Beautiful and Monstrous, released in 2009, is a wonderful showcase for the restless and creative spirit which lies at the very heart progressive rock. Soaring melodies which fondly linger in the memory are cradled in layers of delicious harmonies, built on the bedrock of a spellbinding musical and technical virtuosity which provides a compelling enthusiasm and energy. It also … [Read more...]
My Indigo – My Indigo
There are times when people, actions and events come together in such a way that we are simply forced to stop, step back, take stock and have a good, long, hard look at ourselves, at what we've become and the direction in which our lives are going. My Indigo, the new solo project from Sharon den Adel exists precisely because of one of these life moments. Years of extensive … [Read more...]
Believe – Seven Widows
Death is bewildering. Something beautiful, precious, is gone never to be seen again. Our cries of anguish, the wrenching pain of our dejection, the awful agony of our newly discovered and unwanted aloneness is a heartbroken call to anyone and to everyone to recognise the irreplaceable value of what has been lost. The abject removal of a uniquely familiar presence in our lives … [Read more...]
Victim of Illusion – Invisible Light
In the hustle and bustle of daily life it is all too easy to become distracted, overwhelmed and in the ceaseless noise which perpetually surrounds us, to lose our way. The continual clamour of social media, the relentless bewitchment of consumer advertising, the unyielding presence of politics, comment, opinion and ‘fake’ news captivates and beguiles us. We lose all sense of … [Read more...]
Intervals – The Way Forward
I remember well the first time I heard the debut album from Liquid Tension Experiment. An explosive wall of sound fizzing with life, carrying a high energy surge of technical musical brilliance and delivering insane levels of innovative artistry at a breathless, breakneck speed. The sheer power and vitality of the music snapped your head back and kept you utterly and completely … [Read more...]
Top Picks of 2017
Another year comes to an end and what a year it has been for progressive rock music brimming with magic, creativity, insight, virtuosity and empathy. To all those who wrestle to make these wondrous creations happen - thank you. The world would be empty and impoverished without you. This is not definitive in any sense at all. As always, my selections are based on the albums … [Read more...]
Clouds Can – Leave
Progressive pop is making something of a welcome revival. Alan Parsons prefers it as being a ‘better’ description of his music, pointing to the ways in which progressive rock integrates modern trends and influences whilst combining it with an ‘epic’ sound and orchestral layers. Steven Wilson likewise claims that his musical vision aims to create a ‘modern equivalent’ of the … [Read more...]
Lunatic Soul – Fractured
through your stormy waves through your crumbled walls through your broken sky through your fractured soul Nothing truly prepares you for the death of a parent. The agonising numbness. The despair of grief. Cloying guilt and suffocating remorse. The unwelcome soul-aching rawness of naked emotions exploding from nowhere, drenching every thought, every feeling and every … [Read more...]