Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf) has some very important things to write about the actual, tangible, physical art of prog.
A few folk have been asking about the availability of lyrics for the Cosmograf Albums. We don’t provide these in any other form other than in the CD booklets. The reason for that is that we want to protect the remaining value of the physical product in a world where it is being increasingly marginalised alongside less and less available income streams for bands. A huge amount of work goes into our booklets with superb artwork and photography, which often never gets seen by those buying from digital platforms. When you buy a CD not only do you get a great audio experience you get the great artwork and the printed lyrics too.
Bone Bash is the annual super gig put on by KSAN 107.7 The Bone. I had always wanted to see Tesla and Def Leppard perform, more so Def Lep. To me they were one of the few groups that successfully married pop and metal, even though calling them pop could be an insult to most fans. The first opener was the mighty Tesla and they didn’t disappoint. I’ve been wanting to see these guys for a while now, I kick myself for missing a local gig a couple years ago. Tesla is unique because they emerged during the mid 80s hair metal/glam era and remained down to Earth the whole time: authentic rock n’ roll – no frills, no bullshit, blue collar rock. While the Sunset Strip acts were sporting spandex, make-up, lace and leather, Tesla retained an almost hippie throwback kind of look and philosophy. Jeans, t-shirts, solid playing ability (and good hair) were all they needed. Tesla plays…
Prospective from Bologna, Italy recently released their debut EP “Chronosphere” on Bandcamp.
The first song on the six-track release is “Karma’s Lesson” which kicks off with an ambient intro, but soon enough takes its shape towards prog djenting, with vocalist Pietro Serratore clean vocals reminiscent of Tesseract’s Dan Tompkins. Serratore additionally does a lot of growling throughout the EP.
Immensely atmospheric “Dreamshade” is one of the band’s strongest representatives, as it defines in the best possible way what Prospective is about. Groovy guitars, effects and synth play are what makes this tune stands out, with vocals fitting perfectly to the overall concept. The mixture of post-rock, progressive rock, ambient and djent would be a stripped down definition of what this tune brings.
“Increase Pt. 1” is the slowest (read: the most atmospheric) and the shortest song on the EP; it’s dark and doomy and shows the other side of the band’s personality. The following “Increase Pt. 2” is 9-odd minutes long piece which in “short” summaries what these young Italians create. Serratore continues to shine, guitarists Davide Ruggeri and Luca Zini are nothing less short of showing their creativity and performance, and rhythm section comprised of Stefano Baldanza (bass) and Flavio Cacciari (drums) are on par with the rest of the band in terms of high quality performance. “Increase Pt. 2” is very riff-based piece, but guitar solos provide diversity.
“Explore” has a very Volumesque vibe and stands out with very matching clean vocals and melody in the chorus. This tune also knows how to groove. The closing “Chronos Speaks” sounds as the most prog tune on the record and is a great way to close this more than solid release.
All in all, the sound of “Chronosphere” is very good and powerful. This EP is definitely one of the stronger progressive/djent metal releases this year, and knowing that it comes from a newcomer on the scene it adds up to its value. Check it out!
Get “Chronosphere” on Bandcamp, and follow Prospective on Facebook.
Seattle prog rockers Autumn Electric have returned with their fifth studio album “Star Being Earth Child” earlier this year. The album has an engaging story to tell, and it does it with support from music that is nothing less captivating.
The album opens with “Infinite Islands Engulfed in the Silence,” a wonderfully fanciful, inspiring, and original way to start. Michael Trew sings with the peculiar cadences, and the instrumentation is a hypnotic and robust journey from a subtle, theatrical arrangement to an enticing buildup that carries the same untroubled spirit and brilliant timbres as the music of early Pink Floyd. “Someday I Will Find Out Who You Are” launches a sequence of soothing performance lovely transitions and catchy, heartfelt melodies that are topped with Trew’s flute work. There’s a vital British essence about the combination that makes it quite endearing too.
Trickier rhythms and an emphasis on structural changes make “She Has a Supernova” stand out, while “Whose Garden Was This?” ventures into a surprisingly different direction, with folk tones and a meditative, singer-songwriter atmosphere offering a philosophical vibe. Trew layers his vocals beautifully, adding a bit more emotion to the playing field. “Virgil” begins on a similarly quiet and reflective note but soon piles on the prog rock virtuosity and madness, with synths, frenzy drumming, and equally wild guitar work showcasing just how eccentric and ambitious they can be.
The disc ends with arguably its most emotional piece, “One of Your Kind.” A mournful yet smooth and classy introduction eventually dissolves into an acoustic guitar sculpture. From there, the psychedelic vibe comes back with a faint ominous vengeance, as well as slight touches of alternative rock.
All in all, Autumn Electric can be very proud of this album. It’s their most complex record out to date, and it proves that there are still artists that know how to pay tribute but retain originality. Highly recommended.
“Star Being Earth Child” is available from Bandcamp. Autumn Electric are on Facebook too.
Tom Woods: The Nicest Guy in the World Who Never Takes Prisoners.
My good friend, the ever intrepid master of integrity, Tom Woods, and I had a blast talking about Neil Peart. We got into his drive, his honesty, and his politics. Enjoy.
“We interrupt our PROGramming to bring you this prog-related aside…”
When not dominating stages throughout the land with Rush, you’re likely to find Geddy Lee occupying choice seats behind home plate at Toronto Blue Jays games, seeing as how he’s a HUGE baseball fan.
With the band having wrapped their R40 tour and with the Jays having reached the American League playoffs for the first time since 1993, it’s pretty much a given that Dirk will be there if he’s in town.
In case you missed last night’s mayhem in Toronto, feel free to Google “Blue Jays Game 5,” find the highlights, and then click below to hear Geddy’s reaction to what he saw at last night’s game.
Geddy also talks about his baseball memorabilia collection, Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson’s photographic contributions to the band, compares lead singers to starting pitchers and, if he could get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or the Baseball Hall of Fame, which would he choose…and is Rush really done touring?
By the way, the Jays eliminated the Texas Rangers to advance to the American League Championship Series, so it’s a safe bet that we’ll see our favorite bass player even more this October!
“We now join our regularly-scheduled PROGramming, already in progress (and still on the same epic song, no doubt).”
Following up on the recent release of the “Roll The Bones” video from Rush’s upcoming “R40 LIVE” concert film, the boys have posted a clip to one of the highlights of the R40 tour (and “Permanent Waves,” for that matter): “Jacobs Ladder.”
Swindonian bears Ursus (note that “ursus” means “bear” in Latin) are a progressive/djent metal newcomers with lots of melodic death metal influences that have come up with their debut EP titled “The Migration” this past summer. With their aggressive approach to progressive metal, the sextet is swimming in the waters of djent. Considering that this EP is their debut release, it turns out that it is also a perfect headstart for their career.
“The Migration” has seven tracks in total, and each of the tunes shows that melody and aggression transmitted through breakdowns and brutal vocals are very important for what Ursus do. There are lots of different influences in the band’s music ranging from Between the Buried and Me to Periphery, Intervals, Korn, etc. But although Ursus pay their tribute to influences, they still build their own sound and make it sound original. Almost half an hour long “The Migration” has very tasty melodies based on progressive metal, but the band threads it through melodic death metal, and on moments it comes close to doom metal domain.
The first track on the album is an intro “The Beginning,” which kind of gives you an idea of what can be expected throughout the EP. Starting with “Burn,” “The Migration” keeps the grooviness until the end. Most credits for the EP being melodic go to guitars (three in the band!), which although being distorted most the time make the Ursus sound tasty.
The last song on the record is “The Migration,” and it comes with a different structure comparing with other tracks. It is by far most progressive and more melodic song, and it features a guest vocalist Beth Humphries. Her voice is calming, and somewhat sets the pace in a different direction. Adding female vocals to this song is a nice touch, it brings variety to the EP in overall. Perhaps, there is a hint that next Ursus releases will emphasise this melodic death metal side of the band.
If you are a fan of progressive death metal, djent and melodic metal, don’t pass this great, young UK band without giving them a listen. They certainly have a bright future.
“The Migration” EP is available from Bandcamp. Follow the band on Facebook.
P.O.D. CONTINUES HEADLINING TREK IN SUPPORT OF THE AWAKENING
JOINING INSANE CLOWN POSSE’S MISSING LINK TOUR IN OCTOBER
33-City North American Tour Begins September 8 in San Francisco
(Los Angeles, CA) August 26, 2015 – Holiday wishes will come early for P.O.D.’s devout following as the GRAMMY®-nominated SoCal hard-rockers plan to spend the fall on the road with more than 33 dates confirmed so far, including a run of dates with Insane Clown Posse! P.O.D. have tapped South Carolina quartet Islander for support after Labor Day when they return to the road beginning on September 8th at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge. For October they join Insane Clown Posse beginning October 3 for Rob Zombie’s Halloween at the Odeum Expo Center in Chicago. Tickets for the October run with ICP go onsale this Friday, August 28 – for more information visit www.payableondeath.com.
P.O.D. just released their ninth studio album, The Awakening (T-Boy/UMe), last Friday with multiple sold out shows, first single “This Goes Out To You” has gone Top 15 at Active Rock radio, with huge support from the rock community:
“I expect arena rock ready hit single ‘This Goes Out To You’ to be heard in the PA system of every NFL stadium this fall.” – Ghost Cult
“The Awakening” is full of solid individual tracks but a meaningfully in depth body of work when listened to form start to finish.” – Backseat Mafia
“Not a dud in the lot,…this is very strong, melodic and intelligent stuff.” – rock nyc
“The lyrical content and storytelling capabilities of the band are exceedingly fantastic.” (grade A) – the rock office
“[The Awakening] is sure to be considered of their best records to date and it will resonate with listeners now and for generations to come.” (5 out of 5 stars) – Cryptic Rock
“Not many bands pull off a really great concept album and any P.O.D. fan should be extremely happy that even nine albums in are still going strong with this bold, bulky and expressive album.” – Backseat Mafia
P.O.D. (Payable on Death) formed in San Diego, CA, in 1992, and has since charted their own course with worldwide sales exceeding 10 million, hugely successful international tours, and a series of chart-topping radio hits. Over the span of two decades they have released eight studio albums of original songs – including the triple-platinum Satellite – seen chart success with more than a dozen Rock radio hits, including “Southtown,” “Alive,” “Youth of the Nation,” and “Boom,” the Active Rock hit “Beautiful” and their No. 1 single, “Lost In Forever,” received three GRAMMY Award® nominations, and racked up four No. 1 music videos. The band has also contributed songs to numerous major motion picture soundtracks. P.O.D. is Sonny Sandoval (vocals), Marcos Curiel (guitar), Traa Daniels (bass) and Wuv Bernardo (drums). The members of P.O.D. are also active members of a tight-knit music community, collaborating on their own records as well as others’, including Katy Perry, H.R. (Bad Brains), Mike Muir (Suicidal Tendencies), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), and more. P.O.D. are currently supporting the release of their ninth studio album, The Awakening (T-Boy/Ume).
Progarchy 