For reference, here is a list of the first ten obscure prog bands I reviewed many years ago. Enjoy!
The Best Prog Bands You’ve Never Heard Of (Part Twelve): Fruupp
Well, perhaps you actually have heard of these chaps. Although they never made much of a name for themselves, Fruupp opened up for some of the biggest names in progressive rock, including Genesis, Queen, and King Crimson, in the early 1970s.
Founded in 1971 by Irish guitarist Vincent McClusker, Fruupp included classically trained Stephen Houston on keyboards and oboe; Peter Farrelly on lead vocals, bass guitar, and flute; and Martin Foye on drums. They recorded four albums in their five year tenure, but the sudden departure of Houston in 1975 (he became a clergyman) and poor record sales eventually forced the band to call it a day.
Fruupp’s third album, The Prince of Heaven’s Eyes, is considered their masterpiece. A concept album (based on a short story by Paul Charles), it tells the tale of a lad named Mud Flanagan, who, after the death of his parents, traverses the Irish countryside looking for the end of the rainbow. The influence of Genesis, especially in the songwriting, vocals, and keyboards, is evident throughout the album, but Fruupp are not mere copycats.
The album opens with a beautiful symphonic piece titled “It’s All Up Now”: Flanagan has made the decision to leave home and journey out into the wilds of the Emerald Isle. But shortly after his departure, “The Prince of Darkness” – a song that would fit nicely into the sinister world of Nursery Cryme – interrupts young Mud’s pleasant travels. Thankfully, our hero manages to avoid the road to hell and continues on his way, encountering a beautiful woman and experiencing several strange visions before reaching his journey’s end in the lengthy but uplifting “The Perfect Wish.”
Houston’s keyboards steal the show on this album, although McClusker and Foye are able to showcase their talents on guitar and drums, respectively, on the heavier “Annie Austere” and “Crystal Brook” (the latter also features some gorgeous flute courtesy of Farrelly).
It’s a shame Fruupp never enjoyed the success that other symphonic bands did, as this album certainly offers hints of bigger things that might have been. The Prince of Heaven’s Eyes may not reach the heights of Foxtrot or Selling England By the Pound, but it is certainly a worthy addition to the traditional symphonic prog canon.
Stay tuned for obscure prog band number thirteen!
King Crimson’s Music Is Our Friend USA Tour
It’s been a long, long, loooong wait for King Crimson to reschedule their pandemic-postponed tour, originally planned for last summer. But as of today, there’s rejoicing in the air at Discipline Global Mobile:
We are pleased to announce the dates for the re-scheduled 2021 King Crimson tour of the USA. This is also a good moment to publicly thank all those who have worked so hard to make this tour possible. The dates have changed on an almost daily basis over the last six months as rules and restrictions have changed.
The California Guitar Trio will be appearing as a special guest for the first leg of the tour. King Crimson will be accompanied by the Zappa Band for the whole of the second leg of the tour from 22nd August – 11th September, and also for the concerts in Concord and Los Angeles on 5th and 6th August.
There are currently Royal Package places available at all these concerts. The Royal Package gives priority seating at the front of the venue, early access, special merchandise, and personal insights and answers from David Singleton and one of the band members. Anyone with an existing place reserved last year, who now needs to move to a different venue or apply for a refund, should contact iona@dgmhq.com.
Crimson manager David Singleton has much, much more on the headaches involved at his DGM diary. And Crimson founder/mainman/guitarist Robert Fripp has also reacted in characteristic fashion:
The Crimson Beast Of Terror has woken from its enforced slumbering and is venturing out to stomp flat the psyches of innocents not yet experienced in the hammering onslaught of King Crimson’s uncompromising pounding – bish! bish! bish! – before turning on a beat to jellify hearts with gut-wrenching passion and soul-squeezing epic unfoldings to remind us that we are all mere subjects in the unfolding drama of the universe’s unfathomable mysteries while simultaneously rocking out and having a great time bopping about with Tony and Bobby and Gavin and Jakko and Mel and Pat and Jezza too.
Tour dates are listed below; Royal Packages are available by clicking the appropriate link, and regular seats will go on sale soon. I look forward to entering the Court of the Crimson King for the 10th time on August 18 at Meadow Brook Amphitheater!
July 22, 2021 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
July 23, 2021 – Delray Beach, FL – Old School Square
July 24, 2021 – St. Augustine, FL – St Augustine Ampitheater
July 26, 2021 – Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Walt Disney Theater
July 27, 2021 – Atlanta, GA – The Fox
July 28, 2021 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
July 30, 2021 – Fort Worth, TX – Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
July 31, 2021 – Cedar Park, TX – H-E-B Center
August 2, 2021 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddlers Green Amiptheater
August 3, 2021 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Ampitheater
August 5, 2021- Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
August 6, 2021 – Los Angeles – The Greek
August 7, 2021 – Scottsdale, AZ – Talking Stick Ballroom
August 23, 2021 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC
August 24, 2021 – Northampton, MA – The Pines Theater
August 26, 2021 – Canandaigua, NY – CMAC
August 27, 2021 – Lewiston, NY – Artpark Ampitheater
August 28, 2021 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Ampitheater
August 29, 2021 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia
August 31, 2021 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre
September 1, 2021 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
September 2, 2021 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center @ The Heights
September 4, 2021 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
September 5, 2021 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
September 7, 2021 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
September 9, 2021 – Forest Hills, NYC – Forest Hills Stadium
September 10, 2021 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
September 11, 2021 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
— Rick Krueger
Metal Mondays: Iran’s Artamene Give Protest Rock a Whole New Meaning
Artamene, Ziggurat, 2021
Tracks: Infinite Escape (5:27), Fear of Darkness (4:11), Heavy Motion (3:55), Mayhem (3:51), Shining Black (5:24), Inshushinak (6:01), Rain of Paradise (2:56), Petrichor (5:39)
Persecution is still disgustingly widespread in the world today. There are millions of people in countries across the globe who face imprisonment, torture, and death for their religious beliefs, their ethnicity, political beliefs… the list could go on. Iran is one such country. America has experienced childish backlash against heavy metal (Tipper Gore and her Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s as one example) in the past, but American musicians have never feared imprisonment just for making and performing metal music. This threat is real for Iranian metal musicians, and Artamene wants the rest of the world to know that awful truth.
Artamene was formed in Iran in 2017 by brothers Pedram (lead guitar) and Pooya Shitrah (drums) along with Soheil Avakh (vocals) and Ali Karimi (rhythm guitar). Their album, Ziggurat, also features Yahya Rahmani on bass. Pedram and Pooya grew up listening to and playing metal with each other, and they decided to form Artamene. The problem is the Iranian government thinks metal is inherently Satanic, and they have thrown bands in jail for making metal. Members of the bands Confess and Arsames have been sentenced to prison on charges of “Satanism,” although thankfully the musicians were able to escape the country.
I don’t hear anything Satanic on Artamene’s Ziggurat, so hopefully the band will be safe from those accusations. They are allowed to play live concerts, although the behavior of the audience is strictly regulated by the government. They actually get 200-500 people at their concerts.
The music itself is quite good. There are a lot of thrash metal elements, but there are also some more atmospheric metal moments and certainly progressive flares. Thrash metal in general often has a lot of progressive metal elements, minus the keyboards usually. On Ziggurat there are heavy distorted guitars, clean solos, and clean rhythm sections. The bass is clear, heavy, and distinct throughout. It shines in the mix. The drums are intricate and pounding with a prominent double kick, reminding me of the brilliant Gene Hoglan (Strapping Young Lad, Testament).
The vocals are heavy and distorted, but they’re not black metal vocals. Thrash tends to have its own sort of yelled distorted vocals, along with cleans. Avakh’s vocals follow that trend, and his voice works very well with the music. It helps that the lyrics are in English. At times Avakh’s voice reminds me of M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold.
Continue reading “Metal Mondays: Iran’s Artamene Give Protest Rock a Whole New Meaning”
Screaming Down the Highway
The other day we received a couple singles composed by Attilla Papp, and they’re a nice progressive take on shorter rock songs. The first, “Screaming Down the Highway,” was released a little over a year ago, and it’s a perfect song for a smoking hot day like much of the American Midwest has been experiencing this afternoon. The songs lyrics were written by Michael Ryan, the vocals sung by Scott Foster Harris, and the track produced by Matthew Williams. Unlike most shorter rock songs that typically might end with the final lyric, the music plays on for a few more riffs, which is a nice touch.
Papp sent us a second track that was released back in December: “In the Paradise.” Somewhere I’m sure we all want to be rather than in this world which seems to suck more with each passing day. “In the Paradise” has some synth overtones, and the lyrics and music have a bit more of a contemporary progressive feel. This song also has an instrumental closing that really shines. Even though it’s a short track, it goes through multiple musical shifts. Papp composed this track as well, and Scott Foster Harris wrote and sings the lyrics. Produced again by Matthew Williams.
The Best Prog Bands You’ve Never Heard Of (Part Eleven): Alloy Now
I began this series when I first joined Progarchy back in 2013, and my last post concerning these obscure prog bands dates back to June 8, 2014 – almost seven years ago exactly! At the time I told myself I was going to cover only ten of these bands – it’s a tidy number, and, considering how many obscure prog bands were and are currently out there, I wanted to keep the list manageable. Furthermore, after graduating from college in 2016, my taste in prog remained almost exclusively centered on the heavy hitters of the “classic” era: Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, and King Crimson.
But then yesterday I changed my mind. My interest in these unheralded bands was rekindled only very recently, thanks to fellow Progarchist Reyna McCain. There are far too many under-appreciated progressive rock musicians out there – so why stop at ten? I compiled a list of some thirty bands (yes, I know that is not an exhaustive number; I will probably add more), and my goal is to cover all of them. My other goal is to keep these reviews fairly brief – after all, it’s the listening that matters most. So, without further ado, let’s begin at eleven:
Alloy Now is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist David Noel, who began his prog career with the Plastic Overlords, a Georgia-based psychedelic trio. Shortly after Plastic Overlords released their eponymous album, Noel started Alloy Now, a solo project (although he does feature some guest musicians on bass guitar and drums). Despite his Southern roots, Noel sounds like a mix of David Gilmour, Dave Brock, and Peter Hamill (at his more restrained): the acid-space-psychedelic influences are clear throughout this album.
Twin Sister of the Milky Way was released in the year 2000, but sounds like it could have been made in the early 1970s. That being said, it is not a simple homage to its influences, which range from Pink Floyd to Van der Graaf Generator to Hawkwind. Particular highlights include the opening number, “The Butterscotch Star,” which features a rich bass guitar (think Chris Squire), trippy vocals, and gorgeous keyboard-driven melodies. The instrumental “Shoulder of Orion” opens with ominous keyboards and percussion, but gradually transforms into something like a cosmic march through the stars. “Ghostly Superhero” could have been written by a Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie – think “Starman” or “Moonage Daydream.” Finally, the title track may be the strongest on the album: Noel’s spaced-out, symphonic guitar and keys play over wordless vocals, taking you on a trip through the Milky Way galaxy.
In my humble opinion, there is not a weak song on this album. If you are inclined towards symphonic prog or the acid and space rock sound of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, then Twin Sister of the Milky Way belongs in your galaxy.
Stay tuned for obscure prog band number twelve!
Welcome, New Progarchist!
Fellow Progarchists:
Please extend a hand to the newest member of our team, Reyna McCain! She is an avid fan of ’60s and ’70s music, cats, and bellbottom jeans. I have no doubt that she will be a welcome addition to Progarchy, and we look forward to her first post!
Neal Morse Band Announce New Album for August Release
From Radiant Records:
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Single Premiere: Fungi -“Third Eye” Off Upcoming Album “Into the Void”
We’re excited to be able to premiere the first single from Fungi’s upcoming album, Into the Void. The song, entitled “Third Eye,” is the opening track on the record, and it gets the album off to a pounding start.
The album has touches of progressive metal with a particularly fresh spin. There are elements of hard rock and metal, reminiscent of bands like Chevelle or Tool. At just under forty minutes, the album flies by leaving the listener wanting more.
Into the Void has a youthful energy that reminds me of the early days of Dream Theater, particularly in the quieter moments, such as on the second track, “Passengers III.” It doesn’t necessarily sound like Dream Theater, but it has that sincerity and intensity. Fungi allow their sound to develop and shift over the course of the songs. For instance, part of the third track, “Parallels,” has a Genesis vibe, with an acoustic guitar and light flute in the background. The song opens with a heavier riff but alternates between quieter and heavier passages. The ten-minute long final track, “Genesis,” takes on some symphonic elements while maintaining the heavy guitars, pounding drums, and soaring vocals.
Regarding the album’s concept, the band tells Progarchy:
Into the void is a progressive rock album that talks about the transition process we go through when you get to a point in your life where you need to step up or upgrade to your new version/Self. The main idea is the a part of you has to die in order for other to be born, and that process, that tends to be tough and confusing, is only clear and understood, once you get to the other side, meanwhile you can feel altered, lost, confused, seeking help, angry, but then at some point you kind of get that feeling of familiarity, reconnection with something very deep, you feel as if you were back to your true self (your inner kid, your creative self, your spiritual self); after feeling that strong reconnection strong feeling of glory, power and freedom is reached. And so you can now start your new journey as your new self, walking towards your future next transformation process, which will be wearing another undistinguishable disguise. We go through these processes a lot of times in our life but somehow we fail to recognize when we are going through the process. Maybe by hearing this album, people can identify more clearly and easily when they are going through these processes.
Everything is written from a point of view of a made up story of a man mysteriously walking through a highway, who gets tired, walks down a path that gets him to a river with trees and shadows, so he lays to drink water and find something to eat.. the only thing he sees are a bunch of mushrooms, which he then eats and lays to rest, as he starts having visions, and hearing voices, represented in the verses of the songs. Choruses are mostly him thinking to himself, reflecting on what he heard from the voices, making his own conclusions. The music emulates the trip of a mushroom starting with Intense euphoria, rapid changes in mood, reflexion, followed by an afterglow and a sense of liberation.
Into the Void packs a lot into forty minutes, but its brevity makes it easily digestible. It brings to the table many of the aspects of prog that make the genre so appealing. It has storytelling, heavy rock moments, and quieter musical passages. We highly recommend you give Fungi’s “Third Eye” a listen, and look out for the upcoming release of Into the Void.
Check out the song on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/third-eye-single/1566639734
Or on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2RjFafViRu9SonVmUQna0N?highlight=spotify:track:7vENVLvjv9fFvS9drYILBp
Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisfungi/
New Film About Big Big Train and Their “Passengers” To Be Released This Summer
Courtesy of the folks at the Prog Report, I just found out that a new independent film about Big Big Train and their fans is going to be released this summer. The film, which is entitled Journey of the Passengers, is specifically about the band’s first ever tour: 2019’s Grand Tour. The 132 minute movie will be released in six episodes beginning in August.
Read more over at the Prog Report: https://progreport.com/new-independent-film-follows-big-big-train-and-the-journey-of-the-passengers/
And check out a brief trailer: https://youtu.be/N8ZXThy63uY
Progarchy 