I first became aware of AT WAR WITH SELF back in 2006, quite early in my discovery of Prog. It was that FATES WARNING connection, as that band was my gateway into our adventerous music. And Mark Zonder the great drummer for FATES WANING was on the kit for their debut. So that's why I picked it up. This band is led by multi- instrumentalist Greg Snelwar, who I became aware of through the debut of GORDIAN KNOT where he was featured prominently.

They were a trio on that debut with Michael Manring adding bass and e-bow. "A Familiar Path" is album number three and they are down to a duo with Greg adding guitar, keyboards, programming and mandolin. Plus we get Manfred Dikkers on drums. It's a very interesting listen this album with those very heavy sections along with acoustic and mellow sections. The mandolin is prominent and brings a nice flavour to the proceedings. Greg does sing on a couple of tracks and we get backing female vocals too on one of those songs.

Snelwar was active with this project during the second half of the 00's with three studio albums before a six year break and the last last we heard from them was that 2015 album where they are a duo but with Marco Minnemann on drums. That record features a ton of short tracks. Twenty four I think over 50 minutes or so. "A Familiar Path" is an impressive album to listen to. The sound quality is perfect, and we get some variety. I'm not over the moon about it, I just really enjoyed spinning this cd all last week.

It's unusual for me to say the shortest track is my favourite song on any album, but here that's the case. The 2 1/2 minute "Ether Trail" is an intense piece with crushing bass and incredible drumming. I wish it was 10 minutes long. I do like the title track a lot. It's melodic and uplifting with Greg singing. Some harmonies too, and I like the warmth I feel. The closer "Hope" is a nice mellow way to end the album, but not a favourite. "Etude No. 10" is a favourite though. A really impressive piece where it starts out acoustic but after 1 1/2 minutes the electricity comes on along with drums. Nice and heavy.

And there is some really intense sections on here, lots of power at times like on "Concrete And Poison" and "Diseased State". "Ourselselves" is an interesting track with almost a Spanish vibe with that opening guitar, then Greg sings but it's processed with backing female vocals. We get strings and heaviness too. Some uplifting moments as well. I also really like the mandolin on that opener "Reflections".

A solid album that I can't rate less than 4 stars, but at the same time this isn't something I can do without.

Doc Wör Mirran is an extremely prolific experimental Psych/Electronic/Krautrock group conceptually formed in 1982 by Joseph Raimond and Bernard Worrick. DWM was formed with the idea of including various other arts under its name including painting, graphic design, poetry (some of which can be found on this album), etc, and coming along with this catch-all philosophy is a revolving door policy of members, the only constant having been Joseph Raimond.

Much of DWM's art is stylized in a seemingly amateurish or crude way, or maybe one could say naïve or childish. Perfect in other words. This first release from DWM is pretty amateurish and crude, but not perfect, unfortunately. Mostly culled from recordings made at the San Francisco State University electronic music class in 1984, and a handful from a few years earlier in 1982. One foot is in the prior decade's electronic musings and one foot in the then burgeoning cassette underground.

We kick the A side off with Life Of The Beached Whale, one guess as to what this sounds like. Slippery and wet gurgling synths give a slight illusion of being in the depths of the ocean, while higher pitched synths squeak and EEEEEEE away, beck and calling. 59 I Pool is a track being played in reverse; with swooping synth sounds, various tribal sounding drums, coming and ebbing in waves. Meeting Extravegance is the longest offering on the A side, a heady stew of metallic droning, burbling synths, electronic insectile chirping, and what sounds like a kettle boiling; all fading and increasing at random throughout the track. Self Automated Patch #1 is exactly as the name suggests, a synth gleefully burbling and whirring and scratching away of its own volition, a bit musique concrete feeling. Avacado Marketing Techniques #1 is the first of the two songs recorded in 1982, and also the first to sound almost musical at times, but also one of the weaker songs here. Lo-fi guitar samples attempt to mesh with droning synths and some looped vocal samples. There's a bed of quiet electronic thumping and droning tones allowed to the forefront for a while, as everything else subsides. The guitar and vocal samples return, joined by non-sampled bass guitar soloing, and we cycle between these two modes for the rest of the song. Help, We Need A Melody is 20 seconds of a harsh, insufferable, screeching tone to end side A.

Side B has the second and last 1982 recorded track, Avacado Marketing Techniques #2, and IMO much better track than the first. Drifting, sublime, etheric bass wanders through oceans and waves of analog fuzzing and hissing. Sounds like a post rock song drowning in a sea of black and white TV static. Pure atmospheric bliss, and very unlike anything else on this cassette. Self Automated Patch #2 is a return to Buchla synth self-playing, not much to say. When A Girl Lives Alone features groaning and moaning treated vocal samples slowly being layered upon one another, creating an undulating water bed for Rich Ferguson to recite some poetry, presumably of the same name, over. Sounds very much like a poem written by some guys in college. Tribute To The Music Of Raisin Bran Trust is a return to longer form experimental electronic stews; synths doing various impressions of whirring fans, various dial and fax tones, watery and laser like burbling, babbling, chirping, and hissing. Somehow this track sounds quite spacious and void like at times, as if all the sounds are being captured out of space. Patchwork Park Insanity returns to samples being played in reverse, though with a bit more diversity than 59 I Pool. Abstract humming tones, melancholic guitars, odd vocal snippets, and what sounds like amplified tin foil being rubbed and scraped. We end this journey on a sour note, with yet a third offering of random nondescript Buchla babbling.

An interesting journey's start for a group with a lot of fingers in a lot of different pies.

This month they're releasing a new album, so I figured I would review their second album whilst I have the opportunity.

While I liked Paragon Circus, I felt like it could've been a bit more. Glad that their sophomore album of Embryo ended up delivering on that front with some very great progressive metal jams.

While they do keep their sound off of their debut record, I find Altesia here to be coming in their own element more often than not now with this record, especially since it sounds a lot more original than the previous record. Paragon Circus did have a tendency of sounding kinda just sounding like a softer version of Dream Theater, but now on Embryo they have a much more grounded direction than just that. They sound confident to me, which I like.

They still do sound like Haken copycats still though on occasion. That is still something I think is holding the band back from being truly amazing.

But, even despite that, the band still creates a lot of fun music here. I noticed they upped a more retro prog flair on here on occasion, especially for songs like The Remedial Sentence and Exit Initia. A lot more keyboards on here than you'd expect, which works very well since I love moog synths in my metal.

I also find the epic of Exit Initia to be much better than Cassandra's Prophecy. Cassandra's Prophecy was great, don't get me wrong, but Exit Initia just feels more like a prog epic. It probably has something to do with it feeling like it has a much more proper beginning, middle, and end, which I think most great progressive rock/metal epics have. Would I consider the track the next Supper's Ready? No. But do I still think it's great? Absolutely!

Overall, despite still having a bit too much Haken-isms that hold it back, I found Embryo a much more enjoyable time, and it gets me very eager to see how the band improves on their next record.

Best tracks: The Remedial Sentence, Exit Initia

Worst tracks: N/A

Obiymy Doschu has to be among the best-kept secrets of modern progressive rock - the band led by Volodymyr Agafonkin comes from Kyiv and has been active for some good two decades as of 2025. Nevertheless, this year sees the release of the band's third studio album, some good seven years in the making and following-up on the highly-rated 'Son' from 2017, which definitely indicates that the group's steady release rate comes alongside a strive for excellence in a way, with each new album coming after a meticulous process of refining and elaborating its sound until reaching that immersive art-rock condition that seems to define the band's music. And the aptly titled 'Vidrada' (Ukrainian for refuge, solace) is an album with a mission, a cause, embodying the voice of hopefulness amidst the war-torn reality of the group members' homeland. It is a powerful, emotionally-loaded and eclectic work that binds together the band's creative writing as well as their strong progressive rock influences, which come in the form of complex melodies and harmonic instrumentation.

The moody, cinematic prog of opening track 'Children' works excellently on many levels as the grief and solace of this song are communicated by the music in a heartfelt way that resembles what Marillion and Steven Wilson have been doing recently, for example. 'At Distance' impresses with its wavy, almost oceanic synth leads and beautiful acoustic guitars - a complex and emotional work with great vocal work all throughout; the touch of folksiness is quite enjoyable here as well. Then the sweeping violins of 'Hurricane' only seem to serve as a prelude to the pop-sided verses and gorgeous melodies of one of the best songs off the album, closing off the song with a wash of intense guitar sounds. So far the mood is sentimental, embracive and really cinematic - Obiymy Doschu have crafted an inspired collection of melodic art rock with a very eclectic nature that sits really well within the landscape of progressive rock of the current decade. The post-rock soundscapes of 'After the War' support the nostalgic tone of this shorter song that offers another powerful chorus, while 'Time' seems to be most suspenseful piece on the album with its melodramatic use of light strings and orchestral notes. 'Truths' is a more labyrinthian mini-suite informed by the moody and sprawling art-rock inclinations of this entire album, and the closing track 'Don't Give Up' is as intense as it is accessible. The influence of Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch from The Pineapple Thief, who mixed, mastered and produced this fantastic record, can be felt all over, from the warm, lush notes of the sound overall to the clarity of every instrument and vocal harmony. Just a brilliant and warm crossover rock album that is equally inspired by progressive rock, folk music, orchestral music and chamber pop, and a simply flawless release from Obiymy Doschu.

It was an ambitious three-disc album. Visually the cover, the packaging, the artwork?everything made an impact. It stuns you before you even hear a single note. Owning that album was already an achievement for a Yes fan. Listening to it was something else entirely.

Can you imagine what it was like to have this musical device in 1973 A double album was already crazy now imagine a triple album. It was like buying an opera. Yessongs was not only ambitious, it was also a commercial success and the most talked-about album at the time. It wasn't until the following year, in 1974, that Emerson, Lake & Palmer released Welcome Back My Friends?, also daring to publish a triple live album. But to truly capture the full dimension of Yes in 1973, maybe even a five-LP set would have been necessary. Other bands, like Genesis, opted for single albums, and many experts in progressive music argue that one of the reasons Italian prog never broke into the mainstream was because they didn't produce strong live recordings. If that's the case, it makes you wonder: can a truly great live recording define your entire legacy.

Yessongs was recorded during the North American tour for Close to the Edge, and it has the distinction of being the last performance with Bill Bruford and the first with Alan White, who plays on most of the tracks. Musically, the album presents many limitations, especially technological ones. The band couldn't fully replicate what they were doing in the studio. Beyond those limitations, the final mix wasn't quite what anyone expected either but it ended up giving the album its unique identity. Personally, I don't mind the sound, nor do I love it; it's fine. The tracklist plays like a greatest hits collection from 1973, with highlights from The Yes Album, Fragile, and the complete Close to the Edge suite.

In addition to the audio release, Yessongs was also filmed and released in cinemas at the time a bold move that further cemented its iconic status. Over the years, the film was reissued on various video formats, always preserving its original sound. Despite the flaws in audio fidelity, this consistency gave it a timeless authenticity and raw charm that fans came to love.

I remember reading about an expedition of mountaineering doctors to Mount Everest in 1981. They were experimenting with different drugs and medications and how they were metabolized at high altitudes. I was a mountaineering enthusiast at the time and devoured everything I could on the subject. In one of the books about that expedition, I found personal notes from the members, and in them, a detail stood out: the music they listened to was Yessongs. They had it recorded on cassette and played it on Walkmans during the climb. Yes accompanied them on their journey.

From that little anecdote, I became a fan of Yes despite buying the album in the mid-80s and not actually listening to it until almost 10 years later.

I believe that this grandeur conditioned Yes' career. It took them from being a great progressive rock band to a legendary one. And it undoubtedly shaped everything that followed: longer songs, increasingly complex and ambitious albums everything was touched by the scale and impact of Yessongs.

The self titled album by Rivers Of Nihil is a fantastic continuation of the band's progressive metal sound mixed with technical deathcore and extreme metal. After losing their previous vocalist Jake Dieffenbach, but bassist Adam Biggs has taken over vocal duties, showing off a great range of growls, screams and impressive cleans. Musically the band sees them taking a more direct and contemporary approach to their sound, without losing any experimentation or impact of the epic sound they are able to create. One of the strongest metal albums of the year. I'd give this a low 8 out of 10. Best song: The Sub Orbital Blues.

Following the recommendation of a friend, Dissolution is the first (and only so far) album of Pineapple Thief I have listened to and therefore I have nothing to compare it to or appreciate their evolution. Obviously Gavin Harisson with his astonishingly imaginative playing was a good reason alone to get an idea what is going on here, but in fact everything revolves around Bruce Soord. I would say that the songs are vocal-centered (not surprisingly since Bruce's voice is very captivating and expressive) with very few instrumental parts. Most of them are melancholic in nature which reflect the spirit of the lyrics that deal with issues like alienation, loneliness and the impact of social media. The acoustic guitars and the piano play a significant role in bringing out this atmosphere. Although I avoid mentioning other bands as influences, this time I can't resist but noticing a clear connection to Porcupine Tree when it comes to the mindset of songwriting. I can't tell if the addition of Gavin Harisson has anything to do with it, but whatever the reasons the fact that both belong to Kscope mustn't be accidental. Anyway, I do like all songs on this album, there are truly actually no dips whatsoever around although All That You've Got and the superb epic White Mist stand out a bit more. There are just two things that, to my taste, fall short, the lack of instrumental parts (I am not talking about soloing or intricate parts) and the tone of the electric guitar when it comes to soloing is sometimes awful (consider Uncovering Your Tracks, All That You've Got, White Mist). But the bottom line is I deeply enjoy the music all these years and I would heartily recommend the album to listeners who like their prog to be on the melancholic side while muttering the lyrics under their breath.

Wobbler's keyboardist extraordinaire has returned with a stellar follow up to his 2023 ' Fire Fortellinger' opening solo salvo, a sparkling offering with the title 'Gamle Mester', named after a legendary oak tree, that provides wisdom, endurance, and timeless reflection. Needless to reiterate that if one enjoys symphonic keyboard displays, this certainly is among 'the Six Wives of Henry VIII' of the 21st century. Similarly to the Caped Yes man, Lars Fredrik whips out a stunning arsenal of assorted ivoried instruments, such as the Mellotron M400, Mini-Moog Model D, Chamberlin M1, Hammond C3, Rhodes Mk II, Hohner Clavinet D6, ARP Axxe & Pro Soloist, Solina String Ensemble, Roland Vp-330, Sequential Circuits Prophet-3, KORG VC-10 , Wurlitzer 200, Yamaha CP70B, Spinet , upright Piano and whatever a Marxophone and Tremoloa are (fretless zithers) ! Vintage instrumental progressive rock at its finest. Nikolai Haengsle mans the bass guitar parts , Ketil Einarsen does his flute and recorder magic, while Froislie takes care of the percussive side.

From the initial Rickenbacker 4003-led whirlwind 'Demring' onto the final hurrah on Skumring', the master takes the listener on a retro journey that maintains a strong classical pace, thrilling sequences that span a vast cross-section of what prog has the finest to offer. Within the mixture, there are symphonic elements blending with Norse folk tendencies, at times baroque and medieval, as well as a hint of gothic, with a wide variety of solo spots to show off his impressive technical chops, though it must be said that each note has a purpose and never comes across as flaunting any ego. The man is just a plain wizard.

Every second ticking by is pure joy, exultation, passion, as well as restraint and even defiance, a creative musician who senses all the infinite possibilities of sound and space, just like the grand masters of the past. His piano work is exemplary throughout the album, a sure sign of musical quality, in my book. 'Jakten Pa det Kalydonske Villsin' even dares to incorporate his echo-laden Norwegian voice, amid an endless forest of stop and start contrasts, icy mellotron gales, synthesizers pellets of snow and diving into deep fjords of mesmerizing intensity. The raging Hammond is, as per norm, a fabulous adornment that takes no prisoners. Contrast that with pools of ambient imagery, before plunging back into the Wotan funeral pyre, as the distant Drakkar burns in abject respect. A fascinating expos' of retro prog.

The title track serves to keep the bar not only high but even owning it up by rising to the challenge. It's immediately catchy and addictive, plowing head down into battle like a Viking rampage, an almost early ELP instrumental feel that exudes an 'organic' charm. The entire mid-section comes across as a keyboard buffet, each spotlight shining on a specific mood, the bellicose bass huffing and puffing like a muskox gone berserk. Yes, it's definitely sounds like an outright classic piece of music, both challenging and diverse.

A rest period , perhaps? Definitely not, as 'Medusas Flate' launches into another extensive showcase of compositional adventure, the focus now on the mighty Mellotron to direct the mood into another vocalized piece with that low-key voice dancing along with the clavinet , a tingling procession of sound that shows no deference to easy listening. Highly detailed, constantly effervescing, swooning, veering and pausing, there is nothing predictable here. I heard moments of the style expressed by the late Rick van der Linden of Ekseption and Trace fame, as there is a virtuous tone to the arrangement.

The epic 12 minutes and change on 'De Tre Gratier' is surely my highlight track, as the spinet and the fretless zithers now play an active Middle Ages role in setting off ancient images of torch-lit procession in the taciturn darkness of an Arctic winter. The paralleling of voice and organ is spellbinding, the spectral quality of the atmosphere beguiling and you just want to close your eyes and follow blindly the sonic adventure, wherever it may lead. The synthesized mid- section is a prime example of tactile restraint, a weaving of sound that can only intoxicate even the most hardened prog veteran. Froislie builds up the majestic melody that was there all along, in the shadows of it, just waiting for the moment to appear. I am a total sucker for this style; I could wrap myself in this headspace for days on end. One of the finest 2025 epics, a certain consideration for podium space. 'Skumring' is the fitting symphonic finale, all pomp and circumstance.

While Wobbler certainly has well deserved merits and is one of the vanguards of modern prog, I have a much stronger affinity for this kind of expertise, as it checks all the boxes, every single one of many. 'Lang levetid' (long life) Lars Erik! The easiest 5 acorns ever.

It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly where to start for this record, mainly because it's strangely great in nearly all factors. Literally, how do people manage to be clearly inspired by many artists and have a sound this unique? And no less in 1979. These French rockers of this band known as Arachnoid takes it's foundation all the way back to 1970. It's very dark-sounding with some impressive dynamics between chilled-out sections and wild blaring technicality woven into this nice gem. It's quite experimental while also retaining a sense of urgency and direction. You can hear how the band was attempting to make something completely different from anything at the time, and arguably to this day nothing comes close. The closest thing I know of to this record would be Island's sole album, Pictures, which came out two years earlier. Moving on, it's full of uncanny tones and rhythms that constantly push forward in development. The speed these men play at is also skillful in the overall playing and execution of each song. If there was one main con, however, sometimes I felt that they could've spliced in more material in the songs, because each song has a large portion dedicated to keyboard and piano playing with low ambient noises in the background, and while I do enjoy these, sometimes that and the fact that the music can get repetitive can feel a bit dry.

Before I move onto the current album, I would like to give my appraisal to everyone who played on this album, but especially singer Marc Meryl. I have seriously never heard anything like his singing in my entire lifetime. The album begins with La Chamadière, which is a sprawling thirteen-minute-long suite. It has all these gloomy elements that really stand out on the album for the rapid pace and intensity of the parts inside this track, with the occasional screaming and singing coming from Marc. The scary form this song takes is just brutal in the song, especially with the type of music they are trying to play. I enjoyed how they put themselves out there in terms of experimentation while also staying true to a rock and jazz format. This is my personal favorite song on the album, and I highly recommend it even if you're not going to listen to the album. Piano Caveau is the ending song on side one, with a clearly defined classical feel compared to the opening number. It has more traditional piano arrangements, with fewer drums and more percussion in the background at some points. It's another strong song that holds true to the music present in the first song while also having its own unique charms to it, such as more emotional moments added into the isolated piano movements.

Side two begins with a melody of two compositions known as Toutes Ces Images and Segamisec Setout. This track continues the trend of stripped-down keyboards combined, but now with some dramatic vocals, which just hits differently with the different melodies being added to it. The restrained and muted guitar at parts also makes it feel uncomfortable and haunting. After this, it becomes more rock-oriented, with an actual comprehensible sound and something that comes close to normal riffs, of course, with a progressive twist. It feels as though it becomes a maze of different turns into zeuhl and eclectic prog that still one-ups into the category of symphonic prog, and it essentially assumes the position of a never-ending roller coaster of madness, which I just love. La Guêpe is next, and you could argue it's a continuation of the last song. Here, however, there is a much more defined fusion power that is present here. Mainly, instrumental music that is carefully structured and carried out dominates this one and creates a whole new face for this band. I also appreciate the more advanced drumming techniques used, with there only being real drumming on around half of each song. Sometimes it takes a similar approach to Sailors Tail by King Crimson took, but with anxious vocals being just as powerful as the guitar solo found on that song. The final song on this thing is another mixture of two short configurations called L'Adieu Au Pierrot and the simply titled Final. It's much more melancholic and serves as a closure to this outstanding yet obscure piece. It has a buildup all the way up until the end for a final climax that sums up what the entire album has been like perfectly.

In conclusion, this is an incredibly interesting and strong album! It has all the elements a perfect progressive rock album would need but just barely falls short. Some of the material found is just mind- blowing in so many ways while also having a good level of detail in each song. It has all of these great qualities, but some of the repeating patterns of musical elements can make it difficult to truly love it all the way through. I can't believe it took me a year to truly figure out how good this was, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something similar to the description I gave. This is a strong 4/5 for me.

Roz Vitalis ? «Dedication to Bignick»: a triumph of musical depth and spiritual focus. Roz Vitalis is a Russian band working at the intersection of progressive rock, chamber academic music and post- avant-garde electronics. Their sound is a synthesis of intellectual rigor and emotional richness. It envelops like a prayer and disturbs like a piercing philosophical thought. This is not just music ? it is a form of spiritual work, where each note is a step towards meaning. The album «Dedication to Bignick» is a nine-part musical dedication, filled with sadness, respect and inner light at the same time. It opens with the composition «The Tragedy of the Ancient Spring», which sets the tone for the entire work: majestic, tragic, restrained and honest. This track immediately immerses you in a special space ? a space of memory, reflection, inexpressible melancholy and quiet hope. The album closes with "Silence in Waiting" ? the culminating final point, dissolving the listener in silence, in anticipation, in a trembling pause between worlds. However, the true peak of the album, in my opinion, is "Loneliness - Bringing Power". This composition is like a concentrate of the entire essence of Roz Vitalis: melancholy here is not passive, but is transformed into a source of strength. The sound penetrates deeply into the consciousness, reveals internal resonances, leaving behind not devastation, but purification. Roz Vitalis performers demonstrate the highest level of skill and the finest sense of form. Their work is an example of honesty in art, devoid of vulgarity, ostentatious shock value and superficial emotionality. "Dedication to Bignick" is not just an album, but a gesture of extreme human and musical concentration. It is a gift made in silence and conveyed with deep love.