Given Free Rein is a trio hailing from Greece and delivering very dynamic sound. They have released their debut album “In-Ear Trip,” after years of working hard on it. This is a very vivacious album with many joyful elements in it. It is one of those “morning coffee” albums. It knows the ways of how to discharge you and bring you real joy with its energetic tunes.
“In-Ear Trip” includes ten songs. All the way from the opening “Magnetic Fields” down to the closing “Vein of Light,” “In-Ear Trip” never stops being heady. Every song on the album is constructed in the same way. Placing this record under a genre is a double-edged sword, but the music is most of time alternative / punk rock with progressive and classic rock influences. And since we are talking about influences, the music of Given Free Rein recalls likes such A Perfect Circle, Soundgarden, Tool. But there is more than that. The band transcends into the territory of the ‘70s vintage rock. So it can be said “In-Ear Trip” is a great harvest of modern and classic.
Overall, Given Free Rein’s “In-Ear Trip” is a very effective, powerful and tasty album comprised of great vocals arrangements, intricate guitar work and strong structure. It goes to the category of “must listen to” albums released in 2016.
E.V.O by Almah is a totally awesome album. I think it has a claim on being one of the best this year. So I am not going to hesitate to lay down that claim right here and now and give it a supremely stellar rating.
I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the assessment of this disc by Zephyrus in the very well-written review over at Angry Metal Guy. Zephyrus complains that the music is too poppy and happy for a metal album.
On the contrary, I think this album is an exhilarating exhibition of tremendously uplifting power metal. Almah, a highly-skilled metal outfit from Brazil, should be congratulated for their perfect blend here of musical virtuosity and accessibly melodic hooks that can appeal to the general populace.
Further, the band shreds and scorches in many satisfying ways throughout the entire disc, with enough hard rocking appeal for the most serious of metal-heads.
There are so many great songs here that they will make you nod your own head in head-banging synchronization. Excellent guitar solos, magnificent drum fills, richly harmonic vocals — it all adds up to extremely fine music. In my opinion only an ear dulled by really lousy death metal could object on the grounds that the music sounds too cheery (or Christian).
In fact, what I like most about this album are its frequent exuberant references to the youthfully naive feel of rock and metal from the 80s. Just like Haken did with Affinity, these Brazilian dudes take influences from the past and integrate them into their own satisfyingly contemporary creations.
It’s hard to pick a favorite here. Usually the best songs will happen by design at the beginning and end of albums (to help you forget the middling in-between), but even the inner cuts are scorchingly superb on this disc. Check out “Innocence,” “Higher,” “Infatuated,” “Pleased to Meet You,” or “Final Warning,” all of which are incredible examples of how this album never flags and always keeps you revising your estimate of just what your own favorite song on it might be.
But I’m not going to play favorites. It’s all good. Download this ridiculously good metal album today. After all, what’s wrong with being of good cheer? Almah knows how to cultivate the childlike joy of killer metal riffs and tasty guitar licks. Why not join the fun?
Yes, I’m getting a jump on things. After failing to pen a “Favorite Albums of 2015” earlier this year, I figured I need to strike while the iron was hot and I had a few moments of free time.
Those who follow the proceedings here at Progarchy.com likely know that I am the resident “jazz guy.” Jazz probably makes up close to half of the 75,000 or so songs in my collection. I first “discovered”—that is, really listened to—jazz in my early twenties; my first jazz albums were Keith Jarrett’s “The Köln Concert” and “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis—one being the best-selling solo piano album of alltime and the other being the most famous jazz album yet produced. “Kind of Blue” is notable here because the first song on The Tierney Sutton Bands’ (www.tierneysutton.com) brilliant album “The Sting Variations” is “Driven to Tears”, but opens by directly quoting Davis’ “So What”:
Below is the short review I recently left at Amazon.com.
This exceptional album, which continues Tierney Sutton’s impressive run of very good to outstanding releases, is a revelation in several ways.
First, the playing and singing is of the highest order, with Sutton and band so perfectly sympatico that they should appear as one definition of “organic” in Webster’s Dictionary. There is a remarkable economy married to robust breadth and depth; in other words, the musicians never overplay—every note is necessary and purposeful—but they also never under-commit; each song is played with masterful purpose, focus, and command. An example of this is “Seven Days”, which opens with a simple bass line and plaintive, quiet vocals and then builds in both musical and emotional complexity, capturing the conflicted (“Though I hate to make a choice”) but assertive (“the fact remains, I love him so…”) lyrics. Sutton’s vocals are spell-binding, combining both a light innocence and a rich maturity; the countless shades of emotion and intonation are remarkable.
Finally, the selection of Sting songs is inspired, not simply because Gordon Sumner draws deeply on jazz in his songwriting, but because the lyrical content is so eclectic and his best songs are immediately memorable but never simplistic. That Sutton brings a female voice and feminine genius to the entire project makes this, in my opinion, a truly special recording. A perfect example is found in “Every Breath You Take (Lullabye)”, in which the mega-selling single is both subverted and reimagined, turned from a somewhat unsettling stalking tune into a hushed and then soaring reflection on the complexities of loving one’s child.
An album of covers can be many things: an homage, an exercise, a one off, a replication, a dedication. This album, however, is a work of musical art, which demonstrates the musicians’ respect for the songs and songwriter not through slavish imitation, but brilliantly imaginative explication that looks backward and forward in perfect balance, as most great art does. A masterpiece.
Pathfinder, the debut album credited to the name of Stockholm, Sweden-based composer Jonas Lindberg and his band The Other Side, has potential to be submitted for one of the best releases to come out in 2016. A labour of love, Pathfinder (whose title can be interpreted in many different ways) is one of those rare musical efforts that manage to sound like very little else. With derivative acts a dime a dozen on the current music scene, listening to such an album can be an exhilarating experience. Although Lindberg’s name may be the most prominent on the cover, unlike your average ‘solo pilot’ release this is very much a collective effort, in which the input of each member of the band is recognizable, yet at the same time meshes with the others to form an organic whole.
Unabashedly eclectic, Pathfinder can be described as a ‘protest album’, and with very good reason. However, it is first and foremost a collection of inspired, thought-provoking compositions performed by a group of amazingly talented, experienced musicians who manage to come across as an extremely tight unit rather than a combination of over-inflated egos. When such collective talent is gathered together, the results may often be a tad underwhelming – especially when musicians forget that they are at the service of the music, and not the other way round.
Thankfully, this is not the case with Pathfinder. The impressive cohesion between all the artists involved, band members, results in eight tracks that display a remarkably original approach, even when external influences can be detected. While listening to the album for the first time, the closest comparison that came into my mind was with the late ‘70s– early 1990’s Pink Floyd, who are undoubtedly one of the band’s most noticeable sources of inspiration. In contrast with the majority of prog albums released in the past year or so, Pathfinder is based on relatively short compositions — and, indeed, half of the tracks are songs with a more or less ‘conventional’ verse-chorus-verse structure. The album might even be seen as a lesson on how to produce music that does not rely on 30-minute epics or convoluted concept stories in order to be progressive.
A masterful blend of mainstream sensibilities, socially-aware lyrics, intriguing atmospheres and stunning instrumental and vocal performances, this is a unique album that is warmly recommended to progressive music fans.
The concept of jazz mixed with metal is no longer a new one thanks to the explosion of the (in)famous sub-genre known as technical death metal. However, Glory of the Supervenient is one such album where the jazz/fusion influences are strong enough to almost overpower the metal segments completely at times. The calm soothing sounds that adorn almost all songs on the record should be enough of an indication of that fact. Furthermore, this is not a heavy album at all. Sure there are riffs, but the main point of the music here is a wondrous display of variety of different ideas, each of them perfectly flowing into one another in a gorgeous display of musical mastery of the band’s founder Andrea Bruzzone. All of you looking for wanky displays of instrumentation will be quite disappointed. Also one never feels the absence of vocals for even a second as the instruments clearly do all the talking here.
The music will hit a few high ended peaks finally settling on a valley of bass and guitar interplay only to fall into a river/waterfall of soothing and laid-back jazzy licks and grooves. The guitars are simply godlike and sublime in every sense of the word, with even the rhythm guitar in the background providing some amazing riffs and echoing chords further enhancing the trance-like vibe and overall atmosphere of the album in general. The lead guitar playing is brought to a minimum by creating an atmospheric vibe threaded through the tracks. Regardless of any particular song, there’s always something exciting and fresh constantly happening in this album, be it with the bass, guitars, keyboards/effects or drums, which is why it’s almost impossible for me to really pick standouts.
At the end of the day, this is hands down one of the best instrumental albums I have heard this year, metal or otherwise. My preference for most other instrumental albums mostly depends on my mood, but this is one album that I can put on at any given time and never be bored of it. Exciting, challenging and varied influences put to superb use making for a cascading wave of musical perfection all the way.
Head over to the Bancdamp page for Alice & the Wonders and you can get their album At My Door for free if you click on the link that says “Free Download” (under Digital Album).
CFCF is Michael Silver, from Montreal (where a local TV station is CFCF-TV). I discovered his music via Spotify, where it is part of their Atmospheric Calm playlist. My students enjoy working on calculus problems while it plays in the background.
The playlist is several hours long, and CFCF’s songs consistently grabbed my attention. I went ahead and purchased his 2013 album, Outsiders, and it is a true work of beauty. He mixes 21st century ambient electronics with subdued vocals and compelling melodies. Fans of classic Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, and Brian Eno will love this stuff. It has a definite ’80s vibe, in a respectful and appreciative way. I can’t stop listening to it.
Here’s one of the best songs off of Outsiders, “Strange Form Of Life”:
Dave Kerzner continues to amaze. His new Paranoia EP starts off with two new tracks. Don’t underestimate these. The more you listen to them, the more they take hold of you. Dave is an underrated songwriter. This EP proves it. These first two tracks are incredibly finely crafted songs, but unlike most prog they do not draw your attention to that fact. Instead, they are subtle, and your appreciation of them will only grow. Absolutely stellar tracks, they leave me wanting more. I can’t wait for Dave’s next full album.
Also on the EP are two live tracks that are taken from the extended 2015 Deluxe Edition of New World. “Secret” was never a favorite of mine, but here in this live version the song is much enhanced. It works so much better live, and Dave even drops an F-bomb to liven up the saccharine Barry Manilow vibe that I always thought ruined the song. Well, I understand the track much better now. The sappy atmosphere is actually meant to be totally ironic. Listen to the lyrics, and you’ll get it. I now love this song. I guess it needed to be abstracted from the two-hours-plus version of New World in order for me to finally appreciate it. Well, I really love it now.
As for “Recurring Dream,” I always really, really liked the song. The way it starts is so cool, and the whole harmonious structure is so beautiful, graced with one of Dave’s very best melodies. I can understand why it seems to be being played as an encore here. Bravo! This is a rock solid EP, and a real gift to the fans.
My apologies for being so quiet for a bit now. After the great visit by the Reverend John Simms and his beautiful bride, Jude, I’ve been working on tons of things not directly related to music or to progarchy. Mostly classes and lecturing, but quite a bit of traveling as well.
Yet, at the back of everything, prog keeps reminding me what matters most in the world–hearth, home, kids, my students, beauty, truth, and goodness.
I’ve been rather obsessed with a few albums through the first third of this academic semester: Glass Hammer’s VALKYRIE; Marillion’s FEAR; and SAND’s SLEEPER. If you’ve not gotten these yet, please do so. They have been in constant rotation.
There are some really great albums that were released this year. We almost came to the end of 2016 but terrific sounds keep coming all around the world. The Canadian instrumental progressive metal band AsZension has just released their third studio album titled “Portals.” And with this release they placed their name in the mentioned category of the best and tastiest records to come out in 2016.
As mentioned, “Portals” is completely instrumental. There are some vocal-ish things here and there in some of the songs, but it doesn’t change the fact. What is clearly noticeable throughout the record is harmony between all of the instruments they are using. There are seven songs in total total on “Portals.”
The opening “Metamorphosis” starts with a flute solo and it keeps on with calming sounds of keyboards. Then guitars come with a distorted tone combined very well with keyboards and effects. This piece reflects to the rest of material in terms of composition.
What I mostly like about this album is the sound of keyboards, courtesy of Kevin Thiessen and Gabriel Palatchi, which complete the other instruments. In other words it could be said that keyboards on this album are just like vocals on any standard recording. The moment you expect to hear some vocals, keyboards are coming to the stage and they take this craving of your ears to hear a sound completely maintain by a voice.
The self-titled, sixth song brings in some ethnic roots, especially at the beginning. A great choice for a song that also gives the album its name. Calm, great acoustic style, percussions that give oriental figures to the piece; all that nicely combined with the sound of piano. The song has its personality and it has its mystery. And of course, keyboards are again at the frontline, just like on the other tracks which makes this album special.
All in all, “Portals” is a must-hear record put out this year. Give it a chance!
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