Abarax -
Crying of the Whales ($15.99)
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Abarax -
Crying of the Whales ($15.99)
This Cyclops-label release is the 2006 CD from a very Pink Floyd influenced band. They’re German,
so by association one could also compare them to Eloy, Solar Project, or RPWL
(minus the playfulness and Beatles influences). Abarax are very good at this style, with excellent lead guitar and
strong harmony vocals, at times quite majestic and beautiful. 62-minutes.
Alias
Eye - In Focus ($15.99)
SALE! A Different Point of You (2003) is the second album from a very good German neo-prog band that shares lead singer Philip Griffiths with the band Poor Genetic Material (see below). Philip’s father Martin was the singer for Beggars Opera, a Scottish early-70’s prog band. The music has some of the laid-back Pink Floyd atmosphere, also a bit of Kansas, Saga, and Spock’s Beard, and like the great 1970’s prog bands, the musician’s skills serve the song rather than a technical exercise. The CD is well recorded, quite arty and finely crafted. Because both Alias Eye and Poor Genetic Material rely heavily on Griffiths’ excellent voice, fans of one band will probably like the other as well. Alias Eye is a bit more mainstream than PGM, but the appeal is similar. Read reviews here.
In late 2005, Alias Eye’s guitarist left and they
found a new one shortly after. As a result, their album In Focus (2006)
reveals a heavier Alias Eye, and they’ve adopted more of the contemporary prog
sound, i.e., harder-edged and not as symphonic or as warm. It varies quite a bit
from track to track though, as a few tracks are prog-metal while the majority
thankfully omit the metal. Most of the positive qualities from the previous
Alias Eye albums are further developed here, and Griffiths sounds stronger than
ever.
The
Amber Light - Goodbye to Dusk, Farewell to Dawn
($14.99)
For those into the moody, atmospheric style of Porcupine Tree, Radiohead,
Hogarth-era Marillion, RPWL, and Product, Germany’s The Amber Light may well be
the Next Big Thing. Singing in flawless English of course, The Amber Light also
mix in some influences of Pink Floyd and Van der Graaf Generator, and so their
fan base consists of an odd mixture of young people from the alternative scene,
younger art-rock fans, and older prog fans open to the newer styles. Their first
release was As They Came They Slightly Disappeared (2002), which at 32:14
would have been a full-length album had it been released 30 years earlier. This
is very good but more conventionally progressive than what would follow, with
elements of Genesis, Eloy, and Van der Graaf Generator.
Their first full-length CD Goodbye to Dusk, Farewell
to Dawn (2004) is 64-minutes of excellent psychedelic-tinged, liquid progressive rock
and the obvious place to start. The Amber Light
followed in 2005 with an EP entitled Stranger & Strangers. At 26:14,
there’s a fair chunk of music here. There are three moderate length vocal tracks, one of which is
acoustic, plus the 14:28 title track which has long instrumental passages that
vary from classic 70’s-style prog to more psychedelic prog. It’s all more or
less within the range of styles covered by Porcupine Tree, and equally well done.
(For audio samples, click the mp3 icon above, then click Media after the
site has loaded.)
Amon
Düül II - Yeti ($15.99)
Amon
Düül II - Vive La Trance ($15.99)
Amon Düül 2 - Only Human ($15.99)These are the 2005-2007 remastered editions on Revisited Records. Each comes in a digipack with an enhanced booklet and liner notes, and most have several bonus tracks. Amon Düül II was one of the pioneering Krautrock bands. Even when singing in English, they were uniquely German, playing a light progressive style with avant-garde elements.
Yeti (1970) was Amon Düül II’s 2nd album, originally a 2LP and now a 68-minute CD. It is a definitive Krautrock album, containing some structured songs but mostly long improvised psychedelic jams. Tanz der Lemminge (Dance of the Lemmings) followed in 1971, another 2LP now a 69-minute CD. It’s probably the best of their first three albums, after which the band started focusing more on structured songs and less on drugs. These two albums are definitely products of their time.
Wolf City (1973) was their 5th studio album and may be the best introduction to Amon Düül II for those coming from the symphonic prog side of things. The songs here are more concise, as opposed to the long improvisations of the earlier albums. An excellent and unique blend of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and psych-folk.
Vive La Trance (1974) was their 6th studio album and has four bonus tracks added. This album sees the band turning to more song-based structures and mostly shorter tracks, reining in their excessively avant-garde and psychedelic tendencies. It’s still unconventional enough to belong in the progressive realm, as even the more straightforward material tends to have a veneer of electronic or psychedelic effects.
Lemmingmania (1975) was a compilation of the band’s shorter acid rock classics and included four tracks that had only been available on singles. This reissue adds four bonus tracks plus a bonus video.
While Almost Alive (1977) and Only Human
(1978) may be considered to be after the classic period of the band, prog
fans more interested in symphonic rock than Krautrock or psych will probably like these more. The significant
change is the addition of keyboardist/vocalist Stefan Zauner, who joined the band for their 1976 album
Pyragony X. While Only Human is their most mainstream record, incorporating styles not
typical of the Amon Düül II sound, it is also their most symphonic. It still manages to remain experimental,
comical, and unique, sounding quite a bit like Zauner’s excellent Prism &
Views solo album, recorded around the same time. The bonus tracks on both
Almost Alive and Only Human are in the older Amon Düül II style. Zauner is in a guest role on Vortex (1981), which was an
attempt by Chris Karrer to reform the band, and the only album they recorded in
the 1980’s. While the reformation didn’t last, the album itself is successful.
Apogee -
On the Aftertaste ($15.99)
SALE!
Apogee - The Border of Awareness ($11.99)
SALE!Arne Schäfer is the leader, along with keyboardist Ekkehard Nahm, of the German band Versus X (see below). Apogee is the solo vehicle for Schäfer, though on The Garden of Delights (2003, 70-minutes) he is assisted by Versus X drummer Uwe Völlmar, and in practice Apogee and Versus X sound pretty similar. Schäfer handles keyboards, guitars, and vocals. The five ambitious symphonic pieces on The Garden of Delights express Schäfer’s thoughts on the human race, conscience, and perception. Schäfer’s lyrics and vocal style are in the verbose Peter Hammill style, and there is a strong Van der Graaf Generator influence here along with King Crimson and the darker side of Genesis. Apogee offer complex, sophisticated structures and musical themes, shifting atmospheres, airy acoustic and intense electric passages, enveloped by Mellotron (lots of Mellotron!), organ, and other keyboard sounds, and enhanced by subtle dissonances.
The Border of Awareness (1995, 76-minutes) and Sisyphos
(1998, 64-minutes) are earlier albums in a similar style. On the Aftertaste
(2006, 68-minutes) is not actually a new Apogee album but rather contains material recorded
during the sessions for The Border of Awareness and Sisyphos.
Arilyn
- Alter Ego ($14.99)
Tomorrow Never Comes (2002) is the 64-minute debut from a German band
mixing rock, space rock, and progressive, with vocals in English as is de
rigueur these days.
Alter Ego (2007) is their 3rd. On a couple tracks, Arilyn sound
similar to RPWL, though not quite as luxuriant, while on other tracks they do a
very good Hawkwind. Still other tracks carry on with the style found on their
previous CDs, modern rock with spacey and progressive touches.
The Arilyn website is here.
Brainstorm
- Smile a While ($14.99)Brainstorm was a German Canterbury-style fusion band offering complex songs
full of sax, flute, and distorted organ, recommended to fans of Soft Machine,
Supersister, Caravan, and Frank Zappa. While instrumental content dominates,
there are some vocals in English. Smile A While (1972) was their first
release under the name Brainstorm. The CD includes three bonus tracks recorded
for German radio in 1971.
Cinnamonia -
The Scarlet Sea ($12.99)
This 2002 release is by a
German duo of a female singer and a male instrumentalist providing electronic
textures, with help from three other musicians on electric and acoustic guitars.
This is moody, low-key, atmospheric art-folk-pop, like a female David Sylvian,
though not quite that melancholy. The English-language vocals sound a bit
like Barbara Gaskin, and there are arrangements of two English traditional songs
among the 11 tracks on this 59-minute album.
Country Lane - Substratum ($15.99)This collectable progressive album was remixed for this CD
reissue on Musea. As Musea describes it: “Country
Lane’s only album was initially released in 1973. This Swiss band created an
original rock music, mixing heavy influences such as Deep Purple with
progressive ones such as The Nice and the other English progressive bands.
Straight rock moments, dreamy atmospheres, and good English vocals are the basis
of an excellent 70’s album, full of freshness and sincerity.”
Deyss -
Vision in the Dark ($15.99)This Swiss band’s 1987 album, originally a 3-sided double-LP, was one of the
best symphonic prog albums of that decade. Much of it is Marillion and
IQ-inspired neo-prog (the vocalist is named “Jester”), but the 17-minute title suite
is mostly-instrumental and harkens back to classic 1970’s prog.
Eloy - Time to Turn ($14.99)
Eloy is Germany’s well-known symphonic space-rock band, who really hit their
stride with Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes (1979) and Colours
(1980), and peaked on Planets (1981) and Time to Turn (1982). While they may have
been influenced by Pink Floyd, Eloy became a reference point to which other prog
bands could be compared. Simplistically speaking, they combine the symphonic
progressive and space rock styles like no one else. Silent Cries and Mighty Echoes and Time
to Turn are the latest remastered editions, which are copy protected CDs,
meaning you can’t rip the audio to files on your PC. Silent Cries and Mighty
Echoes has two previously-unreleased studio tracks as a bonus.
The 2 Originals 2CD set packages the Eloy CDs Chronicles Vol. 1 and Chronicles
Vol. 2 together in a slipcase. The Chronicles CDs contain most of Eloy’s best
songs, most of them rerecorded in 1993-1994. The arrangements were left
untouched and the old equipment, instruments, and former band members were
brought in wherever possible. The point was to use more modern production
techniques and recording equipment to improve the audio quality of the older
material. The songs appear in chronological order, with Vol. 1 covering the the
1977-1982 era and Vol. 2 covering the post-1986 albums by the newer lineup. It
wasn’t necessary to rerecord the songs from Ra (1988) or Destination
II (1992), as their production values were already adequate, though they
were remastered. So this set is not only a great introduction for newcomers but
one that most existing Eloy fans will want.
Esthetic
Pale - Long Forgotten Words ($14.99)
Esthetic Pale is a German neo-prog sextet of keys, guitar, bass, drums, and
two female vocalists singing in English. They favor long tracks and sometimes
come across as a modern version of Octopus (a German prog band from the 1970’s
also featuring female vocals). Long Forgotten Words is from 2005, Hope
from 2000.
Galaad - Vae Victis ($15.99)Galaad is a Swiss neo-prog band with a charismatic vocalist singing in
French. While their debut was very Ange-influenced, their 2nd album Vae Victis
(1995) is heavier, like a meeting between Ange and Dream Theater, while
maintaining the lyricism and melodrama.
Thomas Glönker - Auszeit ($13.99)
Thomas Glönker was the guitarist for the German band ICU, who released three CDs during
the 1990’s. His first solo CD is a tasteful set of instrumentals that features
both his acoustic and electric guitar playing, actually favoring the acoustic.
Various tracks are augmented with bass, synths, low-key percussion, and flute
(played by Eva-Maria Baumann). On tracks where Glönker keeps it entirely
acoustic, you might compare his music to Steve Hackett or Anthony Phillips’
acoustic pieces, but replacing their Englishness with a slight spaciness more
characteristic of German artists. Glönker’s electric leads are sometimes in the
Andy Latimer vein, but again a bit spacier. But even with the spacey touches,
the music is warm and comforting. A very nice CD when the mood calls for
something more relaxed. After clicking on the mp3 icon above, click on “Auszeit - die CD” in the left
column.
Grobschnitt -
Jumbo digipack ($16.99)Grobschnitt was one of the top few German progressive rock bands, quite possibly the best. Their first two albums were good but spacier and a bit less symphonic. By the time of their 1975 third album Jumbo, they had become a very refined, melodic symphonic progressive band singing mostly in English, Germany’s counterpart to Genesis, with a sense of humor usually evident. A string of great symphonic prog albums followed before it all went horribly wrong, as with so many other 70’s prog bands who didn’t make it out of the 80’s.
Jumbo and Rockpommel’s Land are the 2007
digipack editions on SPV’s Revisited Records label. Jumbo is one of
Grobschnitt’s best and is the first album on which their debt to Genesis is
apparent. The album was first released with English lyrics. The band later
translated them into German, and a year later a German language version of the
album was released, a novelty on the German music scene. (Drummer Eroc claimed
that vocalist Willi Wildschwein was glad to finally understand what he was
singing about.) This CD features both English and German versions plus two bonus
tracks.
Rockpommel’s Land (1977) is Grobschnitt’s rock opera and for some their masterpiece, just four tracks highlighted by the 20-minute title track, all sung in English. This CD adds a 17-minute live bonus track. Keyboardist Mist developed the concept for this album, and it is true to the style of Mist’s idols, Yes and Genesis.
More recently, drummer Eroc remastered live material
from throughout Grobschnitt’s career into a series of 2CDs (and one 3CD) called
Grobschnitt Story. These didn’t receive wide distribution. Now InsideOut
has compiled material from that series into The International Story, a
digipack double-CD with each CD over 79-minutes long plus a 16-page booklet in English.
One track, Magic Train (10:15), is a previously unreleased version, and
there is an entire performance of Solar Music. The sound quality of this
set is excellent.
Harmonia -
Deluxe ($15.99)These are the 2007 remastered digipack editions on SPV’s Revisited Records label of these Krautrock classics. The debut Harmonia LP, Musik Von Harmonia, appeared in 1974 and marks the first collaborative effort between Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius of Cluster and Michael Rother of Neu!. Harmonia’s style wedded Cluster’s exploratory space music with the chugging rhythms and guitar of Rother, making for an enchanting blend of acoustic, electronic, and electro-acoustic instruments. From the press release: “The three members were skilled keyboard players, guitarists, electronic percussionists and composers. This was a group musically and conceptually miles ahead of its time. The debut Harmonia album is at once a product of their source bands and a fine new twist on them, resulting in music that captures what is for many the Krautrock ideal, or more accurately, the motorik ideal. It’s not Kraftwerk’s all-synth, clean, clinical pulse; nor Neu!’s seemingly effortless glide; nor Can’s stomping art-world-funk. Instead it’s at once playful and murky, steady and mechanical, a supergroup of sorts that easily achieves and maintains such a seemingly overstated status by embracing a variety of approaches that work wonders.”
Deluxe (1975) was the second record for
Harmonia. On this album, Mani Neumeier from Guru Guru plays drums on some tracks, so only two
tracks use the analog drum machine. The three members all contribute vocals,
though the album is heavily instrumental. The compositions are more complex than
on their debut, and the end result is both spacey/trippy and pastoral, charming and innovative.
High Wheel -
Live Before the Storm (2CD, $24.99)
High Wheel -
1910 ($17.99)These are Progress Records’ 2007 remastered reissues of the studio CDs from High Wheel, a German symphonic progressive band who have improved with each CD. There (1996, 76-minutes) is their third CD, Remember the Colours (1994, 75-minutes) their second and 1910 (1993, 56-minutes) their first. Call it neo-prog if you must, but their reliance on organ and analog keyboards gives them a 1970’s-oriented sound. There is a little Gentle Giant influence and a little spaciness. At times they touch upon the style of early Kayak or Anyone’s Daughter, though darker, more aggressive and not as strong melodically. (Few bands are.) On a few tracks, Marillion or Echolyn are better references, and other tracks have a hard edge to them, though still a long way from prog-metal. The lyrics are in English. The sound on the original releases was a bit dull, so it’s good to have the improved sound on these remastered editions.
The double live CD Live Before the Storm (2006) not
only serves as a 2 hour, 17-minute greatest hits, but the recording quality is better
than their studio albums. This is the obvious place for newcomers to start.
Here is an mp3 of the complete Void track.
Read
reviews here.
Inquire
- Melancholia (2CD, $19.99)
Melancholia (2003) is the third album by this
German progressive band. It is comprised of two albums: the first CD is a concept
album about Jean-Paul Sartre’s novel La nausée. The second CD rearranges
parts of an organ symphony by the French composer Louis Vierne, created at the
beginning of the 20th century, and a forerunner of rock and roll. Inquire play a carefully written and arranged music,
a generally dark progressive ala Pink Floyd or the German band Versus X, with influences from classical
composers such as Mussorgsky. One might also liken Inquire to some of the darker
French progressives such as Pulsar or Halloween, though Inquire are a bit less
lyrical and more heavy-handed. Vocals are used sparingly. The sound and production are excellent (with
mastering by Grobschnitt’s Eroc). Total playing time: 94 minutes.
Ivory - Sad Cypress ($14.99)CD reissue of a classic German symphonic progressive album from 1979, with
30-minutes of bonus material from 1983-1987. The band was formed by the 70-year
old former conductor of the Hanover symphony, who happened to admire Yes,
Genesis, and Gentle Giant! His son joined as 2nd keyboardist and composer, and
the band was fleshed out by a guitarist, vocalist, bassist/flutist, and drummer.
This is keyboard-dominated symphonic prog with English vocals. The bonus
material is more stripped-down but is otherwise as good.
Jack
Yello - Thorns of Anger ($8.99)
SALE!Jack Yello is a German quintet that includes former members of German
neo-prog bands Darius and Jagiello. No one in the band is named Jack though. You
could argue that their influences include Arena,
Marillion, Spock’s Beard, and Dream Theater. More precisely though, Jack Yello
is playing in the classic early Marillion style, only with a really huge sound
and a touch of the modern metallic sound.
Singer Dirk Bovensiepen has a fair amount of Fish in his voice, and the lyrics are also
in that typically verbose style. As Marillion-influenced bands go, Jack Yello is
among the most complex and interesting. 78-minutes.
Jane -
Here We Are ($15.99)Jane was a melodic, sometimes progressive rock band from Hannover, Germany. These
are the 2007 Revisited Records digipack editions of Jane’s second, third, and
fourth albums. Here We Are is from 1973, III from 1974, Lady
from 1975. Here We Are has two bonus tracks, both single edits of songs
from the album. Read the reviews at Prog Archives of
Here We
Are,
III,
and
Lady.
Junk
Farm - Ugly Little Thing ($14.99)
The self-described German “fusion trio from hell” consists of a keyboardist
(favoring organ), guitarist/singer, and drummer. The band has metal roots, so
this 2007 CD, their 2nd, is a heavy rock/fusion with a strong progressive
flavor, much more rock than fusion. Like prog-metal, this is music that is
something-else first and progressive rock second, but for the most part it is
really well done. The only time it isn’t is during the heaviest, most aggressive
passages where melody disappears and it degenerates into grunge or metal, but
those passages are brief and don’t leave the prog fan enough time to wander out
of the room looking for something to eat. Junk Farm shift gears rapidly, playing an appealing mash-up of styles with great
finesse and a sound that could easily pass for American.
Kraan -
Dancing in the Shade ($14.99)
Kraan - Live 88 ($14.99)These are the 2005 remastered digipack deluxe editions on Revisited Records label, with bonus tracks and enhanced booklets with new liner notes and photos. Kraan is an influential and legendary German krautrock and jazz-rock band that formed in 1967, continued into the 1980’s, then took the 1990’s off before reforming for both recording and gigging. Flyday (1978) features a unique mélange of melodic jazz rock with some Eastern elements. It includes a 9:26 live version of Gayu Gaya as a bonus track.
Kraan’s 8th studio album, Dancing in the Shade (1989), features Peter
Wolbrandt’s idiosyncratic, beautiful songs and cinematic instrumentals. Kraan
entered the 1990’s using samplers and sequencers integrated into their sound
cosmos. The three bonus tracks on this CD are all demo versions of tracks from
the album. Live 88 was recorded by a newly re-united Kraan, along with
trumpeter Joo Kraus. It focuses on melodic instrumental jazz-rock, plus a
few vocal rock numbers. It includes the bonus track Ausflug (6:39), recorded live in Munich in 1987
on the same tour, taking the total length up to 79:33. Live 2001 reflects
back on Kraan’s 1970’s fusion era, with mixes of spacey, jam-oriented tracks
played by an excellent group of musicians.
Liliental -
same ($15.99)The Liliental album came about in 1976 when electronic music pioneer Dieter
Moebius (Cluster, Harmonia) wanted to record an album with Okko Bekker and Asmus
Tietchens at Conny Plank’s studio. This time, Plank participated in the
recordings as a musician. Kraan’s bassist Helmut Hattler and saxophonist
Johannes Pappert had just finished working on an album and were happy to stay on
at the studio. So six musicians with different personalities who had never
worked together before ended up creating a great document of German electronic
music. It was rather atypical for its time and conveyed a certain lightness,
revealing complex structures on closer inspection. This 2007 digipack edition on
SPV’s Revisited Records label is the first official CD release.
Neronia
- Nerotica ($14.99)
Neronia is the German band formerly known as Ulysses, who released a CD
titled Neronia in 1993. On Nerotica (2003), Neronia is sort of a
German equivalent of Arena or Enchant, a heavy neo-progressive band that has appeal to
prog-metal fans though they don’t really play metal, with plenty of drama and
bombast. Other references are Everon or Marathon. 62-minutes. (For audio
samples, click the mp3 icon above, then click "Musical Energy".)
Neuschwanstein - Battlement ($14.99)This is the CD reissue of the 1979 album by Neuschwanstein, their
only album, remixed in 1992 for improved sound. This is essentially a clone of
Gabriel-era Genesis, but so well done that it is rightly considered a minor
classic of German progressive rock. Vocals in English.
Novalis -
Veilleicht bist du ein Clown? ($16.99)These are the 2007 digipack editions on SPV’s Revisited Records label. Hamburg’s ‘romantic rockers’ Novalis were one of the best German symphonic progressive bands of the 1970’s, and actually achieved some success. After singing in English on their debut, they switched to German lyrics for their 1975 self-titled album. Many of the lyrics here were actually poems of the band’s namesake, Novalis, the most important German poet of early romanticism (also author and philosopher). As a rough approximation, Novalis were musically between Camel and Pink Floyd. This edition of Novalis adds a 10:36 bonus track Impressionen (Live in Hagen 1975).
Veilleicht bist du ein Clown? (1978) was Novalis’ sixth and biggest selling album, 300,000 in Germany and good sales in Japan. Austrian singer Fred Mühlböck had joined the band in late 1976, and his dynamic voice is a large reason for the success of this album, while sophisticated instrumentals composed by keyboardist Lutz Rahn keep it interesting.
As with so many 1970’s prog bands, Novalis continued
making records into the 1980s with decreasing quality, finally calling it quits
after their 1985 12th album.
Ornah-mental
- Testimony ($13.99)
Mostly-instrumental ethno-prog and space-dub with some similarities to Peter Gabriel’s
world music or a mellower, slower Korai Öröm. The main musician in the group is
Dirk Schloemer, who played guitar for Ton Steine Scherben. Generally long tracks
taken at a leisurely pace, relying on hypnotic percussion grooves with guitar, keyboards, and voice
layered on top. Note the mp3 icon above links directly to a single mp3 file.
Os Mundi - 43 Minuten ($15.99)This is the 2007 digipack reissue of one of the most highly-prized Brain
label albums. This 1972 album was the second for Berlin’s Os Mundi and very
different from their first. 43 Minuten (the CD runs a couple minutes
longer than the album title) blends progressive rock, fusion, classical, folk
and psych in a unique way, an under-recognized gem of the German early
progressive scene. File next to Kraan, though Os Mundi may have been better. The
CD comes with a 16-page booklet with extensive liner notes in both German and English.
Poor Genetic Material -
Paradise Out of Time ($13.99)
Poor Genetic Material - Leap Into Fall ($13.99)
out-of-stockPoor Genetic Material is a five-man German symphonic progressive band with an exceptional lead singer from the UK in Philip Griffiths, whose father Martin was the singer for Beggars Opera. The music on their 2001 CD Summerland is melodic and atmospheric, in the direction of bands such as Saga or Jadis, highlighted by the 12-minute title track. Their 2002 CD Leap Into Fall is certainly a step forward from their debut, an outstanding symphonic rock album. While we can recommend it without hesitation to fans of Pendragon or Jadis, PGM doesn’t strongly resemble either. Their 2003 CD Winter’s Edge is yet another step forward for a band that by this time can no longer meaningfully be called neo-progressive. The compositions here are quite sophisticated and richly-textured. Spring Tidings (2006) completes the seasons series and continues the trend of steady improvement with each album, making this one PGM’s best. Start with Spring Tidings or Winter’s Edge. Note the mp3 icon above links directly to a single mp3 from the Spring Tidings CD.
Having run out of seasons to use as album themes, PGM have focused on songwriting on 2007’s Paradise Out of Time. While there may be no 20-minute tracks on this CD, the sound of the band is much the same, symphonic rock with strong vocals in service of more concise songs. A lot of other prog bands could stand to hone their songwriting skills as PGM have done. Here are mp3 samples of Citizen Cyclops, The Key, Paradise, and My Other Life.
Free to Random (2005) is a different animal. Before Philip Griffiths
joined, PGM was an instrumental project with a different style. The pieces on
Free to Random date to this period (1998-2000) but were re-recorded in 2005
to bring the old material up to PGM’s current musical and technical standards.
The music here is a languid, atmospheric, ambient style of progressive, owing a
debt to Robert Fripp and Frippertronics (though not that ambient). There
are touches of Pink Floyd as well as classical and jazz influences.
Popol Vuh -
Seligpreisung ($15.99)
Popol Vuh - Letzte Tage Letzte Nachte ($15.99)
Popol Vuh - Coeur de Verre ($14.99)
[cut-out]Popol Vuh was founded by mastermind Florian Fricke in Munich in 1970 and are known as pioneers of sacred rock, world music, new age and electronic music, as well as predecessors of the 1990’s ambient and trance genres. With a huge discography, their music can’t be easily categorized, but they were undoubtedly pioneers in a number of areas. These are the latest reissues on SPV, all in digipacks with bonus tracks.
Seligpreisung (1973) is the beginning of Popol Vuh’s best period. Amon Düül II’s drummer and guitarist Daniel Fichelscher joined Popol Vuh for this album. This was the first album of a mystic trilogy devoted to holy books: Seligpreisung, Einsjäger & Siebenjäger, and Das Hohelied Salomos. Simultaneously pastoral and celestial, this is peaceful, uplifting prog. The bonus track Be In Love is a special performance enhanced with violin and oboe from the same line up as 1972’s Hosianna Mantra.
Einsjäger & Siebenjäger (1974) is sterling example of Popol Vuh’s sound in their prime, and one of their most energetic and melodic albums. The side-long title track, featuring the infrequent but beatific vocals of Djong Yun, is a sophisticated composition and a gorgeous piece of music. This edition adds two bonus tracks.
Das Hohelied Salomos (1975) is arguably one of Popol Vuh’s two best albums. Here they play a near-acoustic progressive: contemplative, mellow, and mostly instrumental, with Indian percussion adding an eastern element. There is plenty of electric guitar, just not the usual type of rock guitar. Letzte Tage Letzte Nachte (1976) is probably the closest that Popol Vuh came to straightforward progressive rock, though still shrouded in a mysterious and enchanting atmosphere. The sound is loud, dominated by electric guitar and drums plus Djong Yun’s majestic (female) voice, and there are none of the ambient, meditative pieces of earlier albums. These two CDs include three bonus tracks each.
Brüder des Schattens - Söhne des Lichts (1978) is the previously unreleased “demo” version of the Nosferatu soundtrack and is among Popol Vuh’s most beautiful and most melodious albums. The bonus track Sing, For Song Drives Away the Wolves is a 1993 version of the original song from the Werner Herzog film Herz aus Glas, revised and rearranged by Guido Hieronymus with powerful guitars and a full sound.
Die Nacht der Seele / Tantric Songs (1979) is more of a world music album than a rock album, largely acoustic, with influences of Indian music and a pervading sense of the ancient, the mysterious, and the sacred. The CD includes four bonus tracks. Coeur de Verre (Herz aus Glas, Heart of Glass) is the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s 1976 film and is one of Popol Vuh’s better works. It easily stands on its own without the film. It blends some traditional East Indian classical music with progressive rock, and from there Florian Fricke takes the listener on a blissed-out trip that one might compare to Mike Oldfield circa Ommadawn or Incantations, though less English and more eastern. The lineup is Florian Fricke (piano), Daniel Fichelscher (electric & acoustic guitar, drums & percussion), Al Gromer (sitar), and Mathias von Tippelskirch (flute). The CD contains two previously-unreleased bonus tracks.
The soundtrack to yet another of Werner Herzog’s films, Fitzcarraldo (1982) is fairly bizarre. The film is the story of an opera house being built in the South American jungle for an appearance by Enrico Caruso. The soundtrack is a mixture of typical atmospheric Popol Vuh music with a lot of opera music. So if you wanted to hear Enrico Caruso singing alongside Popol Vuh...
City Raga is the 1994 CD by Florian Fricke, Daniel Fichelscher, and new collaborator Guido
Hieronymus. Fichelscher is only on one song here. Fricke is primarily writer and
producer, while Hieronymus is responsible for much of the new sound. It’s
certainly different from Popol Vuh’s 1970’s albums, but still very good. This is
Popol Vuh’s attempt at a Deep Forest or Cirque du Soleil style. Each song is
driven by drums loops and programmed rhythms, with female vocals on most tracks
from Maya Rose. Her voice is used as an instrument. The world music here
suggests the Mayans or Aztecs. The sound is much more synthetic than earlier
albums, reflecting the ambient dance music popular at the time in Europe.
Poverty’s
No Crime - Save My Soul ($14.99)
2007 release from German prog-metal band on InsideOut.
Rebekka - Phoenix ($14.99)Phoenix (1982) is the sole album from Rebekka, a German romantic
progressive band with female vocals, close to Renaissance or Illusion. A
12-minute bonus track from the same sessions is included.
Ricochet -
Zarah: A Teartown Story ($9.99)
SALE!Zarah (2005) is an ambitious 72-minute concept album, the 2nd release by a German
prog-metal quintet along the lines of Threshold, Queensryche, and early Dream
Theater. Vocals in excellent English of course. To find the band’s mp3’s, click
the mp3 icon above, then click on “discography".
Rousseau - Square the Circle ($14.99)Rousseau is a German band who released three albums between 1979-1987. These well-regarded
albums feature a flowing, melodic, romantic style of prog close to Camel.
During this period, the band was primarily instrumental, their style
based on layers of fluid keyboards, airy guitar, and lots of flute. Square the Circle
(1987) is the third of those albums.
RPWL - The RPWL Experience Special Ed.
($15.99)
This is the special edition of RPWL’s fifth studio album, which adds two bonus
tracks and a slipcase. RPWL continue their remarkably high level of creativity
here. RPWL are usually considered alongside Porcupine Tree and Riverside, and
while they do belong in that contemporary progressive camp, RPWL are the most
traditionally-progressive of the lot, and easily the most melodic. Unlike P.Tree
today, RPWL’s original Pink Floyd influence is still easy to hear, and their
playful Beatles side is still present in spots. Mellotron strings add to the
lush textures, while metal intrudes only infrequently. The second bonus track on
the special edition, the 7:33 Reach for the Sun, is very Genesis-like.
(For some reason, RPWL’s Genesis-influenced songs tend to end up as bonus
material -- most of the rest are on Stock.)
RPWL -
Live: Start the Fire (2CD, $17.99)
RPWL - Trying to Kiss the Sun ($14.99)
RPWL traces its roots to the band Violet District but was originally formed as a Pink Floyd cover band. They soon turned to writing their own songs, leading to their acclaimed first album God Has Failed in 2000, which combined very symphonic, Pink Floyd-influenced tracks with lighter, playful tracks. Their 2nd, Trying to Kiss the Sun (2002), sees them developing more of their own sound. The 9-minute Home Again is very Floydian, but otherwise the Floyd influence is not quite as obvious as on their debut. There’s at least as much Beatles influence, which leads to comparisons with another Beatles-influenced prog band, Spock’s Beard.
Stock, RPWL’s 3rd, is a collection of previously-unreleased tracks, but it doesn’t sound at all like a bunch of leftovers. It’s a very strong album containing more traditional progressive content than before, including a Genesis influence that is not present on their first two albums. In addition to an audio CD, this 2-disc set contains a DVD. The DVD contains all the songs in both DTS 96/24 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround formats, as well as a tour and history video. Though the DVD is Region 0 (all regions), it is in the PAL format, which means most North American and other NTSC DVD players won’t play the video portion, though it should play in a computer DVD drive. NTSC players can actually play the surround audio songs on the DVD though; it’s difficult navigating menus you can’t really see, but keep pressing Enter on your remote and they should play. Note we will not accept returns of this item because the DVD will not play on your NTSC player.
World Through My Eyes (2005, 70-minutes) is their brilliant fourth album. Here they seem to integrate the two main aspects of their style more effectively than ever before: the symphonic Pink Floyd style and the lighter, playful Beatles style. There is also a little early Genesis influence, which was previously only apparent on their Stock CD. RPWL’s songwriting is exceptional, and the end result is often close to Porcupine Tree. Ray Wilson guests on vocals on one track.
Live - Start the Fire is the first live album
from RPWL and contains highlights from their 2005 European tour. This double-CD
features several songs that have not appeared on previous RPWL studio albums.
The Pink Floyd covers Cymbaline and Welcome to the Machine are
included, as well as Not About Us, a Genesis song with Ray Wilson
appearing here on vocals. There is a bonus studio track, the previously-unreleased 13-minute
New Stars Are Born.
Scaramouche - same ($15.99)CD reissue of a 1981 record from a German band
with a taste for Genesis and Yes plus more conventional rock influences, close
to Machiavel at times. Good instrumental sections, fairly Anglo sounding.
Scythe - Divorced Land ($15.99)
This is the first official album by this German symphonic progressive band
(with English vocals), recorded in 2000. Scythe draw their influences primarily
from the 1970’s prog bands, with a few Marillion-isms. At various times one
can detect Genesis, Yes, Van der Graaf Generator and others, but no one
influence dominates. A lot of long tracks, with the nearly 17-minute Denied
being the highlight. 74-minutes.
Shades
of Dawn - From Dusk till Dawn ($15.99)
This German band released the CD The Dawn of Time in 1998, a very
good and definitely overlooked symphonic neo-progressive album. From Dusk
till Dawn (2007) comprises tracks originally recorded in 1994 on 16 tracks.
Work began in 2003 to rework and enrich those recordings
with additional overdubs, with four songs from that period entirely rerecorded for this CD.
The result is a symphonic rock album influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd, Camel,
and Genesis, or to choose some German bands, Eloy, Novalis, Ramses, and Jane.
It’s significant that Shades of Dawn do not seem to be influenced by Marillion
but only directly by the 70’s bands. You can still call it neo-prog because it
is derivative of the 70’s bands and generally not on the same level, but the
same was true for many of the earlier German symphonic bands, most of whom
remain obscure. This is very melodic music with little darkness or tension, often led by lyrical guitar and including many dynamic
and lively instrumental sequences as well as spacey atmospheres. Shades of Dawn are working on a new album.
Shakary -
Shakary 2006 (2CD, $16.99)
This is a digipack double-CD at a single CD price. This band is often filed under Italy, but Shakary is a Swiss band from the Ticino, the Italian-speaking Swiss canton. Shakary was formed by members of Clepsydra and Changes, along with several other musicians. They released the double-CD Alya in 2000 and The Last Summer in 2002. Alya is the stronger of the two, an excellent concept album of dramatic symphonic prog, highlighted by English vocals, lots of keys (many vintage), and violin. The Last Summer saw some personnel changes and a more immediate sound than Alya, though it’s still a high-quality progressive rock album. Like Clepsydra, there are elements of early Marillion in Shakary’s style, and many classify The Last Summer as a neo-prog album. But it isn’t that clear cut, as there are also elements of classic symphonic prog and slight touches of prog-metal.
The band consider Shakary 2006 to be a new album. It features partially
re-recorded, fully remixed and remastered tracks from both Alya and
The Last Summer. Noel McCalla, the singer on Mike Rutherford’s
Smallcreep’s Day, recorded new vocals for all the tracks on this set (there
might be one instrumental in there), and Steve Rothery (Marillion) and Arjen
Lucassen (Ayreon) now make guest appearances. About 60% of Alya and all
of The Last Summer made it onto this set, albeit with the track order
altered.
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Solar Project -
Chromagnitude ($15.99)
The German band Solar Project is well-known for their Pink Floyd-influenced
concept albums. They sing in English.
Five is from 2000, another conceptual work again influenced primarily by
Pink Floyd, but not overly derivative. With only six tracks spanning 75-minutes,
they love the long pieces. Force Majeure (2004) is their sixth album, and they
still build mid-tempo Floydian atmospheres, with floating organ and keyboard
sounds, expressive guitar solos, and a mix of instrumental and vocal passages. New
musicians on sax and bass join Robert Valet (keyboards & acoustic guitars), Paul Terhoeven
(electric & acoustic guitars, basses) and Volker Janacek (drums), plus a new female singer. Four tracks span 68-minutes.
Chromagnitude (2007) is their seventh. The lineup is nearly the same as
on Force Majeure and no major changes to their style other than that
they remind us more than ever of Eloy on this album. Solar Project continue to
make steady improvement with each album, and this one is exceptional in the
varied and subtle details in the mix. 64-minutes. Start
with their later albums and work backwards.
Sophistree - Seed ($12.99)
Sophistree is a German neo-progressive band singing in English, whose music
could be compared to Saga. Seed (1998) is 74-minutes long with four tracks in the 10-minute range.
Sperrmüll -
same ($15.99)In collector’s circles, the only LP released by this quartet from the Aachen
area is sold at astonishingly high prices. Sperrmüll play psychedelic hard rock
combining gloomy hard rock riffs with heavy organ sounds and excessive guitar
solos. Digipack.
Rémy Sträuli - The Elf Album ($14.99)Rémy Sträuli is a member of Swiss bands Yolk and Apulim. On his
first solo album, he handles everything: drums, keyboards, guitar, and vocals.
This is one of the best keyboard-dominated progressive albums we’ve heard in a
while, very much in the classic 1970’s style, but not overly pompous or
demonstrative. It includes a cover of Jethro Tull’s Batteries Not Included.
Sylvan
- Presets ($13.99)
Posthumous Silence (2006) is the 70-minute fifth CD by German progressive rock band Sylvan, their first concept album, and absolutely their best work to date. They can no longer be called a neo-prog band, as their music no longer relates strongly to the 1980’s British prog bands. Rather, they are a modern prog band with moody, melancholy vocals similar to Riverside and other recent bands sharing this aesthetic. Sylvan have a tremendous singer in Marco Glühmann, and this is his most powerful performance on record. The music is dark and somewhat heavy but only metallic in a few spots. It is really sumptuous, emotionally intense and heartfelt, amazingly powerful and majestic without crossing over into bombast. Based on Sylvan’s earliest albums, few could anticipate that they would one day create this masterpiece.
Presets (2007, 62-minutes) was actually
recorded and produced in parallel with Posthumous
Silence. It is amazing how far this band
has come, and the music here is every bit as sumptuous, majestic, and
emotionally intense as on Posthumous
Silence.
Relative to Posthumous Silence, the songs on Presets are on average shorter and more direct.
In traditional prog-speak, that is usually a negative, but not here. Presets
showcases Sylvan’s songwriting and Marco Glühmann’s vocal talents like never
before. With this album, Sylvan are now easily on the same level as Porcupine
Tree and Hogarth-era Marillion, yet listening to Presets makes one
wonder, have P.Tree or Marillion ever put this many great melodies on one album?
Sylvan
- X-Rayed ($13.99)Sylvan began as a prototypical neo-prog band, but while so many others who derived
their sound from Marillion have disbanded, Sylvan have persevered, becoming more
professional and their music much stronger. They have a great singer with a
powerful and expressive voice, singing in flawless English. X-Rayed
(2004) and Artificial Paradise (2002) are both 69-minutes long. Both are strong albums, with
X-Rayed showing more influences of modern rock, making for a more serious
and moody sound. The more contemporary influences are blended with Sylvan’s
original neo-prog style, notable for the Rothery-like lead guitar lines, and it
all comes together most effectively on their epic length tracks.
T -
Voices ($16.99)T is the moniker used by Thomas Thielen, formerly singer/guitarist of the band Scythe. Voices (2006, 73-minutes) is the 2nd T album, a seriously under-recognized work of modern symphonic prog. Thielen’s voice has similarities to Steve Hogarth and Peter Gabriel, and the music has similarities to Brave and other later Marillion, to Gabriel, and to bands such as Product and No-Man. The predominant mood is dark, atmospheric, surreal, dramatic and profound. There are lots of richly-textured, detailed, dense instrumental arrangements that often include Mellotron and strings. These tracks supposedly deal with the voices we hear in our heads in various life situations, and Thielen’s voice has a distant quality which evokes exactly that. Here are mp3 samples of the songs Party Piece, Septic, and Second Thoughts.
Naive (2002, 68-minutes) is the first T CD. “This extremely
intimate and seemingly very personal catharsis is one of the most original and,
I feel, timeless albums to grace progressive rock in some time. I have to admit
this may not be everyone’s cup of tea; that is simply a question of what you
expect in music. Main references are Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Hogarth’s
Marillion (Brave era) and No-Man. The quality and expressiveness is
apparent throughout with maybe a bit of experimentation, but never without
purpose. Do yourself, the label and the artist a favor and let the emotions and
melodies that haunt me now haunt you too.” [Jurriaan Hage]
Here are mp3 samples of the songs
She Said,
About Us, and
Tuesday Night
Blues.
Tea
for Two - Twisted ($14.99)
Recorded in 2000, 101 is the 2nd studio album for German neo-prog band Tea for Two, following their 1993 debut and a 1996 live album. Neither of their previous albums was anything to write home about, but they made great strides with 101. Sung in accented English, this is similar enough to Clepsydra or just about any of the Marillion-derived European neo-progressive bands to appeal to the same fans. There are plenty of 1970’s-inspired passages as well, suggesting Machiavel and others. There is a lot of excellent symphonic progressive on an album that has been overlooked in the U.S.
Tea for Two take their time between albums, but each
has improved significantly on the previous, and Twisted (2006) is their
best yet. After opening with a prog-flamenco song, there are many
medieval/renaissance touches from recorders, mandolin, and acoustic guitar
(think Jethro Tull), plus guest musicians adding fretless bass, cello, female
vocals, and more. The music is no longer in Marillion territory but is more
original, high-caliber melodic progressive rock.
Michael Schumpelt is the keyboardist of Tea for Two,
and Mirror of My Soul (2006) is a solo grand piano album. It’s hard for prog
fans to get tremendously excited about solo piano albums, but this one is quite
entertaining because the songs sound like piano arrangements of rock songs.
Well, that’s what at least some of them are, since there are Tea for Two songs
here. Schumpelt is influenced by Tony Banks, though that is only one aspect of his
style.
Thonk -
Earth Vision Impact ($14.99)
The 2001 debut by a Swiss trio of keys, bass/guitars, and drums, engineered and produced by Pär
Lindh. This is solid keyboard-dominated prog rock, ELP and Pär Lindh Project
being obvious references, but with many other influences incorporated. There is
a bit of Anekdoten-style darkness and dissonance here, and plenty of power.
Traumhaus -
same ($15.99)
We were wondering if there were any prog bands left in Germany
who sing in German. Well here’s one. While some of Traumhaus’ 2001 debut is stylistically
similar to neo-prog bands such as Ziff or early Sylvan, Traumhaus also inhabit Rocket
Scientists territory, melodic symphonic progressive that isn’t really neo-prog
but is heavy at times. The German vocals remind us of East German bands such as
Stern Meissen and Lift, and some of the material is on the same level as those
bands.
Triumvirat - Spartacus
deluxe edition ($12.99)Triumvirat was the German ELP and probably the best-known of the German symphonic prog bands worldwide. Spartacus (1975) is usually considered their best album. The LP reached the top 30 in the U.S. and has been released three times on CD. The 2003 “deluxe edition” is the latest and includes two previously-unreleased studio tracks (Late Again and Take a Break Today) plus three previously-unreleased live versions of tracks from the album.
This is the 2002 remastered version of Russian Roulette
(1980), with a bonus track and extensive liner notes. This was their final album and their weakest. Russian Roulette is provided for completists,
curiosity seekers, or those who want to read the final part of the Triumvirat story
in the booklet.
Verspielte
Zeit - Das ist die Frage ($9.99)
2004 release from a German guitar/bass/drums trio. This may be called
psychedelic rock for lack of anything better to call it, but from a progressive
standpoint, the only thing interesting about the band is that they sing in
German.
Versus X - Live at the Spirit ($11.99)
SALE!
SALE!The Turbulent Zone (2000) is the third album by this German band led
by guitarist/singer Arne Schäfer (who also has two albums under the name Apogee) and
keyboardist Ekkehard Nahm. This opus is in the
same vein as their previous album Disturbance, perhaps more inspired by Van Der Graaf Generator and
Peter Hammill than before, and with a more powerful rhythm section. In addition to the VDGG
influence, the darker side of Genesis can be heard, also
King Crimson and Pink Floyd could be mentioned. It’s an original and complex
music with long tracks, dark atmospheres, and philosophical lyrics (in
English). The instrumental sections are beyond reproach, while opinion will
probably be divided on the vocal sections. Schäfer’s voice is fine, but the
lyrics are verbose even by Hammill standards, and Schäfer is hardly a
songwriter. It’s probably safe to say you won’t be humming the vocal melody lines. Live At The Spirit
(2002) is the recording of a memorable show given by Versus X in Belgium. The
result is four long tracks taken from their three previous studio albums.
Yatha
Sidhra - A Meditation Mass ($15.99)This is the 2007 digipack edition on SPV’s Revisited Records label. This 1972
classic pretty much sums up the psychedelic Krautrock style of the early 1970’s.
Yatha Sidhra create a mesmerizing, dreamy, hypnotic space music using Moog,
guitar, flute, and a variety of percussion instruments. The music consists of
one long piece in four parts, with passages that vary from tranquil to
aggressive. The original LP had to break for the side, but the CD combines all
four tracks into 40 minutes of continuous cosmic ebb and flow. Influences from
Popol Vuh and similar bands of that era are perceptible, but overall, this is a
unique blend.
Zenit -
Surrender ($15.99)Zenit is a Swiss band from the Ticino, the Italian-speaking Swiss canton, formed
by members of or musicians who have worked with Clepsydra, Changes, and Shakary.
That’s pretty much every progressive band in the canton. Surrender (2006,
digipack) is their 64-minute 2nd CD and it’s an excellent prog rock album that
relates to all the aforementioned bands, though it’s not as Marillion-influenced
as Clepsydra. In fact, it reminds us quite a bit of Flame Dream, who are
probably still the best symphonic prog band to come out of Switzerland. At least
it sounds like what Flame Dream might produce in 2006 if they were active and
wanted to make a progressive rock album. (Like many bands of their era, Flame
Dream’s final output was commercial.) mp3 of
Surrender album medley (7:08) •
mp3 of track The City
(4:26)
Zenobia -
Delayed ($14.99)Berlin-based prog quintet Zenobia debuted in 1999 with the 70-minute October,
an entertaining if unspectacular neo-prog work. After a seven year hiatus,
Zenobia returns with Delayed (2006). This is a much-improved 74-minute neo-prog opus including a
very long multi-part epic. “The German Spock’s Beard” might not be far off the
mark. There are touches of prog-metal as is required these days, but the
exciting keyboard-dominated instrumental passages are more the highlight.
English-language vocals of course.