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Review – Wegferend – En Autremonde – Chapitre Second by John Wenlock-Smith
One of the main issues with fans of progressive music is their general unwillingness to listen to anything that is new or out of their comfort zone and, whilst this is possibly an unfair generalisation, it does mean that many are closed off to exploring new bands and artists for themselves. Social media, like Facebook…
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Review – Headstone: Bad Habits/ Headstone – by John Wenlock-Smith
How much music is known to us because of our friends and families is something I have often pondered. For me personally, I grew up with parents who listened to light classics and easy listening like James Last, Johnny Mathis, Herb Albert and the like. When I became a teenager Virgin Records was very much…
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Review – Downes Braide Association – Celestial Songs – by John Wenlock-Smith
Some albums you wait for eagerly only to be ultimately disappointed and let down. Well, that is certainly not the case here as this fifth instalment of the Downes Braide Association is a triumph in every sense, continuing on from the utterly wonderful and captivating release that was ‘Halcyon Hymns’ in 2021. ‘Celestial Songs’, due…
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Steve Hackett launches live video for?’A Tower Struck Down’; taken from ‘Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton’
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett presents his brand new live audio/visual extravaganza, with the release of Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton, set for release on the 15th September 2023. Filmed & recorded live on his 2022 UK tour, in the coastal city of Brighton, UK, this release documents Steve and his band celebrating the 50th…
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Review – AQ&F – 2nd Life – by John Wenlock-Smith
AQ&F (or Arnaud Quevedo and Friends, to give the full name of the group) are a French collective who “fuse jazzy troposphere, improvisation, funky grooves, powerful rock-metal riffs along with progressive elements”, all of which is a way of saying this album has several strands and approaches that are merged to make something that is…
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The Mommyheads unveil new album Coney Island Kid
Prog-pop cult heroes The Mommyheads have announced the most ambitious album of their nearly four-decade career, CONEY ISLAND KID, arriving Friday, September 19 via FANFAR! Records in Europe and Mommyhead Music for the rest of the world. Pre-orders are available now. A watershed release for The Mommyheads, CONEY ISLAND KID marks the venerable NYC-based band’s…
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Review – Southern Empire – Another World
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US-based Prog Metal group Nosp?n share video for “Earwyrm” from debut album Opus
Hailing from North Carolina’s music scene, new progressive metal quartet Nosp?n have released one of the year’s most surprising albums.? The band’s stunning debut, Opus, is a sonic journey that combines intricate melodies and powerful rhythms, creating something utterly breathtaking.? Showcasing stellar musicianship and vocals, Nosp?n have made the progressive metal world take notice. Today,…
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Review – Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate – The Light Of Ancient Mistakes – by John Wenlock-Smith
‘The Light Of Ancient Mistakes’ is the new album from Hats off Gentlemen It’s Adequate and, again, we are offered an intriguing collection of songs, some of which are based on books and authors that Malcolm Galloway has read and been enthralled and inspired by. These books include works by Adrian Tchaikovsky and also the…
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Review – Nova Cascade – The Navigator – by John Wenlock-Smith
‘The Navigator’, the upcoming latest album from Nova Cascade, is really rather interesting and impressive as it is, at its heart, a sincere, heartfelt tribute and celebration of the life and impact of violinist, guitarist and all round excellent musician, colleague, friend and inspirational muse Eric Bouillette, who sadly died of cancer last year after…