US prog legends were at the festival at all because of the notable absence of Nick D’Virgilio.
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UFO - Live in Portland, Oregon, September, 2011
Review by Larry Toering
UFO landed in Portland with their A-game ready, considering Phil Mogg caught a cold when he arrived the previous day.
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Unearth - Live in Tinley Park, Illinois, August, 2011
Review by Mike Heitzman
These guys were playing the second stage at the 2011 Mayhem Fest, but you couldn't tell, as they just split the place apart.
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