Cydonia - Stations (2022)

 

The debut album from this band from Germany.

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

The band has just released their second album and I will review that album early next month. But before that.. 

Stations is clocking in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is neo-prog.

Two thirds of this album, three songs, are studio recordings. The remaining one third is two live tracks. There are no duplications of tracks here, so we get five different tracks altogether.

The music is classic neo-prog with a blend of more poppy neo-prog and symphonic prog.

The blend of guitars and keyboards are good. There is a lot of harmonies here and not so many solos.

The vocals are very good.

The two live tracks are a bit more hard rocking than the three studio tracks. This is still a middle of the road neo-prog album and a good one too.

This is a promising debut album, indeed.

3 points 

Coyote - Coyote (1972)

 

The one and only album from this band from USA.

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

This was a short-lived band who only released this album and then broke up.

The album clocks in at forty minutes. 

The music here is psych rock.

There is also some strong Americana influences throughout. The music has several places been described as progressive country music.

That is not a bad label as there is some honky-tonk throughout this album.

The organs, piano and the guitars are really good.

The vocals is really good too.

The music is not particularly progressive. It is pretty charming though. 

This is a decent enough album which should interest fans of old style psych rock.

2 points 

 

 

Temic - Ceiba (2026)

 

The second album from this band from Norway.

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

The band returned again after a three years long break. Their debut album was a good album. 

 Ceiba clocks in at sixty-five minutes.

The music here is progressive metal.

The music is both operatic and pretty melodic. The music is also very complex and eclectic in some parts. Most of the music is epic.

There are also some very heavy pieces of music here. 

The guitars are very good. Ditto for the vocals.

The quality is good throughout and this band is a rising star on the progressive metal scene. Check out this album.

3 points 

Phaedrus - Triptych (2017)

 

The debut album from this band from Spain.

 The band was a seven pieces big band with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, cello, piano, keyboards, clarinet and flute.

This band was set up by two members of Kotebel and October Equus. The band has just released their second album and I will post a review early next month.

This album clocks in at one hour.

The music is eclectic prog.

The music is also instrumental and not a million away from Kotebel. 

There are also some strong ELP influences here.

The main themes here are based on classical music. There is not much traditional rock based music here.

The music is really eclectic throughout and not so much melodic. The music is still working and this is a good album. 

Those who are missing Kotebel should and must check out this album.

3 points 

 

 

Ageless - 4Ever 1310 (2024)

 

The fourth album from this band from USA.

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

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

Their first three albums are good albums and I was looking forward to review this album too.

4Ever 1310 clocks in at fifty - two minutes.

The music here is neo-prog.

The music is melodic and pretty symphonic.

The music is guitars, keyboards and vocals based.

The music is also mid-tempo with some good harmonies and guitar solos.

The vocals are really good and the music has a good ambience.

This is another good album from this band. An album neo-prog fans should check out.

3 points 

 

Winter Of Our Years. The - Nautilus (2026)

 

The fifth album from this band from Puerto Rico.

The band was a trio with a lineup of bass, guitars, violin, cello, keyboards and drum programming.

This album is their second album of the year. The first album this year, Soundscapes II, was a pretty good album.

Nautilus clocks in at one and a half hour.

The music is symphonic prog.

The music is instrumental symphonic prog with some heavy prog influences.

The music is dynamic, melodic and pretty hard. 

The music is dominated by guitars. Guitars in the Steve Hackett mould. There are also some nice violins here.

The music is pretty good and the album length offers some really good value for money. Check it out.

2.5 points 

Sigur Rós - Valtari (2012)

 

The ninth album from this band from Iceland.

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

I have really enjoyed their albums after a shaky start with their debut album I am not a fan of. The rest of their albums more than prove that Sigur Ros is the undisputed kings of post-rock.

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

Valtari clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music here is post-rock.

The music is slow, cinematic and pretty pastoral throughout. The music is also dirge-like. 

There are a lot of keyboards here and some vocals. The sound is very organic throughout.

The quality is good throughout. This is not their best album. It is still an album which cement their position as the best post-rock band around.

3 points 

  

Belda. Juan - I Love You (2008)

 

The debut album from this artist from Spain.

Juan Belda did the percussion, keyboards, synths, samples and all electronics here.

Juan Belda has released six albums so far. The latest one earlier this year. All of them are up for review this fall.

This album clocks in at one hour.

The music is a blend of electronica and jazz.

Mostly electronica, it has to be said. There are some latter days Miles Davis in the music and that is the jazz contribution here.

The music is really playful and funky.

There are a lot of sampled and programmed woodwinds on the top of the electronica here.

The music is not particular interesting. This is a decent enough album though and an acceptable debut album.

2 points 

 

 

Gomrath - Gomrath (1971)

 

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

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

This album was originally released as a private pressing in Wimbledon, London before the reissue label Bright Carvings gave it a more official release in 2024. 

I will review around five Bright Carvings albums, their more prog/psych rock albums in the coming weeks. 

This album clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is heavy psych.

Bright Carvings has done an impressive good job in cleaning up the sound here. The sound is pretty good. So much that the music is pretty clear. This also makes this a pretty charming album too. 

This album includes a version of Spooky Tooth's Better By You Better By Me, later also covered by Judas Priest. 

The rest of the songs varies from hard rockers, mid-tempo psych rock and slower psych rock. 

The guitars and organs are good. Ditto for the vocals.

I am surprised that no record label released this album back in 1971. They lost out on an album which probably would have sold very well back in those days. The quality is surprisingly good. Very surprisingly good. 

There are some not so good songs here. But the rest is really good. Hence, this is a pretty good album and a bit of a charmer. An old charmer, no less.

2.5 points 

 

Giardini D'Autunno - Frammenti di Idee Perdute (2002)

 

The one and only album from this band from Italy.

The band was a trio with a lineup of drums, bass, guitars, e-bow, organ, mellotron, synths and vocals.

This band was the vision of Tiziano Rea. He is is helped by a drummer and some sporadic female vocals here. The rest of the album is performed by himself.

This album clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music is RPI.

There is a lot of King Crimson influences here too. There are also a lot of cinematic rock here too.

The album start with some slow cinematic rock, heavy influenced by early King Crimson. The final part is more traditional RPI in the Banco vein.

There are some very good female operatic vocals in the beginning while the final parts has some very good male vocals.

There are also some good synths, organ and mellotrons here.

The result is an untraditional RPI album. Indeed an unusual album. The quality is good throughout. This album is indeed a hidden gem in the RPI scene and deserve a lot more attention. 

3 points 

  

 

 

 

Aisles - Irrationally (2026)

 

The sixth album from this band from Chile.

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

The band returned again after a three years long album break. An album I liked quite a lot.

Irrationally clocks in at one hour.

The music here is heavy prog.

A great reference here is Muse. 

The music is commercial with a lot of 1970s-80s disco structures. The music is also very muscular at times.

The guitars are good. Ditto for the keyboards.

The vocals are very good.

The quality is somewhere between decent and good. This album is not their finest hour.

2.5 points 

Aranis - Made In Belgium II (2014)

 

The 8th album from this band from Belgium.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of double bass, guitar, violin, viola, accordion, piano, flute, alto flute, voice and vocals.

One guest added guitar on two tracks.

The band returned again after a one year long album break. This is part II of the Made In Belgium series of albums. A two-album series. The first album was good.

The album clocks in at one hour.

The music is chamber orchestra classical music.

The music is pretty dark on this album. Dark chamber orchestra music. There are even some bars of Led Zeppelin's evergreen classic Rock'N'Roll here. Other parts of this album are dissonant and melancholic.

There are also some atonal vocals here.

This is a bit of an uncomfortable listen, this album. The music still works and this is therefore a good album.

I got a bit of a soft spot for this band and I recommend their albums.

3 points 

 

 

 

Atom Made Earth - Songs For A Dreamer (2023)

 

The third album from this band from Italy.

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

The band returned again after their pretty good 2019 Severence album. An album that saw the band break out from the post-rock genre to a more broader soundscape.

Songs For A Dreamer clocks in at thirty-seven minutes.

The music here is post-rock.

There is a lot of cinematic rock influences in their music. A good reference is Sigur Ros.

This means the band has again changed genres as they have returned back to how they sounded on their debut album.

The music is really slow here. It has some dirge qualities here. 

The vocals are also really slow and sound like a funeral procession. This too is how the music sound.

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

Not everything here is good. But this is still their best album and good album. This is a band worth checking out.

3 points  

 

Moloken - Moloken (2026)

 

The fifth album from this band from Sweden.

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

The band returned again after a six years long album break. I reviewed their first four albums earlier this year on this blog. Interesting albums.

Moloken clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is experimental/post metal.

The music is harsh, brutal and heavy throughout.

The music is still pretty melodic, though.

The music is mid-tempo throughout. 

The vocals are harsh and growling. There are some cleaner vocals too here.

The quality is somewhere between decent and good. Experimental/post metal fans should check out this album.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amorphis - Tales From The Thousand Lakes (1994)

 

The second album from this band from Finland.

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

One guest added clean vocals. 

The band returned again after the debut album and the Privilege Of Evil EP the year before. Both reviewed in this blog. Reviews of their other albums will also be added this fall and winter.

The band had expanded their lineup to a quintet and added a clean vocals vocalist to this album.  

Tales From The Thousand Lakes clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is a blend of death metal and progressive metal.

Add in some symphonic prog and ethno metal and you get the full picture here. 

The music is loosely based on the Finnish national epos Kalevala. 

The big song on this album, Black Winter Day, is among my five favourite metal songs of all time. A song with some great Moog, guitars and clean vocals. A true fantastic song.  

The rest of the songs are superb and really marks this album as a masterpiece. A true masterpiece and one of the best ten albums I have ever encountered. Only a Masterpiece status will suffice for this album.

5 points 

 

Parsons Project. The Alan - Gaudi (1987)

 

The 10th 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 two years after the previous album.

Gaudi clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is pomp pop/rock.

The music is commercial, elegant and pretty engaging. My guess is that the album spawned some hit singles as there is some songs here who sounds familiar to me. This is from when I was listening to the radio. Something I have stopped doing decades ago.

The music does not sound too outdated either.

The music is decent enough and this is one of the better albums from The Alan Parsons Project.

2 points 

 

 

 

Ghost Town Riot - Ghost Town Riot (2013)

 

The one and only album from this band from USA.

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

This band comes from Seattle up in the north-west corner of the vast USA. This town is also the birthplace of the grunge genre. Queensryche also comes from Seattle.  

Ghost Town Riot clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is heavy prog.

There are also some college rock influences here. 

The music is catchy, engaging, charming, pretty hard and melodic. 

There is no grunge or even depression in their music. The mood is bright/light and positive.

The guitars and the keyboards are very good. The vocals are great.

The result is an old school heavy prog album and a good one too. This is an album I really enjoy a lot.

3 points  

 

 

 

 

Gabriel Construct. The - Interior City (2013)

 

The one and only album from this band from USA.

This is the solo project of Gabriel Lucas Riccio who did the percussion keyboards, programming and vocals here.

He had help from a number of guests who provided drums, bass, guitars, violin, saxophones and voices.

I know next to nothing about this project. I got this album many years ago and forgot about it until I added it to my to-review list some months ago. 

Interior City clocks in at seventy-three minutes.

The music here is eclectic prog/metal.

The music is mostly dissonant and pretty esoteric. The tones are twisted and broken. Most of the music is hard to very hard.

There are also some more melodic music here too. 

The vocals are at times operatic male vocals. There are also some more clean vocals here. The vocals are all good.

Some of the music works. Other parts falls a bit flat on it's face.

The result is a pretty good album, well worth checking out if eclectic music is your thing.

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Confusion Field - Resilience Remains (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Finland.

This is a one-man-band with Tomi Kankainen on bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

Three guests added drums, guitars and backing vocals.

I really liked the first two albums. Read the reviews from earlier this month. 

Resilience Remains clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music is heavy prog.

There is also a lot of art-rock and neo-prog in their music too.

The music is really muscular and very heavy at times. It also has some melodic pieces too.

The music is also elegant and classy.

The vocals is very good. The guitars too is good.

This is another good album from Tomi Kankainen. I hope to hear a lot more from Confusion Field in the future.

3 points 

 

 

 

Aranis - Made In Belgium (2012)

 

The sixth album from this band from Belgium.

The band was a sextet with a double bass, guitar, violin, accordion, piano and flute.

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

Made In Belgium clocks in at just over one hour.

The music here is RIO/avant-garde.

Or more precise, chamber orchestra music.

The music is far more classical music than rock. There is no rock music here at all.

The music is pretty fast at times and virtuosic.  

All the instruments are active here at the same time and the sound is pretty big and bold.

There are some really good music here throughout. There are also some music that leaves me a bit cold too.

This is therefore a pretty good album. It is not this band at their best, though.

2.5 points 

Atom Made Earth - Severance (2019)

 

The second album from this band from Italy.

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

Their 2016 debut album was a decent album. It showed that the band had some promise and talent.

Severance clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is post rock..

... Sort of...

The band has changed their style between their two albums. There are a lot of psych rock in their music too. A blend of psych rock and post-rock is what we get here.

The music is also pretty folky and has a good warm feel.

It is also pretty mainstream.

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

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

2.5 points 

 

 

 

Pure Reason Revolution - Terrifying Angels (2026)

 

The seventh album from this band from Great Britain.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, guitars, piano, keyboards, harmonica, programming and vocals.

Two guests added bass.

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

Terrifying Angels clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is heavy prog.

The music is pretty heavy, make that djent, in some places. It is also pretty pastoral in some places too.

The music is both melodic and complex.

There are some great guitars here. The vocals are also very good.

This is a good album. This is not their best album but still one that will keep their fans happy and probably win them some new fans too. 

3 points 

 

 

Ageless - The Power Of III (2023)

 

The third album from this band from USA.

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

The band's first two albums were good so I was looking forward to reviewing this album too.

 The Power of III clocks in at one hour.

The music is neo-prog.

The music is melodic, elegant and pretty complex.

There are no guitars here and that makes the music sound a bit strange. Nevertheless, I have got used to it from this band.

The sound is still beefy and muscular.

The vocals are good.

The overall quality is good and this is another good neo-prog album the fans of this genre should check out.

3 points  

 

 

 

3rd Ear Experience - Stoned Gold (2017)

 

The fifth album from this multi-national band.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, synths and electronics.

Two guests added vocals and chants.

This band has established themselves as one of the better space rock bands in the scene by now. I really like their first albums.

Stoned Gold clocks in at eighty minutes.

The music here is space rock.

The music is hard and outer space'ish.  

There are a lot of long floating guitar solos here. Most of the music sounds improvised. 

This is space rock at it's most extreme.

The sound is good and the Native American chants on one of the tracks adds some good colours to this album.

The quality is good and this is an album space rock fans will like.

3 points 

 

Backstage. The - Isolation (2020)

 

The debut album from this multi-national project.

The project was a trio with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, keyboards and saxophone.

A number of guests added drums, bass, guitars and keyboards.

This band consists of members from The Tangent and some Swedish prog rock bands. It is an interesting project.

 Isolation clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music here is fusion.

The music is more like jazz, in fact. Straight jazz.

There are some pieces of fusion here too.

The music is dynamic with lots of harmonies and solos. There are a lot of saxophones here in addition to the other instruments.

The music is good throughout. The music is not very original. This is still a good, traditional fusion/jazz album which will please everyone into this genre.

3 points 

 

 

 

Art Boys Collection - Stoned Wall (1972)

 

The one and only album from this band from Austria.

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

This band was a short lived band who released this album shortly before they broke up. 

I have had this album in my collection for some years. Probably because I thought this album was from a similar named band in the RIO/avant-garde rock genre. It is not. 

This album clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

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

The sound is late 1960 and with some Californian psych rock influences.

There is also a whiff of hard rock here too.  

The organ and the guitars are pretty good. Ditto for the vocals.

This is a pretty decent album.. I will be a bit kind and give it a decent rating. Psych rock fans may want to check out this album.

2 points 

  

Wyrembski. Pat - Orwellia Opera (2026)

 

The debut album from this artist from France.

Pat Wyrembski did the bass, guitars and programming here.

He got help from a number of guests who added drums, guitars, keyboards, flutes and vocals.

This album is clocking in at thirty-seven minutes.

The music here is a mishmash of French symphonic prog, prog metal and neo-prog.

This album sounds like it is a concept album and it probably is. The music covers a wide variety of genres and is jumping all over the place. The three above mentioned genres is therefore just a small flavour of what this album can offer the listener.

The vocals is mostly in French. The music is mostly hard to heavy.

This album also has the feel of a debut album where the artist are not really sure which path he wants to walk down. Hence this smorgasboard of genres.

The music is well performed.

The vocals are very good.

There are some good pieces of music here and some pieces who falls a bit flat. This is a pretty good album. I hope we will hear a lot more from Pat in the future.

2.5 points 

Confusion Field - Future Impact of Past Diversions (2023)

 

The second album from this band from Finland.

This is a one-man-band with Tomi Kankainen on bass, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

Three guests added drums, guitars and backing vocals.

I really liked the debut album. Read the review from last week. I will publish a review of their new album in a few days time.

 Future Impact of Past Diversions clocks in at fifty minutes. 

The music is heavy prog.

There is also a lot of art-rock influences in their music. 

The reference is again Porcupine Tree.

The music is muscular, melodic and complex.

Parts of the music is also pretty catchy.

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

This is another good album from Tomi and one to check out.

3 points 

 

 

Thollot. Jacques - Tenga Niña (1996)

 

The fifth and final album from this artist from France.

Jacques played drums and percussion here.

He had help from four guests who added percussion, bass, guitars, piano, trumpet and female vocals.

This is the final album from Jacques Thollot. His first four albums has been a mixed bag. His latest two albums has been pretty interesting. 

Tenga Nina clocks in at fifty-five minutes.

The music is jazz.

There is indeed some fusion here too. The last half of this album is more or less a fusion album.

There are some pretty good solos here. There are also a lot of good harmonies too.

There are some female vocals at the end of this album too.

The music is good throughout and this is his best album. His final album too. His albums is worth checking out. They are not as avant-garde as most other albums in this genre. I have pretty much enjoyed my journey through his albums.

3 points 

 

Bacio della Medusa. il - Tarlo (2026)

 

The sixth album from this band from Italy.

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

This band is one of the biggest and most loved new RPI bands in today's scene. I have reviewed all their albums and have really liked them.

Tarlo clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music here is RPI. 

The music is classic RPI with lots of references to PFM and Banco. Osanna also springs to mind here and that more than the two other bands.

The music is mid-tempo with some folk rock influences. Classic RPI in other words.

The Italian vocals is great.

There is no real great songs here. That said, this is a good album and one for the RPI fans.

3 points 

 

 

Atom Made Earth - Morning Glory (2016)

 

The debut album from this band from Italy.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of drums, percussion, bass, guitars, piano, keyboards, synths and electronics.

This band has so far released three albums. I am reviewing them this month.

This album clocks in at thirty-eight minutes.

The music here is post rock.

Or, to be more precise, a blend of post rock and post metal.

The music is instrumental, mid-tempo and pretty hard & heavy throughout.

The music is also at times pretty harsh and dissonant.

It is also guitar riff-based. 

The music scores very few points in originality. This album does not bring anything new to the instrumental post rock/metal genre. This is a decent enough album which can be purchased through their Bandcamp shop.

2 points 

 

 

 

 

Argent - Argent (1969)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

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

This band released seven albums between 1969 - 1975. I will review all of them this fall.

Argent clocks in at forty minutes.

The music here is 1960s mainstream rock.

Add in some psych rock too and you get the picture.

This is middle of the road mainstream rock anno 1969 and this the sound of that era.

There are some good hammond organ here and some decent guitars. 

The vocals is good.

The music sounds unremarkable today. This is barely a decent album. It is worth checking out if 1960s rock is your thing.

2 points 

Wishing Tree. The - Ostara (2009)

 

The second album from this band from Great Britain.

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

Three guests added drums, bass and backing vocals.

This band is a cooperation between Steve Rothery (Marillion) and a Hannah Stobart. It was more or less a Marillion side project too although the music is pretty far away from Marillion's world.

The band released two albums before they called it a day. I reviewed their debut album some days ago and liked it a lot.

Ostara clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

The music is again a blend of folk rock and dream pop.

Both Hannah and Steve are again the stars here. Hannah for her vocals and Steve on his guitars. 

There are a lot of similarities between their two albums. Steve's guitars are better and very impressive on this album compared to their debut album. The vocals is as per usual great. 

The music is mid-tempo, melodic and warm. It has some sparse instrumentations. The sound is therefore airy and open.

This is another good album from this band. Both albums are recommended and should be checked out.

3 points 

 

 

 

Wessex Fayre - Marmalade (2026)

 

The second 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.

Their 2023 debut album was a good album. See my review from some days ago.

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

The music here is eclectic prog.

There is also a lot of folk rock and some Canterbury prog in their music.

The music is quirky in other words.

The music also has a nice folk rock feel.

There are still a lot King Crimson influences in their music.

The music and the lyrics are very eccentric. They are also typical British with a lot of meandering British humour incorporated.  

This is also a good album. I hope we will hear a lot more from this band in the future. 

3 points 

  

 

Rotstein - Unveil (2026)

 

The debut album from this band from Argentina.

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

This band is the brainchild of Claudio Rotstein and his musical influences. Musical influences and creativity distilled into this album.

Unveil clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is melodic Latin - American progressive rock.

The influences here range from The Beatles to Spock's Beard, Neal Morse and Transatlantic. There is also some Americana and late 1960s rock here. Even some soul and psych rock can be found here.

The music is melodic, slightly funky and engaging. The music is also pretty jazzy and funky.

The music here is also pretty mainstream. 

The musicians does a good job. The vocals is very good.

This is a good album. It is also a very promising debut album from a talented composer and musician. I hope we will hear a lot more from Claudio Rotstein in the future.

3 points 

 

 

  

  

 

Confusion Field - Disconnection Complete (2021)

 

The debut album from this band from Finland.

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

The band have released three albums. The last one earlier this year. All three are up for review this month.

Disconnection Complete clocks in at fifty-two minutes.

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

Porcupine Tree is a good reference here. Marillion, the Hogarth era, is another great reference.

The music is elegant, stylish and melodic.

The music also has this modern heavy prog sound.

The vocals is very good.

The music is really good and this is a more than acceptable debut album. 

3 points 

 

Thollot. Jacques - Cinq Hops (1978)

 

The fourth album from this artist from France.

Jacques did the drums, percussion, bass, electric piano and clavinet.

He had help from a sextet who added bass, piano, clavinet, woodwinds and female vocals.

Jacques returned again one year after his rather good third album. I believe Cinq Hops was and still is his most famous and revered album.

Cinq Hops clocks in at forty minutes.

The music is a blend of vocal jazz and avant-garde music.

The music is still melodic. The music still has a lot of avant-garde edges.

The musicians do a good job here. The vocals are soprano female vocals and great.

The sound is really good too.

This is indeed a small little gem and a good album in it's own right. I am positively surprised as I had no hope for the rest of his albums after the pretty bad debut album. 

3 points 

 

 

Splink - Taklamakon (2026)

 

The third album from this band from Great Britain.

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

The band returned again after a four years long album break. I loved the 2022 Kozmozis album. 

This album comes in two different versions. One with narrations and one without narrations. The difference is ten minutes of playtime too. Fifty minutes and one hour. I am reviewing the narrations version here who clocks in at one hour.

The music here is a blend of fusion and symphonic prog.

This is a concept album of some sort. The music is mid-tempo. 

There is a lot of Jean Luc-Ponty like violins here. The music is again in the same vein as this French maestro of fusion.  

The narration is sometimes slightly annoying. I should have gone for the non-narrated version. 

That aside, this is a good album and another proof that this is a great band. This is one of the better new fusion bands. Check out this good album.

3 points 

 

Sigur Ros - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust (2008)

 

The eighth 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 percussion, strings, woodwinds and vocals.

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

This album clocks in at fifty minutes.

The music here is post-rock. 

The music is much more songs based here than on their previous albums. Some of the music is very slow and almost like dirges.

The music is also intense with lots of woodwinds and strings. This in addition to the vocals. Icelandic vocals. A language spoken by only a few hundred thousand people. 

The music is pretty fascinating throughout.

The music is also very good and it is easy to understand why this band from this outpost of the world is regarded as one of the best bands in the world. This album wins me over.

3.5 points 

Aranis - Roqueforte (2010)

 

The fifth album from this band from Belgium.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of double bass, guitar, violin, accordion and flute.

A handful of guests added drums, percussion, viola and piano.

Many years ago, I reviewed their first albums and their last albums. There is still three unreviewed Aranis albums in my collection. I am reviewing them this month. Three albums which is not exactly the normal fare in my office speakers and in this blog.

Roqueforte clocks in at one hour.

The music here is RIO/avant-garde.

That genre, that is. Baroque chamber music is a much better label in my view.

The music is wholly acoustic. 

The music is pretty symphonic at times. The music is very complex throughout.

The sound is great. 

The music is really riveting at times. There are a lot of good ideas and music here. Aranis is among the five best bands in this RIO/chamber music genre and this album is a good example of why I always have had a soft spot for this band.

3 points  

 

Red Sand - The Sound of Silence (2025)

 

The 12th album from this band from Canada.

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

I reviewed their new album some days ago. Then I discovered that I had forgotten to review this album too. So I got a copy of it and here is the review...

I am a fan of this band and have reviewed their first eleven albums. Albums I have really liked and still like. 

The Sound of Silence clocks in at three quarters of an hour.

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

There are also some strong heavy prog influences here.

The music here is complex, epic and pretty heavy. The music is still melodic.

The music is also symphonic and the band gets an impressively big sound from the trio format.

The vocals is very good and the band does an impressive job.

The result is a very good album and one both symphonic prog and neo-prog fans should check out.

3.5 points 

  

  

Wishing Tree. The - Carnival Of Souls (1996)

 

The debut album from this band from Great Britain.

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

Three guests added drums, bass and backing vocals.

This band is a cooperation between Steve Rothery (Marillion) and a Hannah Stobart. It was more or less a Marillion side project too although the music is pretty far away from what Marillion's world.

The Wishing Tree released two albums and I will publish my review of their final album some time next week. 

Carnival Of Souls clocks in at three quarters of an hour.  

The music is a blend of folk rock and dream pop.

Both Hannah and Steve are the stars here. Hannah for her vocals and Steve on his guitars. 

The music is mid-tempo, melodic and warm. It has some sparse instrumentations. The sound is therefore airy and open.

The music is still surprisingly complex. It is also surprisingly good. I had never heard of this and their two albums before I purchased both albums. This album is a hidden gem and one to check out.

3 points 

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