Pre-Order Big Big Train STONE AND STEEL
Wonderful news for the first daylight moments of 2016.
Stone And Steel Blu-Ray (Pre-Order)
Stone and Steel documents Big Big Train’s return to live performance after many years as a writing and recording band. Released on Blu-Ray and high-definition download, Stone and Steel features performances of nine songs recorded live at Real World studios in August 2014 and four songs recorded live at the band’s London gigs in August 2015 alongside interview and documentary footage. All live performances are presented in 5.1 and stereo. Running time approximately three hours. The Blu-Ray release includes a 64 page booklet. The release date is March 14th, with Blu-Ray pre-orders being taken from January 1st and downloads being available from Vimeo in March.
To order, click here.
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One More “Best of 2015” List
I love lists (top 10s, 20s, 100s whatnot) and “best-of” compilations. I think no source has given us a better view of the progressive gems of 2015 than Progarchy. My own opinions are just that—mine. While my “best of” judgment calls are ultimately just my favorite albums from the past year, I think I’ll stick with “best of” rather than “Watson’s Faves.” The music that you might think should be listed, but doesn’t appear here, more than likely means I just didn’t get a chance to listen to it. Dave Kerzner’s brilliant album is not listed because I view it (and first listened to it) as a 2014 release. I’ll skip posting album jacket photos and links. While the list is for “PROG” I also include a few other categories. It was a great year and this is how I saw it: [counting down in reverse order for greater surprise effect]
TOP 20 OF 2015 ALBUMS
- Beardfish/ +4626 COMFORTZONE
This band rarely disappoints. The music is riveting only trumped by some profound lyrics.
- Neal Morse/ GRAND EXPERIMENT
Morse has the ‘gold-standard’ for constantly producing beautiful and poignant music that emotionally engages the listener. In a less stellar year would be rated higher.
- Glass Hammer/ A BREAKING OF THE WORLD
Ditto my comments on Morse. Every GH album should be purchased as they’re incapable of making anything less than a jewel.
- The Gentle Storm/ DIARY
This is a great concept-story which was executed brilliantly in two versions (hard and soft). I’m a sucker for melody and when Anneke sings I hear hints of one of my favorite song-birds, Annie Haslam. A gorgeous and moving listen.
- Native Construct/ QUIET WORLD
A blend of heavier progressive rock and progressive metal with enough hooks and stunning harmonizations to make one say “who are these guys?” One my “finds” of the year.
- Steven Wilson/ HAND. CANNOT. ERASE
This was in my top three most of the year. What else can I add to what the known universe has been saying about Wilson’s magnum opus? Serious, sublime, reflective, and permanent in its impact. 10/10.
- The Dear Hunter/ ACT IV: REBIRTH IN REPRISE
The best reason not to come out with a “best of” list until the last day of the year is so that albums like this don’t slip by in the rush. I only just heard this concept disc (a couple days ago) and it has been listened to almost a dozen times now. This is a fulsome blend of Muse and maybe Coheed & Cambria. I must explore their back discography as their fusion of orchestra rock and classic prog, with a hint of art-rock/jazz, hit me so hard that they vaulted over even Steven Wilson. Along with Native Construct, this is a discovery that makes 2015 so epic.
- The Tangent/ A SPARK IN THE AETHER.
Andy and company turn out their best album yet (such an artist that every new release is their best one yet). Andy’s love of music and the progressive genre radiates out in warm love and celebratory life. This is a feel-good album that is returned to time and time again. Was in contention for #1.
- Lonely Robot/ PLEASE COME HOME
John Mitchell’s album is near perfect. The infectious melodies, lyrical themes, and exquisite musicianship had this loosely-based concept album of alienation and humanity neck and neck with the following winner.
THE BEST ALBUM OF 2015 – –
- 3RDegree/ ONES AND ZEROS: Vol. 1
If you are a fan of progressive masterpieces (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Rush) you will quickly realize that 3RDegree’s ONES AND ZEROS will be talked about with the same enduring awe as the aforementioned masters of this art. The album is deep and disturbing with a libretto worthy of the best dystopian science-fiction legendary authors. The musicianship is tight and the album’s production and mixing is crisp. If I could have listened to only one album this past year (and a gander at my list makes clear what a bumper year it has been) it would have this one. I’m listening to it right now as I type. Go buy it. Buy copies for your friends…Christmas 2016 is only 12 months away…you’ll probably not find an album this good in those coming 12 months.
And now, to round out my TOP 20:
- Gazpacho/ Molok
- Spock’s Beard/THE OBLIVION PARTICLE
- Tiger Moth Tales/ STORY TELLERS PART ONE
- Argos/ A SEASONAL AFFAIR
- Barock Project/SKYLINE
- Arena/ THE UNQUIET SKY
- Red Jasper/ THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW
- Grand Tour/ HEAVY ON THE BEACH
- Steve Hackett/ WOLFLIGHT
- Subterranean Masquerade/ THE GREAT BAZAAR
HONORABLE MENTION
Riverside/ LOVE, FEAR, AND THE TIME MACHINE
Sylvan/ HOME
Sanguine Hum/ NOW WE HAVE A LIGHT
David Gilmour/ RATTLE THAT LOCK
Toto/ XIV
BEST NON-PROG:
POP/ROCK/INDIE, ETC.
Joe Jackson/Fast Forward
FFS/ FFS
The Decemberists/ WHAT A TERRIBLE WORLD WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Jeff Lynn’s ELO/ ALONE IN THE UNIVERSE
HEAVY METAL/SLUDGE/STONER/PSYCH ETC.
Iron Maiden/ BOOK OF SOULS
Baroness/ PURPLE
Amorphis/ UNDER THE RED CLOUD
Arcturus/ ARCTURIAN
Motorhead/ BAD MAGIC (Lemmy R.I.P)
The Sword/ HIGH COUNTRY
COUNTRY
Dwight Yoakum/ SECOND HAND HEART
Whitey Morgan and the 78’s/ SONIC RANCH
Chris Isaak/ FIRST COMES THE NIGHT
BEST SONGS
Choir of Ancestors/ Gazpacho
First Comes The Night/Chris Isaak
Hand Cannot Erase/ Steven Wilson
A Night on the Town/ The Dear Hunter
Waves/ The Dear Hunter
Till the End/ Motorhead
Collaborations Don’t Work/ FFS
Fast Forward/ Joe Jackson
The Celluloid Road/ The Tangent
The Boy in the Radio/ Lonely Robot
Bennett Built A Time Machine/ Spock’s Beard
Sacrifice/ Amorphis
Neal Morse Band News
According to Neal Morse’s most recent Inner Circle newsletter, the Neal Morse Band–all except Mike Portnoy, unfortunately–will be meeting this coming month to write a follow-up to 2015’s extraordinary THE GRAND EXPERIMENT. Frankly, I thought THE GRAND EXPERIMENT the finest album Morse has written. I write this as a huge fan of everything he does. So very excited to know what NMB comes up with.
Stephen Humphries Interviews Francis Dunnery
[Editor’s note: it is with no small amount of pleasure and pride that Stephen Humphries–well-known music journalist and accomplished author–interviewed Francis Dunnery for progarchy.com. I’m not sure what we did to deserve Stephen’s help and friendship, but I, for one, am absolutely thrilled!–Brad]
By Stephen Humphries
Francis Dunnery’s latest albums may be titled Frankenstein Monster and Vampires, but it doesn’t mean he’s going through a goth-rock phase.
At least, not yet.
The songwriter, singer, and guitarist has reveled in a variety of musical styles during his three-decade career. Since leaving the seminal British pop-prog band It Bites, his 10 solo albums have spanned progressive rock, pop, folk, jazz, and punk. That versatility accounts for why Dunnery has occasionally paused his solo career to lend his considerable guitar prowess to the likes of Robert Plant, Ian Brown of The Stone Roses, Carlos Santana, Lauryn Hill, and Chris Difford of Squeeze.
Of late, though, Dunnery has been revisiting the progressive rock sounds that inspired him to pick up a guitar when he was a young boy. Credit Dave Kerzner from Sound of Contact for renewing Dunnery’s interest in far-out, exploratory sounds. Kerzner persuaded his friend to sing on a couple of Rush cover versions by Sonic Elements, a “Fantasy Band Tribute to Rush.”
Since then, Dunnery and Kerzner’s Sonic Elements have worked up a complete rendition of Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway that hasn’t yet been released. You can, however, hear Dunnery’s spot-on vocal performance of “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” on Steve Hackett’s Genesis Revisited II. (A singer of note, Dunnery contributed backing vocals to the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe album back in 1989.) In other recent prog-related activity, Dunnery’s fiery fret fingerwork can be heard on Kerzner’s New World album and also the title track to Big Big Train’s The Underfall Yard. Dunnery also produced and played on the 2009 album Big Sky by The Syn, the reunited progressive band that was once home to Chris Squire before he joined Yes.
In 2013, Dunnery released Frankenstein Monster, an album of re-recorded songs by the 1970s proto-prog band Necromandus that was founded by his older brother Barry. (See the video for the title track, the one original Francis Dunnery composition on the album, below.) Dunnery’s brand new album, Vampires, also looks back at another aspect of the past. It consists of 14 re-recordings of songs by It Bites, the group that he formed in Cumbria, Britain, with John Beck (keyboards), Bob Dalton (drums), and Dick Nolan (bass). This time out, Francis recorded fresh versions of the songs with his own Sensational Francis Dunnery Band.
Available January 1st from his website, Vampires includes many of the It Bites’ signature melodic shorter songs (including their top 10 UK hit “Calling all the Heroes”) as well as versions of long-form epics such as “Old Man and the Angel” and “Once around the World.”
In a Skype interview with Francis, he explained why he decided to sink his fangs into these old songs to immortalize them on Vampires.
Humphries: You’ve re-recorded a massive batch of songs spanning your entire career. Why? What inspired you to do so and what did you set out to achieve?
Dunnery: The inspiration was quite similar to my last album, Frankenstein Monster, which was basically to complete the past. When your past is incomplete you cannot do anything new, because your past is taking up all your brain space. The idea of recording those songs were always in my mind and occupied a great deal of space in my head. I needed to get them recorded so I could free up space to do new things. The It Bites tracks are very much the same. Any unfinished projects or ideas floating around in your head will make you a prisoner of your past. You won’t have the energy to do anything new and fresh because all your energy will be focused on the incomplete projects from your past.
Humphries: Who are the musicians on the project and what did they bring to the table?
Dunnery: The musicians are the Sensational Francis Dunnery band. Tony Beard on drums, Michael Cassedy on keyboards and Jamie Bishop on bass. I think Tony’s drumming is a beautiful compromise between rock and “pocket.” Tony’s pocket is as close to a black drummer as you’ll get. Like me, he’s a massive fan of R&B, especially the stuff the kids are doing today. So this is It Bites note-for-note with a beautiful groove. Jamie is also very laid back in his bass playing so the tracks are very musical. Michael did a wonderful job playing John Beck’s parts.
Humphries: Which of the re-recordings are you most excited for fans to hear?
Dunnery: All of them. They sound amazing. There’s nothing to put anyone off listening to them. They are note-for-note and the sound is a million times better than the originals. The originals have the melancholy of people’s childhoods attached to them so you cannot hope to replace that, but the new versions are pretty damn cool in their own right.
Humphries: What was the criteria for selecting which It Bites songs to re-record?
Dunnery: I basically picked the most important songs on the albums, the ones that I liked. The ones that I felt could be sonically updated successfully. I’m a song guy. I’m not particularly interested in how fast someone can tap an arpeggio—I’m far more interested in melody, storytelling, and lyrics. When I was 18, I was more focused on musicianship, but today’s musicians are mostly performing little tricks…which is cool but it’s not something I’m interested in today. I always loved Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys, Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile, Laura Nyro—song people. The songs I picked were probably the best melodies.
Humphries: Were there songs that you attempted to re-record but ultimately abandoned?
Dunnery: No, we recorded all the ones I said we would record.
Humphries: Some of the original It Bites recordings sound a bit dated and very much of their time in production. Did you update them or rearrange your versions in any way?
Dunnery: Completely updated them. Instead of brass sounds and synthesizers, we used all real stuff and it sounds killer. Sonically, it sounds a bit more like early Deep Purple during “Black Night” and “Strange Kind of Woman” —basic overdriven Hammond and electric pianos played through amps.
Humphries: John Beck’s keyboards/backing vocals and the Dalton/Nolan rhythm section had a particular sound—what was your approach to those aspects of the It Bites songs in your new recordings?
Dunnery: We copied John note for note because the parts were great, but I swapped the little tinkly bell type sounds for real meaty organ and piano. We gave the keyboards a set of balls. The drums are dry and without reverb compression or EQ. Tony Beard is an amazing drummer and he’s also amazing at tuning drums. I just put a few mics in front of him and let him do his thing.
Humphries: Can you tell me about why you chose to include It Bites B-sides such as “Vampires” and “Feels like Summertime”? In retrospect, do you wish those songs had been on the It Bites albums?
Dunnery: I liked those songs a lot. I remember when we recorded the track
“Vampires” in the Townhouse studios in London and I was going beserk with the guitar solo. It was so much fun. Incredibly intense. “Feels like Summertime” is a beautiful track. I never liked the It Bites version much because the chorus was a bit telegraphed and my vocal was too effeminate. It was great to be able to have the opportunity to fullfill that track now that I have a better knowledge of songwriting.
Humphries: How much of a challenge was it to re-record complex epics such as “Old Man and the Angel,” and “Once Around the World”? Take me into the experience of tackling those pieces again.
Dunnery: It was pretty easy. I recently recorded some vocals for Dave Kerzner as we are re-recording the whole of the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and those vocals were incredibly easy as well. I have been singing them for so long that I know exactly how to deliver the vocals so the melodies stand out. It was the same as the Steve Hackett album. I recorded “Dancing with the Moolight Knight” for him and it was easy. The It Bites tracks are the same.
Humphries: How many discs will Vampires consist of? Is there anything notable about the packaging?
Dunnery: The Vampires album will be 2 CDs as the songs are very long. There will be a special ‘muso’ package with downloads of the instrumentals. There is nothing particularly notable about the packaging other than my crack dealer’s phone number, which will be on there for anyone who would like to hear the tracks with more white angst.
Humphries: Has the Vampires project influenced where you want to go next?
Dunnery: It has influenced my next album in the fact that I don’t want to play any more electric guitar for a while. Frankenstein Monster and Vampires make a bold electric statement that I will not be able to supersede for quite some time. I hate doing the same stuff over and over.
Humphries: You’ve been writing new songs: How far along is it and what can you tell us about the musical direction of your next album?
Dunnery: I am auditioning three African-American backing vocalists in New York City. I want to make a quiet album with a bass, acoustic guitar, and three African-American backing vocalists. I have some great stories to tell and some great new melodies to sing. I need African Americans because European Africans have a different feeling, African Africans are not even in the ball park and white girls can’t deliver what I’m looking for on this album. There is a sweetness to African-American musicians in general that I really love. It’s not so much what comes out of their mouth, it’s more of the feeling and the sweetness of the timing of their expression that I love. It cannot be emulated. My new album will be sweet and quiet and probably not for anyone under 25 years of age.
Humphries: You perform dozens of House Concerts across the world every year. [Visit FrancisDunnery.com to book one.] Tell me about your recently published book House Concert Expert.
Dunnery: I wrote a book because I wanted to write a book. It hasn’t yet sold anywhere near what I thought it would but they say if you want to make God laugh, make some f***ing plans! I haven’t started promoting properly so by this time next year I may be the new Stephen King.
Vampires is available January 1, 2016, at www.francisdunnery.com. Follow Francis on Twitter: @dunnery.
Hot Streak: Best of 2015 @TheWineryDogs
This is an album that I struggled with at first, but in the end it became one of my Top 22 favorites of the entire year.
The biggest problem for me was the track order. I didn’t like the original sequencing at all, so it wasn’t until I came up with my own playlist order of the album that I was able to fully enjoy it.
The first three tracks simply failed to grab me in the beginning. “Oblivion” (track 1) shows off the musicians’ chops, but I don’t think it is anywhere near one of the best songs on the album. Instead, “The Lamb”(track 13) is both an excellently written song and it also has a wicked display of chops. I would have thought it should be right at the beginning, or at least somewhere in the first half of the album. It is arguably the album’s greatest achievement.
“Captain Love” (track 2) is fun, but again, it is not one of the strongest songs. The whole “pet name” theme driving it was boring for me; it felt like a “novelty” song. I would rather have a track like this come after all the best songs, when I am craving more, and thus am more open to the silliness and fun of this kind of lyrical fluff.
“Hot Streak” (track 3) is funky and fierce, but again, it simply did not grab me. It was not until “How Long” (track 4) and “Empire” (track 5) that I really sat up and took notice. Those two songs are absolutely superb and are completely stunning displays of both songwriting and instrumental mastery.
Other tracks that didn’t offer me maximum enjoyment in the original running order are: “Fire,” “Ghost Town,” “Spiral,” and “Think It Over.” For me, each interrupted the flow of the album. But the other tracks really excited and thrilled me.
So, I took drastic measures and rewrote the track order for the album. I found that with the following playlist, the album became one of my favorites of the year; the trick for me was to hook myself on my favorite six songs first, and then continue to feed the craving they instilled with the rest of the songs coming after, when I was properly disposed to fully enjoy them:
8. “The Bridge”
9. “War Machine”
11. “Devil You Know”
13. “The Lamb”
4. “How Long”
5. “Empire”
1. “Oblivion”
2. “Captain Love”
3. “Hot Streak”
6. “Fire”
7. “Ghost Town”
10. “Spiral”
12. “Think It Over”
I find that this song order never fails to hook me and thrill me. My six favorite songs now come first: these are the ones that, just when I was ready to give up on this album as second-tier, would pop up in the original running order and blow me completely away. I am glad to have the playlist option of re-creating the album. I do think part of a classic album is its proper sequencing.
If you didn’t think The Winery Dogs released one of the year’s best albums, think again. This track ordering totally works for me and seals the deal. Hot Streak is one of the year’s finest.
If you doubt me, I dare you to download the first six songs in my new running order. They are completely amazing. If you listen to just these six, you will become a champion this year of the stunning musical achievement by The Winery Dogs:
8. “The Bridge”
9. “War Machine”
11. “Devil You Know”
13. “The Lamb”
4. “How Long”
5. “Empire”
On a Roll – 2015 Prog In Review
So you’re watching a baseball game. The pitcher for one of the teams has yet to give up a hit. In fact, he’s retired every batter that he’s faced, giving up not so much as a walk. And even as the game stretches into the latter innings, he’s not getting tired. He’s struck out six batters in a row and is just completely shutting down the opposition in a manner reminiscent of the way noted Rush fan Randy Johnson used to do. You look at that guy and think “man, he’s on a roll.”
Maybe it’s a team that has won a number of games in a row. Maybe it’s a business leader who has led his company into the stratosphere with one popular product offering after another.
Or maybe you are a fan of prog rock. In fact, you probably are just that if you’re reading this. You look back a few years ago, at 2012, and realize it was a good year, producing a number of excellent albums, including Echolyn’s “Windowpane” album, Glass Hammer’s incredible Perilous, and Gazpacho’s March of Ghosts (highly underrated if you ask me). Then 2013 comes along, and you think, “what an amazing year,” as your album collection grows with releases such as Ayreon’s The Theory if Everything, The Tangent’s magnum opus Le Sacre Du Travail, and Haken’s outstanding The Mountain. There is no letup at all in 2014, more new releases, many of them are “must haves”, such as IQ’s The Road of Bones and Cosmograf’s Capacitor among them. And now, here we are in 2015, and you’ve been deluged with more incredible music in what has been yet another great year in prog. And you think, “man, prog on a roll!”
Indeed it is.
Each December for the last several years, we at Progarchy have gushed about the abundance of great prog music coming out and the health of the current prog scene. We are getting to be like a broken record. But can you blame us? And would you rather it be different, like the early 90’s or so when the prog light was a dimly flickering candle?
What else can I say? Well, I can start talking about the albums.
Album of the Year:
In a year of stellar releases, my hands down album of the year with a bullet is Riverside’s utterly brilliant Love, Fear, and The Time Machine. I simply cannot overstate how much I love this album, or how good it is. Riverside has tamed much of their heavy metal side, moving in more melodic direction – while still retaining the dynamism and overall sound 
that is unmistakably Riverside. While the album still has some of their trademark moodiness, the darkness has been replaced with a mature, tempered, and realistic optimism that grows throughout. This album was quite a leap for Riverside in terms of direction, and yet they pulled it off flawlessly.
Other Notables:
Most others have put Steven Wilson’s Hand Cannot Erase at the top of their album of the year charts. I can’t do that, and I’m probably not quite as
much of a Wilson fan as most of the hardcore proggers are today. That being said, this was a pretty good album for me, if a bit depressing in subject matter. But musically, Wilson and his band are firing on all cylinders. Home Invasion/Regret #9 stands out as my favorite track on the album, although you really have to listen to the whole thing to get the gist.
One of my new discoveries this year was Nad Sylvan, and his excellent solo album Courting the Widow. Sylvan’s album builds on the 
classic/symphronic prog sound of an earlier era, and yet sounds fresh and modern. It works especially well since Sylvan’s natural singing voice seems to be a perfect mix of Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, making it no mystery as to why Steve Hackett selected him as a touring vocalist. Standout tracks on this album include the title track, Echoes of Ekwabet, and the excellent epic, To Turn The Other Side.
Gazpacho didn’t wait long after their release of Demon in 2014, coming back this year with an equally strange album Molok. Like its predecessor,
this album is very strange – but don’t mistake that for a lack of quality. All the Gazpacho trademarks are there, the meticulous subtlety, the unusual structures that take time to reveal themselves, and the thin veneer of simple riffs on top with a staggering complexity underneath. Conceptually, this album is not easy to explain, and it’s best to read the band’s explanation put up on their Facebook page. It’s hard to pick out a favorite track since the album has to be taken as a whole … although Molok Rising provides a strong and satisfying end to the album.
Everything Arjen Anthony Luccassen touches turns to awesome, and The Diary by his project with Anneke van Giersbergen, The Gentle Storm. This 
was really two albums in one, a heavy version (Storm) with all the songs “metaled up” by Arjen, and a lighter version (Gentle) which relied more heavily on acoustic instruments and folky sounds. Both are excellent and it’s tough to pick on. Shores of India seems to work best in the Gentle form, while The Storm, appropriately, seems to work best in the Storm version.
I’m going to go slightly off script here into the realms of heavy metal, because my list would not be complete without a mention of Iron Maiden’s stunning album, The Book of Souls. Why am I only slightly off script? 
Because this album is the proggiest thing Iron Maiden has ever done, even though it retains their previous heavy metal elements. While this album is excellent from start to finish, the boys of Maiden are at their strongest here when they are on their proggiest – the 10 minutes plus title, track, the 13 minutes plus The Red and the Black, and the closing, 18 minute epic, Empire of the Clouds. For the shorter, more familiar Maiden, Speed of Light is a particularly strong track. I’ve always defended the members and the music of Iron Maiden as being more intelligent and thoughtful than that of their heavy metal peers, and this album is the best evidence yet of that. This is truly a crowning achievement on an amazing career.
Moving back into prog-proper territory, Andy Tillison and his band The Tangent followed up 2013’s outstanding Le Sacre Du Travail with an equally
excellent release, A Spark in the Aether. One of the things that really comes through on this album (and makes it so excellent) is that is sounds like Tillison was having tongs of fun in making it. The joy really shines through on one of my favorite tracks, Codpieces and Capes, a celebration of prog’s glorious past. Even better is The Celluloid Road, Andy’s insightful look at America through the lens provided in film, i.e. movies that is. It’s the highlight of an album full of highlights. Oh, and speaking of America …
Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue:
This year was an exceptional year for prog from this side of the Atlantic, 
better than I can remember in some time. For one, Echolyn returned with I Heard You Listening, which more or less picks up where they left off in 2012. There were no bad tracks on the album, but Messenger of All’s Right, Different Days, and All This Time We’re Given were especially strong.
District 97 returned with their eclectic and somewhat heavy brand of prog, bringing us In Vaults. The early part of this release starts out sounding similar to their previous release, Trouble With Machines, but gradually 
evolves into new territory. I absolutely love the leadoff track, Snow Country, and am also partial to A Lottery and On Paper. The playing is top notch throughout. But what I like best about this album is the outstanding vocal performance of Leslie Hunt, who continues to make a strong case for the title of First Lady of Prog. Whether it’s her breathy jazz phrasing, her power vocals, or something in between, she hits it perfect every time.
Our favorite boys from Joisey, 3rd Degree, came out Ones and Zeros: Vol. 1. 
I’m hoping that the Vol. 1 part of the title is an implicit stating that there will be a Vol. 2, because I definitely want more of this. A concept album that explores our relationship to technology (the digital world in particular), the lyrics are both clever and insightful. This one will be interesting to come back to five or ten years hence to examine the lyrics/concept in the context of how times will change.
The Ted Leonard era of Spock’s Beard continued apace with The Oblivion 
Particle. I won’t mince words here – I think Leonard is the best vocalist Spock’s Beard has ever had, and I love where they are going with him at the mike. Bennett Built a Time Machine is an excellent track, and I love Minion as well (would have liked the move Minions to have worked a little prog into their soundtrack with this one …). They musicianship is as stellar as ever, and combined with Leonard’s voice, the Beard sounds as good as ever to these ears.
One final entry here is Dave Kerzner’s New World. Now technically, this 
album was initially released in 2014, but after many had already compiled their year-end best-of lists. It didn’t seem fair to me that such a fine album wouldn’t make the cut simply because of the timing of its release. So I’m going to include it here as a 2015 release and put it on my list – and on the merits it most definitely belongs.
And no, I haven’t forgot about Glass Hammer’s highly acclaimed Breaking of the World. But I must confess I haven’t gotten around to listening to this one yet. So much prog, so little time.
So another great year is almost in the books. What will 2016 bring? Well, if current trends continue, it’s going to be a pretty good year. For one, we will probably get the DVD of The Theater Equation, and I’m very much looking forward to that. Let’s just hope things stay where they’re at – on a roll.
Lifesigns: Entering 2016
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Interview with Pointless Fate
Lars Alatalo is a guitarist of Swedish band Pointless Fate, who in 2015 released a debut EP “Touching The Void.” We asked Lars set of questions, and here is what he says about the band’s work.
Alright, first things first. Before we dive into all the music stuff, how’s life?
Things are pretty good, we just finished a small tour in Serbia which was amazing and everyone in the band is eager to get out and play again and write some new music.
Speaking of new music, you have a new EP. What can people expect from “Touching the Void”?
Yes we recently released our first EP. People can expect a dark, heavy and sometimes brutal journey filled with great riffs, melodies and rhythm changes with a little progressive touch.
What was it like working on the EP?
All the songs on the EP was written some time before we even started talking about recording so the writing of the songs when pretty smooth and then we just had to pick which songs we thought would fit the EP the best. When it comes to the recoding of the songs it also went kind of easy and didn’t take that much time because we had been playing live a lot just before we went into the studio.
Are there any touring plans in support to “Touching the Void”?
Yes we have already been to Serbia in support of Touching the Void and now we are looking for more places to go and play.
While we’re on the subject of touring, what countries would you love to tour?
I think everyone in the band really would like to tour in Japan and the US.
Who and what inspires you the most?
When it comes to writing music I take inspiration from many different bands and genres both in metal but also outside of it. When I write lyrics the inspiration comes from other places such as religion, philosophy and my own experiences. When it comes to who inspires me, that is a difficult question. I take a lot of inspiration from people like Ronnie James Dio, Jim Morrison and Tony Iommi inside of music, some people who are not musicians also inspires me for example Richard Dawkins.
What other genres of music do you listen to?
I listen to most genres within rock music, I like bands such as Pink Floyd and Dire Straits, outside of rock I love the music of Simon & Garfunkel as well as Bob Dylan. But my favourite band outside of metal would definitely be The Doors.
Have any of the other genres you listen to had any impact on your playing?
It absolutely have, many of the bands I mentioned earlier have inspired me so much. Among my favourite guitarists come from bands that don’t play metal like Robby Krieger from The Doors and Mark Knopfler.
I really appreciate you giving us your time today. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us and the fans before we wrap things up?
The pleasure is mine! Stay tuned for more music and more gigs to come!
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Interview: Spyros Charmanis (None Other)
Greek composer and multi-instrumentalist Spyros Charmanis released an album under the name None Other titled “Than The Common Plague” in September. In an interview for Progarchy, he tells about the process that informed the record, and more.
Hey Spyros. How are you doing?
Hello Progarchy! I am doing well and I hope you do too!
You released “Than The Common Plague” recently. How do you feel about the release?
Pretty happy, and I’m sure everyone feels that way about their recent work! It came together nicely and easily and the packaging came out great. The overall result makes me proud – in the non-narcissistic way- it utterly justifies the amount of time it subtracted from my life and I’m glad I did it!
How much of a challenge was it to work on the album?
It was quite challenging, I can say that! As with each concept album, aside from the freedom it can give the artist to explore and develop, there are traps and pitfalls and the hardest thing to achieve is cohesion throughout. I won’t say I achieved it, that probably is for the listener to decide, but I can say that there was a great deal of care and meticulous planning on my part so that the music, the story and the book resemble a complete work of art. And I use the term ‘art’ because I believe that every record potentially serves as an art proposition, not because I’m having delusions of grandeur or anything!
How is the progressive rock scene in Greece these days?
It’s there, but you have to know where to look. I mean, there are great prog rock stuff happening but I feel that the hip thing to do here right now still is the ‘stoner / southern rock’ type of thing. With which I don’t have a problem mind you, most of them are really awesome and absolutely rewarding to see live.
What is your opinion about the new wave of rock bands?
I fear my knowledge of this ‘new wave’ is minimal…There are definitely some new bands that I love, such as All Them Witches for example, and I do like the fact that they’re able to do what they do. I think every ‘new’ band knows it has to work harder to stand out due to the rising ‘competition’ and the plethora (I’m Greek, I can use that word!) of options out there, which of course works to the advantage of those paying attention, as they are rewarded with truly wonderful music!
Can you tell me something about your influences?
I can tell you that they’re not as many as I’d like! Some of them are pretty standard, some are pretty shameful, some are just plain pretty! I keep trying to find more time to listen to music, but that’s modern life for you I guess. The newest thing I started exploring and felt quite ashamed I haven’t done that all this time was King Crimson. I do love that there’s an entire back catalogue for me to devour though!
What are you listening to these days?
If I go to the studio now and check my playlist, there’s King Crimson and All Them Witches I mentioned earlier, the latest Triggerfinger album and my friend’s Methexis latest effort.
Your five favourite records of all time?
Oh no! High Fidelity is going to answer that for me: ‘In the club or at home?’! Kidding aside, I doubt I can produce a permanent list there, so many things to consider! Do or do not, there is no try I guess. In fear of it being ultimately frail and subject to change, I’d say definitely The Dark Side of the Moon, Grace by Jeff Buckley, Photo Finish by Rory Gallagher (as this was my first Gallagher record), King for a Day by Faith No More and the Court of the Crimson King should be there at the top, and I truly feel bad…
Can you tell me a little bit more about the gear you used to record “Than The Common Plague”?
That should be somewhat embarrassing! There was a little Alesis Multimix board I came to despise fiercely and a Fender Frontman 212 amp housing a Telecaster Highway One, a PRS SE Singlecut and various guitar effect pedals and a cheap Epiphone bass guitar going straight to the board. The more proper gear I used was a Pearl custom drumset mic’ed with a collection of Shure sm57’s and a couple of AKG condenser microphones, which also doubled for various other duties such as vocals, a Takamine acoustic guitar, percussion and the lot. I also used a musical saw and a custom made string instrument paired with an analog delay for soundscaping effects, and then various plug-ins in the computer.
Besides the release of the album, are there any other plans for the future?
I did a couple of acoustic sets (played with an electric guitar and amp) along with my cousin who also sings, I hope we’d get to do that more – she is great and it was quite fun! I also hope that new music will start forming in my head soon, I really miss the sentiment!
Any words for the potential new fans?
A sincere thank you to them for choosing to pay attention. And to you, people of Progarchy for the nice talk!
Buy “Than The Common Plague” from Bandcamp, and follow Spyros Charmanis and None Other on Facebook.
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