Wessex Fayre - Here At The End Of All Things (2023)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, sitar, cello, piano, electric piano, organ, synths, woodwinds and vocals.

This band released their second album earlier this year. An album I will review next week. 

This album is clocking in at fifty minutes.

The music here is eclectic prog.

King Crimson, the Red era, is the most obvious reference. There is also some folk rock and Genesis, the Trespass era, in their music. Ditto for Frank Zappa at his most avant-garde and quirky.

The music is eclectic and quirky. It has this English village green feel. A bit of a David Bowie, first album, feel. There are also some avant-garde pieces here.

The vocals are good and there is a large variety of instruments used on this album, creating a large variety of moods and sounds.

This is a charming, good album. This is an album for those who like eccentric prog rock. It is also a good album in it's own right. This is an album which should be checked out as it is pretty unique.

3 points 

 

 

Round Window. The - Everywhere & Nowhere (2023)

 

The second album from this band from Great Britain.

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

One guest added saxophones. 

This their so far last album. I hope their recent inclusion in ProgArchives will lead to a renewed interest in this band and some more albums from them. Their debut album is a good album, btw. See my review. 

Everywhere & Nowhere clocks in at fifty-three minutes.

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

The music is mid-tempo, song-based, and melodic. The music is also pretty catchy. Some of the songs is also epic, soaring and majestic.

The sound is very good. The vocals are also very good.

The album is a bit uneven. The overall quality is somewhere between decent and very good. The final ten minutes of this album is very good and that makes this, on balance, a good album. Check it out.

3 points 

 

 

 

Procol Harum - Novum (2017)

 

The 13th album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, piano, organ, electronics and vocals.

The band returned again after a fourteen years long break for this, their final album.

Novum clocks in at one hour.

The music is proto-symphonic prog.

That label is the best one for this band and their very own niche in the prog rock scene. 

The music here is songs based, mid-tempo and melodic.

The late Gary Brooker's vocals is great. The band does a good job. The hammond organ sound is very good. 

This album is a bit of a return to form and a fitting end to their career. Gary Brooker passed on in 2022. I have a lot of respect for this band and their albums. They are a bit underrated. But in my home, they are not.

This is a pretty good album and one I really enjoyed. 

2.5 points 

 

 

Ananda Mida - Reconciler (2023)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

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

The band returned again after a four years long album break. Their second album were a pretty decent album. 

Reconciler clocks in at one and a half hour.

The music here is psych rock.

The music is really dark here. The music is also heavy too.

The music is also eclectic and esoteric throughout. There is not much sunshine and lights in the music here.

The vocals are pretty good. 

There are some really good music here and some not so good music. This is by far their best album. It is also so far their latest album. Check it out at their Bandcamp shop.

2.5 points 

 

 

Art In America - Dreams Of The Disappeared (2026)

 

The fourth album from this band from USA.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards, harp, koto, tambura and vocals. 

The band returned again after a one year long album break. I really liked their 2025 album Rise as described in my review some days ago.

Dreams Of The Disappeared clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is neo-prog.

The music here is melodic and on the poppy side of the neo-prog spectrum. There is also some college rock and heavy prog in their music.

The guitars are pretty good here.

The vocals too is good.

Some of the music is good while the majority is decent. The result is an album not as good as last year's album. This is still a pretty good album.

2.5 points 

 

Amorphis - The Karelian Isthmus (1992)

 

The debut album from this band from Finland.

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

I am reviewing all their albums in the coming couple of months. 

This album opened the Scandinavian death metal scene and is a scene/genre-setter. A lot of bands copied the attitude and sound from this album and this genre is one of the strongest, best metal genres in the world. From what I gather, Amon Amarth is currently the biggest band in this genre.

The Karelian Isthmus clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is extreme metal.

There is a lot of folk music in their extreme metal. There is even some subtle progressive rock here. 

The music is very heavy throughout. There are some melodies here too. The music is also epic and very complex.

The vocals are death-grunts/growls.

This album has aged remarkably well. The quality is good throughout. This is one of the classic extreme metal albums.

3 points 

Parsons Project. The Alan - Stereotomy (1985)

 

The ninth album from this project from Great Britain.

The core of the project was a duo with a lineup of piano, organ, keyboards, synths, drum programming and vocals.

A number of guests, including a symphony orchestra, added drums, percussion, bass, guitars, synths, strings, woodwinds and vocals.

The project returned again one year after the previous album.

Vulture Culture clocks in at forty- two minutes.

The music is pomp-pop/rock.

The music on this album is heavier, more rocking than on the previous albums. That is the big change here. 

Both the sound and the music has this annoying synthetic 1980s soundscape. 

There are three decent songs here. The rest of the album is pretty poor. I am not won over.

1.5 points 

 

 

Splink - Free (2017)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band has just released their third album. An album I will review in some days time. I reviewed their second album back in September 2022 and liked it a lot. You can find the review here.

Free clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is fusion.

There are some Jean Luc Ponty references throughout this album. But Mahavishnu Orchestra is the most obvious reference.

Splink's take on fusion is a lot more laid back, more mid-tempo with more harmonies than out and out solos. The guitars, keyboard, and violin play more together than straying into all types of solos. There are still some solos here and they are good.

The bass is really good and the main force on this album.

There is a lot to enjoy on this album. Both their first albums marks this band as one of the better fusion bands in Great Britain at the moment. I hope their new album is as good or even better than their first two albums.

3 points 

 

 

 

Round Window. The - The Round Window (2022)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

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

One guest added flute on one track.

The band has so far released two albums and both of them are up for review this week.

The Round Window clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is neo-prog.

Their take on neo-prog has a lot of early days symphonic prog influences too. The late 1960s influences are obvious.

The music is melodic, muscular and pretty much straight forward. The music is not particularly complex.

The band does a good enough job and the vocals are pretty good. The vocalist knows his limits and stays well within them. Not everyone does that....

The music is also charming and endearing.

The quality is good throughout. This is an album well worth checking out.

3 points 

 

  

Red Sand - A World Without War (2026)

 

The 13th album from this band from Canada.

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

Red Sand is a band I have been observing with great interest during the last decade and a half. I have reviewed their albums and I really like them..... But somehow, their last year's album bypassed me. I will review this album in some days time.

A World Without War clocks in at fifty-two minutes.

The music here is neo-prog.

This band started out as almost a Marillion tribute band on their first albums. Then they branched off and created their own style, their own identity. The result has been some very good albums.

Their take on neo-prog on this album is symphonic and epic. The music is very complex at times. 

The music is also melodic too.

The guitars are very good and the rest of the band does a good job too. The vocals is good.

This is not among their best albums. It is still an album which will satisfy their fans and a good album in it's own respect.

3 points 

 

 

Procol Harum - The Well's On Fire (2003)

 

The 12th album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band returned again five years after that dismal rockabilly cover versions album and twelve years after their good last studio album.

The Well's On Fire clocks in at one hour.

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

This has indeed been their take on progressive rock for the last half a dozen studio albums. Their own niche in the scene.

The music is a blend of mid-tempo and slower songs.

The mood is reflective and melancholic. The songs has some hidden depth too.

Most of the songs are a bit too simple and straight forward. Gary Brooker's vocals is very good.

The quality is decent enough and this is a pretty cosy, charming album. It is not among their better albums.

2 points 

 

Ananda Mida - Cathodnatius (2019)

 

The second album from this band from Italy.

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

The band returned again after a three years long album break. Their debut album were a decent enough album.

Cathodnatius clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is mainstream rock.

There is a lot of psych rock in their music too. Even some space rock.  

The music is mid-tempo and guitars based.  

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

The music is really poor, though. It is really dull too and there is hardly anything interesting here. A couple of decent songs livens up this album and that is all.

1.5 points 

 

Phideaux - AutoMoto Animus (2026)

 

The 12th album from this artist from USA.

 Phideaux Xavier did the bass, guitars, keyboards, synths and vocals.

A number of guests added drums, percussion, bass, guitars, violin, viola, cello, piano, organ keyboards, moog, mellotron, synths, woodwinds and vocals.

Phideaux Xavier returned again after a six years long album break.

AutoMoto Animus clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is art-rock.

The music starts out in the Depeche Mode vein and that made me wonder where the album was heading. Thankfully, that was only the first minutes. Then the music becomes art-rock. 

Normal service resumes, in other words.

There are some folk rock influences throughout his album. Indeed some Americana too.

The music is pretty quirky.

The vocals is very good.

The overall quality is good and this is another quality album from this artist.

3 points 

  

 

 

  

Ageless - Cycles (2022)

 

The second album from this band from USA.

The band was a duo with a lineup of drums, bass, synths and vocals.

The band returned again one year after their debut album Song By Song, an album I reviewed earlier this month.

This band has to date released five albums and I am reviewing them this autumn.

Cycles clocks in at one hour.

The music here is neo-prog.

The band's take on neo-prog is much more in the European and the British tradition than in the US tradition. When listening to their music, I was sure this was a British band. It is a US band.    

The music is melodic but still pretty complex. The music is also epic. 

The vocals is good and the music here should really please all neo-prog fans. This is another good album from this band.

3 points 

 

3rd Ear Experience - Incredible Good Fortune (2014)

 

The third album from this band from USA.

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

A number of guests added percussion, djembe, guitars, keyboards, mouth organ, saxophones, flute and vocals. 

I liked their debut album a lot but has failed to find their second album. Hence a review of this album.

Incredible Good Fortune clocks in at seventy-five minutes.

The music here is space rock.

The music is long pieces of outer space rock, non-melodic music with long guitar solos. 

The music is floating around. There are some sporadic wordless female vocals here too.

There are some good themes and details here. This album is a big improvement on the debut album and an album space rock fans should check out.

3 points 

 

 

  

Trinity Xperiment - Anaesthesia (2017)

 

The second album from this project from Germany.

The project was a trio with a lineup of percussion, bass, guitars, organ, piano, keyboards and synths.

Two guests added drums and violins on some tracks.

This is so far their final album. I have contacted them, suggesting some more albums as their 2008 debut album Honeymoon On Mars is a very good album. We will see...

Anaesthesia clocks in at sixty-seven minutes. 

The music is a blend of melodic cinematic rock and fusion.

Where the debut album was pretty much a straight fusion album, the music on this album is much more varied.  

The music is also laidback and has some slower guitar solos than on the more intense debut album. 

The quality of the music here is not on the same high level as on the debut album. Nevertheless, this is still a good album. Both their albums are must-haves for those into fusion.

3 points 

Tribe of Cro - Mavacanto Flavourslime (2008)

 

The final album from this band from Great Britain.

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

This name-your-price Bandcamp album is a collection of golden oldies and left-overs tracks. 

Mavacanto Flavourslime clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is space rock.

Music from the outer space, to be more precise.

The sound is not particularly great on some of the tracks. The overall sound quality is still good.

Most of the music here is improvised outer space rock and not particularly melodic.

The music is pretty good throughout this album. This album is not as coherent or good as their final studio album. But as a name-your-price album, it is a good download.

2.5 points 

 

Mine´s Road - Icarus (2026)

 

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

Michael Nermerich performed bass, guitars, keyboards, programming and vocals here.

A guest added female vocals on one track.

Icarus clocks in at sixty-two minutes.

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

The music is both melodic and pretty heavy. It is muscular throughout.

There are some pretty strong Porcupine Tree influences in the music here. That said, Michael has created his own little universe, soundscape.

The sound is good. The vocals are good.

This is mostly a good album. It is a barely a good album, but still a good album, well worth checking out.

3 points 

 

 

Castle Mountain Moon - A Layman's Guide To Unobtainium (2026)

 

The second album from this band from Germany.

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

One guest added drums.

The band returned again, two years after their good debut album.

A Layman's Guide To Unobtainium clocks in at sixty-four minutes.

The music is symphonic prog.

The music here is pretty melodic and has a lot of neo-prog influences. It is therefore only fair to label this album as a blend of symphonic prog and neo-prog.

The German band Argos is indeed a good reference here.

The music is also a blend of instrumental pieces and songs. The vocals are really good and the band does a good job.

The result is a good album and one to check out.

3 points 

Art In America - Rise (2025)

 

The third album from this band from USA.

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

Two guests added organ, mellotron, moog and synths.

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

I have not been impressed by their first two albums as I have stated in my reviews. But I had some hope for Rise and their brand new album which I will review next week.

Rise clocks in at forty-two minutes.

The music here is neo-prog.

The music here is at the melodic, poppy end of the neo-prog spectrum. There are still some symphonic prog influences here.

The band has indeed taken some steps towards symphonic prog. The music is much more rounded and muscular too on this album, compared to their first two albums. The sound is much more muscular.

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

This is by far their best album up to that point. It is barely a good album, but still a good album. Neo-prog fans should check out this album.

3 points 

 

 

 

Latimer. Andrew - One Word (2026)

 

The third solo-album from this artist from Great Britain.

Andrew Latimer played bass, guitars, programming and some vocals here.

Two guests added synths and drums.

This is his second solo-album this year. Both two released as digital albums on Bandcamp. 

This album clocks in at thirty-two minutes.

The music is symphonic prog.

Camel is a good reference here.  

Most of the music is instrumental. There are some pieces of music with vocals too. The music is dynamic though and mid-tempo with some faster, rocking out pieces of music.

The music is electric guitars based with some sporadic synths and vocals.

The music is a bit pedestrian throughout. The music is not always good. This is an album for the dedicated Camel fans and the fans of his gentle guitarist style. I doubt he will win many new fans with this album.

2.5 points  

 

Thollot. Jacques - Resurgence (1977)

 

The third album from this artist from France.

Jacques Thollot was playing drums on this album.

He had help from five guests, make that band members, who provided percussion, bass, piano, clavinet, flute, saxophones and vocals.

Jacques returned again after a two years long album break.

Resurgence is clocking in at forty minutes.

The music here is RIO/avant garde rock.

The music is rather jazz than rock. It is not particularly left-field or outrageous avant-garde either. The music is dynamic and pretty melodic too. There are some very good clavintet and Fender piano here.

There are some good female vocals over some jazzy flutes and saxophones here. From what I can hear, these great soprano vocals are wordless too.

The result is a pretty good album and his best album to that date. It is an album jazz and fusion fans should check out.

2.5 points 

  

 

 

Procol Harum - Liquorice John Death (1998)

 

The 11th album from this band from Great Britain.

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

One guest added saxophones on two tracks.

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

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is rock'n'roll.

Or to be more precise..... rockabilly.

This album is a cover-versions album of old 1950s rockabilly songs. There is no original Procol Harum songs here.

The band does a good job but the songs are not particularly interesting. The music is therefore pretty poor.

I am tempted to give it a turkey rating.... and for good reasons. OK, this is a turkey and a very poor album I will never ever listen to again.

1 point 

Trinity Xperiment - Honeymoon On Mars (2008)

 

The debut album from this band from Germany.

The band was a trio with a lineup of bass, guitars, keyboards, synths, programming and vocals.

Three guests added drums and French horn on some tracks.

This band has so far released two albums. I will review their second album in some days time.

This album clocks in at sixty-eight minutes.

The music here is fusion.

The music has a nice blend of hard rocking stuff and jazz. There are also some traditional fusion here.

Weather Report is a good reference. There is big, big difference here, though. The guitars and the guitar solos.

The guitar solos is adding a lot of quality to this album. The music is also very good throughout. 

There are a couple of sub-standard tracks here. But the overall quality is very good and this album and band is one of the bigger positive surprises this year from this blog.

3.5 points 

  

Tribe Of Cro - Virtual Vinyl (2007)

 

The fourth album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was, as far as I gather, a quintet with a lineup of bass, guitars, synths, samples and drum machine.

I have got their last two albums and is reviewing them today and in some days time. The band has released five studio albums, all of them now available through Bandcamp, between 1996 and 2008.

This album clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is space rock.

The best reference is Ozric Tentacles. Hawkwind is another good reference.

Tribe Of Cro's take on space rock is harder and more outer space than the two above mentioned bands. A bit rawer and feral.

The music is still melodic. 

This album is another hidden, overlooked gems in the scene. Space rock fans should check out this good album which I believe is a name-your-price album.  

3 points 

 

Ozric Tentacles - Harmonic Mind (2026)

 

The 23rd album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a duo with a lineup of guitars, keyboards and synths.

A number of guests added drums, percussion, bass and flute.

The band from the sunny south coast returned again after a three years long album break.

Harmonic Mind clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is space rock.

The music is a blend of ambient melodies and some more muscular melodies. The music is not hard, though.

There are some very good synths and keyboards here. There are also some good guitars here.

This album will not give the Ozric fans any surprises. It is an album in their mould and sound. The music is good though and I am one of them who really like this band. This after reviewing all their albums some years ago.

Check out this good album.

3 points 

Castle Mountain Moon - Six Tales Of Perception (2024)

 

The debut album from this band from Germany.

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

One guest added drums.

This band has so far released two albums. The last one was released earlier this year and is up for review in a few days' time.

Six Tales Of Perception clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is symphonic prog.

The music here is leaning more towards ELP and Yes than the usual symphonic prog reference Genesis. There are some Genesis references here too. But not as many as in most other new bands in this genre.

The music is a blend of instrumental pieces and songs.

The vocals is very good. The keyboards is pretty similar to the Keith Emerson sound.

The quality is good throughout and this is an album symphonic prog fans should check out. A review of their new album will be published in some days time.

3 points 

  

 

 

Art In America - Art In America (1983)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, pedal harp and vocals.

One guest added keyboards.

The band released their fourth and new album earlier this year. I reviewed their second album Cloudborn back in October 2018 and you can read the review here. I will review their third and their new album later this month too.

Art In America clocks in at thirty-six minutes.

The music here is neo-prog.

Their take on neo-prog is in the original British take on neo-prog. The music is poppy and fluffy. 

The sound is a bit thin. The music is mid-tempo and has this plastic fantastic 1980s sound. 

There are a couple of pretty good songs here. There are also some cringe-worthy songs here too. 

The overall quality is decent enough. I hope their two most recent albums are better than this album.

2 points 

 

 

 

Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate - Parallel Lives (2026)

 

The ninth album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a duo with a lineup of bass, guitars, synths, drum programming and vocals.

One guest added piccolo, flutes and female vocals.

The band returned again after a one-year-long album break. Their 2025 album is a good album and I had my expectations for Parallel Lives. 

Parallel Lives clocks in at one hour.

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

There are also some electronica here too.   

Tim Bowness's solo albums are again a good reference.

The vocals is good and there is some good instrumentation here. They are a bit sparse but the music works.

The music is good throughout. This is therefore another good album from this band, one of the most prolific prog bands in UK right now.

3 points

 

 

Sigur Ros - Takk (2005)

 

The seventh album from this band from Iceland.

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

A number of guests added strings, timpani, woodwinds and vocals.

The band returned again for a proper band album. 

Takk clocks in at sixty-six minutes.

The music here is post-rock.

The music is flowing and pretty ambient. The music is more pieces of music than songs.

The music is still dynamic, majestic and epic.

The vocals are mostly used as an extra instrument.

The result is a very good album indeed and one of the albums that has given the band the status it has. 

3.5 points 

 

 

Ananda Mida - Anodnatius (2016)

 

The debut album from this band from Italy.

The band/project was a seven pieces big band on this album with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, organ, synths and vocals.

This band has so far released three studio albums through Bandcamp. They are up for review here in the coming days.   

Anodnatius clocks in at forty minutes.

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

There are far more psych rock here than stoner rock, although the band think this is a stoner rock album.

The music is really dynamic and mid-tempo. It is far too fast to be labelled stoner rock. It is also far to light and shiny happy to be called stoner rock too.

West-Coast psych rock is what the music really is.

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

There are no really good songs here. The quality is a bit sub-standard. Nevertheless, this is a decent album and one to check out if psych rock is your thing.

2 points 

Haizea - Haizea (1977)

 

The debut album from this band from Spain.

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

I reviewed their second & final album Hontz Gaua (1979) some years ago and that was a decent album. It took me some time to get hold of their debut album. But finally it is here and ready to be reviewed.

Haizea clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is folk rock.

The music is pretty slow and the folk rock is in the more traditional folk music mould.

The music is also vocal-based with some sparse instrumentation.

The vocals are both male and female vocals. They are great.

The music is not progressive or rock. The quality is still decent. It is an album worth checking out if folk rock is your thing.

2 points 

 

 

 

Fedele. Jarod - A Collection Of Color (2018)

 

The debut album from this artist from USA.

Jarod Fedele performed the bass, guitars, piano, synths and drum machine here.

He had help from two guests who added acoustic guitars and alto saxophones on a handful of tracks.

This is so far the only album from Jarod Fedele, to my knowledge. 

A Collection Of Color clocks in at two hours.

The music is symphonic prog.

... Or, to be more precise, a blend of symphonic prog and fusion. Add in some heavy prog here too and you get the picture.

The music is dynamic, epic and quite majestic. The ELP and Return To Forever influences shines throughout the whole of this album.

There are some decent and some good stuff here. This is quite an enjoyable album and one to check out from his Bandcamp page.

3 points 

  

ES - Wham Bang (1979)

 

The one and only album from this band from Germany.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, xylophone, bass, clavinet, electric piano, synths and vocals.

This was a short-lived band that released this album on a small record label and then broke up.

Wham Bang clocks in at thirty-seven minutes.

The music here is funk.

There is also a lot of jazz here. The music is indeed a blend of jazz and funk. Add in some rockabilly too and you get the picture.

There is a lot of vocals here and they are pretty good.

The music is fairly decent. The music is too funky for my taste. Nevertheless, those into a mix of funk and jazz should check out this album.

1.5 points 

 

 

Fuzz Kitchen - Fuzz Kitchen (2026)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

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

A handful of guests added saxophones, backing vocals and vocals.

The band members come from bands like Hatfield And The North and some other bands from the Canterbury scene. Maybe Fuzz Kitchen should be called a supergroup. The band name is an apt band name too.

This album clocks in at sixty-four minutes.

The music here is Canterbury scene. 

The best reference here is Hatfield And The North. Caravan, National Health and Egg are also good references. 

The music melodic and very playful. It is a throwback to the 1970s too, to the best days of the Canterbury scene.

The music is a blend of vocal-dominated songs and jazz. All of the music in the best of the Canterbury tradition. This album is indeed all about this scene and a tribute to this scene. A declaration of love for this scene I also love.

The vocals is great and in the Richard Sinclair mode. The band does an excellent job on some great songs and instrumental piece of music.

This is a very charming album and a great album in it's own right. It is also one of the best albums of the year. I am won over and am smiling like a Cheshire cat who has just got milk.

4 points 

  

Rainbow - Stranger In Us All (1995)

 

The eighth album from this band from Great Britain.

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

Two guests added harmonica and vocals.

Ritchie Blackmore reappeared unexpectedly with this album after he, again, had left Deep Purple. This before he and his wife Candice Night formed Blackmore's Night, which is now his main and only band.

Stranger In Us All clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music here is hard rock. 1970s hard rock that is.

Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form Rainbow in the 1970s and we got the debut album Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow album in 1975. He left Deep Purple again twenty years later and we get an album that is more or less the twin of the debut album. That says a lot.

The rather unknown Doogie White is the vocalist here and his vocals are very good. They are not on par or anywhere near as good as Ronnie James Dio or even as great as Joe Lynn Turner's vocals. The other musicians here are also unknown. 

The guitars are very good here. 

There are some blues and classical music influences on this album. 

The music is not as bad as I feared. There are some good songs here. There are no killer tracks here. The take on Hall Of The Mountain King is not particular good. 

This is a pretty good album. Is it a Rainbow album ? No, it is not. That aside....

2.5 points 

 

Yynot - Light And Shade (2022)

 

The third album from this band from USA.

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

The band returned again after a three years long break.

Light And Shade clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is heavy prog.  

The band started out as a Rush tribute act. Their debut album had the 2112 sound and were in that direction. The band then moved a lot away from Rush on their second album. 

There are still a lot of Rush in their music, though. Enough to interest a Rush fan like myself. 

The music is both melodic and pretty heavy. This album is still their least heavy, least hard album.

Most of the vocals are female vocals. There are also some male lead vocals here. 

The music is both interesting and good.

This is their final album so far. I hope the band will return again for one or more albums. This is a good, charming band.

3 points 

Macky Ar - Sever Inertia (2026)

 

The tenth album from this artist from India.

Mahesh Arora did the guitars, synths, programming and vocals here.

Some albums ago, some reviews ago, I thought I was never going to review any more of his albums. I was wrong and I will never promise something like this again. It is not that I don't like his music. It is just that there is so many other new albums to review. But I will probably continue to review his albums.

Sever Inertia clocks in at just over half an hour.

The music is neo-prog.

The music is melancholic and pretty sombre.

It is also pretty slow too. There are also some mid-tempo pieces here.

The vocals are more like instruments than proper vocals.

The music is floating around without being ambient.

This is not his best album. It is still a pretty good album and one to check out.

2.5 points 

 

Amorphis - Privilege of Evil (1993)

 

The debut EP from this band from Finland.

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

I am going to review all this band's albums in the coming months. But before I start the review of their albums, I want to review this EP first as it is a pretty important EP in the history of Scandinavian metal. It was released one year after their debut album. It is still a bit of a landmark release.

This EP was supposed to be one half of a split album with Incantation. That US band did not deliver their half (later released on it's own by the band) so the result is this EP.

Privilege Of Evil clocks in at twenty-three minutes.

The music is extreme metal.

The music is mostly death metal. There are some melodic prog metal here too.

The sound is dirty and muddy. Just as it should be. The vocals are growling and extreme. The music is pretty epic at times too.  

Metalheads will really enjoy this EP more than I do. I have a bit of a sweet spot for this band. This is a decent enough EP, bordering to pretty good.

2 points 

 

 

Parsons Project. The Alan - Vulture Culture (1984)

 

The eighth album from this project from Great Britain.

The core of the project was a duo with a lineup of piano, organ, keyboards, synths, drum programming and vocals.

A number of guests, including a symphony orchestra, added drums, percussion, bass, guitars, synths, strings, woodwinds and vocals.

The project returned again one year after the previous album.

Vulture Culture clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is pomp-pop.

The project was releasing some commercial pop albums at this time. Big commercial successes. 

I believe this album spawned two hit singles. Songs that sound outdated today, but they were big in the 1980s. 

The music is still pretty elegant. The music is still too poppy and far too slick and pomp. Some good vocals and a couple of decent songs are the only saving grace on this album.

1.5 points 

 

 

Sioum - Yet Further (2016)

 

The second and final album from this band from USA.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, guitars, ebow and keyboards.

The band returned for the final time, six years after their debut album. A pretty decent album I reviewed some days ago.

Yet Further clocks in at seventy-two minutes.

The music here is post-metal.

There are a lot of post-rock too in their music. 

Some of the music is pretty ambient too and cinematic.

The music is pretty dynamic and flowing.

There is not a lot to enjoy on this album. The music is too generic, too samey, not interesting at all. 

This is a half-decent name-your-price Bandcamp album and that is it, really. I am not impressed at all.

1.5 points 

 

Scope - Scope II (1975)

 

The second and final album from this band from The Netherlands.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, grand piano, organ, keyboards, synths and flute.

The band returned again the year after they released the decent enough self titled debut album. An album reviewed some days ago in this blog.

Scope II clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is fusion.

The music is dynamic and pretty fast. The music is still pretty melodic. 

There is a lot of good solos here from the various instruments. The bass is rampant galloping away and is adding a lot of colours to the music. 

The music is a bit run-off-the-mill fusion. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable and interesting for the fusion fans. That includes myself.

This is a pretty good album and one to check out if fusion is your thing. This album is also a pretty big improvement on their debut album. It is shame that this is their final album.

2.5 points  

 

Latimer. Andrew - From The Vault (2026)

 

The third album from this artist from Great Britain.

Andrew Latimer did the bass, guitars, synths, drum programming and vocals here.

Two guests added some instruments and vocals on a couple of tracks.

Andrew Latimer released his debut solo album last year, which he named War Stories (see review somewhere else in this blog) and has followed up that album with two new albums this year. This year's second album will be reviewed later this month.

 Andrew Latimer is off course most known as the frontman in Camel, one of the greatest ever progressive rock bands. 

From The Vault clocks in at thirty-four minutes.

The music here is symphonic prog.

This album is also a concept album. The theme is his health challenges and his recovery from them. 

There are a lot of Camel references here. His debut album were a continuation of Camel and this album too is in that vein. The music though is more songs-orientated and more poppy. 

The music here is not particular proggy or interesting. The far too few instrumental pieces are very good. The songs are too easy-listening and not interesting at all, besides of the lyrics.

This is a pretty good album but still one of the least interesting albums he has ever been released in Camel and as a solo artist.

Sorry...

2.5 points 

 

 

  

Rainbow - Bent Out Of Shape (1983)

 

The seventh album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band returned again one year after the good Straight Between The Eyes album. An album I regard as their best album. 

Bent Out Of Shape is regarded as the final Rainbow album although Ritchie Blackmore returned in 1995 with an album attributed to Rainbow. I will review that album in some days time. 

 Bent Out Of Shape clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is hard rock.... sort of.

Ritchie Blackmore started Rainbow as a protest against his then band Deep Purple going in a more pop-rock direction. Ritchie wanted to rock out... and that hard. Hence Rainbow.

It is a bit ironic that Bent Out Of Shape has taken the band in a pop-rock direction. The circuit has been closed with this album and Ritchie has returned to square one. 

Joe Lynn Turner and Ritche Blackmore does their best on some really mediocre pop songs. Pop songs dressed up as hard rock. But they are still pop songs.

This album is barely a decent album. It is not an album I enjoy. It is still a decent enough album.

2 points 

 

 

Yynot - Resonance (2019)

 

The second album from this band from USA.

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

The band returned again, one year after the release of their good self-titled debut album. See my review from last month.

Resonance clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is heavy prog.

The band was a Rush tribute band whose music on the debut album were pretty close to Rush anno 2112. The band has broken with this formula on Resonance in an effort to find their own voice, own niche.

The music is still guitar-based, and the vocals are female vocals.

Rush is still a good reference... although the more modern version of Rush. Rush anno Test For Echo. 

The music is both hard and catchy. The vocals is very good.

This is another enjoyable, good album from this band. A review of their third and so far latest album will be published in some days time.

3 points 

 

 

  

Bubu - El Ultimo Cortejo (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Argentina.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, synths, saxophones and flutes.

The band returned again after an album break of eight years. 

El Ultimo Cortejo clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music is a blend of eclectic prog and symphonic prog.

Add in some fusion too and you get the picture.

The music is fully instrumental with some good saxophones and other instruments.

The music is also both dynamic and melodic. There are a lot of good themes here on this album.

The music is also pretty elegant with some good folk rock influences.

The overall quality is good and this is an enjoyable album which will cement this band's good name and reputation.

3 points 

 

Ageless - Song By Song (2021)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a duo with a lineup of drums, bass, synths and vocals.

This band has to date released five albums and I am reviewing them this autumn.

Song By Song clocks in at one hour.

The music here is neo-prog.

Their take on neo-prog is symphonic with some intricate compositions. Genesis is a big inspiration here. There are also some Yes inspirations lurking around in the music here.

There are no guitars in their music.... No guitarists, that is. There are still guitars here, very probably programmed.

The music is still very organic, though. There are not many synths on this album. 

The music is melodic and pretty elegant. The vocals are very good.

There are no great songs here. That said, this is a good, bordering to a very good album. Check it out if neo-prog is your thing.

3 points 

  

 

 

3rd Ear Experience - Peacock Black (2012)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

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

Two guests added didgeridoo and saxophones.

This band was the King's X member Doug Pinnick's side project. Robbi Robb from Tribe After Tribe and some other musicians were the rest of this band. I got a handful of their in total eight albums up for review this autumn.

Peacock Black clocks in at one hour and sixteen minutes.

The music here is space rock.

Their take on space rock is wild and outer space. The music is also improvised and does not have many structures. 

Some of the music here is also ambient and electronica.

The space rock stuff is rather good. The ambient and the electronica is best forgotten. The result is an uneven album and a decent album in it's own right.

2 points 

 

Sioum - I Am Mortal But Was Fiend (2010)

 

The debut album from this band from USA.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, ebow, guitars, piano and synths.

This is another new band to me. They released two name-your-price Bandcamp albums before they broke up. I am reviewing both of them this month.

I Am Mortal But Was Fiend clocks in at one hour.

The music is post-metal.

There is also a lot of post-rock on this instrumental album. I would say 50/50 of post metal and post rock. Math rock is also a genre this album touches with.

The music is pretty hard. It is most of all dynamic and pretty complex. The music is also melodic. 

This album does not really add anything new to this genre. It is still a decent album and very much a worthy download from their Bandcamp site.

2 points 

 

 

 

 

   

Scope - Scope I (1974)

 

The debut album from this band from The Netherlands.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, piano, grand piano, organ, keyboards, moog and flute.

One guest added saxophone.

This band released two albums between 1974 and 1975. Both of them will be reviewed in the coming days on this blog.

Scope I clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music is fusion/jazz rock.

There are some Soft Machine influences in their music. The band is also influenced by the other great fusion bands from the early 1970s too.

The music is a bit laid back at times with a lot of harmonies instead of being an all out solos based album. That makes this album a bit different from other fusion albums from that time.

The music is decent enough. This album is pretty obscure and that for a good reason. Fusion fans should check out this album.

2 points