Parsons Project. The Alan - Eye in the Sky (1982)

 

The sixth 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 and vocals.

This project returned again after a two years long album break.

Eye In The Sky clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is pomp pop.

The music is pompous ballads and crooner like pomp pop throughout. The music is also very sugary sweet throughout.

This album has two big hits. I am not sure which one of the songs as the music sounds very dated. Outdated, to be more precise.

The band does a good job. Ditto for the vocalists. The result is barely a decent album. It is an album I would rather want to forget. 

2 points 

 

 

Attila - Attila (1970)

 

The one and only album from this duo from USA.

The band was Jon Small on drums and Billy Joel on keyboards. Yes, that Billy Joel who later became a massive solo artist who sold zillions of albums and hit singles. This album was his debut album. Hence this review.

Attila clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is hard rock. 

There are a lot of psych rock influences here too. 

To be clear.... The only reason why this album has got some attention is that this is Billy Joel's first album as a recording artist. He is doing all the keyboards here. There are no traces of Billy Joel, the piano man and the pop artist here. Not even a millisecond of what he later did can be found on this album.

The music is also pretty wild and hard throughout this album. There is a lot of Deep Purple influences here.

The quality is pretty poor throughout. This album is a borderline turkey. The keyboards and the drums are decent enough as this album is only being let down by some poor pieces of music. Hence...

1.5 points 

 

 

Athanor - Vulv'air (2008)

 

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

Cedric Marcucci did the computers and electronics on this album.

Is it really twelve and a half years since I reviewed Athanor's second album ? Gosh, I am surprised ! I also promised to review the debut album as soon as possible.... Well, a promise I am now keeping, although twelve and a half year is not "as soon as possible" in my books. The review of the second album can be found here.

Vulv'air clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is RIO/Avant-Garde

...Sort of. The music is both sinister and pretty melodic. It also sounds pretty organic and not as electronic as I first feared.

Athanor has always been very influenced by two bands from Belgium, Present and Univers Zero. Athanor is a bit of a light version of these two bands. That goes for this album and the second album.

This is a surprisingly interesting album. It is also a decent album. As a free download album, it is an album everyone should download as it is an album well worth having in any record collection.

2 points 

 

 

 

 

 

Blacksmith Tales - Dark Ages Suite & Live in Roma (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

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

One guest added bass on the live tracks.

I really liked their first two albums and have decided to review this album despite half of it being a live album. I never review live albums. 

This album clocks in at fifty minutes.

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

The first twenty minutes or so are taken up by a suite. A progressive metal suite. This suite is complex and pretty symphonic. There is indeed some pretty strong neo-prog influences in this suite. The music is pretty dark throughout this suite and slightly gothic..... as in gothic RPI.

This suite is good and is worth the price of this album alone.

The live tracks are decent enough but does not add anything new to the studio versions from the first two albums.

The result is a bit underwhelming, I am afraid. This is a pretty good album but nothing more than that.

2.5 points  

 

Sume - Sume (1977)

 

The third album from this band/project from Greenland.

The band/project was a seven-pieces big with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, grand piano, organ, Mellotron and vocals.

The band has so far yet to impress me. But I am still going to review their final two albums.... starting with this album. 

Sume clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is folk rock.

There are far more bluesy rock here than folk rock. There are some Procol Harum influences throughout this album.

The lyrics are in the local language Greenlandic, a language spoken by just over fifty thousand people. The vocals is pretty good.

The music is a bit simple and based on guitars and vocals. 

The music is pretty decent throughout. This is not an album I can recommend.

1.5 points  

Stubbs - The Idyll Party (1984)

 

The second album from this band from Japan.

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

One guest added woodwinds on one of the four tracks here.

Their 1983 debut album was a very good album (see my review). Hence, I had some expectations to this, the follow up album.

The Idyll Party clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music is Canterbury prog.

References are National Health and Egg. 

These references are not as obvious on this album as on the debut album, though. The music is more in the Canterbury jazz mould here than the Canterbury prog mould.

The music is also slightly more cinematic than before.

The organ sound is very good. The music is pretty good. This is still an acceptable album. It is an album fans of this genre should check out.

2.5 points 

 

Karfagen - Omni II Act I The Glass of Time (2026)

 

The 23rd album by this band from Ukraine.

Antony Kalugin did the percussion, bass pedals, keyboards, programming and some vocals here.

He had help from a number of guests who provided drums, percussion, bass, guitars, Chapman stick, violin, keyboards, flute, saxophones and vocals.

This album is a part of the Omni series of albums from Karfagen/Antony Kalugin. I really like these albums and I have reviewed most if not all the Karfagen albums in both ProgArchives and in this blog.

This album clocks in at sixty-eight minutes.

The music is melodic, songs based symphonic prog.

Some of the music also sounds a bit like musicals. 

The music is mid-tempo and melodic. The music is also very elegant throughout.

The vocals are a blend of male and female vocals. The vocals are very good.

The music is a bit too wishy-washy for my liking. This is by far not the best Karfagen album out there. That said... this is still a good album.

3 points  

 

 

 

 

Rainbow - Difficult To Cure (1981)

 

The fifth 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 with a new vocalist after a two years long break. Joe Lynn Turner got the vocalist job here and he is far more suited to Ritchie Blackmore's visions than the previous vocalist Graham Bonnet. No offence intended, Graham.... 

This album's cover-art is also one of the more iconic and memorable album covers from this era. I grew up back then and this album cover was everywhere. It is a great album cover too and one of the best ever album covers.

Difficult To Cure clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is hard rock.

There are also one song with pop/rock. The title track is their take on the main theme in Beethoven's ninth symphony. A symphony many other bands and artists has tried too. It is a pretty good take on this theme. 

There are a couple of other good tracks here too. The rest of the album is pretty poor. This is still a pretty good album and one to check out as this is a semi-classic album and perhaps Rainbow's most known & iconic album.

2.5 points 

 

 

String Driven Thing - The Machine That Cried (1973)

 

The third album from this band from Great Britain.

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

This band comes from Scotland and their second album, their major label debut album, were pretty popular. I reviewed it last month. 

This original album clocks in at fifty minutes. The extended version released by the band themselves thirty years ago clocks in at sixty-three minutes.

The music here is folk rock.

The music is songs based.

It also has a lot of country'n'western influences as it is straddling the Atlantic Ocean. Hence the band's popularity in USA.

There is a lot of viola violins here. The guitars are slightly in the bluegrass tradition. 

The vocals are both male and female. They are all good.

The music is not particular progressive. I did not know the band wrote the title track for the Bay City Rollers album It's A Game. An album I got forty years ago and (unfortunately) still remember. The original is on this album and it is as poor as this teenybopper band's version.

The rest of this album is decent enough and lot better than that song. Thankfully...

2 points 

 

 

Om - Om (1971)

 

The one and only album from this band from Spain.

The band was a ten plus members band/project with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, piano, organ, keyboards, flutes and woodwinds.

This band released this album and then disappeared again. 

Om clocks in at thirty-eight minutes.

The music is a blend of fusion and jazz.

There are also some good space rock influences here.

The music is pretty wild throughout with some good trumpet, guitar and organ solos throughout. The bass is galloping away. The music is pretty fast throughout. 

It is also wild and full of life.

The quality is pretty good. This album is one of the hidden obscure gems out there just waiting to be re-discovered. Check out this album.

2.5 points 

 

 

Obskuria - Burning Sea Of Green (2011)

 

The second album from this band/project from Peru and Germany.

The band was a seven pieces big band with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, sound effects and vocals. 

This is the follow-up album to their decent enough 2007 debut album. This is also their final album as the band/project has split up.

The album clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is psych rock with some strong space and krautrock influences.

The band/project threw some curveballs on their debut album in the shape of a couple of Metallica and The Beatles cover versions. This time around, they have included a cover version of Slayer's classic Black Magic. A version complete with female vocals. A pretty decent cover version, but still nowhere near as good as Slayer's own version.

The rest of the music is decent enough with some male and female vocals.

I cannot really say this band/project has impressed me with their two albums. Their two albums are obscure and that for a good reason.

2 points 

 

 

Bardic Depths. The - Something Are Worth Remembering (2026)

 

The fourth album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band returned again after a two-year-long album break. I really like their first two albums and I have reviewed them in this blog (# 3 - 4).

Something Are Worth Remembering clocks in at fifty minutes.

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

The music is melodic and complex. There are some late-era Pink Floyd influences here too.

The music is also epic, with some good woodwinds.

The vocals are very good and there is some good guitars here.

This is not their best album. It is still a good album and one to check out if melodic, yet complex prog is your thing.

3 points 

 

 

 

Lindh. Pär & Johansson. Björn - Dreamsongs (2004)

 

The second and final album from this project from Sweden.

The line-up here was drums, percussion, bass, guitars, mandolin, harp, keyboards, clavinet, synths, organ and bassoon.

A number of guests added bass, harp, woodwinds and vocals/choir.

Their debut album Bilbo was a pretty good album. I was therefore looking forward to review the follow up album too. Sadly, this is the final album from this duo.

Dreamsongs clocks in at sixty-four minutes.

The music is symphonic prog.

There are still some folk music influences here. But not as much as on their debut album. The music is more influenced by classical music.

There are a lot of keyboards here.

The music is complex and symphonic throughout. It is also pretty good too. There are some substandard music here too. I am not really won over by this album.

2.5 points 

 

 

Orquestra Mirasol - D'oca A Oca I Tira Que Et Toca (1975)

 

The second and final album from this band from Spain.

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

This band released two albums between 1974 and 1975. I reviewed their debut album some days ago and that is a decent enough album.

D'oca A Oca I Tira Que Et Toca clocks in at eighty-three minutes. 

The music here is fusion.

There are some strong traditional jazz influences here too. A blend of jazz and fusion is what I would label the music as here.

The band has added a guitar after their debut album, which had no guitars. The music is still dominated by woodwinds and keyboards. The bass has also been pushed a lot more to the forefront in their mix too.

The music is pretty good at times. Some of the music is not exactly sparkling and therefore a bit flat. But half of this album is really good. Hence....

2.5 points 

 

 

Celeste - Prince of One Day (2026)

 

The ninth album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of percussion, xylophone, bass, guitars, violin, keyboards, mellotron, synths, saxes, flutes and backing vocals.

One guest added female lead vocals.

The band returned again one year after releasing their previous album.

Prince Of One Day clocks in at thirty-seven minutes.

The music is a blend of RPI and dream pop.

There is also a lot of Italian folk music in the music here. 

The vocals are from the Australian vocalist and harpist Siobhan Owen. Her vocals are superb and add a lot of class and quality to this album.  

The music is good throughout and this is an album everyone into RPI should and must check out.

3 points 

 

  

Velvet Underground. The - White Light White Heat (1968)

 

The second album from this band from USA.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, electric viola, piano, organ and vocals.

The band returned again after their collaborative album with Nico and Andy Warhol. Lou Reed and John Cale were still members of this band.

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is psych rock.

The music is loose, garage like and arty at the same time. 

Lou Reed's vocals is dominating on the top of some dangling instruments.

There are no real good songs here and this album feels like a regression compared to the debut album. There is not much to enjoy here.

This is a decent enough album but nothing more than that.

2 points 

 

Sigur Ros - Angels Of The Universe (2001)

 

The fourth album from this band from Iceland.

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

A number of guests added percussion, bass, guitar and violin.

This album is a movie soundtrack for an Icelandic film. Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson was also the composer of this album.

The album clocks in at forty-two minutes.

The music here is cinematic rock.

The music is pretty ambient and post-rock'ish throughout. 

Yes, this is indeed cinematic rock.

The music still sounds like Sigur Ros as it has all the hallmarks of this band, both their past and present.

The music is therefore pretty good without really being impressive. It is an album well worth checking out for post-rock and cinematic rock fans.

2.5 points 

 

Obskuria - Discovery Of Obskuria (2007)

 

The debut album from this band/project with members from Germany and Peru.

The band was an eight pieces big band with a line-up of drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, sound effects and vocals.

This band/project released two albums before they gave up the ghost/cooperation. This band was a collaboration between bands from Peru and Germany. The type of cooperation the music world is capable of doing. Which says everything about the power of music. A review of the second album will be posted in some days' time.

Discovery Of Obskuria clocks in at eighty minutes.

The music is mainly space rock.

Their inclusion of a The Beatles and a Metallica song is an odd one and the first thing that strikes the listener about this album. Moving past these decent cover versions of Come Together and For Whom The Bells Tolls, there are a lot of space rock workouts here.

The music is hard and heavy most of the time. Some of these space rock workouts sound improvised too.

The album ends with some soul music. Just to confuse us all.

I am not really won over by this album. The cover versions are half-decent. The space rock pieces is pretty good and the soul music is best forgotten. Hence.....

2 points 

 

 

 

 

 

Mad Curry - Mad Curry (1971)

 

The one and only album from this band from Belgium.

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

This band was active during the first years of the 1970s when they released this album. They reformed this millennium again as a hobby band but have not released anything as far as I know. 

This album clocks in at just over half an hour.

The music is a blend of brass rock and Canterbury prog.

There are some late 1960s vibes throughout this album.

The music is driven by organ and saxophones. It is mid-tempo throughout. The music is pretty hard throughout.

The pretty good vocals are a blend of male and female vocals. Mostly female vocals.

The music is decent enough and this is not a bad album at all. Fans of the 1970s scene and sound should check out this album.

2 points 

 

 

 

Penaguin. Tom - Tom Penaguin II (2026)

 

The fourth album from this artist from France.

Tom Penaguin played bass, guitars, keyboards and drum machine here.

One guest added female vocals on one track.

I have really liked his first three albums and was looking forward to this album.

Tom Penaguin II clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is Canterbury prog.

Both National Health and Egg are good references here. 

The music is quirky and eclectic. It is still melodic and jazzy too.

This is very much a Canterbury prog album and a good example why this genre is great. This is an album i would play to those who wonder what the more eclectic end of this genre sounds like. There are no superb pieces of music here, though. This is still a great album and one of the best albums of this year... so far. 

This album has - finally - converted me into becoming a fan of Tom Penaguin.....

4 points  

Lindh. Pär & Johansson. Björn - Bilbo (1996)

 

The debut album from this duo from Sweden.

The line-up here was drums, percussion, bass, guitars, mandolin, harp, keyboards, clavinet, synths, organ and bassoon.

Two guests added oboe, flute and vocals.

This duo released two albums between 1996 and 2004 before they split up. Both of them based on Tolkien's books. Both of these albums are up for review this month.

Bilbo clocks in at one hour and five minutes.

The music is a blend of symphonic prog and folk rock.

This is also a concept album with some neo-classical music too.

The sound and music are folky with some female and male vocals and choirs. There are also some woodwinds in addition to the usual keyboards and guitars.

Some of the music is good and some of the music is decent. I am not won over by this album....

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Orquestra Mirasol - Salsa Catalana (1974)

 

The debut album from this band from Spain.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, percussion, bass, piano, synths, flute and saxophones.

This band released two albums between 1974 and 1975. Both of them are up for review this week.

Salsa Catalana clocks in at thirty-five minutes.

The music here is a blend of jazz and fusion.

The music is far more jazz than fusion, though. Add in some salsa too and you get the idea here.

The music is both rhythmic and melodic. This is to a large degree jazz-lite.

There are a lot of woodwinds here and some piano. 

The sound is really good and cannot be faulted.

The music is decent enough. It is a bit fluffy and not particular complex. That said, this is a decent enough album.

2 points 

 

 

 

Delirium - Sesta Strada Lungo il Tempo (2026)

 

The sixth album from this band from Italy.

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

A number of guests added viola, backing vocals, choir and narration.

This band album debuted back in 1971 and released three albums in the 1970s. The band returned in 2009 with their fourth album. Their fifth album was released eleven years ago. 

The band returned again after this eleven-year break. 

Sesta Strada Lungo il Tempo clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is classic RPI.

The music is a blend of mid-tempo and more pastoral RPI. 

There are a lot of guitars, keyboards and some flutes here. This in addition to the vocals. 

The vocals are great. 

This is indeed one of the better RPI albums of the year. Among the five best RPI albums of the year, to be precise. It is a very good album indeed and one RPI fans should have in their collection.

3.5 points  

 

Sume - Inuit Nunaat (1974)

 

The second album from this band from Greenland.

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

A number of guests added piano, organ, moog and choir.

I reviewed their debut album fifteen years ago and I have now got their three remaining albums up for review this fall.

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is folk rock.

The music is both melodic and rocking. There are more rock than folk, to put it like this.

The vocals are in the local Inuit language although the names of the musicians are Danish. But that may be the way the people in Greenland was named back then and even today as Greenland is a Danish territory.

The music is decent enough. It is a bit dated and too much mainstream rock orientated. That aside....

2 points 

Procol Harum - Procol's Ninth (1975)

 

The eighth album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band regarded their 1972 live album as a proper album. Hence they naming their eighth studio album as their ninth album. Confusing but thankfully explained well enough by the band.

Procol's Ninth clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is a blend of folk rock and psych rock.

The music is songs orientated and dominated by Gary Brooker's very good vocals.

The music is this time meandering and a bit on the workman like end of the spectrum.

The music is also mid-tempo.

There are no good songs here. This is a decent enough album but nothing more than that. This is the weakest of their eight albums.

2 points 

  

Altare Thotemico - Selfie Ergo Sum (2020)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

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

Two guests added trumpet and saxophones.

The band returned again after a seven years long break. Their last album was a good album. Ditto for their debut album, which is a semi-classic album in this genre. Both of them have been reviewed in this series of blogs.

Selfie Ergo Sum clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music is RPI.

The music is both dark and theatrical. It is also pretty complex with some intricate twists and turns. Some of the music is also pastoral.

The vocals are both male and female. The vocals are in Italian.

The music is good throughout. This is not standard RPI. It is still an album which will give RPI fans a lot of joy.

3 points 

 

Aelementi - Una Questione Di Principio (2017)

 

The debut album from this band from Italy.

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

Three guests added keyboards and vocals.

This is so far the only album released by this band but I hope we will hear a lot more from them in the future.

The album clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is RPI.

The music is at the lighter, melodic poppy side of the RPI spectrum.  

The music is also pretty commercial and a bit of a bridge between traditional RPI and commercial pop/rock. The female vocals is one of the reasons for their light and poppy take on RPI.

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

The quality is somewhere between decent and good. I am not won over but this is an album the band should follow up with some more albums.

2.5 points 

  

 

Flor De Loto - Beyond The Cosmos (2026)

 

The 11th album from this band from Peru.

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

A number of guests added guitars and vocals.

The band returned again, one year after their last album. An album I have reviewed together with their first nine albums too.

This album clocks in at just over fifty minutes.

The music is a blend of folk rock and heavy metal.

There are a lot of South-American folk music influences here too with the Andean wind instruments and flutes adding a lot of colours to the music.

The music is still hard throughout.

I have some strong reservations against the blend of metal and folk rock/music. The music here lives up to my reservations as it is pretty dull despite of the colourful South American influences. There are some good music here and some dull music here. Hence....

2.5 points 

 

  

Lazuli - Lazuli 11 (2023)

 

 The 11th album from this band from France.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, marimba, leode, guitars, mandolin, keyboards, French horn and vocals.

The band returned again after a two years long album break. The band regard their collection of acoustic and cover versions album Denude (2021) as their tenth album, while most of us do not. Hence, a bit of confusion here...

Lazuli 11 clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music is art-rock.

There are the usual French symphonic prog influences in their music. Ange and Mona Lisa spring to mind.

The music is both complex and melodic. Lazuli has their own style, their own niche in the market.

The female French vocals here are good. The sound is big and bold.

This is another good album from this band. A band worth checking out. The band released their twelfth album earlier this year. See the review somewhere else in this blog.

3 points  

 

Jupiter VI - Moveable Walls (2014)

 

The second and final album from this band from USA.

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

Their 2006 debut album Back From Mars was a decent enough glam rock album. You can find my review from earlier this month.

Moveable Walls clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is melodic psych/art rock.

Pink Floyd and David Bowie are two good references here.

Mostly Pink Floyd, that is. Both from The Wall and the Momentary Lapse Of Reason era. There are still some glam rock influences retained from the debut album.

The music is melodic and pretty epic. There are a lot of long guitar solos here in the Gilmour mould. 

The overall quality is good and Pink Floyd fans should check out this album.

3 points 

  

 

Kabasse - About Sitting on Fences (2026)

 

The debut album from this band from Germany.

The band was a sextet with a line-up of drums, percussion, glockenspiel, bass, vibraphone, piano, accordion, clavinet, organ and woodwinds.

This band is a new band to me as they have just album debuted.

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is jazz.

The music is pretty melodic jazz with a few avant-garde pieces in between the mid-tempo jazz.

Most of the music is performed by the woodwinds. Trombone, trumpet and horns. 

The music is pretty complex too. 

The jazz is a bit too middle-of-the-road to really enthuse me. Nevertheless, this is a pretty good debut album and something to build on. Something I hope the band will do.

2.5 points   

Stubbs - The New Proper Life Style (1983)

 

The debut album from this band from Japan.

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

This very obscure band released three albums between 1983 - 1985 and then disappeared again. The band was added to ProgArchives earlier this year. Based on them being added to the Canterbury scene genre, aI got their three albums, and they are all up for reviews in the coming week.

The New Proper Life Style clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music is indeed Canterbury scene. 

That means a blend of eclectic prog and jazz. Hatfield & The North is a reference here... but that is not entirely correct. 

There is some avant-garde jazz here too. But most of the music is a blend of eclectic Canterbury prog and jazz. A bit more jazzy and eclectic than Hatfield & The North, but still groovy. 

The music is still pretty melodic.

There is a lot of electric guitar solos here and some electronics. There are not many vocals here as most of the music is instrumental.

The result is a good album and one to check out. I have reasons to believe that Stubbs is one of the best finds in the Canterbury scene in the last decade, although the band split up forty years ago. Check them out.

3 points 

 

Parsons Project. The Alan - The Turn Of A Friendly Card (1980)

 

The fifth 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 and vocals.

This project returned again after a one-year-long album break.

The Turn Of A Friendly Card clocks in at forty minutes.

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

This is actually a concept album with the title track being a suite. It is said that this is the most progressive The Alan Parsons Project album of all time. Listening to this album, I can understand that.

There are a lot of vocals here. There are still some instrumental parts here.

The music is really elegant throughout. The music is still rock instead of the pomp pop music that dominated the previous two albums.

The music is, to my big surprise... and I had given up on this band after the two previous albums... very good. It is by far their best album and one I want to revisit in the coming years.  

3.5 points 

 

 

 

 

Neverness - The Measure Of The Time (2009)

 

The fourth album from this band from Spain.

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

The band returned after a two years long album break. 

I was not really impressed by their 2007 album. Nevertheless, I had some hopes for this album.

The Measure Of The Time clocks in at just over one hour.

The music is a blend of heavy prog, symphonic prog and psych rock.

The music is mid-tempo, pretty eclectic, complex and melodic. 

There are some good guitars and keyboards here. 

The vocals are good.

There is a lot to be enjoyed here and this album is a step up from the previous album. This is indeed a good album and one to check out.

3 points 

 

Nurk Twins - Nurk Twins (1978)

 

The debut album from this band from Norway.

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

This is the only real studio album from this band. The second album Legenden Levande from 1998, is an archive collection album.

Nurk Twins is clocking in at thirty-six minutes.

The music here is country-rock.

There is also a lot of soul and americana in the music here too.

Country-rock was very popular in Norway back in the 1970s. This small country was one of this genre's most popular markets and the genre spawned some notable Norwegian bands. The Flying Norwegians was one of them.

Nurk Twins was one of their understudies who released this album but did not do much else. 

The music is mid-tempo and rocking. The vocals is a blend of English and Norwegian. There is a lot of guitars here. The vocals is pretty good.

The music is decent enough and cannot be faulted. I am not a fan of this genre. I therefore have my reservations. Fans of country and country-rock should check out this album.

2 points 

 

  

Neal. Ian - This Gemlike Flame (2026)

 

The sixth album from this artist from Great Britain.

Ian Neal did the guitars, piano, organ, keyboards and synths here.

Two guests added drums and backing vocals.

I have reviewed his previous albums and have liked them a lot. Hence I was looking forward to this album.

The Gemlike Flame clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is symphonic prog.

The music is majestic, bold, epic, melodic and slightly complex.  

The most obvious reference here is Genesis. There are also some Pink Floyd references here too. There are also some neo-classical music influences here.

There are some long soaring pieces here which feel both sad and uplifting at the same time. Pieces of music that are great.

The quality of the music here is indeed great and this is his best album so far. It is an album to really enjoy.  

4 points 

 

 

Lazuli - Saison 8 (2018)

 

The eighth album from this band from France.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of drums, marimba, leode, guitars, mandolin, keyboards, French horn and vocals.

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

This album clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

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

There are also the usual French symphonic prog influences here too. 

The music is bold, epic, theatrical and complex.

The music is also very melodic too.

The vocals are in French and they are great.

This album is their best album up to this point and a very good album indeed. Check it out.

3.5 points 

 

 

Jupiter VI - Back From Mars (2006)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

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

The band released two albums between 2006 and 2014. I will post a review of the second album sometime at the end of this month/early next month.

This is two albums sold to me as progressive rock albums....  

Back from Mars clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is glam rock with a lot of punk rock influences.

The music is pretty fast and punky. The band rocks out throughout this album... with one exception.. the obligatory ballad. The ballad Lucidia is a good song.

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

The music is fairly decent, with Lucidia being the only real good song. This is not progressive rock, but still well worth checking out.

2 points  

 

 

Hawkwind - Psychedelic Selection (2026)

 

The 33rd album from this band from Great Britain.

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

This album is a collection of some of their old classics and some new songs. This is therefore not really a new album. But I have chosen to review it anyway.

Psychedelic Selection clocks in at seventy-five minutes.

The music is a blend of space rock and psych rock.

The music is at times whimsical and spaced out. The music is also melodic throughout.

Silver Machine is not here. Besides that, most of their other classics are here.

There are some good space rock runouts here in between the songs.

The vocals are really good here.

It can be argued that this album is a bit of a waste of time and money. The songs are very good and this makes this album both a guilty pleasure and a very good album.

3.5 points  

 

Rainbow - Down To Earth (1979)

 

The fourth album from this band from Great Britain.

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

Ronnie James Dio was out. Graham Bonnet was in as the new vocalist. Only Ritchie Blackmore and Cozy Powell remained from the Long Live Rock'n'Roll album from the year before. This is therefore essentially a new band.

Down To Earth clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is hard rock with some early heavy metal influences.

The music on this album is a lot harder than on their first three albums. Graham Bonnet's vocals is the main reason for this. His vocals on this album are still dividing opinions, fifty years later. I don't think his vocals fit Rainbow. Then again, this is Ritchie Blackmore's fiefdom.

Since You Been Gone is a poppy song and one of their best-ever songs. It was also a considerable hit that year. The rest of the album is substandard. There is not much here of any interest. The musicians do a good job on these substandard songs. Don Airey's organ sound is great. His organ sound and the above-mentioned song are the only positive aspects of this album. The rest is best forgotten.

2 points 

  

String Driven Thing - String Driven Thing (1972)

 

The second album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quartet with a line-up of percussion, bass, guitars, banjo, violin, viola and vocals.

The band debuted two years previously on an obscure Scottish record label called Concord. An album almost impossible to find these days (but re-released as a part of a box). The band was picked up by Charisma Records and this is their major record label debut.

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is acid folk.

The music is folky, dynamic, melodic and pretty wild at times.

There are some wild folk music here, not at least on the opening track which I believe was quite a hit for the band too.

There are also some pastoral pieces here too.

The violins, guitars and violas are very good. The same can be said about the vocals too.

The result is a good album and one of the best folk rock albums I have heard for a very long time. 

3 points   

 

Neverness - Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles (2007)

 

The third album from this band from Spain.

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

The band has released five albums. 

Strangely enough, this is my first ever meeting with this band. I thought I had reviewed their first two albums but that is not the case. I have their fourth album up for review sometime next month.

Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music here is symphonic prog.

There are also some psych rock and heavy prog in their music too. 

The music is mid-tempo, melodic and slightly esoteric.

The male Spanish vocals are pretty good.

The music is pretty good throughout. I am not really won over by this album.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

 

Napalis - Napalis (1976)

 

The one and only album from this band from The Netherlands.

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

This is the only album this band released before they split up.

Napalis clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is fusion.

The music is dynamic, fast, mid-tempo, a bit melodic and lively.

There are a lot of saxophones and organ solos here too. Add in some flute and guitars solos too and you get the picture. 

Soft Machine is a good reference here at times.

The music is free-flowing throughout.

The quality is good throughout and this is an album the fusion and jazz fans should check out.

3 points 

Red Kite - This Too Shall Pass (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Norway.

The band was a line-up of drums, bass, guitars and saxophones.

One guest added keyboards.

This is my first album from this band, but I will get their two other albums too and review them before the end of the year.

This Too Shall Pass clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is jazz.

The music is dense, intense, hard, esoteric and eclectic.

There are some melodies here too. There is even one ballad here at the end of the album. Most of the music is an aural assault. 

The harmonies here are really good. The band is tight and deliver the goods.

This is a good album and one to check out if esoteric, eclectic music is your cup of tea.

3 points  

 

Relayer - Choices (2026)

 

The eighth album from this band from USA.

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

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

Choices clocks in at forty-two minutes.

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

The music is melodic and has an Americana twang to it. The music is also pretty complex too. 

There are some good guitars here too. And the harmonies are good.

The music is far too mainstream rock to be really interesting. There are some sporadic good details. 

The vocals are pretty good and fit this music.

This album is an improvement and a pretty good album.

2.5 points 

 

Rome Pro(G)ject. The - V Compendium Of A Lifetime (2022)

 

The fifth album from this project from Italy.

The band was a seven pieces big project here with a line-up of bass, guitars, chapman stick, piano, keyboards, flute, saxophone and vocals.

A handful of guests added drums, bass, guitars and vocals.

The Vincenzo Ricca returned with this project two years after the fourth album. A good album indeed and reviewed in this blog.

V Compendium Of A Lifetime clocks in at fifty-two minutes. 

The music is again a blend of symphonic prog and neo-classical music.

There are some musicals 'ish vocals based songs here too. They are pretty good. The instrumental neo-classical stuff here is better though.

This is another good album from Vincenzo Ricca's project and one to check out.

3 points 

Jordsjø - Pestkrønikene (2026)

 

The ninth album from this band from Norway.

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

A number of guests added tambourine, drums, mini-moog and vocals.

The band returned again after the release of a split-album with Breidablik. An album reviewed earlier in this blog.

Pestkronikene clocks in at thirty-five minutes.

The music here is a blend of folk rock and heavy prog.

Jethro Tull comes to mind as a good reference. 

This band got their own style, though.  

The music is pretty hard at times with some heavy prog guitars. The music is generally very quirky too with some good mini-moog themes throughout. 

The vocals are good.

This is another good album from this band. It is one of the better prog bands in Norway and this album proves that beyond any doubts.

3 points 

  

Velvet Underground. The - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a quintet with a line-up of percussion, bass, guitars, electric viola, celeste, piano and vocals.

This legendary band released five albums before they gave up the ghost. Their setup on this album included Nicole, John Cale and Lou Reed. Andy Warhol, whose artwork can be found above, produced most of this album.

I am reviewing their five albums this fall/autumn. 

This album clocks in at close to fifty minutes.

The music is psychedelia. 

The music sounds unhinged, taken today's standards into account. There is a garage psych rock feel in their music.

The celeste is the real star here when it comes to instruments. The guitars are OK and the vocals is good.

The music is decent enough. This album has got the classic album because of the setup and not necessary because of the status. This is also to a large degree a genre-creating album. 

Quality wise, it is a decent album.

2 points 

Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun (1999)

 

The third album from this band from Iceland.

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

A number of guests added bass, guitars, harp, strings, woodwinds and choir.

The band returned again for another album. I did not really enjoy their debut album. But I still have a dogged hope for this album.

This album clocks in at one and an half hour.

The music is a blend of electronica and post-rock.

Mostly electronica, it has to be said.

The band had started to develop their own identity on this album. The music is moody, indeed. Arctic and Mid-Atlantic moody with lots of vocals too. Icelandic vocals.

This album is a bit of a grower; it has to be said. And it has grown a lot on me.

The vocals are really good here and there are some really good post-rock themes here. That and some good melodies. 

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

3 points 

 

AcidYesit - A lo Más que Nunca (2019)

 

The second album from this band from Colombia.

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

The mostly unknown band has released two albums through Bandcamp. I post a review of their debut album last week, and I liked that album a lot. It got a Good rating.

A lo Más que Nunca clocks in at half an hour. 

The music can best be described as eclectic prog.

The music also sounds like a front collision of a train carrying an extreme metal band and a train carrying an avant-garde jazz band.

The music is wild, in other words. Esoteric is also another label fitting this music.

Chugging electric guitars and chugging saxophones dominate this short album.  

There are no melodic sensibilities here and no compromises. This album is a full on assault on the senses.

The music is also good throughout. There is something endearing with the music here. Something primal. Hence....

3 points