Hourglass - Oblivious to the Obvious (2009)

 

The fourth album from this band from USA.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a five years long album break.

Oblivious to the Obvious is a double CD clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes.  

The music here is a blend of progressive metal and heavy prog. That is the direction Hourglass has taken on their last couple of albums. A path also followed on this album.

There are still a lot of Dream Theater influences in their music. But the band has branched out this album has indeed got a lot of symphonic prog influences too. But don't despair. This is not a symphonic prog album. 

The music is complex and epic at times. There are also some more melodic pieces here in addition to the more heavy rocking pieces. 

The band does a good job. The vocals is also good. 

Two hours and twenty minutes is a lot of music. Not everything here is good. There are some very good pieces here and some decent pieces here. 

This is indeed a good album and one to check out. 

3 points 

 

Moundrag - Hic Sunt Moundrages (2022)

 

The debut album from this band from France.

The band was a duo with a line-up of drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, mellotron and vocals.

This is another band that has recently come to my attention. The band just released their second album. An album I will review later this week.

Hic Sunt Moundrages is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music is best described as heavy prog.

The music and the band are influenced by the likes of Atomic Rooster, ELP and Deep Purple. 

There are no guitars and no bass here. Everything is based on the keyboards and the vocals. The keyboards has the organ sound from the 1970s. They also sound like Jon Lord's keyboards and organ in Deep Purple. The mellotrons here are also great.

The vocals are good too.

This is a very enticing album with a couple of flaws but with a lot of positives. This is indeed a good album and well worth checking out.

3 points 

 

 

 

  

  

Yes - Aurora (2026)

 

The 19th album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

Czech National Symphony Orchestra added their instruments to some of the pieces of music here.

The band returned three years after their last studio album. Three years were spent touring and refining their music. 

Aurora is clocking in at one hour.

The music is symphonic prog.

Yes is, stature and reputation wise, the biggest band in progressive rock and a new album from these veterans will always be of great interest. It will also be met with a mixed bag of derision and praise. The latter days Yes has caused a lot of debate, pro and against a Yes without Jon Anderson. The other Jon in their history, Jon Davison, has taken over the vocals duties and his vocals are very similar to the original Jon.

The band members are old and I did expect a nice pop/rock album. The music is anything but nice pop/rock. The music here is more symphonic than on most of their albums. I take my hat off to their attitude here. 

The music is indeed very complex throughout this album. It is still pretty melodic at times.

This is an album that requires a lot from the listener. The band has been very brave to release an album as ambitious as this. The band has therefore risen considerably in my estimation and that already from an elevated status.

The quality is good to very good throughout this album. This is their best album this century and a very good album in it's own right. Get this album.

3.5 points 

  

 

Løvetann - Fugl Føniks (2003)

 

The seventh album from this band from Norway.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, programming and vocals.

The band returned again after a two-year-long album break. Their previous couple of albums had been pretty good and I was looking forward to sink my ears and brain into this album.

Fugl Føniks is clocking in at half an hour.

The music is a blend of folk rock, art-rock and heavy prog. There are also some symphonic prog influences here.

This type of prog both this band and Thule 1000 km further north in Norway was doing deserves it's own label... Arctic Prog. The reason is that the music is pretty unique and very much rooted in the life and landscape beyond the Arctic Circle.

The lyrics are now entirely in English this time around and a departure from the Norwegian lyrics on their first albums. 

The music is pretty hard with some raw guitars. The vocals are both operatic and good. 

The music is pretty good. This is not one of their best albums. Nevertheless, this is an album well worth checking out.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Uriah Heep - Celebration 40 Years (2009)

 

The 21st album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a one year long album break. 

Celebration 40 Years is clocking in at one hour.

This album is two new songs and twelve re-recordings of old classics from this band's forty years long history.

It is therefore not a true new studio album.

I am not sure if this album is needed at all. Well, it is not. The re-recorded versions of the old classics do not bring anything new to the party/band/the fans. 

This is a pretty good best-of album. And that is what it is. A best-of album. And not particularly good value for money. 

2 points 

 

Itzamna - Chascade (2016)

 

The debut album from this band from France.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars and piano.

This is my first ever meeting with this and and their music. Their 2014 debut, the EP Metnal was released back in 2014 and bypassed me totally. Both albums are available through Bandcamp.

Chascade is clocking in at one hour.

The music here is eclectic prog. Although that label is not the full story here. The music is wandering around in all directions. Crossover Prog is perhaps a more suitable label. It is a fifty/fifty (head)case, the music here.

The band has also crammed in math rock, neo-classical music and some art-rock into this one hour long album.

There are also some vocals here and they are really good.

The result is a bit of a headcase of an album. The music is also pretty good. I am not entirely won over. But most of this album is good fun and the scene needs more genre-defying albums like this.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Invernalia - Invernalia (2015)

 

The debut album from this one-man-band from Argentina.

Aldo Pinelli did the percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals here.

He had help from a handful of guests who provided drums, violin, piano and flute.

Aldo Pinelli released some albums through Habitat, a good band from Argentina, before he went his own ways and released, so far, two albums under the Invernalia moniker. The second album, Tenebras, was released in 2021. I don't have this album at present. Maybe I will get it and review it next year or so.

Invernalia is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is a blend of art-rock and psych rock.

The music has this Latin-American symphonic prog soundscape too and is different from the normal Anglo-US prog soundscape.

The music is mid-tempo to slow. Some parts is pretty pastoral too.

Most of the music is performed by keyboards with some supporting guitars. The Spanish vocals are pretty good. 

Most of the music is pretty anonymous and pedestrian. There is not much to like here. Nevertheless, this is a decent enough album.

2 points 

 

  

Android Superstation - Continuum (2026)

 

The second album from this band from USA.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

This is the follow up album to their 2020 debut album. I reviewed that album some days ago. That was a good heavy prog album.

Continuum is clocking in at one hour.

The music is a blend of heavy prog and neo-prog.

The band has moved away from the mainstream US rock influences on the debut album and fully embraced some neo-prog influences in their take on heavy prog.

The music ranges from slow, mid-tempo and fast music. The music is sometimes hard, but never really heavy as in heavy metal influenced.

The music is full of life, colourful, complex and slightly epic. The vocals are very good, both the male and the female vocals. 

The result is a good album. My only gripe is the lack of any killer tunes here, the songs that elevates an album to a great album. There is none of that here. Nevertheless, this is a good album.

3 points 

 

 

  

ML Bongers - Crossing The Bar (2018)

 

The third album from this band/project from Germany.

The band/project was a sextet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, saxophones, flute and vocals.

I reviewed their very good debut album earlier this year (released under the band name ML Bongers Project) and then their decent enough follow up album some days ago. I am now reviewing their third and final (?) album.

Crossing The Bar is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music is a blend of krautrock and old style symphonic prog.

The music here is songs based with lots of vocals. The music is also mid-tempo. The sound is only pretty good.

The musicians does a good job. The vocals are pretty bad. Mostly when the vocalist tries to hit the high notes. Tries but fails. 

The quality of the music varies between abysmal to good. On balance, this is a decent album but still their worst album. 

ML Bongers should be remembered for their very good album released under the ML Bongers Project. The two following albums are not particularly interesting.  

2 points 

 

Old Castle. The - Wistful (2022)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, flute and vocals.

I have had the joy of reviewing their first two albums this summer. Their debut album is an ELP like symphonic prog album. Their second album is an RPI album. I was therefore wondering where the band was on Wistful. A true mystery, only solved by listening to the album and reviewing it.

This album is clocking in at thirty-six minutes. 

The music here is a blend of RPI and Anglo-US symphonic prog.

The music is more symphonic prog than RPI. But the band has nicely combined these two genres, very related genres, on this album.

The music is mid-tempo and pretty melodic. There are a lot of ELP inspired music here too.

The music is pretty quirky throughout. The quirkiness comes from the RPI influences.

The vocals is good and the musicians does a good job.

This is their best album so far and their most interesting album. An album which heralds their arrival as one of the more interesting bands in Italy right now. 

RPI and symphonic prog fans should and must check out this album.

3 points 

 

 

Drift Lab - Sunlight (2026)

 

The second album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, piano and synths.

One guest added sax.

I really liked their 2023 debut album Moonlight as I noted in my review some days ago. I was therefore looking forward to review this album.

Sunlight is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music is fusion.

The music is slick and a bit like the music Jan Hammer did for Miami Vice in the 1980s. But Drift Lab's take on fusion is more substantial than that and a lot more muscular and meaty.

The music is still elegant and melodic. There are some really good solos here and the guitars are great.

A bit more inspired and better pieces of music are missing here. That aside, this is still a good album from a band which may become one of Italy's best fusion/jazz exports in the years to come.

3 points 

 

Lazuli - Réponse incongrue à l'inéluctable (2009)

 

The fourth album from this band from France.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of drums, percussion, marimba, metalphone, vibes, guitars, warr guitar, chapman stick, leode and vocals.

The band returned again after a three years long album break. Their previous album was a good album, indeed. Hence my expectations for this album.

This album is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music on this album is eclectic heavy prog.

The music is pretty heavy and hard throughout. The reason is more like it is so complex and dense than on purpose hard and heavy. There is a lot of instruments in the sound here, claiming their own space in the sound.

The music also has this French symphonic prog ethos and sound. A bit of an exotic sound in the ears of those of us used to the Anglo-US soundscape.

The vocals is very good as usual. The band does a good job.

There is no great tracks here. Nevertheless, this is a good album and another proof that Lazuli is one of the best bands coming out of France.

3 points 

  

 

Nilssen. Ole G - The Human Syndrome (2004)

 

The third album from this artist from Norway.

Ole G Nilssen did the guitars and vocals here.

He had help from numerous guests who added bass, guitars, steel guitars, cello, piano, keyboards, drum programming and backing vocals.

I was not impressed at all by his second album and was starting to fear the worst as I am reviewing a handful of his albums.

The Human Syndrome is clocking in at one hour.

The music is again old style pop-rock music. Roy Orbison is again a good reference here.

The music is mostly slow to mid-tempo. There are some country'n'western influences here throughout. There are also some Latin Pop influences here.

The vocals are both crooning and normal vocals. The vocals are mainly male vocals. There are also some female vocals here.

The quality is pretty poor throughout. But if old style pop-rock is your cup of tea....

1.5 points 

 

 

 

 

Inquire - Melancholia (2003)

 

The third and final album from this band from Germany.

The band was a trio with a line-up of drums, bass pedals, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

A handful of guests added accordion, narration and vocals.

I reviewed their first two albums in August and September 2015 for # 1 of this blog and were not impressed at all by them. So I put this, their third album, aside for a future review until I added it to my to-review list earlier this year.

Melancholia is clocking in at ninety-five minutes.

The music is symphonic prog. It is also a concept album based on Jean Paul Sartre's novel La Nausee. 

The music is also pretty influenced by krautrock too. There is a lot of narrations here and some weird vocals.

The music is pretty pedestrian throughout. The music also moves in all directions, based on the scattergun method. 

This is a decent enough album. I have yet to be impressed by this band. An obscure band and barely a footnote in our history.

2 points 

 

In Abstrackto - An Inevitable Momentum (2016)

 

The one and only album from this band from Mexico.

The band was a trio with a line-up of drums, bass and guitars. There are some vocals at the end of this album. 

This band is a new band to me. I got this album around five years ago and it has been hanging around unnoticed in my collection until I added it to my to-review list earlier this year.

An Inevitable Momentum is clocking in at one hour.

The music is an eclectic blend of heavy prog, eclectic prog and fusion.

The music is heavy throughout this one hour worth of music.

The music is guitar riffs based as the power trio format is a bit on the restrictive side of the music spectrum.

The sound is a bit dry and math rock like.

The band does not bring anything new to this power trio genre. The quality is decent enough. 

If instrumental power trio heavy prog is your thing...

2 points  

Cellar Noise - Panic Loves Telling Lies (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

I reviewed their first two albums in # 2 of this blog nine years ago and they are two very good albums. That explains my joy when I discovered their new album. 

Panic Loves Telling Lies is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is neo-prog. 

The music is really muscular too and has some heavy parts and themes.

The music is also pretty symphonic and complex too. The music is still melodic with some very good guitars and keyboards harmonies and solos.

The music is mostly classic neo-prog, very influenced by both the German and the British neo-prog scene. Cellar Noise has though carved out their own niche in the neo-prog scene.

The very good vocals also adds a lot of quality to this album.

This is therefore another very good album from this band. A band who are surely one of the best neo-prog bands in the scene.  

3.5 points 

 

ML Bongers - Void Refuge (2016)

 

The second album from this band from Germany.

The band was a duo with a line-up of percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards, mellotron, synths, drum machine, voices and vocals.

Three guests added guitar, organ and narration.

The band returned again after a thirty-eight years long break. This time as a duo. Earlier this year, I reviewed their very good debut album and you will find the review here. The band has released two albums between 2016 and 2018. I will review their third album in a few days.

Void Refuge is clocking in at one hour.

The music is a blend of electronica, krautrock and neo-classical music.

The music is dreamy and floating throughout. It is like a dreamy piece of music from Eloy. Krautrock is still the genre I would label the music here as.  

There are a lot of synths, narrations and voices in the music. The music also has this 1970s krautrock ethos.

The music is a bit messy at times. Some of the music is sub-standard. There are also some pretty good music here. The overall quality is decent. This album is nowhere near as good as the debut album. Krautrock fans should check out this album.

2 points 

 

 

  

Old Castle. The - Storie Nascoste (2001)

 

The second album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, flute and vocals.

One guest added female vocals. 

I reviewed their 1995 debut album some days ago and that was a pretty good album. It was an ELP-influenced album.

Storie Nascoste is clocking in at forty minutes. 

The first thirty minutes are a studio recording with a very good sound quality. The final ten minutes are recorded live from a concert and the sound quality is decent enough.

The music is RPI with a lot of folk music and some jazz influences. This album is different from their 1995 debut album, in other words.  

The music is lush and colourful. The vocals are in Italian. The music is also pretty pastoral at times. 

The quality is pretty good throughout. This album showcases a band with a lot of potential. Potential not fully unleashed on this album.

2.5 points  

 

 

 

 

Hadal Sherpa - Mountains (2026)

 

The fourth album from this band from Finland.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, oud, saz, synths, flute and vocals.

A handful of guests added backing vocals/choir.

I have reviewed their first three albums in # 2 and this edition of this blog and I have liked them. Good albums. I therefore jumped on the chance to review this album too.

Mountains are clocking in at forty minutes.

The music here is space rock.

There is a lot of Eastern Asia and Middle-East influences in their music. Music which is mostly instrumental with some vocals-free voices acting as instruments in addition to the other instruments.

Oud and saz are in the front of the mix and these exotic instruments are adding a lot of spice to the mid-tempo space rock. The same goes for the flute.

There is a lot to like on this album. A good album indeed. I really like this band.  

3 points 

  

Procol Harum - Home (1970)

 

The fourth album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

One guest added harmonica.

It is now almost fourteen years since I started to review their albums. See # 1 of this blog. I posted a review of A Salty Dog in July 2017 (see here) and then I dropped the band from my review list. I am now going to complete the reviews of their albums, starting with a review of this album.

Home is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music is a blend of early symphonic prog and art-rock.

The tempo is mid-tempo. The music is songs based. The music has some Americana influences. 

The late Gary Brooker's keyboards and vocals are in the foreground of the music. The guitars are also pretty good.

The music is very much in the 1970s art-rock vein.

The music is also pretty good. I am not entirely won over but this album is worth checking out.

2.5 points 

  

 

Hourglass - Subconscious (2004)

 

The third album from this band from USA.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

I reviewed and really liked their second album The Journey Into (2002) in my review last month and was looking forward to review this album. I will review their final two albums later this month too.

Subconscious is clocking in at eighty minutes.

The music here is a blend of progressive metal and heavy prog.

It is fair to say that their music has mellowed a lot compared to their second album.

The music is still pretty heavy. The music is also mid-tempo and dense. It is also complex, very complex and a bit epic.

There is still a lot of Dream Theater influences here. But those has been diluted with some Metal Church and Flotsam & Jetsam influences. The music is also very progressive throughout. Yes is another influence here.

There is a lot of music here. Not all of it is good though. The music is lacking a bit in inspiration. There are some decent stuff here in between the good stuff.

This is still a pretty good album and one to check out if complex progressive metal is your cup of tea.

2.5 points 

Android Superstation - This Side of Nowhere (2020)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

This is a new band to me. They have just released their second album and I will review that album sometime later this week.

The Side Of Nowhere is clocking in at one hour.

The music is a blend of heavy prog and US mainstream rock. There are also some neo-prog and college rock influences here.

The music is slow, mid-tempo and fast. The whole range in other words. There are some hard parts here too and some more ballads pieces. 

There are a lot of guitar harmonies and solos here. The piano is really good.

The vocals are mainly male vocals. There are also some female vocals here.

The music sounds fresh and youthful. Enthusiasm is what this album is full of.

The quality is good throughout this album and this is a more than acceptable debut album. 

3 points 

 

Drift Lab - Moonlight (2023)

 

The debut album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, piano and keyboards.

This band is a new band on the fusion scene and they have so far released two albums. I will review their second, new album, sometime later this week.

Moonlight is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is as mentioned above.... fusion.

The music is dynamic, elegant and melodic. It is also pretty slick.

The guitars are very good. Both the harmonies and the solos. The piano is also very good.

The melodies are engaging and pretty complex. 

Maybe the music is a bit too safe and too slick. Nevertheless, this is a good album and an album the fusion fans should check out.

3 points 

Winter Tree. The - Songs Of The Sea (2026)

 

The 14th album from this one-man-band from USA.

Andrew Laitres did the vibraphone, percussion, bass, guitars, synths and vocals here.

He had help from a number of guests who provided drums, percussion, bass, guitars, banjo, mandolin, strings, piano, organ, keyboards, woodwinds and vocals.

I have reviewed three of his albums in previous editions of this blog. Then the band dropped out of my view and I forgot about them. I now have access to all the albums and will review them sometime next year.

Songs Of The Sea is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music here is a blend of folk rock and art-rock. 

The music is pastoral with a lot of strings and acoustic instruments. This is some sort of a concept album and the concept is working well.

Most of all, the music is really pastoral with a lot of very good vocals.

This makes this a good album and one that has rekindled my interest in Andrew Laitres project The Winter Tree. 

3 points 

 

 

Kharma Code - Arthouse (2026)

 

The second album from this band from Spain

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

One guest added vocals.

This is the follow-up album to their 2011 opus Secrets Indoors. A good album somewhere between progressive metal and heavy prog. See my review from earlier this month.

Arthouse is clocking in at one hour.

The music here is a blend of neo-prog and pomp rock.

The music is very melodic at the beginning and it gave me some bad vibes. The music thankfully becomes slightly more muscular and complex after ten minutes. It is still fair to say that this album is very different in style from the debut album.

One of the differences here is that the music is far more symphonic, far more epic. It is symphonic but not as in symphonic prog as the symphonic bit is in the pomp rock and symphonic metal genres.

The vocals are good and the band does a good job.

The overall quality is good and this is a band I hope we will hear a lot more from in the future. 

3 points 

Katatonia - Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State (2025)

 

The 14th album from this band from Sweden.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again two years after the last album, the Sky Void Of Stars opus. A good album, indeed. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State is also their latest album and the end of my many months long journey of reviewing their albums. A great journey indeed.

Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is heavy alternative rock.

The band continues down the same path as they set out on twelve albums ago. 

There are a lot of Anathema and some Pink Floyd influences here. The music on this album is a lot less heavy than on the previous album Sky Void Of Stars. 

The music is still muscular and pretty heavy, yet more melodic.

The guitars and the vocals is good.

This is another good album from this band and I hope we will soon get a new album from this band. I have grown to like Katatonia on the last few albums.

3 points  

Phillips. Simon - Protocol 6 (2026)

 

The seventh album from this drummer/artist from Great Britain.

Simon Phillips played drums here.

He had help from four guests who added bass, guitars, piano, keyboards and saxophone.

I simply cannot believe this is the first ever Simon Phillips album I am reviewing. I was absolute sure I had reviewed the previous three albums. But no... I will come back to this next year and review his first five albums plus an eventual new album then.

Protocol 6 is clocking in at fifty-three minutes.

The music here is a blend of jazz and fusion.

The music is mid-tempo to fast. The music is both melodic and complex. 

The music follows the traditional fusion/jazz formula with a blend of harmonies and solos. The rhythm section is very strong.

The guitars, piano, keyboards and saxophone solos are very good. There is also a lot of good harmonies here.

The result is a very good album and a reminder I need to get his first album and review them.

3.5 points  

 

 

Parsons Project. The Alan - Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)

 

The debut album from this project from Great Britain.

Alan Parsons did the organs, synths electronics and vocoder here.

Numerous guests added drums, percussion, bass, mandolin, guitars, harpsichord, piano, harps, organ, keyboards, synths, woodwinds, narration and vocals.

This project does not really need any introduction... Although this is first time I have been listening to their albums, more than forty years since I became aware of them. This project has really never caught my imagination. Hence, it has taken me these years to lend them my ears. Only time will tell if ignoring them is another one of the many mistakes in my long life.

The band have released eleven albums between 1976 and 2014. All of them are up for review in this blog in the next weeks and months. I will also review the Alan Parson solo album sometime this fall.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is symphonic prog with some pomp pop and neo-classical influences.

This is also a concept album based on some of Edgar Allan Poe's stories. The music and the vocals are indeed in the concept album genre.

The music is melodic, complex and pretty orchestral. The vocals and the various instruments are good.

The music is also good and that makes this an enjoyable album and a great debut album.

3 points 

 

 

  

 

Old Castle. The - Working Travellers (1995)

 

The debut album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, vibraphone, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

This band has so far released three albums and they are all up for review here in the coming couple of weeks.

Working Travellers are clocking in at three-quarters of an hour.

The music here is symphonic prog.

ELP - Emerson, Lake & Palmer is an obvious reference here. So is indeed Keith Emerson's solo albums too. But there is more to the album than just that.

Some of the music is neo-classical music. This is intertwined with the symphonic prog here. 

There is a lot of cascades of keyboards here. There is also a lot of vibraphone which works as percussion and adds spice to the music.

There are some vocals here which are decent enough. 

The overall quality is pretty good. This is an acceptable debut album. I hope their remaining two albums is as good or even better than this album.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

 

Hoia - Scavenger (2020)

 

The debut album from this band from India.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, synths, electronics and vocals.

Two guests added vocals to two tracks.

The band has released some singles and EP in addition to this album. The band had help from Porcupine Tree, Rosalie and Twinspirit members on this album.

The album is clocking in at thirty-five minutes.

The music is modern heavy prog. There is a lot of electronica in their music too. 

A good reference here is Tim Bowness and his solo albums. 

The music is mid-tempo. There are a lot of guitars and electronics here.

The vocals are good. 

The quality is pretty good. I am not impressed but those of you into Tim Bowness will like this album. 

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Homer - Grown In USA (1972)

 

The one and only album from this band from USA.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, steel guitar and vocals.

This band comes from Texas and was regarded as the best band from this state during the first half of the 1970s. I am not sure what that says about the scene in Texas...

The album is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is a blend of hard rock and psych rock.

There is a lot of Americana in their music too. This is mostly due to the steel guitar. 

The music is pretty hard rocking throughout. It also has a lot of interesting hooks and themes too.

The sound is pretty poor and that is a bit of a downer. I am here reviewing the remaster from 2024. 

The songs are decent enough though. This is an album fans of 1970s hard psych should check out.

2 points 

 

Castanarc - Forged by the Sun (2026)

 

The sixth album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a five years long album break. This is their second album too after their comeback five years ago. Their first three albums were released in the 1980s and their fourth album was released at the end of the 1990s. I have reviewed their five albums in the previous editions of this blog.

Forged By The Sun is clocking in at forty minutes.

The band's trademark is melodic neo-prog. The band continues down this path on this album. 

The music is also classic British neo-prog. The main difference is that Castanarc's music is slightly more melodic.

The sound is very good. The guitars and the keyboards are good. Ditto for the vocals.

There are a couple of very good pieces of music here. There are also some decent music here. On balance, this is a good album and one to check out. 

3 points 

 

9.30 Fly ‎- 9.30 Fly (1972)

 

The one and only album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, piano and vocals.

This band from Cheltenham, England only released this album before they split up just after the release of this album. The album has now got a cult-status.

The album is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music here is folk rock.

The sound is good. The folk rock is pretty lush with a lot of psych rock influences. 

There are even some harsh, hard guitars here. Most of the music is standard folk rock.

The vocals are a mix of female and male vocals. They are good. 

The music is decent enough. This is an album for the folk rock fans. It is also an album acid folk and prog folk fans should check out.

2 points 

Kharma Code - Secrets Indoors (2011)

 

The debut album from this band from Spain.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

This band has recently resurfaced and released its second album. An album I will review in some days time.

Secrets Indoors is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is a blend of heavy prog and progressive metal.

The music is muscular and melodic. There are some Spanish symphonic prog references throughout this album.

There are also some progressive metal influences here, the Dream Theatre influences are popping up now and then.

The guitars are good and ditto for the vocals.

This too overlooked album is actually a good album and deserve a lot more attention. Hopefully, their new album will also give this album this attention.

3 points  

  

Katatonia - Sky Void of Stars (2023)

 

The 13th album from this band from Sweden.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a three-year-long album break.

Sky Void of Stars is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music is again heavy alternative rock. 

Anathema is a good reference.... Then again, the music here is far heavier and far less Pink Floyd'ish than the last couple of Anathema albums.

The music is melodic with a lot of good guitars.

The big and bold vocal harmonies is the main difference between this album and the previous albums. There is also a lot of guitar harmonies here.

The music is good throughout this album.

This is another good album from this band and this band has gradually been growing on me. A review of their latest album will follow this weekend.

3 points 

 

Carducci. Franck - Sheeple (2026)

 

The fifth album from this artist from France.

Franck did the bass, guitars and vocals.

He had help from a number of guests who added drums, guitars, organ, keyboards, flute, harmonica and vocals.

Franck Carducci returned again after a three years long album break. I believe I have reviewed all his albums in the three first editions of this blog. 

Sheeple is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music is a blend of neo-prog and mainstream rock.

The music is pretty light and fluffy. It is also very melodic. The music is still complex enough to be interesting.

The male and female vocals are very good throughout. There are also some really good organs and piano/keyboards here.  

This is another good album from this artist and an album well worth checking out. 

3 points 

Uriah Heep - Wake The Sleeper (2008)

 

The 20th album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a ten years long album break. This is their first album this century.

Wake The Sleeper is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music here is hard rock with some blues influences.

The music is pretty hard throughout.  

There are some melodic stuff here too.

The guitars are very good. Mick Box does a great job here.

The vocals is very good too.

This is one of the best Uriah Heep albums and a very welcome return to form. This is indeed a good album and one to check out.

3 points 

 

 

 

 

Løvetann - Løvehjerte (2001)

 

The sixth album from this band from Norway.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, effects, flute and vocals.

A number of guests added backing vocals.

I am continuing to review this band's albums. The first five albums have been pretty good.

This album is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is an eclectic blend of folk rock, art-rock and early symphonic prog. 

Both Høst and Thule are good references here. 

The music is a bit vaudeville and operatic at times. That not at least because of the vocals. The main vocals are operatic male vocals. The lyrics is a mix of Norwegian and English. 

The band has moved in a more vaudeville art-rock direction on the last couple of albums. This album is very much in that direction. The sound is good. 

The music also sounds like it is influenced by the dark nights beyond the Arctic Circle where this band comes from. 

The quality of the music is pretty good and this makes it an interesting album. It is an album for those who are looking for something original and special. Something unique and exotic.

2.5 points 

Haystacks Balboa - Haystacks Balboa (1970)

 

The one and only album from this band from USA.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

This band was one of the many US bands who never really got their breakthrough. Hence their short career and a one-album-only status.

This album is clocking in at thirty-six minutes.

The music here is hard rock... with some nuances.

Mountain, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple is three good references here. The music is very hard rocking at times.

There are also some progressive rock and not at least psych rock here. The music is indeed very progressive at times. That makes this album a much more varied album than just another hard rock album.

There is a lot of good organs and guitars here. Some of the organs reminds me a lot about both Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. 

The vocals are pretty good.

The music is not bad at all. This is indeed a decent album and one to check out if 1970s hard rock is your thing.

2 points 

 

 

 

Human Egg - Human Egg (1978)

 

The one and only album from this band from France.

The band was more a studio project run by a studio owner. The lineup was drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, moog and vocals.

From where and why did I get this album, is my question here. I got it many years ago and put it in my to-review list for this month. The album has recently been re-released on Bandcamp by a French retro albums label called Favorite Recordings. The label speciality is obscure French albums from the 1970s. Very few of these albums, if any, is progressive rock.

Human Egg is clocking in at thirty-six minutes.

The music is a mix of 1970s crooner pop, soul and disco.

The vocals are in English. The music is very commercial and melodic

The music sounds dated too. The music is really poor. It is not the progressive rock album I must have thought it was when I got this album years ago. 

This album is a turkey and best avoided.

1 point 

Angine de Poitrine - Vol.II (2026)

 

The second album from this band from Canada.

The band was a duo with a lineup of percussion, guitars, programming and vocals.

This band is this year's big hype and novelty band. I reviewed their debut album and was not impressed at all. The band's stage costumes are far more interesting than their music.

Vol.II is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music is math-rock. 

The music is minimalistic and bare-boned. The music is basically one guitar, percussion and some voices. That is all.

The band has not expanded on the music from their debut album. It is more of the same.

There are some decent stuff here. Most of the music is pretty dire and pretty annoying. This band is a hype and a novelty act. It is not more than that.

1.5 points 

 

 

Monnaie De Singe - The Story of Rose Øla Seks (2021)

 

The third album from this band from France.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

The band returned again after a three years long album break. This album is the reason why I thought this band was from Norway as the album title is partly in Norwegian and there are many other references to Norway on this album. I therefore picked up their three albums... only to find out this is a French band. No harm done as their first two albums are two good albums.

The Story of Rose Øla Seks is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is modern heavy prog. 

Porcupine Tree is a good reference. Ditto for Riverside and Blackfield. 

The music is muscular and hard. There is a lot of guitars here. The keyboards is supporting the guitars.

Anne Gaelle Rumin's vocals are floating on the top of the instruments again and is pretty dominant in their music. Her vocals is also very good.

This album is their so far latest album. I hope we will hear a lot more from them in the future as this album and their first two albums are good albums. This band is like a fresh breeze in the scene.

3 points 

Kashgar - Kashgar III (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Canada.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, organ and keyboards.

Three guests added cello, saxophone and vocals on a couple of tracks.

The band returned six years after the good Artefact album. An album I reviewed some days ago.

Kashgar III is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music is a blend of fusion, symphonic prog and cinematic rock. There are also some Indian folk music/pop with vocals at the end, the final five minutes.

The music's platform is fusion.  

The music is both catchy and melodic. There are some funky acoustic guitars here which is adding a lot of colours to the music.

The guitars are very good throughout. The guitars range from acoustic via half-acoustic jazzy parts to full on electric guitar riffs and solos.

The other instruments are adding a lot of spice to their music. The organ and the percussion deserve a lot of praise too.

The music is very good at times. Most of the times, that is.

The result is a very good album and their best so far. I really hope we will hear a lot more from this band in the future. 

3.5 points 

 

 

 

Elder - Through Zero (2026)

 

The eighth album from this band from USA.

The band was a quartet on this album with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, slide guitar, guitars, piano, synths and vocals.

The band returned again after a four years long album break. I have reviewed their albums the earlier editions of this blog and I have always liked their albums.

Through Zero is clocking in at fifty-five minutes.

The music is heavy prog with some psych rock influences.

The music is big, bold and epic. The soundscape is pretty massive too.

There are a lot of good guitars and synths here.

The vocals is very good.

There is no real bad songs here. The music is slightly workman like. This is still a good album and one to check out if heavy prog is your thing.

3 points 

 

Lazuli - En Avant Doute (2006)

 

The third album from this band from France.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of drums, percussion, marimba, metalphone, vibes, guitars, warr guitar, chapman stick, leode and vocals.

The band returned again after a two years long album break.  

En Avant Doute is clocking in at forty-two minutes.

After their foray into French and North-African folk music on the previous album Amnesie, the band returned to a more mainstream heavy prog soundscape on this album.

There are also some strong classic French symphonic prog influences in their music.  

The music is dominated by their own invented instrument, the leode. An instrument whose tones ranges from electric guitars to mellotron and moog synths. That gives this album a very fat sound.

The French female vocals is very good and is adding a lot of colours to this album.

This is indeed a good album and one to check out. 

3 points 

 

Nilssen. Ole G - Memories Of A Lifetime (2001)

 

The second album from this artist from Norway.

Ole G. Nilssen did the guitars and vocals here.

A number of guests added drums, percussion, bass, guitars, slide guitars, keyboards, programming, vocoder, female vocals and backing vocals.

Ole G. Nilssen comes from Harstad in the north of Norway, four hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. His debut album World Of Dreams was released back in 1977. You can read my review of that album here. Ole G. Nilssen was also member of Solaris who released one album. He is now a professor in music. 

He has also released eight albums since his comeback at the beginning of this century. I will review most of them in the coming weeks.

Memories Of A Lifetime is clocking in at one hour.

The music here is old style pop music. Roy Orbison is a good reference here.

The music is mostly slow to mid-tempo.

The music is melodic and straightforward uncomplicated. The music has some country'n'western influences. 

The vocals are mostly male crooning. There is one male and female vocals duet here.

The music is pretty poor. The music also questions the wisdom of reviewing his new albums. I sincerely hope his other albums is much better than this one.

1.5 points 

 

  

 

 

Xtra - Xtra (1994)

 

The one and only album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and saxophones.

Two guests added guitars.

Nothing is known about this band besides their nationality. There is a nice band photo in their CD and in ProgArchives.

This album is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is fusion.

The music is slick and elegant. Return To Forever is a good reference here. 

The bass is thundering and at the forefront of the soundscape. But each of the instruments gets their own spots in the soundscape, indeed in the sunshine.  

The music is pretty beautiful throughout with some elegant solos. The saxophone is adding a lot of colours to the music. The guitars are very good.

All of this makes this a good album and a bit of a hidden gem. A gem well worth digging out and enjoying. 

3 points 

 

Zookeeper's Palace - Red Sky Ruminations (2012)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of percussion, drums, keyboards, guitars, bass and vocals.

The band released two albums before they gave up the ghost. I reviewed their second/final album Deliquesce (2016) back in June 2018 and awarded it a decent rating. The review is here. The music on that album is a blend of neo-prog and progressive metal.

Red Sky Ruminations is clocking in at fifty-five minutes.

The music here is a blend of indie rock, heavy prog and art-rock. There is also some soul and funk in their music too. 

The music is mid-tempo to fast. It is to a great deal party-music. The music is colourful and lively.

The music is performed with a blend of keyboards and guitars. Add the male and female vocals on the top of those again.

The sound is good. The male and female vocals are good.

The music is pretty good throughout. There are some decent and some good stuff here. 

This is indeed a pretty good album and one to check out.

2.5 points 

 
 

Angine de Poitrine - Vol.1 (2024)

 

The debut album from this band from Canada.

The band was a duo with a lineup of percussion, guitars, programming and vocals.

This band has so far released two albums and they are pretty popular. Both their albums are charting high on the alterntative rock lists. There is indeed a hype around this band. That is also based on the costumes the band is wearing. That is one of the reasons I am reviewing both albums this summer. A review of their new album will be posted in some days time.

Vol. 1 is clocking in at thirty-two minutes.

The music is math-rock. 

The music is minimalistic and bare-boned. The music is basically one guitar, percussion and some voices. That is all.

The album is based on rhythm figures, performed by the rhythm guitar and the percussion. 

The music is pretty catchy. The music is still pretty melodic. Is it traditional prog rock ? No. The music is more like a novelty, like the Swedish band Ghost. 

The result is decent enough. I don't really understand the hype here. This band is more a novelty act than anything else as their music is not really that interesting.

2 points 

 

 

 

Monnaie De Singe - The Last Chance (2018)

 

The second album from this band from France.

The band was a seven-piece big band with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

Their 2015 debut album Error 404 was a good modern heavy prog album. So I had some expectations to the follow up album, The Last Chance.

The Last Chance is clocking in at one hour.

The music is modern heavy prog. 

Porcupine Tree is a good reference. So is Touchstone. Actually, Touchstone is the most relevant comparison here. The reason is Anne Gaelle Rumin's very good vocals here. Monnaie De Singe is one of the too few female vocals prog bands.

The music is muscular and heavy, yet melodic. The music is also complex with a lot of guitar harmonies and some solos.

The music is in other words, guitar-driven with the vocals on the top. There are some sporadic male backing vocals here too.

The overall quality is good to very good. This is another good album from a band who deserves a lot more attention and praise.

3 points