Category: Progressive Rock

Flying Colors

Post author By aaron
Post date June 4, 2012

Flying Colors is a pop-heavy progressive rock album that successfully makes use of the supergroup format. Contemporary prog rock giants have formed to create a fantastic album of accessible rock tunes that are expertly composed and unforgettable. Executive producer Bill Evans dreamed of creating another powerful supergroup, drawing up a list that included Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic), Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple), Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic), Dave LaRue (Steve Morse Band), soon-to-be well-known Casey McPherson, and lead by producer Peter Collins.

The result is an album that is truly collaborative, and it shows. All the members’ muscles are flexing at the opportune moments, never adding a wrong note. The album is filled with a heart and groove that lasts from “Blue Ocean” all the way to “Infinite Fire”. The album may actually be the best representation of the Kevin Gilbert style, at least its the closest thing since his unfortunate death. The songs are poppy and rocking, positive and introspective. Not one instrument stands out among the others, everything is at the right level, contributing to the band and the song.

Tags 2012, Casey McPherson, Dave LaRue, Dream Theater, Flying Colors, Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Spock's Beard, Steve Morse, The Dixie Dregs, Transatlantic

Genre Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Ben Sommer – Super Brain

Post author By aaron
Post date December 18, 2011

Ben Sommer’s new self-produced album Super Brain features a more polished release than america’d, but offers much of the same DIY sentiment and angst towards politics and consumerism. The album lacks a central focus, but I see this as sign that Sommer is growing as a musician, but this release only has the seedlings for what could be something to watch out for.

Although “Young Turks” features the signatory style of Sommer, it fails to lead off as a strong opening track as it feels as if it was somewhat unfinished. “Consumerism” begins a trilogy of ‘isms’ including “Militarism” and “Cadaverism”, all farces that target the constant hustle of shopping during the holiday seasons, shit-kicker slogans such as “Don’t Mess with Texas”, and what I’m guessing is a parody of electronic heavy metal.

Tags Ben Sommer, Farce, Political Rock, Satire, Super Brain

Commentary Music Reviews Progressive Rock

The Dropa Stone rips through Bardot Miami

Post author By Live4Music
Post date October 17, 2011

Known for bringing in top notch music and many independent bands on the rise, Bardot has become one of the more popular music venues in Miami. I had the pleasure of coming out to see The Dropa Stone perform at Bardot Miami on Thursday September 22nd. Bardot’s long room decor with unique artwork, stylish couches and a great sound system was a great environment to see the band.

Tags Bardot, Experimental Rock, Florida, Miami, Miami Music, Progressive Rock, South Florida Music, The Dropa Stone, The Dropa Stone Band, The Dropa Stone Live

Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Levin Torn White

Post author By aaron
Post date September 22, 2011

September 2011 has been a busy month for progressive rock after more than a year of rare and sporadic releases—most of which have tanked. It is refreshing to see a collaboration between the giants of the industry, masters of their instruments. We are so used to contemporary progressive artists teaming up and presenting excellent releases, sometimes better than those released by their full-time bands. Rarely do veterans of progressive rock unite, but in the case of Levin Torn White, they have, and they make no mistakes about such a collaboration. It is easy to say offensive words like “old men,” but in fact, there is a youthfulness to the music that Levin Torn White have created.

Tags Alan White, David Torn, King Crimson, Levin Torn White, LTE, Tony Levin, Yes

Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Beardfish – Mammoth

Post author By aaron
Post date July 21, 2011

Let it be known that Beardfish may indeed become the leading progressive rock band coming into the 2010s. I consider that be a bold statement because the band composes interesting songs that seem so effortless, yet consistently awesome. I jumped aboard the Beardfish bandwagon in 2009 when they were announced to be a part of the Progressive Nation Tour 2009, alongside Pain of Salvation. After giving both Sleeping in Traffic Parts 1 & 2 dozens upon dozens of listens, I knew that Beardfish was something special in the current progressive scene. Both bands would be victims of the economic downturn. Unable to find financial support to get both bands to North America, they had to pull out of the tour. Beardfish turned around with a stellar release, Destined Solitude which equaled the greatness of Sleeping in Traffic.

Tags Beardfish, Inside Out, Mammoth, Prog Rock, Progressive Rock, Sweden

Music Reviews Progressive Rock

D Project – Big Face

Post author By aaron
Post date July 4, 2011

Project D’s 2011 release, Big Face has an compositional quality that never feels like one has truly traveled through the album or have been challenged enough to warrant additional listens. D Project constantly switches gears to only to please themselves, leaving the album’s contents feeling disconnected. The album does have moments that suggest the musicians are talented, but overall, Big Face fails to truly be a work worthy of your collection.

“They” starts off with a great groove before the song finds its rightful melody before it becomes an unpredictable journey towards the end. “So Low” and “Kids Will Never Know” are uninspired, straight-ahead rock tunes that keep the album unbalanced. “Big Face” is a dated wall of sound that reaches too high and ultimately never delivers. “Anger Parts 1 & 2” and “Anger Part 3” beat the message across the head eventually becoming kitschy towards the end.

Tags 2011, Big Face, D Project, Prog Rock, Progressive Rock, Symphonic Prog Rock

Progressive Rock

Still Alive

Post author By aaron
Post date June 27, 2011

If you haven’t noticed, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a review but now I’m back. Graduate school doesn’t offer enough time to write quality progressive rock and metal reviews alongside my popular website CinemaFunk where I write movie reviews.

Despite my lack of updates, the site has grown in visits and pageviews and I might as well take advantage of that. I’m roughly 12 or so albums behind and that is after rejecting new album submissions so start to expect new reviews in the next several weeks.

Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Lime Shark – The Money Clock

Post author By aaron
Post date February 27, 2011

Lime Shark, at first, sounds laughable, many progressive bands do. As the tracklist moves on you start to “get it.” This British band is less of a progressive rock band and more of a rock band with progressive leanings. The similarities to the harmonies of King’s X and driving bass rhythms from Rush are not apparent at all, allowing the band to exist as their own entity. Subsequent dives through The Money Clock reveals an album that does not bask in progressive over-achievement but relies on the simplification of melodies even in non-conventional time-changes.

The Money Clock certainly takes its time to present its best material, as “Burn” does not adequately grab the listener. The style and sonics are most interestingly not conventional, and at first can appear un-listenable. However, it is the third track, “Blindside”, that properly portrays the band’s intentions and as post-millennial, hard-driving, and accessible.

Tags 2007, British

News Progressive Rock

Two New Live Beardfish Tracks

Post author By aaron
Post date January 2, 2011

Beardfish is planning on releasing Mammoth (source) in March 2011, but in the meantime two tracks “The Platform” and “And the Stone Said If I Could Speak” have been performed live and are available on YouTube. Also, an edited version of “The Platform” is also available on YouTube.

“The Platform” (Bratislava 10/25/2010)

Music Reviews Progressive Rock

Salim Ghazi Saeedi – Iconophobic

Post author By aaron
Post date December 13, 2010

Iconophobic is an instrumental album that is far more focused than most releases by self-produced individual artists, yet each of its compositions offer unfocused melodies that appear to be controlled chaos to your ears’ benefit. The album never gives you cheap thrills that you would expect and the short songs often have a feel of jamming to them, despite their construction being that of one person, Iranian musician Salim Ghazi Saeedi.

The first two songs offer the listener a clean and simple way to enter into Saeedi‘s musical world, particularly with the ultra short “Composer’s Laughter”, which features moments that captures the song’s namesake. “The Songful Song of Songbirds” has the jam feel to it, praise for a one-man operation. “Don’t You See the Cheerful Rainbow” has a playful and slightly humorous quality to it.

Tags Iranian