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April 2013 - Issue 99
Progressive Rock CD Reviews
Antonius Rex - Hystero Demonopathy
Review by Gary Hill
This is a really unusual album. It’s kind of like soundtrack music. It’s very classical in nature.
Armageddon - Armageddon
Review by Larry Toering
When Keith Relf essentially put this band together he was obviously looking way beyond the blues to do something that was actually different.
Ballo Delle Castagne - Surpassing all other Kings
Review by Gary Hill
This is an unusual, but quite interesting album.
Big Big Train - English Electric 2
Review by Alison Reijman
Last year, Big Big Train released English Electric Pt 1 to much delight and acclaim.
Blackmore's Night - Ghost Of A Rose
Review by Larry Toering
Looking back on Blackmore’s Night’s catalog, this happens to remain at the top of their best releases, and it is surely a fan favorite.
Billy Cobham - Spectrum
Review by Larry Toering
As far as I'm concerned this is one of the greatest instrumental rock albums ever made.
Copernicus - Cipher and Decipher
Review by Gary Hill
As always, some people will “get” Copernicus and some won’t.
Copernicus - Die Sofortige Ewigkeit II
Review by Gary Hill
This album is a fairly unique one in Copernicus’ catalog.
Copernicus - Immediate Eternity 2
Review by Gary Hill
There are four different versions of this album. In general, they are the same, musically. The difference is, Copernicus vocals which are delivered in different languages. This one is in English.
Copernicus - L'Éternite Immediate II
Review by Gary Hill
This is the French version of Copernicus’ most jazz oriented album.
Copernicus - La Eternidad Immediata II
Review by Gary Hill
This is the Spanish version of the Immediate Eternity 2 album by Copernicus.
Copernicus - No Borderline
Review by Gary Hill
There are definitely some parental advisories with some of this.
Copernicus - Null
Review by Gary Hill
This is perhaps the weirdest and most extreme of Copernicus’ albums.
Cosmograf - The Man Left in Space
Review by Alison Reijman
Cosmograf is the musical project of Robin Armstrong, a multi-talented composer, producer and musician based in southern England.
Crowned in Earth - A Vortex of Earthly Chimes
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve included this album in the progressive rock section of Music Street Journal, and frankly, I’d stick by that decision no matter what.
Demetra Sine Die - A Quiet Land of Fear
Review by Gary Hill
In a lot of ways this calls to mind a proggier Tool.
Electric Light Orchestra - The Essential Electric Light Orchestra
Review by Larry Toering
ELO is actually one of my favorite bands. Jeff Lynne is a master, so why not reach for the remasters when it comes to pound for pound quality?
Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Seven Days of Falling
Review by John Pierpoint
Is it jazz? Is it rock? Is it progressive rock? The answer, I suspect, is “Yes” to all three! 
Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Tuesday Wonderland
Review by John Pierpoint
This is the penultimate studio album from the Swedish jazz/rock trio (not counting the posthumous “301”).
Flower Flesh - Duck in the Box
Review by Gary Hill
The mix of sounds on this disc is cool. It ranges from classic progressive rock elements that can compare to Yes, ELP, Starcastle and others.
Herd of Instinct - Conjure
Review by Gary Hill
This latest disc from Herd of Instinct is diverse and strong.
Jethro Tull - Under Wraps
Review by Greg Olma
Jethro Tull had a difficult time with the changing music scene. 
Lifesigns - Lifesigns
Review by Alison Reijman
Lifesigns is a music project spearheaded by John Young, composer, keyboards player and vocalist, aided by bass player Nick Beggs (Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson), drummer Martin “Frosty” Beedle (Cutting Crew) and producer Steve Rispin.
Kerry Livgren - Prime Mover II
Review by Scott Prinzing
It can be argued that after Kerry Livgren left Kansas in 1983, the band was never the same. 
The Living - The Jungle is Dark but Full of Diamonds
Review by Gary Hill
The mix of sounds here is unique and effective.
Jon Lord - Concerto For Group And Orchestra – Mediabook Edition
Review by Larry Toering
Just weeks before Jon Lord's passing in 2012, he finished work on what he took pride in being his ultimate achievement in the studio. 
Marbin - Last Chapter of Dreaming
Review by Gary Hill
Jazz is arguably the biggest constant here.
Nektar - Journey to the Centre of the Eye
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reissue of the first Nektar album with a live disc as a bonus.
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Beats
Review by Gary Hill
This album is made up of remixes of Mike Oldfield’s music.
Bogdan Ota - Day of Wrath
Review by Gary Hill
While this is clearly an album that’s not for every taste (of course, what work really is?), this is an amazing piece of music. 
Psycho Praxis - Echoes from the Deep
Review by Gary Hill
Fans of psychedelic based proto prog and early progressive rock will find plenty to like here.
Paul Roland - Bates Motel
Review by Gary Hill
With that title I had hoped for something more Gothic and scary.
Cristiano Roversi - AntiQua
Review by Gary Hill
The mix of sounds on this album is fairly diverse.
ScienceNV - Curved Space (Digital Single)
Review by Larry Toering
Being new to this band all I can say is that I am happy to have been introduced to them.
ScienceNV - Titan (Digital Single)
Review by Scott Prinzing
This track may be your introduction to the cleverly-named San Francisco prog quartet, ScienceNV. 
Sidony Box - Rules
Review by Gary Hill
Jazz, space rock, Rock In Opposition and more are combined here.
Soft Machine - Floating World Live
Review by Gary Hill
So you say you like fusion?
Soft Machine Legacy - Live Adventures
Review by Gary Hill
This live album wanders between a lot of musical territories.
Soft Machine Legacy - Live in Zaandam
Review by Gary Hill
I love the mix of sounds on this.
Soft Machine Legacy - Soft Machine Legacy
Review by Gary Hill
Sure, there is plenty of fusion on this album.
Soft Machine Legacy - Steam
Review by Gary Hill
Fusion is the biggest serving on the menu here.
Soniq Theater - Stardust Memories
Review by Gary Hill
This is a reasonably effective and strong prog album.
Specimen13 - Echosystem EP
Review by Gary Hill
This is an EP that’s tied to a graphic novel.
Chris Squire and Billy Sherwood - Conspiracy Live CD/DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I’m a huge fan of all things Yes and Yes related, so I anticipated liking this, and I was right.
Stick Men - Deep
Review by Gary Hill
I really like Stick Men. Sometimes their music can be hard to describe, though.
Tripod - Tripod
Review by Gary Hill
We get a lot of jazz and classical in the mix here.
Dani Vargas Group - Sound on Canvas
Review by Gary Hill
There is definitely a guitar god kind of vibe here.
Various Artists - Spirit of Sireena Volume 7
Review by Gary Hill
There are a lot of different sounds presented on this album. .
Vinyl Soup - The Beacon Within
Review by Gary Hill
There are a lot of great elements in the stew that is Vinyl Soup.
Roger Waters - The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking
Review by Larry Toering
When Roger Waters enlisted Eric Clapton for this album it was compared a lot to those latter day Pink Floyd albums he so heavily influenced by that time.
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve seen some reviews that simply gush all over this thing.
Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews
Manilla Road - Mysterium
Review by Mike Korn
With their 16th album, Manilla Road have gotten back to basics and returned wholeheartedly to the style for which many know them.
Venom - Fallen Angels
Review by Mike Korn
These grizzled veterans of demonic metal have become a very reliable presence on the scene and most of their recent albums have been enjoyable but not very ground-breaking.
Non-Prog CD Reviews
Jamie Block - Whitecaps on the Hudson
Review by Gary Hill
This is an intriguing disc that’s packed with variety.
The Complaints - South Side Suicide (CD Single)
Review by Gary Hill
This is essentially a one song single.
The Complaints - Sunday Morning Radio
Review by Gary Hill
There’s really sort of a Tom Petty vibe to a lot of the music here.
The Fifth Estate - Time Tunnel
Review by Gary Hill
There are some great tunes here.
Steve Gilligan - Jacob’s Well
Review by Gary Hill
There are some great songs here. Overall, it’s essentially folky music.
Bart Hafeman - Zero Gravity
Review by Larry Toering
From out of the Pacific Northwest comes an artist with that true rock star quality that doesn't surface every day, and that man is Bart Hafeman.
Matthew Heller - Invitation
Review by Gary Hill
This is a very hard set to categorize.
Shooter Jennings - The Other Life
Review by Gary Hill
Since Shooter Jennings is the son of Waylon Jennings, I expected this to be all country.
Jessie Kilguss - and Radio Gold – The Sky Road
Review by Gary Hill
A lot of this feels quite retro.
Jessie Kilguss - Nocturnal Drifter
Review by Gary Hill
Folk and jazz are heard on this disc. It sure doesn’t stop there, though.
Buzzy Linhart - Electric Lady Dream: The Eddie Kramer Sessions
Review by Gary Hill
There is both a hippie quality to this (it was recorded in 1969) but also a more modern sound, too.
Meredith O'Connor - Meredith O'Connor EP
Review by Gary Hill
The easiest answer to describing this album would be to compare it to Taylor Swift.
Kenny Peck and the Smoky Jack Band - Naked Jack
Review by Gary Hill
There was a time, in the late 1960s and early 1970s where music didn’t seem to fit into tight little compartments.  
Pinnick Gales Pridgen - Pinnick Gales Pridgen
Review by Gary Hill
I had assumed based on this being on Magna Carta that it would be progressive rock.
Tokyo Rosenthal - Tokyo’s Fifth
Review by Gary Hill
The latest from Tokyo Rosenthal, this fits well into his catalog.
Dudley Saunders - Monsters
Review by Gary Hill
Folk, rock, blues, country, adult contemporary music and even some jazz are on display here.
Michael Schenker - Temple of Rock: Live in Europe
Review by Gary Hill
I really like this live Michael Schenker album a lot. It’s got what seems like it might be a full concert and then five tracks from another show as bonus cuts.
Sleepy Tea - The Place Where We Lay
Review by Larry Toering
This band from Brisbane, Australia, is fresh off an opening spot on a sold out tour.
JL Stiles - JL Stiles Presents House of Murmurs
Review by Gary Hill
There are a lot of sounds heard here.
Stone Blind Valentine - Burn Like a Field
Review by Gary Hill
This band features Emily Hurd on vocals.
Thirteen-Seven - On the Inside EP
Review by Gary Hill
These guys are great.
Matt Turk - Washington Arms
Review by Gary Hill
This is sort of a killer slab of classic rock mixed with singer songwriter music.
Various Artists - Larry Kirwan’s Celtic Invasion
Review by Gary Hill
Larry Kirwan is the main man behind the band Black 47. I like that band a lot, and I like Kirwan.
Various Artists - Wizards (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Review by Bruce Stringer
For the first time since the film’s release in 1977, Andrew Belling’s soundtrack to Ralph Bakshi’s groundbreaking animation Wizards has finally made it to CD.
Various Cruelties - Various Cruelties
Review by Larry Toering
This London based Brit-pop quartet combine that Brit-pop sound with a few other strong elements such as Motown / Stax soul and ska and reggae flavors, to an undeniably awesome result.
World War IX - Bender Royale
Review by Gary Hill
Fun punk rock is the order of business here.
World War IX - Off the Wagon
Review by Gary Hill
Music like the other EP by this group I’ve reviewed, this comes with a comic book.
Yellow Sunshine Explosion - Yellow Sunshine Explosion
Review by Gary Hill
With a title and band name like that, one might expect happy, cheery 1960s pop music.
DVD/Video Reviews
The Damned - Live Live Live in London 2002: Tiki Nightmare DVD
Review by Gary Hill
What an interesting set we’ve got here. These guys really jam.
Miles Davis - Live at Montreux 1991 BluRay
Review by Gary Hill
Well, this is Miles Davis. It earns points for that. The video and audio are top-notch – more points.
Bob Dylan - 1966-1978 After The Crash DVD
Review by Gary Hill
What an interesting set this is. It’s obvious this is unofficial, but it’s also in-depth.
Einstürzende Neubauten - Live At Rockpalast DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I’m including these guys in progressive rock. I don’t know if they fit.
Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Live In Stockholm DVD
Review by John Pierpoint
This is the only official live DVD of Swedish jazz/rock ensemble Esbjörn Svensson Trio (EST) available so far, which is a shame.
Mudhoney - I'm Now: The Story Of Mudhoney DVD
Review by Gary Hill
This is pretty interesting. I’ve never been a big fan of grunge music.
The Rolling Stones - Mick Vs. Keith: The Strange Case Of Jagger & Richards DVD
Review by Gary Hill
So, here’s the thing…this is a decent set, but it’s not really a documentary called "Mick Vs. Keith."
Michael Schenker - Temple Of Rock: Live In Europe DVD
Review by Gary Hill
I’ve reviewed the CD version of this in this same issue of Music Street Journal.
The Stranglers - On Stage, On Screen DVD
Review by Gary Hill

Now, more live DVDs should be like this. First off, I love this band’s sound.

10 cc - Live in Concert DVD
Review by Gary Hill
10 cc were always an awesome band. I never knew all of the talent inside the group, though,
Interviews
Lebowski
Interview by Gary Hill
Interview with Marcin Grzegorczyk of Lebowski from 2013
Ryo Okumoto
Interview by Grant Hill
Interview with Ryo Okumoto from 2013
Concert Reviews
Black 'N Blue - Live in Portland, Oregon, March 2013
Review by Larry Toering

Whenever Black 'N Blue return to Portland, which is essentially their home town – even though two of them reside in L.A. – it's always a grand homecoming of sorts.

Doro - Live in Portland, Oregon, February 2013
Review by Larry Toering

This was a much anticipated evening of music, as the legendary Doro Pesch blazed her way to Portland in support of her latest record.

Earth To Ashes - Live in Portland, Oregon, February 20th, 2013
Review by Larry Toering

This is one hot progressive rock band with a power metal edge that is much more apparent on disc than in concert, as they stretch the prog boundaries in their performances.

Gordon Avenue - Live in Portland, Oregon, February 2013
Review by Larry Toering

Getting out to see Gordon Avenue hasn't exactly been easy this past year, as I have missed several opportunities to see them.

Uli Jon Roth - Live in Portland, Oregon, February 2013
Review by Larry Toering

After changing rhythm sections about a week prior to this show, it was nice to see Uli Jon Roth's original bass player in the line-up.

Testament - Live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 2013
Review by Kat Heitzman

Testament blew away their audience once again!

Wishbone Ash - Live in Portland, Oregon, March 2013
Review by Larry Toering

After fifty dates on the US road, Wishbone Ash returned to Portland to play their final show of the tour.

 
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