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I was exceptionally stoked to hear EPICA was back and releasing their 4th album preceded by The Divine Conspiracy. I can't believe this album has only been rated by 5 other people as it is not only an excellent prog metal album but possibly the best for the band or at least on-par with their earlier albums.

I had high expectations with Design while at the same time finding myself being highly critical because I was very pleased with Divine and I don't see many bands these days releasing 2 highly laudable albums in succession unless its part of an on-going concept. My first thought going in during the obligatory "classical/choir intro followed by a full band song" motif is that it is a contender for the best album opener to date for the band--very memorable and creative, original use of the choir in places colliding with the "metal" near the beginning of "Resign to Surrender". "Samadhi" and "Resign to Surrender" will show the listener what the band is all about: Melodic sweeping orchestras, heavenly choirs, 7-string guitar sound, grunt & scream vocals from guitarist Mark Jansen juxtaposed with operatic vocals from Simone Simons.

After that, the album is song after song of creative and melodic symphonic Gothic metal each compacted with its own identity. Each song stands out on its own albeit it takes a few listens. Design follows up a similar formula to Divine which isn't a bad thing: Intro or prelude, a few heavy hitters, an interlude, a ballad, a couple more heavy hitters followed by another ballad and the title track closer. What puts the album out there in the stratosphere for me is the marked improvement of the production and they way the band (particularly drummer Ariën) sounds as a whole in the studio. Maybe it's just me but this album sounds magnificent in terms of production in comparison to Divine, Consign, and Phantom. I love those albums but in this kind of music with orchestras and choirs and the like, drums are extremely important because they make up the rhythm session and honestly is what makes it metal and the earlier releases IMO had such a weak rhythm section. Part of what I love about prog metal is the stark contrast between the keyboards/orchestra/piano and the "heavy metal" drums, guitars, and bass, and the old albums lacked that.

Another aspect worth noting is the inclusion of the traditional guitar solo on a few songs for which is something not known for Epica. They usually let the classical parts or the melodies of the choir or keyboards/piano take precedence of guitar solos. It is a welcome addition because of its sporadic nature.

The only reason I don't give 5 stars (which is a rating that gets thrown out too much on all website reviews) is simply that the mix of grunt/scream male vocals and clean female operatic vocals might be off-putting to some listeners not too mention the constant mix of distorted guitars, orchestras and choirs might stir people the wrong way, but I see no reason why fans of Epica won't adore this album. Progressive metal fans in general should find something they love in Design your Universe.

Dear Hunter's "Act II: Ms Leading" is a difficult album for me to discuss, for while overall I feel that the band's energy, compositions, and performances are all very good, there is a distinct repulsion I feel towards their vibe, which tip-toes a little too much into the "hardcore" or "emo" mainstream for me.

For starters, "Act II" is a high-energy, vaudivilleian experience, dominated by theatrics and up- front vocals. Musicianship is quite good, but there are no "wow" moments in either solo or group playing; the direction seems to be in the total effect, rather than highlights. Songs cover lots of ground stylistically-- from big, kinetic bombast to quite, delicate, and controlled melody making. The Mars Volta comparissons are (in this case) fair, although doing so sets the bar impossibly high for Dear Hunter; "Act II" is neither as intense, emotive, fragile, or well- performed as any of the key Mars Volta albums, but they do a commendable job using the popular prog/pop style to create their own voice.

The listener is definitely taken on a journey through the course of this album, the question is: will they end up wanting to go?

The answer depends almost entirely on how much one enjoys (or can endure) the vocals of Crezcendo. This is where the line in the sand is drawn, with "Act II's" pop/rock coming to the forefront throughout. Crescendo shouts for the entire album, in a style I've been told by fans is similar to the "hardcore" style of pop music (although if you listen to bands from the tech/extreme prog metal category, you'll find that description laughibly innacurate). His shouts are somtimes exciting, sometimes sloppy, and almost always uncalled for; he even belts out lyrics during the album's ballads. There is a sort of diaphramatic "ugh" that he ends phrases with which sounds very contrived, taking away some of the luster of the group's otherwise interesting instrument work.

As someone new to this style of music, "Act II" turned me off. If you're like me and have limited exposure to popular artistic pop/rock, then don't be fooled by the comparisons to Mars Volta-- Dear Hunter is much more on the pop side of things, which while artistic, will probably only appeal to fans who are already into this style of music.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 3 Lyrics/Vocals: 2 Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

After the revolutionary debut album Roxy Music faced the hardship of putting out a follow up that could prove they were no fluke. Believe it or not, it came less than an year after that LP. And For Your Pleasure showed they were truly special, even if the sound here is less accessible than their first. From the striking cover to the last notes of the title track, this is a quite dark and experimental work. But it is also their most interesting and progressive to date.

Bryan Ferry´s style of singing has matured a lot and he already using his famous crooning delivery that was so imitated on the following decade. The overall production is better and the songwriting more focused. Some of Roxy´s best known classics are here like very arty and ironic Do The Strand and the disturbing tale of urban loneliness In Every Dream Home A Heartache. Eno´s influence is all over the album and it is certainly his finest hour within his brief stay in the band (he left soon after this album was out).

Sometimes the experiments went a bit too far, or too long, like on the otherwise very interesting. 9 minute minimalistic tune The Bogus Man (interesting dissonant sax lines) and the title track. On songs like Editions Of You the balance is much better achieved and pre-dates punk rock (just hear Eno´s absolute crazed synth solo!). The remaining stuff (Beauty Queen, Strickly Confidential and Grey Lagoons) are leaning more towards the traditional side, but only the latter is what you can call a ´straight´ rock song (and even then with a sort of twisted country feel and synthesized harmonica solo).

As a whole I found For Your Pleasure to be a powerful and bold album, almost as good as their first, but in different ways. It is only a shame that Eno wasn´t around longer, it certainly would have been quite interesting to see what the band would do next with him on board. But I guess two genius in one group was just too much to last. Still they delivered two masterpieces. Not bad for a totally unknown act less than two years before and which had only played a handful of gigs before they recorded their debut!

Rating: 4,5 stars.

Like many others here, I don't usually buy "best of" collections, but at the time, I was managing a CD store, and our CEMA rep was a Tull fan who enjoyed handing out their promos (and getting us invited back stage), so I own a copy of this one.

First, let me comment on the packaging. Two years prior to this release, on A Little Light Music, Ian Anderson commented on how old he and Martin Barre were getting. He, and his record company, should have known better than to print the song list and booklet in a font so tiny, his aging fan base would have trouble reading it.

The song selection is actually pretty good. It covers every period of Tull's ever-changing lineup right through Catfish Rising. The only real complaint, as others have mentioned, is the short shrift given to two of Tull's best albums, Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play. Three minute excerpts just don't do justice to either album.

And to all of you who added Tull albums to this site: the keyboardist back in the seventies was John Evan (no "S" at the end). Look it up. :P

Monumental Piece of Rock History - Away from Prog

In 1991, the face of rock'n'roll changed forever. Nirvana's NEVERMIND is always mentioned as the huge album that transformed music, but there was another wildly popular record that was responsible for the change as well. That would be Metallica's BLACK ALBUM. Like many other teenagers at the time, this album dominated my life for at least a semester in a way no other album did before or since. I joined my first real band at that time, and we played every single note on this album and many of them hundreds of times. We saw one of the early warm up shows and the fireworks were so loud that the band was banned from the venue for life. I caught a drum stick and was offered up to $100 for it at the time. (I still have it).

During my high school years, most popular music was fairly easy to categorize. Fans were usually divided into Metal / Rock and New Wave / Punk camps. While Metallica had already welcomed some Punk elements in creating thrash, the music was so intense that no one was going to break rank. In 1991, this split was destroyed as the New Wavers turned on the distortion (Nirvana) and the heaviest headbangers made a marked compromise to the center with the fairly straightforward rocker METALLICA (BLACK ALBUM). As in any election, the correctly timed move worked perfectly. Kids previously scared off by the intensity and raw hate of the band's previous work could now claim the pseudo-coolness of wearing a Metallica t-shirt. Suspicious metalheads held rank as their personal heroes took over the world. And Lars finally got the girls he wanted, along with more cash than any human could possibly spend.

How did they do it? By doing things that would have made their 1984 selves vomit in disgust. Bringing in pop-rock producer Bob Rock, writing hooks, rehashing their own work with the edges smoothed over. (I was astounded when I heard "The Unforgiven" the first time - such an obvious simplification of the already straightforward "Fade to Black," but without the ending crush.) James took singing lessons (I remember the exact place I was sitting the first time I heard "Nothing Else Matters" in total bewilderment.) Kirk discovered that he could still solo while signing groupies' autographs as long as his foot was attached to the wah pedal. (It would become a permanent part of his anatomy.) MTV bought in and the golden age of metal ended. (Dave Mustaine, always a step behind, would create the amazing RUST IN PEACE at the same time, but quickly follow his ex-bandmates into cash and idiocy with COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION.)

Was it all terrible? Not at all. It's hard to imagine that the band could go any further into nihilism and cold, calculated riffing after ...and JUSTICE FOR ALL without flaming out completely. Bob Rock actually turned up Jason Newstead's bass to audible. Many of the core riffs on the BLACK ALBUM had a swing and soul only seen in Metallica's covers before. At least half of the songs were still quite heavy. ("Sad but True" being one of their heaviest ever. "My Friend of Misery" combined an "Orion" style bass figure with yummy swells, harmony guitars for a metal guitar feast.) The video to "Unforgiven" was pretty cool. If the songs hadn't been there, the album wouldn't have been the enormous success it was.

While I have some issue with Metallica being part of Prog Archives, there is no doubt that this album is completely unrelated to prog. The entire concept of the album is simplification, moving toward the common man, pulling in a blues-based rock element, and giving the audience what they want instead of following the muse. As a band at the top of their game, Metallica was able to pull off the feat flawlessly. By grabbing the metal banner for themselves, they drove the stake through the heart of glam metal. By placing themselves at the new center of rock and roll, music in general became much heavier. The distorted guitar became part of almost every band moving forward. At the time, it felt like a triumph for metal. At some level, it was.

But it was also a fist in the face of many of musical values that prog fans hold dear, and it took awhile for those ideals to get back to their feet. The almost 10 year hiatus of the guitar solo, the rise of three chord pop-punk, and a general disdain for virtuosity and complexity can also be traced to this time period and this album. The BLACK ALBUM has to be considered one of the greatest enemies of prog in history. Averaging "Good Rock Album" with "Not Prog at All" I give 2/5 stars. (Though I think I may go home and crank up my amp and play the parts to "Misery" now.)

In Your Face Rock n' Roll

Having recently fell in love with Baroness' BLUE RECORD, I decided to go back and investigate their breakthrough predecessor RED RECORD. This is the album Baroness was promoting when I was first exposed to them live opening for Opeth. At the time, my interest had been pleasantly poked, and I had sampled a fair bit of this record online. I liked what I heard, but not enough to purchase, and it is just now that I am revisiting the album. Overall, RED is just as rocking, just as raw, just as full of energy as BLUE, but less complex, more straightforward, not as prog. It's still a great rock'n'roll record, but may leave a few listeners at PA wondering why the album is part of the archives.

The basic formula for Baroness is a twin guitar-fueled garage-y stoner rock / metal with shouted vocals. Now clearly this has been done many times before, but Baroness has a raw energy that (at least for me) trumps virtually all of their peers. In addition, they ride a fine line between precision and rawness, with tones that sound like you could go make happen in your own garage. It is exciting, pumps you up, and (again for me) just hits that "Rock" button full on. Both RED and BLUE have hints of blues and hints of prog to help flesh out the sound, and add some variety to the album. RED tips the scales towards the bluesy side, and BLUE toward the prog side. In addition, BLUE's shouts are more melodic, utilize more harmony, and even employ a little clean singing. RED is simply closer to standard stoner metal, though very well done.

Songs like "Cockroach en Fleur" still contain all the great elements I love about Baroness. Hard rocking riffs, guitar interplay, bluesy interludes, and plenty of spaced out atmosphere are perfect for jamming in the car on a Saturday cruise. The interludes like "Wanderlust" and "Teeth of a Cogwheel" hint at the more complex ideas to come on the next album. But the most energy is spent on the balls to the wall rockers like "The Birthing."

If it's not already clear, I highly suggest getting the BLUE RECORD first and then checking this one out if you are really hearing the band in a more stripped down version. Good rocking record, but certainly unessential in terms of prog. 3/5.

According to current ProgArchives standings the sophomore album by German band Novalis is the most popular, but it's not my personal favourite. It has its moments for sure, including one killer track. However I think one or two of the band's later albums are better, but that's something to return to in future reviews. Keyboards largely dominate and there's some particularly effective use of the clavinet; this instrument is sadly overlooked by many keyboardists in my opinion. I'm not sure whether a string-synthesizer or Mellotron provides the string effects on the album. It's used quite sparsely whatever it is and it's also buried in the mix, so the argument is largely academic. The album contains 6 tracks (including one bonus track) and is mainly instrumental, with what vocals there are being in native German. I can't say I find German as aesthetically pleasing to my ears as the Romance languages but as I said, vocals are few and far between.

Sonnengeflecht is a fairly nondescript instrumental to get us under way. It starts and finishes with a funky beat of all things, although synthesizer and clavinet combine to good effect during the middle section. The structurally complex Wer Schmetterlinge Lachen Hort is one of only two tracks that include vocals, provided by bassist Heino Schunzel. It's an interesting piece but it really only grabs me around the mid-point of its 9 minutes, with Detlef Job's shrieking guitar leads. Unfortunately this is rapidly replaced by some straightforward Hammond-led boogie. Other than for a growl right at the start of the track, Dronsz is a space-rock instrumental. The first 3 minutes consist of guitar and synthesizer effects over a ground bass, gung-gung-tih, gung-gung-tih. We get a different beat for the remainder of the track, but it's still fairly relentless. Impressionen, based on themes by Austrian Romantic composer Anton Bruckner, is more like it! After a moody 2-minute introduction, we are treated to a series of different themes consisting of fiery guitar, swirling organ and synthesizer. The lyrics of Es Farbte Sich Die Wiese Grun are based on writings by the German Romantic author from whom the band took their name. This song checks all the right boxes but I just find it a tad dull. The final track is a live version of Impressionen that suffers from some serious distortion, especially in the drum department. This is a pity because it's an energetic and powerful performance.

All in all there's not a lot to get excited about here, and I can only stretch to describing this as a steady album. There is at the least one very good track so it's not quite at the 'fans only' level, therefore I'll give it 3 stars.

Nice album of this Hungarian band. One of the most finest bands of East Europe with a powerfull sound. This album have a great percussion and drums work and is not necessary some drums solos for we see how good is the stuff. Very spacey with a strong keiboards that made a powerfull context in music and some guitar parts that we can remember some Floydian sounds. I like this work that are very balanced, and the instrumental part made all universe of Szodoma. 5 tracks when the first and the last , (Szodoma and Pustulás) the more extensive, made some Psychedelic Space Rock and I think that this work is not Neo Prog in most of this parts. Excelente adiction in East Europe collection and one of the best works of this band. I give 4 stars.

I'm really psyched to see this classic on the site. I had this album "back in the day" and loved it. I think I found it for 99 cents somewhere in a cutout bin and the cover intrigued be enought to risk the buck. Good risk! So what is this? Space Prog? Fusion? Machine music? Jazz? Funk? Yep..all of the above. It's trippy, it's groovy, it's spacey....The musicianship is tight and they obviously were having a good time producing this obscure little gem. I would recommend this to those who like a little funk in their music (Santana fans?). The keyboard and vocal guy was on the second Peter Gabriel album. (Bayette). So, if you're ready to pop on the headphones, climb into the launch seat, get ready for the countdown, point your interstellar overdrive towards Pluto, and get Funkaprogified, then check this album out. If you can find it... My only complaint may be the sound seems poor on the cd I have. Poor mix? I remember my vinyl version sounding way better. Of course I'm WAY older now so it may just be my ears. 4 stars

Angling Feelings has been one of the most pleasant surprises in my personal experience of contemporary progressive rock development. It is one of those albums you may keep returning to it without fear it will leave you with indifference and disappointment. My first contact with Kaipa was through 'Notes from the Past' - not a bad album, but far from making me interested and attracted to Kaipa's music. Fortunately, a friend offered me Angling Feelings and it totally changed my perception not only of Kaipa, but of the whole potential of recent progressive rock production. I have suddenly become interested in FK, Spock's Beard, Karmakanic, The Tangent and lots of other new stuff. This may sound strange, but I strongly believe that one of the major reasons of Angling Feelings' unique quality is the absence of Roine Stolt - a very good guitar player but a man whose pretensions overcome his musical capabilities. On the other hand, the extraordinary voice of Aleena Gibson is one of those distinctive elements which make the album so outstanding. Keyboard and guitar work (Lundin and Nilsson) are also very good and inspiring. The album has a strong rhythmic component, very energetic and progressive, even psychedelic in moments, with dramatic and unexpected shifts, beautiful melodies and atmospheric perspectives. Typical examples: Path of Humbleness and The Fleeting Existence of Time. Angling Feelings is flawlessly produced. The listening deserves relevant equipment. More than four stars.