Tag: Frost*

Bryan’s Best of 2024

On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock2 Comments

Well here we are in early 2025, and I’m just now getting to my Best Of list for 2024. I know I’ve been pretty much AWOL from Progarchy over the past year. That wasn’t initially intentional, but it was a busy year with a lot of change for me. I started 2024 unemployed before having to move from St. Louis to Kentucky for a new job at the end of February. I’ve also been reviewing albums for over ten years now without much of a break, so I ended up using 2024 as a break, apart from a concert review here and a couple albums reviewed for the DPRP. My plan is to get back into it this year, starting with some highlights from last year.

Perhaps representative of my lessened interest in writing reviews over 2024, I wasn’t quite as adventurous with my listening. My list, then, is shorter than past years, and I think it is a weaker list than past years. I don’t know if that reflects the year in music or just my year. Whatever.

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks – True

A fun poppy yet progressive album from the man with the ageless voice. Anderson sounds just about as good today as he did 50 years ago, and I’m glad he’s still making music. I didn’t listen to the album all that much, but it is one I want to return to in the future.

Vanden Plas – The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things

Germany’s best prog metal outfit returned with another concept album. It isn’t particularly groundbreaking, as very few of their recent albums have been. If you like Vanden Plas, you’ll know what to expect – symphonic, progressive metal with excellent vocals and cryptic storytelling.

Wheel – Charismatic Leaders

A solid album from the Finnish band. Unfortunately it didn’t go in the direction I hoped it would after their stellar 2022 “Rumination” EP, which is included at the end of this album on CD. It isn’t as heavy, and plays it a little safe. Nevertheless, it still drew me back again and again.

Devin Townsend – Powernerd

I haven’t given this one much time as I haven’t purchased the CD yet, but it is a fun run through Devin’s heavier but still approachable side. He has been busy with multiple projects over the last few years, with Powernerd being the first of more to come.

The Tangent – To Follow Polaris

With band members busy with other projects and mastermind Andy Tillison feeling the urge to create, this record is a Tillison solo Tangent album. He plays and sings it all here. Not to worry, though, because he’s still the masterful lyric-writer. He’s also learned a lot from his bandmates, making this a fine addition to their discography until they all get the time to sit down and work on another record as a group.

Steve Hackett – The Circus and the Nightwhale

A proper concept album from my favorite guitarist. This record didn’t speak to me as much as his past solo records from the past decade, but it is still very good and worthy of inclusion on this list. I still wonder how much of my apathy towards it has to do with what was going on in my life when it was released.

Airbag – The Century of the Self

I’ve been familiar with Airbag for years now, but I never really listened to much of their music. Over the last several years, however, I have dug into guitarist Björn Riis’ solo output, which is criminally underrated. So good. So when his main band released a new album, I gave it several listens, and it is quite good. Atmospheric, gloomy, contemplative – definitely a record worth checking out.

Frost* – Life In The Wires

Nice to have Frost* back making albums on a more consistent basis. This one is heavy, bordering on metal at points, but retaining that sound this is so unique to them.

Big Big Train – A Flare On The Lens (Live in London)

A brilliant live record from my favorite band. After seeing them live for my first time in March, this record is a wonderful companion with a similar setlist. The live record is taken from two shows played back-to-back nights at Cadogan Hall in London, with a bonus set featuring seven tracks only played the first night. The result is three hours of music with a terrific light show and brass band. The audio and picture quality are both top notch.

2. Big Big Train – The Likes Of Us

The band’s first studio album without David Longdon, and their first with Alberto Brevin on lead vocals. It’s a masterpiece, nodding to the band’s past while embracing its future. I have returned to the album consistently throughout the year, and it never fails to disappoint. “Miramare” is my favorite track off the album – the guitar solo making it worth the price of admission by itself. So glad the band decided to keep going and growing.

1. Caligula’s Horse – Charcoal Grace

    The best album yet from Australia’s premier prog-metal outfit. Heavier than past efforts while retaining earworm melodies, crunchy riffs, and exceptional vocals. I’m bummed I only found out about their North America tour, including a stop in nearby Nashville, after the fact. This record has been the one I’ve returned to most consistently over the course of the year, and as such it receives my top billing for album of the year.

    My favorite concert of the year goes to Big Big Train. I’m so glad I was able to be there for the band’s historic first-ever American show at Sweetwater in Indiana, and I’ve already purchased my ticket for their upcoming show there in April. I’m not usually one to travel long distances for concerts, but this is one band for which I will make that exception. Here’s hoping it can be an annual event.

    Sorry again for being so absent this year, but I do hope to change that in 2025. Prog on.

    Rick’s Quick Takes: 4th-Quarter ’24 Lightning Round!

    On By kruekuttIn americana, folk rock, Insideout Music, jazz rock, krautrock, Kscope, Neal Morse, progressive rock, punk rock, Rock and Roll, singer-songwriter, vernacular musicLeave a comment

    Where have the last two months gone? And how many new releases have I enjoyed in the interim? Enough that I’ll be shooting to summarize each one included below in two to four sentences, max! (Though I can’t guarantee they’ll be short sentences.) Purchase/streaming links embedded as usual, so here we gooo . . .

    New Music

    As teased in our October interview with mainman Jem Godfrey, Frost*’s Life in the Wires (listen here) is the conceptual album of a prog fan’s fondest dreams; the storyline is vintage dystopia (1984 meets Who’s Next), the music a full-on sonic assault from the get-go (replete with widdly synthesizer solos). Pitted against the required cybernetic supervillain, in search of freedom out there in the fields, can Godfrey’s protagonist Naio escape permanent lockdown in teenage wasteland? The ultimate answer is well worth the winding journey; powered by the heady backing of John Mitchell, Nathan King and Craig Blundell, Godfrey easily conjures up the equal of previous band high points Milliontown and Falling Satellites.

    On his fresh solo album Bringing It Down to the Bass, Tony Levin launches 14 low-end odysseys with (to quote the hype sticker) “too many virtuoso collaborators to list.” But whether proving that “Boston Rocks” with Bowie guitarist Earl Slick and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, “Floating in Dark Waves” below Robert Fripp’s soundscapes, or reuniting with fellow Peter Gabriel bandmembers on multiple jams, Levin always grabs the ear with his supremely melodic bass, Stick and cello work. And his low-key, half-spoken vocals prove surprisingly effective, especially on dry barbershop throwbacks “Side B/Turn It Over” and “On the Drums” and the moving John Lennon tribute “Fire Cross the Sky.”

    Pioneer garage rock guitarist Wayne Kramer had one more winner in him before his passing earlier this year. Credited in tribute to Kramer’s seminal Detroit collective MC5, Heavy Lifting (listen here) rages against the political and cultural machines still standing since the band’s original heyday, agitating for a better deal with 13 brash, irresistible helpings of punk (“Barbarians at the Gate”), rock (“Edge of the Switchblade”) and soul (Edwin Starr cover “Twenty-Five Miles”). For the full skinny on why Kramer & company finally snuck into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame through the back door this year, the new MC5: A Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band is essential reading.

    As his long-time collaborators spin off in other directions, Neal Morse just keeps on keeping on! Teaming with The Resonance, a purpose-built quartet of young Nashville hotshots, Morse’s latest No Hill for a Climber (listen here) is a bit of a throwback; instead of full-blown rock opera, Morse builds a multi-faceted album, sandwiching creepy swinger “Thief”, head-down rocker “All the Rage” and melting ballad “Ever Interceding” between twin epics (opener “Eternity in Your Eyes” and the closing title suite). The more straight-on vibe Morse embraced on his Joseph duology predominates here, but with enough detours to keep long-time listeners coming back and intrigue new hearers.

    Straight-on is a pretty good description of the new The Pineapple Thief EP Last to Run (listen here) as well; far more than leftovers from the fine It Leads to This, the five songs included here strike hard and deep. As Gavin Harrison weaves enticing rhythmic illusions on drums, Bruce Soord spins up dark, pensive vignettes of personalities in crisis (“All Because of Me”), relationships snarled by dysfunction (“No Friend of Mine”) and societies on the brink (“Election Day”). Another band that mines a familiar vein repeatedly, yet consistently leaves listeners craving more.

    Speaking of dysfunction, The Smile’s Cutouts (listen here) resembles nothing so much as a numbed comedown, trailing the apocalypses unflinchingly depicted earlier this year on their Wall of Eyes. Thom Yorke’s nonsense lyrics and bleached-out vocal affect sound light-years away from the redemption Radiohead intimated even at their most jaundiced; Jonny Greenwood spins up orchestral/electronics, evoking distant, forgotten nightmares; Tom Skinner holds down the spare, spacey beat, blithely driving into nothingness. If not as gripping as this trio’s first two albums, Cutouts can still compel with its chill.

    But where The Smile chills, Tears for Fears seeks warmth; the four fresh tracks on TfF’s mostly-live Songs for a Nervous Planet (listen here) home in on healing (“Say Goodbye to Mom and Dad”), lasting love (the lush “The Girl that I Call Home” and the psychedelic “Emily Says”) and self-actualization (the quirkily glib “Astronaut”). And there’s plenty more catharsis in concert, as Roland Orzbaal, Curt Smith and backing band blast out the hits of yesteryear and revisit the highlights of their fine 2022 comeback The Tipping Point, all with plenty of enthusiasm and aplomb.

    (Live albums and archival releases – box set time! – follow the jump.)

    Continue reading “Rick’s Quick Takes: 4th-Quarter ’24 Lightning Round!” →

    Jem Godfrey of Frost*: The Progarchy Interview

    On By kruekuttIn Insideout Music, progressive rock1 Comment

    With their upcoming double album, Life in the Wires, ringing in my ears, I recently sat down to talk with Frost* conceptualist/keyboardist/vocalist/grinning mastermind Jem Godfrey. Impishly humorous and thoughtfully reflective in turn, he was more than ready to talk about how the new album came to be, where it sits in the grand tradition of prog concept albums, what each band member contributes, the chances of touring behind this record, and possibilities for Frost*’s future. Video of our chat is below, with a full transcript following.

    First of all, congratulations on the new album, Life in the Wires!  It’s been three years since the last one by Frost*.  And the first thing I was curious about was, what was the journey between the last one and this one?  How did Day and Age perhaps lay the groundwork for this album?

    Weirdly, it created a world, a sort of cinematic universe that the new album is set in.  When John and I were writing Day and Age – I didn’t realize this at the time, but I think quite visually in terms of music.  I’ve started to realize that when I’m writing songs, I can kind of see the world that these people are in.  The Day and Age world was quite cinematic; to me it felt very cinematic with these different places, and the album cover being quite iconic with the five megaphone-holding gentlemen, and the world it was in!  It felt quite cinematic.  And so, at the end of Day and Age, there’s a little bit at the end of the song “Repeat to Fade” where the song fades out and is replaced by static.  And there’s just a voice in the static that says, “Can you hear me?”  Which is how the new album starts.

    I quite liked that; I put it in at the end of Day and Age thinking it might be nice to have a little hook.  It’s almost like the sort of thing where they say, “James Bond will return.”  I quite liked that sort of idea.

    In my head, it’s set in the same world, like the video game Grand Theft Auto, where you used to be able to be in one city driving around and doing stuff.  But if you wanted to, you could just jump in a car and drive across the bridge to another city, and there’d be another world going on there.  It felt a bit like that to me, the Day and Age world and the Life in the Wires world are the same world.  But things are happening concurrently.  So while in Day and Age-land we’ve got the characters, like in “Terrestrial” and “The Boy Who Stood Still”, these characters similarly over here there’s the character in Life in the Wires and that’s happening there at the same time.  I quite liked the idea that it’s all set in the same universe.  And so, as a result of that, visually and musically, it was quite easy to set a house style, in that respect.

    Ah!  OK, that makes sense.  Was that part of the emphasis behind making it a double album as well?

    Not really; I think that the story of Life in the Wires, there was enough of a story to tell that it felt like a double album would do it justice.  Cause there’s nothing worse than a prog band – I’m saying this hopefully – there’s nothing worse than being judged as a prog band that’s waffling on.  We’ve always thought that we had enough to say within the confines of a 60-minute CD format previously.

    But with this one I very much had a mind, I wanted to do vinyl, as in, it’s four sides of vinyl.  And as a result, each bit of vinyl, the constraint’s about 20 minutes [a side] for optimum audio quality.  What’s nice about that it is gave me some parameters to work in.  And weirdly, when you say 86 minutes that seems like a very long time.  But if you say four 20-minute sides of vinyl, in my head it doesn’t feel anywhere near as daunting.

    The double album idea, we’d always wanted to do one, I’d always wanted to do one.  This just felt like the right time to do that fabulous prog cliché of the double vinyl album!

    Four sides kind of gives you a structure like a movie structure to play with.

    Exactly!  You introduce the characters in the first half, the first act – there you go, that’s the word!  And then the journey happens over the next phase, which is Act Two.  And then you have the third act, where it’s all concluded and the fable is told, the lessons are learned, or whatever.  So yeah, it had enough material, musically, for it to extend over those sorts of formats.  And because I was thinking of it in longer bits of music like 20 minutes –  they’re not all 20 minutes long, but all the songs are connected.  So they’re sort of like a suite of songs.

    And so naturally with that, the feeling is “well, the songs need to be more progressive; there needs to be more of a journey.”  Like The Wall is a continuous thing and The Lamb, is quite a lot of it linked.

    It just felt like that right, natural thing to do.  I think if I gone into it thinking, “I’m making a CD,” it would have been different.  But my mind said it was four sides of vinyl and it seemed – I don’t know, it seemed perfectly natural this time around.

    And that seems to be a shift that’s happened across the music industry.  You can tell that things are being planned more for sides of an LP, if you will, than a single CD.  It certainly covers a lot of ground; I had the chance to listen to it this week, and there’s a lot of sonic difference and variation, and there’s quite a bit of thematic ground that it covers as well.  But you also mentioned, in the press release, that there are deliberate nods to the back catalog; Milliontown was mentioned in the press release.  What kind of facets of your previous albums did you want to bring forward?  And were there any particular reasons for that? 

    There is [laughs] – I was thinking about this earlier.  I went on a nice long walk; it’s this beautiful autumn day, and I was thinking about it.  The push/pull for me is that I sort of know why, but what I don’t necessarily want to do at this point is talk too much about it.  Because I don’t want it to be too defined – it sounds like a strange thing to say.  If I say, “well, this is because of that”, everyone’s gonna go ,“Oh, well, fine, I won’t bother!”  I think at this point, there’s quite a lot I’d like to leave up to people’s imaginations and interpretations.

    I know why it is, and the reason is tied up in the name of the character, but apart from that it’s open to interpretation.  In my head, I have a reason why it is.  I will explain it, but maybe not yet.

    Yeah, I understand the need to avoid spoilers at this point!

    [Laughs] Yes, exactly.

    But I did notice that this time around, there’s more – we Americans would call them 16th notes; I believe you call them semiquavers – involved than there were on Day and Age.

    Mainly [drummer] Darby Todd was the purveyor of 16th notes and 32nd notes on Day and Age.  Yes, with Day and Age we made a conscious decision to not do too much widdle, you know?   We wanted to pull back from that a bit.  Because there’s obviously a danger; you can drown in a sea of hemi-demi-semiquavers [64th notes].  What we decided on that one is to do arrangements.

    But then what I realized is that in the gap between Falling Satellites and this album is, I think, eight years?  A decade is quite a long time to ask your fanbase to put up with you not doing one of the things they enjoy you doing!  Again, also because the album is more progressive in its demeanor and arrangement, it seemed sensible for us to not have any rules this time.  So, we can play and we can do a bit of soloing; we can be a bit cleverer.  Also, as you’ve said, it covers many, many different moods and atmospheres.  And as a result of that, if you take away the ability to solo or to express yourself in musical terms instrumentally, you are over the course of 86 minutes making it more difficult for yourself.  I think one of the things that we all enjoy about this genre and musicians in it is when they can cut loose with a bit of this [mimes guitar shredding].  It seemed fair to have a bit of light and shade, to allow that in the band; so we’ve all had a little moment when we allow ourselves to let go a bit.  I hope it’s tasteful!  I hope it’s tasteful! [Laughs]

    Well, sometimes bad taste is the best taste, but …

    Exactly. Well, look at my dress sense!  Exactly. [Both laugh]

    Continue reading “Jem Godfrey of Frost*: The Progarchy Interview” →

    Rick’s Quick Takes for Summer – Part One

    On By kruekuttIn americana, art rock, Big Big Train, blues, country, hard rock, Industrial, pop, post punk, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, punk rock, Rock and Roll, southern rock, thrash metal, vernacular musicLeave a comment

    Unless otherwise noted, title links are typically to Bandcamp for streaming and purchasing, or to Spotify for streaming with a additional purchase link where available.

    Starting with an obvious choice around these parts: Ingenious Devices proves a winning Big Big Train compilation, featuring Greg Spawton’s life-enhancing explorations of humanity’s drive to expand its reach. Vividly orchestrated reworkings of “East Coast Racer” and “Brooklands” join a remix of Grand Tour’s “Voyager” and a stirring live take of “Atlantic Cable” featuring new lead singer Alberto Bravin; the result is a fresh, vital, thoroughly moving suite of prog epics. Recommended without hesitation!

    Southern rockers Drive-By Truckers have also reached back — fleshing out their classic 2004 effort as The Complete Dirty South, the double album they originally conceived. Triple-threat guitarist/songwriters Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell reel off tale after compelling tale of characters caught in desperate circumstances, torn between bad choices, clinging to vagrant hopes. Their rampaging hard-rock energy, seasoned with delicate country soul balladry, is what elevates the whole concept beyond haunted fatalism to an intense meditation on courage in the face of overwhelming odds. (Having left the DBTs in 2007, Jason Isbell continues to go from strength to strength. His brand-new effort with The 400 Unit, Weathervanes, brings tons of sharp writing and fiery playing to a clutch of deeply empathetic Americana narratives, topped with irresistible choruses and just a pinch of classic rock a la Bruce, The Byrds and Neil Young. Whatever your take on country music, you really shouldn’t miss either of these.)

    Also on the reissue front, Gentle Giant’s 1976 effort Interview now has a spruced-up, punchy remix from Steven Wilson (available here) that breezily clarifies the British quintet’s counterpoint vocals (“Design”), interweaving instrumental lines (the title track, frenetically funky closer “I Lost My Head”) and multistylistic hijinks (the unanticipated reggae chorus of “Give It Back”). The Moody Blues’ second release of 1969, To Our Children’s Children’s Children, becomes their third vintage set to get the multi-disc box treatment – though it’s only available digitally in the US. While the album proper leans toward studio psychedelia laced with wispy slow-dance tunes and the odd cabaret flourish, the bonus live tracks (including a complete set from the Royal Albert Hall) reveal the Moodies as quite the stomping rock outfit, slipping the leash on the album’s single “Gypsy,” the encore “Ride My Seesaw” and core tracks from Days of Future Passed.

    Live releases have picked up again as well. For their concert video debut Island Live (available through Magenta’s Tigermoth label), Jem Godfrey’s tech-forward quartet Frost* reap a whirlwind harvest of monumentally proportioned prog. With bassist Nathan King and drummer Craig Blundell anchoring the jumpy polyrhythms, guitarist John Mitchell and keyboardist Godfrey eagerly splatter as many unhinged solos as possible across devilishly ingenious harmonic structures, singing their hearts out all the while. (Check out a video sample here.) Prefer calmer (though no less extended) sonic voyages? Lifesigns’ Live in the Netherlands should be just the ticket. Leaning on the music from 2021’s Altitude, keyboardist/composer John Young and guitarist Dave Bainbridge prove steady hands on the wheel, soothing the soul as they scale the majestic heights of “Open Skies,” “Ivory Tower” and “Last One Home”. (One other winner from outside the genre: for a 2021 COVID-time video, Bob Dylan fused his recent rummagings amongst the blues and pre-rock vocal stylings to revitalize his vintage repertoire. The unplugged sorta-soundtrack Shadow Kingdom is the winning result; order it here.)

    Speaking of concerts, my prep for a recent show by British “post-Brexitcore” bashers black midi included their latest album Hellfire, which hit plenty of 2022 best-of lists in and out of the prog world. A detailed live review is forthcoming; suffice to say that on record, bm’s dense, anarchic musical interaction tracks all too well with their jaundiced first-person lyrical vignettes — it’s postmodern life as absurd, unstoppable apocalypse. A welcome bonus from that concert was meeting Mike Potter, Renaissance man of the Eastern Seaboard — astrophysicist, former recording studio owner and a whiz on keys, woodwinds and vocals too! Potter’s band Alakazam has just released their fourth disc, Carnival Dawn; it’s a heady conceptual effort that stirs equal parts Ray Bradbury and Stephen King into a bubbling stew garnished with ominous Mellotron, creepy clarinet and saxophone, and the wondrously deranged verbal musings of sundry evil clowns. By the pricking of my thumbs, it’s worth a listen — if you dare. And for a coolly energizing dose of order to chase the above chaos, you won’t do better than Sonar’s new Three Movements. Here Stephen Thelen and company harness a genuinely symphonic tension, building up towering rhythmic edifices that reach dizzying heights; at the climaxes, as guests David Torn on guitar and J. Peter Schwalm on electronics launch volley after volley of improvised ambience, the tension breaks, the clouds clear, and you might just hear the music of the spheres!

    P.S.: in the aftermath of last month’s Nickel Creek concert, I’ve continued to delight in their back catalog. In addition to this year’s brilliant Celebrants, I especially recommend the final effort from their original run, 2005’s sprawingly eclectic Why Should the Fire Die?, and their tightly focused 2014 reunion, A Dotted Line. (Buy Nickel Creek CDs here.)

    — Rick Krueger

    Bryan’s Best of 2021

    On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive metal, progressive rock3 Comments

    We’ve come to the end of another year, and what a horrible year it has been. Really the only positive thing I can think of from this year is the music. In addition to all the non-music nonsense that has gone on this year, we lost from legends in the prog world, none hurting more than the tragic and completely unexpected death of David Longdon. That one will hurt for a long time.

    I usually write my best of lists in no particular order, with my top pick(s) at the end. So without further ado…

    Robby Steinhard Not in Kansas AnymoreRobby Steinhardt – Not In Kansas Anymore

    Robby Steinhardt was another prog legend we lost unexpectedly earlier this year. He hadn’t been active in music for quite some time, but that was about to change as he was finishing up his first solo album and had plans for a tour. Sadly the latter was not to be, but we did end up getting his solo album in the fall. It’s a great record, and it shows what a key player he was in Kansas. His vocals are stellar, and his violin playing is second to none. This record has a bit of the magic that I think Kansas lacks without Steinhardt. There are more musical influences at work than just Kansas on this record. It’s not a solid 10/10 throughout, but it is a very good record. Check out my review and my tribute to Robby.

    Devin Townsend Galactic QuarantineDevin Townsend – Devolution Series #2 – Galactic Quarantine

    Devin Townsend has been a busy bee this year. In addition to working on three new records this year, he released two minor releases of live material. The first is an acoustic album (see my glowing review) from a show he did in Leeds in 2019. It’s a raw and emotional take on his music. The Galactic Quarantine album is one of his live-streamed albums from 2020 with the musicians playing live on green screens across the world. The music is blisteringly great, with a surprising amount of Strapping Young Lad material played. Devin humorously engages with his virtual audience, which makes the music come to life a bit more. This has been one I’ve returned to quite a bit this year. Perhaps an unorthodox release, but it would make a really good entrance point for the uninitiated to the heavier side of Devin’s music. Check out my review.

    8250379_e4a1fc34c7Soen – Imperial

    It turns out we never reviewed Soen’s latest album, which was released in January. The Swedish prog-metal supergroup can do no wrong. Their songs are catchy, memorable, and thoughtful. They can be both heavy and contemplative, and in my book they rank in the upper echelon of progressive metal. This record has been on repeat all year.

    Atravan - The Grey LineAtravan – The Grey Line

    Sticking with the progressive metal theme, Atravan was a pleasant surprise at the beginning of the year. This is the first Iranian band we’ve ever reviewed here at Progarchy, and they’re fantastic. I’m so glad the band reached out to us. They make metal in the vein of Riverside – heavy, spacey, wall of sound. Definitely a band that deserves recognition, although I worry what too much recognition could do for them with the repressive Iranian regime. Check out my review.

    Continue reading “Bryan’s Best of 2021” →

    FROST* Release Video for Title Track off Upcoming Album “Day And Age”

    On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock, progressive rock musicLeave a comment

    From the fine folks at Inside Out:

    Frost* are set to release ‘Day And Age’, their first new studio album in 5 years, on May 14th, 2021. The band’s fourth record features Jem Godfrey once again joined by John Mitchell & Nathan King, as well as 3 guest drummers: Kaz Rodriguez (Chaka Khan, Josh Groban), Darby Todd (The Darkness, Martin Barre) & Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mister Mister). The album also features actor Jason Isaacs.

    The band are pleased to launch an animated clip for an edit of the album’s title track, ‘Day And Age’. Watch it now here: https://youtu.be/RmiAmW3sgHs

    Jem Godfrey comments: “Day And Age is about how we have become a planet full of transmitters. Everyone has the power to convey their thoughts far and wide. However nobody is listening because they’re too busy transmitting.”

    Watch the previously released video for the track ‘Terrestrial’ here: https://youtu.be/wda09d-QdUk

    ‘Day And Age’ was recorded over the course of 2019 and 2020, featuring 8 tracks and striking cover artwork by Carl Glover of Aleph Studios (Steven Wilson, Marillion, Steve Jansen). The album will be released on Limited 2CD (including a bonus disc of instrumentals), Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD (with etching on Side D), and as Digital Album.

    Pre-order now here: https://frost-band.lnk.to/DayAndAge

    1.  Day And Age 11:49
    2.  Terrestrial 5:13
    3.  Waiting For The Lie 4:31
    4.  The Boy Who Stood Still 7:33
    5.  Island Life 4:14
    6.  Skywards 4:13
    7.  Kill The Orchestra 9:27
    8.  Repeat To Fade 6:14

    Continue reading “FROST* Release Video for Title Track off Upcoming Album “Day And Age”” →

    The Progarchy Interview: Lonely Robot’s John Mitchell

    On By kruekuttIn progressive rock1 Comment

    Whether contributing to Clive Nolan’s Arena and Jem Godfrey’s Frost*, driving the bus in collaborations like Kino and the latter day It Bites, or helming his own Lonely Robot project, John Mitchell has brought the progressive rock world tons of cool music in the last decade-plus.  His irresistible melodic hooks, exciting riffage, heart-on-sleeve lyrics, passionate singing and meticulous craftsmanship are instantly recognizable and (at least for me) guaranteed to raise a smile.

    Mitchell’s latest album, Lonely Robot’s Feelings Are Good, pivots from the high-concept themes of the Astronaut Trilogy (2015’s Please Come Home, 2017’s The Big Dream and 2019’s Under Stars), refocusing his sharp observational eye on the rich, sometimes heart-stopping drama of daily life — while resculpting the music to match, aided and abetted by ace drummer Craig Blundell.  Released by Inside Out on July 17th on CD, LP and download, Feelings Are Good  is a thrilling, wildly eclectic, moving, just plain fun listen.

    Getting the chance to interview John Mitchell was just as much fun — he’s warm, humorous and gregarious, serious about his art and at ease with himself.  And as you’ll see in the video below, he was definitely having a better hair day than me!  An edited transcript of our talk follows the jump.

    Continue reading “The Progarchy Interview: Lonely Robot’s John Mitchell” →

    Memorial Day Weekend Prog and Prog Metal Round-Up

    On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

    There is a lot of great prog and prog metal currently in the pipeline – either that has already been released or that will be in the coming months. Plenty of new singles and whole albums out.

    Caligula’s Horse – Rise Radiant

    Australian prog metal band Caligula’s Horse released their brand new record, Rise Radiant, today. For some reason their music never really connected with me before, but this album has. It is insanely good. It has the technicality mixed with the quirkiness that this generation of prog metal has become known for. Outstanding vocals as well. I’ve got some homework to do on their back catalog. If all goes well, they’ll be coming to North America next January-February for the very first time. https://caligulashorse.com

    Haken – Virus

    I’ve been able to listen to an advance copy of Haken’s new album for a few weeks now, and it is quite good. It has been a slow burn for me, but that could have something to do with absorbing it in the background while I work from home. It has the heaviness and the technicality we are used to, and melodies abound. There’s a gentleness in Ross Jennings’ voice that strikes me as something new, but I could be wrong. There are also musical nods to their last album as well as “The Cockroach King.” The title is bound to upset some people, but it’s not like Haken could have possibly known what was going to befall the world when they wrote and finalized the album. The release date has been pushed back a few weeks to June 19. I expect this is due to production issues with supply chains in the western world having been shut down for over two months. The band released another single today. https://hakenmusic.com

    Nick D’Virgilio – Invisible

    Big Big Train drummer Nick D’Virgilio has a new solo album coming out. Based on the single, it has a bit of a Big Big Train vibe in the song structure and general progression, but there’s also a Broadway theatricalness to it. The latter, according to D’Virgilio, comes from his time working with Cirque de Soleil. The album title comes from being an invisible member in the orchestra pit. Nick obviously plays the drums on this album, but he also sings. Anyone who knows his work from Spock’s Beard knows what a great voice he has. Jonas Reingold plays bass, Randy McStine plays guitars, and Jordan Rudess plays piano and sythns. Brass and string sections are courtesy of the Abbey Road Studios orchestra. Yeah this is some next level stuff. I’m looking forward to hearing the whole thing. Out June 26. https://www.nickdvirgilio.com

    Continue reading “Memorial Day Weekend Prog and Prog Metal Round-Up” →

    Frost* to Release New EP on June 5, 2020

    On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rockLeave a comment

    This just in from the fine folks over at Inside Out Music:

    FROST* – announce release of “Others – EP” on June 5, 2020


    With FROST*’s latest album, “Falling Satellites”, dating back to 2016, it was about time mastermind Jem Godfrey teamed up with Nathan King and John Mitchell to continue forging daring and dynamic progressive music.

    Completed already back in 2019, FROST* now announce the release of the stunning 32 minutes long “Others – EP”. Jem Godfrey states:
    “Others” is a 6 track EP containing 6 songs that were written at the time of the “Falling Satellites” album. Initially the idea was that “Falling Satellites” would be a double album, but it felt more focused and concise as a single album by the time we’d finished making it, so these half completed songs were put to one side. Now finished and mixed, they are ready to see the light of day!”

    The EP will be released digitally on June 5, 2020 and will be released as part of the limited “13 Winters” anthology-artbook physically later this year.

    A first track from the “Others – EP” will be released on May 22!
    The track-list is below:
    1. Fathers
    2. Clouda
    3. Exhibit A
    4. Fathom
    5. Eat
    6. Drown

    Furthermore, FROST* are putting finishing touches to their highly anticipated new studio album which is tentatively scheduled for a September release through InsideOutMusic.

    Bryan’s Best of 2016

    On By Bryan MoreyIn progressive rock4 Comments

    2016 has been a pretty horrible year: terrorism, deaths of way too many musical heroes, the recent loss of Prog magazine and the total screwing of all Team Rock employees, personal inability to find a job… Yeah, this year has sucked.

    Thankfully, despite these trials, progressive rock has continued to be the most creative and innovative genre in the music business. I always enjoy writing a “best of” list, mainly because it gives me a chance to look over the best music of the year. We prog fans really are spoiled.

    Like last year, my 2016 list will be pretty big, and the order is completely arbitrary. I have a numbered top 4, but my top 3 picks for this year are essentially tied for first place. Without further ado, my favorite albums of 2016:

    Continue reading “Bryan’s Best of 2016” →