Review: Zeolite – Zeolite

On By NickIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Zeolite

“Zeolite” is an EP release by Australian technical/progressive death metal act Zeolite. The EP was self released in February this year. It’s the successor to the band’s two singles: “Earthmover” (2014) and “Astringent” (2015).

The music on “Zeolite” EP pretty much continues th technical/progressive metal style that has been traced with the mentioned releases. Zeolite are still pretty unique sounding within the genre because of how they combine technical/progressive death metal parts with atmospheric (at times ambient) heavy parts. The technical level of playing is high, the sound production clear and powerful, and the songwriting is strong too.

The EP features 3 tracks and a full playing time of 30-odd minutes. “Seligman’s Curse” and “Brath of Kaiser”, which bookend the EP, are both in the style described above while “Seneca the Younger” and “The Dramaturgy Perspective of a Theorist” showcase that the band is no stranger to deathcore and brutal death metal. Growls of Fraser Mainwaring are convincing and intelligible. The higher pitched screams also work to great effect. Guitarist Patrick Haas and bassist Lucas Tolputt create huge wall of sound. The remaining part of the rhythm section – drums are programmed, and although they are done excellent I hope that the band will find a drummer for their next releases.

Overall “Zeolite” shows a lot of talent and potential with this EP. Let this release serves as a promise for an even better full-length release. Excellent job!

Listen to Zeolite on Bandcamp.

OPETH to Release New Album “Sorceress” via Nuclear Blast Later This Year — Prog Sphere

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Nuclear Blast Entertainment is very pleased to announce the signing of Swedish progressive legends, Opeth. Always an unstoppable force for uniqueness amid a sea of generic swill, Opeth have been setting the rulebook ablaze, and ploughing a uniquely progressive and exploratory furrow for over 25 years now. Neither conforming nor exhibiting any desire to be restricted…

via OPETH to Release New Album “Sorceress” via Nuclear Blast Later This Year — Prog Sphere

Time to PROG the Vote

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

It’s that time of year again–the time to vote for the best in progressive rock music over at the majestic Jerry Ewing’s PROG.

Screen Shot 2016-06-15 at 1.03.11 PM

http://2016.prog.awards.teamrock.com

Big Big Train’s Folklore (Hi-Res Audio Version) – Review

On By Bryan MoreyIn Progressive rock4 Comments

Big Big Train – Folklore – 2016 – High-Resolution Audio Version

Tracks: Folklore, Along the Ridgeway, Salisbury Giant, London Plane, Mudlarks, Lost Rivers of London, The Transit of Venus Across the Sun, Wassail, Winkie, Brooklands, Telling the Bees

artworkI wasn’t going to review this album. In all honesty, the others at Progarchy who reviewed it have done a much better job than I will. That, and I really didn’t like this album at first. I chalked my initial misgivings as simply, “you can’t win them all.” I figured I would have to accept that nothing else from 2016 would come close to Haken’s Affinity, which I’m still convinced that not much else will.

Admittedly, my first impression upon hearing the CD setlist of the album was, meh. I didn’t like the opening track, as parts of it were too poppy, and I don’t think Big Big Train writes compelling poppy songs. When I saw that “Wassail” was on this album, I was slightly disappointed, since that song grew to grate on me from 2015’s EP. Too much repetition in the chorus. Both “Folklore” and “Wassail” reminded me of “Make Some Noise,” another song that I find tolerable, but wish hadn’t ever been produced by this band. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of their songs. Overall, the track listing didn’t really work. The album didn’t flow, which seemed strange for this band.

My journey as a passenger on the Folklore train did not end there, however. I discovered that the band had another track listing, a definitive one, released as a vinyl record. I saw that it included “Lost Rivers of London” (one of my favorite BBT songs) and “Mudlarks,” another fantastic track. The band also chose to release this track listing as a high-resolution audio download. After annoying Brad for the lossless FLAC files of said hi-res download, I gave the album another shot. I’m glad I did.

Continue reading “Big Big Train’s Folklore (Hi-Res Audio Version) – Review” →

Neal Morse Band: aLIVE again

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
ALIVE-AGAIN-COVER-LOW+REZ
Forthcoming, August 2016

The amazing new Neal Morse Band “Alive Again” DVD/2CD Set and Blu-ray will now be released worldwide August 5th.  Pre-orders will begin 9:00 a.m. CDT June 21st.

Radiant’s Special Offer! The first 100 pre-orders of either version will receive a tour setlist signed by the whole band. This rare exclusive collectors item is only available through RadiantRecords.com

 

Track Listing

CD 1

1    Alive Again Intro
2    The Call
3    Leviathan
4    The Grand Experiment
5    Harm’s Way
6    Bill’s Keyboard Solo
7    The Creation
8    There Is Nothing That God Can’t Change

Total Time  65:22

CD 2

1    Waterfall
2    Eric’s Gtr Solo
3    In The Fire
4    Alive Again
5    Rejoice
6    Oh Lord, My God
7    Reunion
8    King Jesus

Total Time   73:50

Riding on the tremendous success of their breakthrough album, The Grand Experiment, The Neal Morse Band set out on a tremendously successful world tour in the spring of 2015. Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy have teamed up with Randy George, Eric Gillette, and Bill Hubauer to create one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time. Full stop. The Alive Again package shows them at the top of their form performing for a rousing audience in Holland March 6, 2015.

Audio mixed by Rich Mouser

 “The Neal Morse Band is a force of nature. They have evolved into a great live band, one that is as good as there is in music and they really shine on this live set. The performances here are jaw-dropping and might have you giving a standing ovation from your couch.” – Roie Avin, The Prog Report

[N.B. progarchy loves the views of Roie Avin!]

[N.B.II, my only complaint is that this does not include a live version of “New Jerusalem,” the single greatest song Morse has written!]

 

Jordan Rudess and Zee Baig: Fire Garden’s Heaven

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
Fire Garden - Jordan Rudess Banner
The fire montage!

Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) records guest solo for Fire Garden’s upcoming album

FG_Far_and_Near_Album_artwork
The sophomore album

Chicago based progressive rock act Fire Garden is pleased to announce the guest appearance of virtuoso keyboardist Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) on their second full length release ‘Far and Near’. The record also features Jimmy Keegan of Spock’s Beard on drums and many others. The album is mixed by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) and the artwork cover is designed by Travis Smith (Opeth, Riverside, Katatonia).

The album is going to be released on July 29th 2016 through PledgeMusic platform and can be pre-ordered with special exclusives at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/firegardenmusic

Fire Garden’s mastermind Zee mentions, “It’s a great honor for me to work with Jordan Rudess. He is a legend and I have grown up listening to his music and watching him play throughout the years. It’s surreal, and at the same time amazing to see his personal touch on my music.”

Fire Garden is a progressive rock project by Zee Baig from Chicago. The band has released one EP, ‘The Prelude’ in 2012, and one full length record, ‘Sound of Majestic Colors’ in 2014. The brand new album, ‘Far and Near’, is more personal and exploratory in nature, and is ready to release this summer. The band is also ready to hit the road to support the new album.

Contact: Get in touch with Zee at info@firegardenmusic.com for bookings, interviews and promos.

Zee_Fire_Garden_one

Hackett’s Latest Video: Wolflight

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
Hackett
Photo by Tina Korhonen

 

WORLD-RENOWNED GUITARIST/COMPOSER STEVE HACKETT‘S NEW VIDEO CLIP “WOLFLIGHT” HAS EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE PREMIERE ON TEAM ROCK TODAY

 
VIDEO TAKEN FROM 2CD/2DVD, BLU-RAY “THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE 
LIVE IN LIVERPOOL,” NOW DUE OUT IN NORTH AMERICA JULY 29TH
VIA INSIDEOUT MUSIC
 
(New York, NY) – Fans of progressive rock around the world can click here to check out the exclusive worldwide premiere of the brand new live clip “Wolflight” from world-renowned guitarist/composer Steve Hackett on Team Rock today.  The live performance clip is taken from his forthcoming 2 CD/2 DVD, Blu-Ray package THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE LIVE IN LIVERPOOL, due out in North America on July 29th (please note new release date) via InsideOut Music.  The package was filmed during Hackett‘s Acolyte To Wolflight With Genesis Revisited tour last year.  Celebrating the 40th anniversary of his first solo album VOYAGE OF THE ACOLYTEand following his latest album WOLFLIGHT, the Acolyte To Wolflight With Genesis Revisited Tour was Hackett‘s effort to represent the many chapters of his career. Featuring two sets – one highlighting his solo work, the second paying tribute to Genesis – the two hour performance was greeted with enthusiasm by both fans and critics.  To preorder the package, please click here.
THE TOTAL EXPERIENCE LIVE IN LIVERPOOLwill be available as double CD plus double DVD digipak, separate Blu-Ray edition as well as digital album including the two audio CDs; click here for cover art.  The line-up for the performance is as follows: Steve Hackett (guitar, vocals), Roger King (keyboards), Nad Sylvan (vocals, tambourine), Gary O’Toole (drums, percussion, vocals), Rob Townsend (saxophone, woodwind, percussion, vocals, keyboards, bass pedals), Roine Stolt (bass, variax, twelve string, vocals, guitar) with special guests John Hackett and Amanda Lehmann.
Steve Hackett‘s latest solo album, WOLFLIGHT (InsideOut Music) explores a new chapter in Hackett‘s career.  The tracks take the listener through a journey in space and time looking at the different faces of the endless fight for freedom. Wandering between parallel universes, Hackett explores contemporary and ancient cultures, from Greece (“Corycian Fire”) to the Far East (“Wolflight”), the United States and Martin Luther King (“Black Thunder”), and also his very own childhood memories (“The Wheel’s Turning”) and the unresolved drama of domestic violence (“Love Song To A Vampire”).  The video for the title track can be seen here.
In 2010, Steve Hackett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame at The 25thAnnual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony alongside his Genesis bandmates from the classic line-up: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.  For more than three decades, Steve Hackett has been known for his innovative tone and extraordinary versatility as a guitarist and composer.  He helped define Genesis’ sound as lead guitarist in the classic line-up and went on to have a highly-successful career as a solo artist, and also as part of 80s supergroup GTR with Steve Howe.
 

Review: MetaQuorum – Jonathan Livingston

On By NickIn Progressive rock2 Comments

Jonathan Livingston

UK based progressive rock duo MetaQuorum, in existence for a few years, have released a new single called “Jonathan Livingston” recently. When it comes to the progressive and atmospheric variants of rock music, bands coming from Europe have carried a rich history and undeniable reputation of taking it to unmatchable extremes, so a band like MetaQuorum immediately compels Progarchy to take notice, and share with readers thoughts on the band’s new single.

The almost four-minute song creates dreamy atmospheres with bass and keyboard works that strikes an excellent balance between heaviness and melody, and the drum patterns on top of it amplify the melodic element further. The music transitions between these extremes and smoothly moves from one passage to another, making the four-minute duration seems almost momentary. The song follows a simple structure but the music is well-written and played. Drawing parallels with other bands would be a mistake, as MetaQuorum tend to combine plenty of different styles. With a song of this nature, the duo has come forward as another noteworthy entity in a crop of progressive, electronic, atmosphere-inducing rock groups. Their subsequent releases should be on everyone’s radar. In the meantime, listen to “Jonathan Livingston” here.

Majestic Ayreon

On By bradbirzerIn Uncategorized1 Comment

For those of you who have followed progarchy from the beginning (and, a huge thank you–whenever you joined our little anarchomusical republic), you know how much we admire Arjen Lucassen.  Lucassen is a wonder in every way.  What he does with music is simply mind boggling.  Not only do I listen to Arjen in all of his many projects whenever I can, I also use every chance when lecturing on modern literature, science fiction, and dystopia to talk about Lucassen.  So, it grieves me that this has to be short as a post.  I’ve spent the past week at an academic conference in Bryn Mawr, and I’m more than a bit behind on my writing.  

Whenever Arjen produces something–whether it’s a solo album, Guilt Machine, Star One, Ambeon, or Ayreon–he does so with impeccable excellence.  The writing, the lyrics, the packaging–every thing is perfect.

soundstreamsunday: “If There Is Something” by Roxy Music

On By Craig BreadenIn art rock, electronic, glam rock, Progressive rockLeave a comment

ROXY-2If in May 1972 the Rolling Stones defined and deified rock and roll (and themselves) with the release of Exile on Main Street, one month later Roxy Music’s debut album made splatter art of such ideas.  A galvanizing, glammed-out, punked-up masterpiece, Roxy Music is the first of a series of four albums (including For Your Pleasure, Stranded, and Country Life) that artfully engage a European, distinctly non-bluesy, approach to rock. Where a mere three years later Roxy would hit the disco with “Love is the Drug” and a decade on would make one of the great, soulful, chilled-out new wave records with Avalon, in 1972 the band was pushing in every direction, its self-defined non-musician Brian Eno creating on-the-fly soundscapes that turned Andy Mackay’s reeds into guitars and Phil Manzanera’s guitars into sirens, while Bryan Ferry ululated — more in the style of Roger Chapman than the smooth crooner he would become — loose, even free associative, lyrics rendered on a spectrum from oddball to heartbreaking. While their image and aesthetic fit into the cutting edge of the British glam music scene at the time (Bowie’s Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust was released just the week before), and their creation myth is inseparable from their influential visual audacity (for who could look more creepy in a feather boa and leopard skin than the be-rouged Eno?), it was the band’s intense musicianship and penchant for the melodic that was the core of its success and influence, and why you can hear this first album in everything from The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Talking Heads. The sound is richly subversive, hooks are everywhere, songs use shifting dynamics to create emotional peaks. They challenge convention, but are fully wrought, they are all surface, but go deep.

Roxy Music on Amazon

soundstreamsunday archive