Progressive RockMetalJazzPost-rock
Writers:
David Sàez
Eric Baulenas
Josep Maria Llovera
Gabriel Martín
Actionfredag “Lys Fremtid i Mørke”
A fairly classic offering from this Norwegian outfit on their second full-length record. They follow the tenets of bands that define the Canterbury sound, like Caravan or Gong, except for the opening track, which will delight fans of King Crimson or Anekdoten. So, calm compositions with harmonies drawn from jazz-rock and lengthy compositional development.
From Poland comes this offering that isn’t bad, but isn’t great either. The problem is it has very long, monotonous tracks that, not even the addition of a violin to the band’s sound, manage to grab much attention. It’s listenable in the background while you do something else interesting around the house, but it doesn’t warrant an attentive listen, since it’s also fairly predictable.
Beardfish “Songs for Beating Hearts”
After the magnificent “+4626 – Comfortzone” (2015), which finally seemed to settle the band’s artistic direction, these Swedes went through a long hiatus. This time they’re back, full of classicism, where we find echoes of bands like The Nice in the more rock-oriented parts, or The Moody Blues in the more acoustic ones. Unfortunately, the former end up being more entertaining and enjoyable, while the latter come across as flat and overly melancholic. We should be grateful for their return to activity, because artists who created the gem we mentioned at the start will always bring something great to music.
Crippled Black Phoenix “The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature”
Let’s see how we approach this one. These British veterans, classics of the darkest, most melancholic, dense and romantic strain of prog, have gone back and re-recorded tracks from their earlier records. It’s fair to say many of them have substantially improved in production quality, and for that reason alone it’s worth giving them a fresh chance. Is it new material? No, but it sounds new even though it isn’t. Does that count as a new release? Well, that’s up for debate.
Either way, it’s absolutely true we’ll enjoy this a great deal if we approach it with an open mind, since it gathers the best of the band’s discography since they started with “A Love of Shared Disasters” (2007). So it’s an excellent opportunity to discover this band, or a chance to revisit them, and we hope it gives them a fresh boost.
A moving album arriving from France. Back in 2022, guitarist Eric Bouillette passed away, but he’d had time to compose and record guitar, keyboards and piano parts. It’s been his partner, Anne-Claire Rallo, who has finished this record with the help of several musicians. And you can certainly feel a special atmosphere, quite sad and melancholic. Dominated by slow tracks full of minor-key harmonies, which complement the conceptual story of losing a partner in a dystopian world. In short, a farewell well worth our attention.
G¡l!pojazz “Progresa adecuadamente”
This Madrid trio proves from the very first note that they’re virtuosos on their instruments, and they don’t hesitate to gift us, elegantly, a showcase of their chops on every track, almost like a catalogue. And what they also pull off wonderfully is conveying good humour, with a rowdy edge in the style of Frank Zappa or Spastic Ink, and above all a musical dynamism that’s sorely missing these days. Their blend of instrumental rock and funk recalls Stanley Clarke to some extent, but also System of a Down. In short, they’re progressing more than adequately.
Jupiter Fungus “Garden Electric”
An excellent debut from this Greek duo, where we find plenty of influences from the most classic, retro strains of prog, with a real highlight being the balance between Fotis Xenikoudakis’s flute and Ares Papatriantafillou’s guitars. Naturally, with such an emblematic lead instrument, we have to talk about reference points like Focus or Jethro Tull. If you’re a fan of old-school prog, you can’t miss this one, because it’ll literally get you out of your chair — unless you’re such a freak (an even bigger one) that you listen to music standing up already.
Karfagen “Mysterious Forest: The Working Tapes”
Prolific musician Antony Kalugin has put out a new production in 2024, this time under the Karfagen banner. He’d already given us two revisitings this year of “Messages from Afar” and “Land of Chameleons”. Characterised by highly melodic symphonic-prog soundscapes, though, for me, this record doesn’t grab you the way the aforementioned “Messages from Afar” did. So there won’t be any surprises, but the quality is guaranteed. It sounds quite a bit like Camel, Focus and similar acts. The series of pieces that give the record its title are the standout. Even so, we encourage you to visit his Bandcamp and dive into his music.
Kenso “And Old Warrior Shook the Sun”
A bit of jazz fusion from Japan. It’s certainly a very niche cult band, one you’d namedrop mostly to sound interesting in a music conversation. But besides having created a record of notable quality, we get some tracks that lean toward Japanese popular music and others that are a bit more conventional, together offering a listen that’s curious in places and thoroughly enjoyable.
Klaus Schulze “101, Milky Way”
This posthumous release collects all the music Schulze composed for the documentary “Hacker” (2009), of which the director only used fragments. Today, the keepers of Schulze’s legacy have found it worthwhile (worthwhile also in terms of royalties) to release every composition the master, pioneer and touchstone of electronic music wrote for that film. Naturally, his distinction is beyond question, and lovers of calm, atmospheric soundscapes will have an absolute blast.
From Poitiers comes this outfit’s tenth record, sailing the waters of so-called heavy prog, very much in the vein of Porcupine Tree. In fact, at times it’s so similar that it strips away some of the personality from the otherwise good compositions they’ve achieved, and perhaps keeps them from shining as much as they should, given such an obvious reference point. Even so, it’s a very good production, an enjoyable, rewarding listen, and worth a spin.
Magic Brother & Mystic Sister “Tarot, Part II”
We said back in April that if there was a part one, there’d have to be a part two. Said and done. These Barcelona natives bring us another tarot-arcana story, made with a productive coherence relative to the previous one, chasing a retro, at times lo-fi, sound. The blend of folk, psychedelic and classic Canterbury-style prog concepts shapes their offering once again, and if you liked the previous one, you’ll like this one just as much. And if you don’t know them yet, you can listen to both of this year’s records back to back.
Neal Morse & The Resonance “No Hill for a Climber”
Workaholic Neal Morse has put out a new album (oh, what a surprise!): “No Hill for a Climber”. Though it’s still not entirely clear why he keeps forming bands or projects under different names when everything sounds exactly the same and carries the same compositional tics; which does at least mean the reviews can be written with copy and paste.
He sticks to the religious-motivational line in his lyrics. But musically, this time we have to say there’s something new, like the track “Thief”, which breaks a little with his usual sonic passages. The main body of the record is its suites, the title track and the opening piece. Also worth highlighting is “At the Rage” as the most intense element. Despite being excessively predictable, the content has turned out to be quite a lovely album, impeccably crafted, with the sweetness dialled back a touch more than usual, very pleasant to listen to and one we can recommend. If it’s been a while since you’ve listened to him, now’s a good time to revisit him.
A debut that shows there are somewhat more optimistic facets within gothic rock and doom, since, despite a predominance of slow tempos and baritone vocals, we also get guitars steering clear of overly heavy tones, dynamic songs, enriched vocal harmonies, prog-style developments or hard-rock-flavoured riffs. In short, an optimistic anthem from the bottom of a pit of despair, telling us that there’s a way out of the darkness too.
Nine Stones Close “Adventures in Anhedonia”
Prolific Adrian Jones is back in action just five months after his previous album from July, “Diurnal” (2024), which we reviewed at the time. With a register that’s less ambient than we’re used to from him and with more musical substance than its predecessor. There’s a notable improvement in production worth highlighting, but it’s a qualitative leap that makes the result recall the breathable atmosphere of Porcupine Tree’s “The Sky Moves Sideways” (1995).
Opeth “The Last Will and Testament”
You’ll find a full review at Totum Revolutum Press.
Second record from this Groningen band, offering fairly powerful neo-prog. Sailing between tracks with a certain forcefulness that evoke Saga, mid-tempo tracks that echo Steven Wilson, or more standard cuts that could be compared to Arena. More than solid.
Quartet Diminished “Deerand”egon
Founded by Ehsan Sadigh in Iran, this project brings us a fourth instalment that’s no longer part of their first trilogy, called “Station”. Utterly hypnotic and enigmatic, it moves along the paths of art-rock like King Crimson or Van Der Graaf Generator, the experimental jazz of Miles Davis, the classical music of Claude Debussy, in a captivating amalgam. With honest, no-frills production, faithful to the band’s direct sound. It represents a challenge for the listener, since it’s almost necessary to set aside any outside stimulus and focus on what you’re hearing to enjoy this work in its full magnitude.
Randy McStine “Mutual Hallucinations”
Some may know this artist as a supporting musician for Porcupine Tree, others as The Pineapple Thief’s opening act. Either way, he has enough musical standing to carry a strong name of his own. And on this record he lays out all his class and compositional delicacy, though it lacks a bit of punch or fire that ends up making it less interesting to rockier ears. We could also say some of the more ambient tracks lack direction and don’t quite fit, feeling a little tacked on for no particular reason.
This one lands on streaming this month, though it was physically available back in October. Before setting off on his final tour — or so he says — he’s sat down for a while at the piano and given us two lovely performances. The first is a set of variations on Yes themes, stitched together with this virtuoso’s supreme class. The second is a sort of piano compilation of his album “The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” (1975), also performed with great mastery. It’s obviously a listen aimed at fans or piano lovers, even if they have no idea who on earth we’re talking about.
An elegant, lightly progressive and easily accessible rock offering with good instrumentation, where a sensual voice stands out, often recalling Jane Birkin, the female half of the duo with Serge Gainsbourg — though after a couple of energy drinks, and in English. Melodic tracks, mid-tempo, some electrified, others more electronic, but all carrying their singer’s near-erotic warmth. A guilty pleasure well worth a taste.
These Icelanders started out with a very black-metal-oriented approach and, with each record, gradually opened up toward more post-metal territory. On “Hin Helga Kvöl” we get a compilation of tracks from each style that don’t quite gel together. The standouts are the ones that go back to the rawest, harshest, most primal sounds, like the title track, which feels like a full-blown return to their origins, while the more elaborate tracks need a lot of listens, or simply don’t quite work. A good album with its ups and downs.
The Pineapple Thief “Last to Run”
It’s not usual for us to cover this kind of mid-length release, or EP, but the band’s standing demands it. As we reviewed with “It Leads to This” (2024), leader Bruce Soord’s compositional foundations are firmly in place, and as a result we find a stylistic continuation using the same formula they’ve relied on for years now. A bit like what we said about Neal Morse: we know excellence is guaranteed, and if they’re to your taste, you’ll enjoy their music once again.
Thomas Polychuck “Thomas Polychuck”
During the pandemic, this Canadian guitarist got to showcase his musical talents online, and now the time has come for his debut, an instrumental album that captures much of the essence of progressive metal and alternates it with the most classic modal jazz you’ll find anywhere. Derek Sherinian’s presence on nearly every track complements it perfectly, offering a counterpoint to the dominant guitar; and despite what you might expect, there’s no out-of-place muscle-flexing virtuosity here. In short, a pleasant, quite interesting listen.
Tides From Nebula “Instant Rewards”
Another reference point within post-rock, Polish band Tides From Nebula have only been releasing singles since 2019. Now they finally present their full-length record, gathering together tracks from recent years and rounding it out with new material. The standout is the production and treatment of the sounds: every instrument sits exactly where it should, and the multiple layers stand out clearly. On every track you’ll find some distinctive touch (an interesting bass groove, curious rhythm sections, or more purely electronic tracks), which is much appreciated, though always within their usual moods, atmospheres and sonic journeys. A pleasant listen without many surprises.
We could describe this Nordic band’s album as an optical illusion, because beneath its modern, forceful production lies a record that leans toward pretentious melodic pop. The great achievement is arranging these tracks with forceful guitars, touches of corrosive vocals, aggressive compression, and contrasting all that with pretty-metal melodies. So, from a technical standpoint, it’s a magnificent, clever product. That said, musically every trick is predictable and it lacks real bite — flogging a dead horse.
Writers: David Sàez, Eric Baulenas, Josep Maria Llovera, Gabriel Martín