The Winter Tree - same ($11.99)
The Winter Tree - same ($11.99) The Winter Tree is the return of Magus under a new name, owing to the fact there are too many other bands with ‘Magus’ in their name. The name ‘The Winter Tree’ is taken from the Renaissance song. This 2011 digipack CD is the first for The Winter Tree, and it shows that Andrew Laitres’ songwriting skills have matured a lot in the past nine years. (Andrew Laitres and Andrew Robinson are the same person, all names being subject to change with this band.) The Steve Hillage-like space-rock style that was a major component of the Magus sound is present here in one of the instrumental tracks but is otherwise used more as coloration. This is lush, understated, song-oriented symphonic prog with an affinity for the likes of later Camel and Colin Bass, Ken Baird, Maestoso, Mandalaband, and the Alan Parsons Project. Read the Sea of Tranquility and ProgressiveWorld reviews.
Magus - Lucid Dreamer ($10.99)
Lucid Dreamer (2005, 77-minutes) contains the original Traveller album the way Andrew Robinson intended it, now remastered with much improved sound. Traveller was the second album from Vermont’s Magus, originally released in 1997 but out-of-print for years. Also included is the entire Highway 375 EP as well as two previously-unreleased live tracks from 2000. Highway 375 was a 1998 EP in the relaxed space-rock style Magus is known for, but all instrumental.
The Green Earth (2001, out-of-print) was Magus’ breakthrough album. The upbeat tracks are groove-based prog rock with thunderous bass, while the more peaceful tracks combine a Genesis or Jade Warrior pastoral flavor with spacier textures, using more acoustic instruments than before. The Garden (2002) continues to develop the style of The Green Earth, with eight musicians helping bandleader Andrew Robinson, including the late Gary Strater of Starcastle and Tomas Hjort of Cross. Both albums feature electronic and exotic touches and soothing vocals that remind us a bit of Tim Blake. Andrew Robinson plays several instruments and sings, while several other musicians contribute, notably on flute and violin. Imagine Jade Warrior joining forces with Ozric Tentacles and using a more melodic, symphonic, and structured approach, not to mention vocals. Magus have carved out a progressive style not directly comparable to anyone.
The mostly-instrumental 74-minute Echoes from the Edge of the Millennium contains remixes of tracks from the first three Magus CDs (spanning 1987-1999) plus four previously-unreleased tracks. Some tracks bear a Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree mark, while others recall the spacier tracks of 1980s and 1990s King Crimson. A lot of quality music here, all sharing a spacey vibe that Steve Hillage would recognize.
Farpoint - Kindred ($11.99) 
For all the sci-fi imagery and the Star Trek connotation of their name, South Carolina-based Farpoint actually have quite an organic sound, a blend of folky art-rock and mellow progressive. Their first two CDs appeared in 2002 and 2003. For the first incarnation of the band, it all comes together best on their third CD, the 65-minute From Dreaming to Dreaming (2004). The band’s first live performance was at Yescamp ’98, where they played several Yes covers. There is an early, pastoral Yes influence present at times and an overall positive vibe, but it would be misleading to make too much of that. The lineup has changed since then, and Farpoint’s music is too diverse. There is both an American as well as a British Isles folk influence present, and their instrumentation includes the standard rock instruments (electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, keys) augmented by classical guitar, mandolin, flute, and various types of percussion. They have a male singer with a voice like Ritchie Havens and a female singer with an angelic voice, an interesting contrast. Kansas and the first edition of Renaissance are probably better references.
Farpoint had actually disbanded late in 2005 but put things back together soon after with several personnel changes. Their fourth studio CD Cold Star Quiet Star (2008) was the result and it is their best and most progressive CD, appealing from start to finish, with quite a bit of instrumental content. The Yes style is there at times, but Farpoint still display a much wider range of influences, and the result is that they don’t sound like anyone else.
More personnel changes followed before their 2011 CD Kindred. At this point, Farpoint play more of an American-style folky rock, arty with a strong progressive/symphonic flavor, an interesting blend since those two styles are not often combined. OK, Kansas did it, but not like this. Some of the lead guitar work reminds us of Bill Nelson in Be-Bop Deluxe.
Sun Domingo - Songs for End Times ($17.99)This is the second release for Glassville Records, the label run by Rob Palmen, who has been tour manager for The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Riverside, Pain of Salvation, Paatos, Knight Area, Anekdoten and Ritual, and so knows his way around the current mainstream prog scene. Sun Domingo are an American band from Georgia who played support at the first North American Marillion Weekend in Montreal in 2009. Their new album Songs for End Times (2011, digipack) was co-produced and mixed by Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) and features performances by Soord, Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Adrian Belew (King Crimson), and John Wesley (Porcupine Tree). After an opening track of modern pop-rock, the album is proggy and covers an admirable stylistic range that does include Marillion, Porcupine Tree (or Pink Floyd) and The Pineapple Thief, also Rush, a bit of classic prog, art-pop (XTC?), and a track of beautiful instrumental music centered on finger-picked acoustic guitar. For the most part, you could think of Sun Domingo as playing the modern prog style without all the melancholy, more toward the bright energy of Kino and Frost. Excellent musicianship married to warm and catchy songs is a tried and true formula. See the Sun Domingo site and Facebook page for more info.
Igayon - To Go ($13.99) To Go (2010) is the excellent debut CD by Israeli progressive rock band Igayon, formed by keyboardist Itay Oren and singer-songwriter Nir Utmazgin. The band is completed by a guitarist and bassist, with three of the four members singing, while drum duties on the CD are split between two guests. Other guests contribute violin and more vocals. Igayon’s brand of prog rock has a lush ambience and is strongly melodic, generally warm and sensitive, even cinematic. Removed from the western cultural mainstream, they have something special in their approach, terroir as applied to music. The lyrics and 16-page booklet are in Hebrew, but our copies of the CD come with a 4-page insert containing all the lyrics and album information in English. Here are YouTube videos for the tracks Man, To Go, Vortex, and Layers. “The first half of To Go displays a very atmospheric music approaching 21st century Marillion, e.g., Somewhere Else or Happiness Is the Road. The compositions are pleasing, with simple but effective accompaniments... The second half of the album is more varied, sometimes departing from the dominant atmospheric style... With repeated listens, this album gradually reveals its emotions of happiness and hope, despite not being able to understand the lyrics, indicating the music has accomplished its goal. Putting aside some minor flaws, we are faced with a successful debut album, heralding a golden future for Igayon.” [MusicWaves.fr (translated badly from French, with great liberties taken)]
The Muffins - Palindrome ($15.99) Palindrome is the 2010 studio CD from America’s Canterbury band. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Time Zero - Outcasts of Civilization ($15.99) Musea says: “American band Time Zero is centered around guitarist David Quicho, drummer Mane Cabrales, and bassist Andrea Mastrigli. Time Zero perform instrumental progressive rock strongly influenced by metal but also by current jazz-rock trends. The result is Outcasts of Civilization (2010), an explosive and colorful album somewhere between Liquid Tension Experiment and Attention Deficit. Guests include keyboardists Matt Guillory (Dali’s Dilemma, James LaBrie) and Alex Argento (Vivien Lalu, Joop Wolters); the keyboards are prominent in the mix. The cast is completed by guitarists Brett Garsed (Derek Sherinian), Ty Tabor (Kings X), and T.J. Helmerich (Zappa Plays Zappa).”
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong - Leave It Open ($17.99) 
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong - Downwind ($17.99) These are the 2010-2011 editions on Esoteric, remastered from the original analog master tapes and with fully restored original album artwork. By the time percussionist Pierre Moerlen was running Gong in the late 1970s, they were a completely different band than the Gong with Daevid Allen. The big line-up change came after the album You. 1976’s Shamal was the first with Moerlen in charge, though the band was still called simply “Gong” at that time, and they had become a superb fusion band. Downwind and Time Is the Key were both released in 1979. These albums are favorites of ours, even if there are some duff tracks. Some of the music is close to the music of Mike Oldfield. OK, that isn’t so insightful once you realize that Oldfield actually appears on Downwind, and the album was partially recorded in Oldfield’s studio. But beyond that, Pierre, his brother Benoit, and Hansford Rowe were also employed by Mr. Oldfield around this time for both studio sessions and touring. The way in which mallet percussion is used as a melodic instrument here is nearly unique. As the liner notes point out, melody and rhythm become almost interchangeable. Downwind also features Didier Lockwood, Didier Malherbe, Steve Winwood, Mick Taylor, and Terry Oldfield. Time Is the Key features Bon Lozaga, Allan Holdsworth, and Darryl Way, among others.
The live album was released in 1980. Hansford Rowe was on bass and Bon Lozaga on guitar, with contributions from Didier Malherbe (sax, flute) and special guest Mike Oldfield.
Leave It Open (1981) was always the hardest one to find in North America, and some fans may have missed it entirely. In addition to Rowe and Lozaga, Francois Causse plays mallet percussion, and Charlie Mariano plays sax on several tracks. It’s on this album that the similarities between Moerlen’s compositions and those of minimalists such as Steve Reich are perhaps most apparent, in the repetitive, hypnotic patterns of the mallet percussion. But of course Moerlen’s music has rock/fusion dynamics, groove, and bombast. Rowe and Lozaga would carry on without Moerlen in Gongzilla.
The way Gong fans react to these albums is similar to the way Soft Machine fans react to the later albums with Karl Jenkins in charge. Forget the name, in both cases they are different bands. Don’t judge the Pierre Moerlen’s Gong albums as Gong albums, and don’t judge them purely as fusion albums, for they are really a unique style.
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong - Pentanine ($15.99) Pierre Moerlen, the drummer/percussionist from Strasbourg, passed away in 2005. The posthumously-released studio album Pentanine was recorded in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2002 with Moerlen’s band consisting of Russian musicians on electric guitar, bass, and keyboards. Most progressive fans know how Moerlen took over Gong and transformed it from a psychedelic band into a very melodic instrumental jazz-rock band with a unique style. That style had a lot to do with Moerlen’s vibraphone driving the songs but also the influence of Moerlen’s time spent in Mike Oldfield’s band. The thirteen instrumental pieces on Pentanine (61-minutes) are full of the trademark groove, power, and sophistication of Pierre Moerlen’s Gong, with a few more hypnotic or peaceful moments interspersed. The final chapter in the career of this very creative musician is another excellent album.
Pavlov’s Dog - Live and Unleashed ($16.99) Echo & Boo (2010, 52-minutes, digipack) is the first Pavlov’s Dog album in 20 years. Like Barclay James Harvest, Saga, and David Hasselhoff, Pavlov’s Dog are more popular in Germany than in their home country, and they’re now on a German label. Still softly symphonic, the Dog are folkier and mellower now, but with David Surkamp singing, their sound can never be too different from the old days. Surkamp sings in a lower key these days, so his voice is less polarizing. The other original member is drummer Mike Safron, while the rest of the band consists of new (and we’ll wager younger) members on guitar, keyboards, bass and violin. Violin features prominently on this album.
Live and Unleashed (2010, 78-minutes, digipack) is the first official Pavlov’s Dog live album, and you only had to wait 36 years for it. It features 16 tracks recorded live in Europe in 2009, covering every Pavlov’s Dog album through Echo & Boo, Surkamp’s most recent solo album, and an obscure track from Surkamp’s 1980s band HiFi. Pavlov’s Dog have been touring Europe regularly since 2004 with a seven-piece lineup, and they are heavier live than on the studio albums.
Pavlov’s Dog - At the Sound of the Bell digipack+3 ($16.99) Pavlov’s Dog is an American band from St. Louis that released two classic albums of Mellotron-drenched, song-oriented progressive rock: Pampered Menial (1975) and At the Sound of the Bell (1976). Principal songwriter and singer David Surkamp surely has one of the most unique voices ever to grace a rock record, somewhere between Geddy Lee and Tiny Tim, with a wide vibrato on the high notes. All the CDs here are the latest editions released by the German Rockville label with the full cooperation of David Surkamp.
Pampered Menial (digipack) is usually considered Pavlov’s Dog best album, with Of Once and Future Kings, the mini-epic that closes the album, maybe the best thing they ever recorded. The seven-man lineup included a violinist and a flute/Mellotron player, and these first two albums are musts for Mellotron fanatics. This 2007 edition was remastered and contains four bonus tracks: a 1976 live version of Subway Sue, a 1975 live version of Preludin in its original 10-minute length, a 1975 live version of I Wish It Would Rain, and Rainbow from the 1969 Touch album Street Suite featuring Surkamp on lead vocals.
At the Sound of the Bell (digipack) is not far behind Pampered Menial in quality. Bill Bruford was brought in to play the drums, while the numerous guest musicians include Andy Mackay and Michael Brecker. This 2007 edition was remastered and contains three bonus tracks: Gold Nuggets recorded live at the 2007 Burg Herzberg festival and 1976 live versions of two more album tracks.
Pavlov’s Dog - Lost in America ($16.99) 
Has Anyone Here Seen Sigfried? is the lost third Pavlov’s Dog album, originally titled St. Louis Hounds. For many years this album was considered to be lost, as the band split during the 1977 recording sessions. There have been several bootlegs of this album, but this 2007 edition is the first legitimate CD release, though it is mastered from vinyl (something the label and most retailers intentionally don’t mention). The quality of the 1977 material dropped off from the first two albums, but the Mellotron still makes appearances, and the Dog’s style is much the same. In addition to the 10 original ‘lost’ tracks, this CD contains 10 bonus tracks of unreleased live and studio rarities that take the CD length up to 79:57. There are live versions of many of the classic songs from the first two albums. This material could have been released as a separate ‘live and unreleased’ CD, so if you already own one of the bootlegs, the bonus tracks may be the reason to buy this CD.
1990 saw the unexpected release of the fourth Pavlov’s Dog album after 13 years of silence, with two original members plus two others guesting. Lost in America is much more of an AOR album. Ironically, it is this album that now sounds dated, with what are largely 1980s arena rock production values, whereas the 1970s albums sound timeless. In addition to the 10 original tracks, this 2007 edition contains eight bonus tracks of rare and unreleased live recordings from the period 1990-2006 that take the CD length up to 79:23.
David Surkamp released a solo album Roaring with Light in 2001 and returned in 2007 with his second solo album Dancing on the Edge of a Teacup, which is subtitled The Pavlov’s Dog Trinity Sessions; all that really means is that Surkamp is the custodian of the Pavlov’s Dog brand name. Teacup is a nice blend of progressive and pop and sounds quite similar to Pavlov’s Dog, who after all were on the pop side of progressive rock. The songs are essentially folky pop songs that could have been written 30+ years earlier, but Surkamp still likes big arrangements and a lush sound, with loads of keyboards pulling the result to the progressive side. A short CD at 37-minutes, but then most Pavlov’s Dog albums are about that long.
41point9 - Still Looking for the Answers ($13.99) Still Looking for the Answers (2011, digipack) is the debut for California’s 41point9. As the label says, 41point9 falls somewhere on the pop side of the prog world and features performances by Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), Dave Weckl (acclaimed fusion drummer), Brian Cline (original Enchant singer/bassist), Bob Madsen (recording bassist/engineer/producer for Enchant and Xen), and a new guy named Kenny Steel. There are some similarities to Enchant, but none of the metal that eventually intruded in Enchant. Some tracks are a blend of AOR and progressive rock, while there are some stellar tracks roughly in the Kansas or Spock’s Beard styles, with that slight folk influence that makes for prog-Americana. There are hints of Hogarth-era Marillion, more so songs such as Easter that have folk-song aspects. Among our favorites are the instrumental Surface Tension with its prominent bass, and the song One in a Bar, driven by acoustic guitar and frosted with string arrangements. Violin is also used elsewhere, not a lot, but it does reinforce any notions of Kansas. Overall the album feels like a throwback to an earlier time, before there was the chasm between pop and music with integrity that exists today, when you could almost imagine a band such as 41point9 on the radio.
Various Artists - Paint the Peel ($14.99) 
Subtitled Music Inspired By and In Tribute to Gentle Giant, Giant for an Hour (2006, 79-minutes), A Reflection (2008, 77-minutes), and Paint the Peel (2011, 79-minutes) are the third, fifth, and sixth in a series that began in 2004. The other CDs in the series are currently out-of-print. Musicians from around the globe, all members of the On Reflection Gentle Giant mailing list, created original music inspired by Gentle Giant. The degree of GG influence varies, and the music does extend beyond the GG universe, but GG were nothing if not eclectic. It all remains within the progressive rock universe though, it’s all quite professional, and the amount of creativity and talent showcased here exceeds all expectations. These aren’t just for Gentle Giant fans then but for most prog rock fans, three excellent prog albums that stand on their own. All were professionally mastered. Alan Kinsman, who wrote liner notes for some of the Gentle Giant CDs, wrote the liner notes for A Reflection. “It is not very hard for good musicians to copy others, but to learn from them, then convert this knowledge and experience to create something as unique and innovative as this work, that’s a different story.”
Squonk Opera - Mayhem and Majesty ($12.99) 
Squonk Opera - Inferno ($11.99)This amazing Pittsburgh ensemble have created a unique and contemporary progressive rock style. Even more impressive are their big-budget, highly-imaginative stage shows, perhaps the best fusion of art-rock and performance art there is. Many reviewers have tried in vain to describe Squonk Opera’s music. Our attempt is ‘a collision between However, Clearlight, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, Kate Bush, and Laurie Anderson’. They feature piano, synth and accordion; wind synth, flute and sax; female vocals; electric and double bass; drums and percussion and, on the later CDs, electric and acoustic guitar. The music is full of odd meters and a generally dark ambience, with Jackie Dempsey’s classical piano usually at the center of things. The woodwinds sometimes play Celtic flavored melodies, while the female voice is often used as another instrument. There is a sense of humor at play that is more obvious in their shows but does come through subtly on their CDs.
Mayhem and Majesty (digipack) is their 2010 studio work. Squonk Opera shift effortlessly from adventurous to majestic to quirky to serenely beautiful, in a style that is all their own. Have a look on YouTube.
You Are Here (2006, digipack) is the soundtrack to both touring series (put your hometown’s name here): The Opera and You Are Here. The same lineup that recorded Rodeo Smackdown is augmented by a guitarist (electric & acoustic), further broadening their sound. You Are Here improves even on Rodeo Smackdown, with a grand symphonic feel to some of the music. Watch video clips here and you’ll also hear some of the music.
Inferno (2002) is the music from an earlier production that applies Danté’s Inferno to the coal town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, where a mine fire simmers underground to this day. Video clips here.
Without the visual element, Squonk Opera’s CDs can only tell half the story. At last in 2009, Squonk Opera released their first DVD (NTSC, 16:9, stereo). Filmed in their hometown of Pittsburgh, Astro-rama is the “biggest, baddest, boldest Squonk Opera yet!,” or so says Pop City. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who chose it as one of the most memorable musical moments of 2008, said “the visuals were outstanding and Squonk’s progressive rock was transcendent.” There, a mainstream U.S. newspaper printed the term ‘progressive rock’ in the correct context and without derision! In an era when nearly everything can be easily traced to a past or current trend, Squonk Opera stand alone. Note the DVD liner states Region 1, but Nero InfoTool says the disc is all-region.
Majestic - Ataraxia ($15.99) Majestic is the project of American multi-instrumentalist Jeff Hamel, whose CDs are released by the Moscow-based MALS label. Both Ataraxia (2010, 78-minutes) and Arrival (2009, 77-minutes) come in heavyweight mini-LP cardboard sleeves, gatefold for Ataraxia. Whereas the previous Majestic CD Descension suffered from weak vocals courtesy of Hamel himself, he brought in singer Jessica Rasche for Arrival, which is part of the reason Arrival is a huge improvement. The Sea of Tranquility reviews will tell you what you need to know, in particular “Arrival does not feel like a one man band in the slightest. The sound is so rich and full it is hard to believe this is the work of one man.” OK, the drums sound like samples and the production is project studio quality, but those are the only clues. There isn’t just a single prog style here. With the slight metal influence, the overall feel is of a modern progressive rock album, and the Majestic press kit does mention Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Dream Theater, and Ayreon (Stream of Passion should also be tossed in there). But the classic prog content is also impressive, with a lot of Pink Floyd, a little Genesis and Yes, even Tangerine Dream style electronics are employed. Here is an mp3 of excerpts from Arrival.
As for Ataraxia, “This is easily one of the best albums of 2010... Last time round I suggested that the sound of Majestic sat somewhere between Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree, but with Ataraxia, I would suggest that Majestic have moved further into the classic era of prog, with the whole album having a more seventies feel, but somehow this is all done without sounding in any way retro... With Arrival, Majestic suggested that they were a band destined for great things, and here, only one album down the line and they’ve only gone and bloody well proved it! Absolutely stunning!” [Sea of Tranquility] “Ataraxia is a whole new thing in a whole new quality level when compared to [Majestic’s] previous works.” [Proggnosis] Read the full Sea of Tranquility and Proggnosis reviews.
Slychosis - Mental Hygiene ($9.99) Slychosis is a progressive rock band from Mississippi led by Gregg Johns. On their 2006 self-titled debut, they displayed many of their influences, including Genesis, Yes, Rush, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Hawkwind, and 1970s hard rock. Slychedelia (2008, 62-minutes, digipack) is a significant step up in both music and production and, unlike its predecessor, doesn’t sound like a 1970s record. There is still a strong classic progressive rock feel and some 70s hard rock, but the heavier, more aggressive guitar is from the modern era, and modern technology is employed, for example, the Vocaloid Miriam software, which allows Miriam Stockley (Adiemus) to sing on one’s record without her knowledge. On the latter tracks, the heavy guitar disappears and the Genesis influence becomes dominant, sounding something like the Banks/Rutherford/Collins lineup producing an instrumental progressive track (which they did all too infrequently). Instrumentals dominate over vocals, though the vocals are respectable. This is also one of the most beautiful CD packages you’ll see, featuring the artwork and design of Russian artist Vladimir Moldavsky.
The third Slychosis CD Mental Hygiene (2010, 53-minutes) features guests Jeff Hamel of Majestic and Proximal Distance on guitar and keyboards, Bones Joshua Theriot of Abigail’s Ghost on guitar, Bridget Shield on vocals, and Mike Fortenberry on trumpet. There is greater emphasis on vocals on this album, with both a bluesy female voice and the somewhat Gabriel-esque male vocals. The band say they added “dark and heavy undertones to the melodic prog layers associated with Slychosis”, meaning that the Genesis-like symphonic rock is interrupted now and again by something cruder.
Proximal Distance - same ($9.99) What do you get when you combine Slychosis and Majestic? It’s Proximal Distance of course. Proximal Distance began as a collaboration between Gregg Johns and Jeff Hamel, the masterminds of Slychosis and Majestic, respectively. Majestic’s Jessica Rasche was brought in to handle the vocals, while Jeremy Mitchell and Todd Sears from the Slychosis camp play drums/percussion. The band says: “Taking from both Gregg and Jeff’s progressive influences, the Proximal Distance sound is along the lines of Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Saga and many more 70s-style influences and should please even the most hardcore progressive rock listeners.” Those influences are present, with Pink Floyd dominant (and we might add early Nektar), but the overall feel is more contemporary than that might suggest. For one, there is a slight metal influence. Not surprisingly, the album sounds like a blend of Majestic and Slychosis, except that the Genesis influence heard on Slychedelia is downplayed. There is a wealth of sonic details in the quieter sections. With a playing time of 74-minutes, there is a lot to absorb here, and it’s difficult to sum it all up in a few words. Ultimately, their sound may be defined most by the fact the composers are both principally guitarists, and guitarists and keyboardists tend to write and arrange differently, particularly when it comes to classical music influences. Since guitarists have come to greatly outnumber true keyboardists in modern prog, that is one reason Proximal Distance sound contemporary even though the music draws heavily from classic prog. Beautiful artwork throughout the booklet from Russian artist Vladimir Moldavsky.
K2 - Black Garden ($14.99) K2 is the band formed by bassist Ken Jaquess after eight years with progressive rock band Atlantis. Book of the Dead (2005) features Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard) on keys, the late Shaun Guerin on vocals, Yvette Devereaux on violin, Doug Sanborn on drums and John Miner supplying additional guitar. Book of the Dead is a significant improvement on the Atlantis albums. It is very 1970s Genesis-styled, with Guerin’s Gabriel-like voice reinforcing that comparison. It’s interesting to hear Holdsworth’s trademark guitar leads in a symphonic rock rather than a jazz-rock context. For the Genesis fan, this album is a godsend.
Black Garden (2010, 56-minutes, digipack) finds K2 on the Magna Carta label, with Jaquess, Okumoto and Sanborn returning, now with Josh Gleason on vocals and Karl Johnson on guitar. Like Guerin before him, Gleason sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel, and like Book of the Dead before it, Black Garden is a godsend for Genesis fans. “In a year that has seen some tremendous progressive releases, K2’s Black Garden is the equal of any of them and for any prog head should be a mandatory purchase. Stunning!” [Sea of Tranquility] Read the full review.
Persephone’s Dream - Pan: An Urban Pastoral ($13.99) Pyre of Dreams (2007, 71-minutes) is the fourth CD of female-fronted progressive rock for western Pennsylvania’s Persephone’s Dream. In addition to vocalists Colleen Gray and Heidi Engel, DC Cooper (Silent Force, Royal Hunt) sings lead on two songs and backing vocals on several others, the first use of male vocals for the band. The female vocals range from beautiful to sultry to powerful, while the music is contemporary-sounding progressive with gothic overtones, with some proggy organ tying it to the past. This is prog with crossover appeal to rock and metal, but it is very arty, with a luxuriant sound and themes inspired by fantasy, sci-fi, and mythology, mainly Once and Future King stuff. (In addition to Cornwall and Brittany, Pittsburgh now lays claim to the King Arthur legend.)
After several changes in personnel, Persephone’s Dream return in 2010 with their most ambitious work yet, Pan: An Urban Pastoral. Their sound is noticeably different here, and the changes are all for the better as Pan is progressive throughout, Persephone’s Dream’s finest hour (69 minutes actually). Female and male vocals complement each other now, with Ashley Peer responsible for the former and keyboardist Jim Waugaman the latter. Waugaman has an excellent voice; one wonders why he’s only now adding vocals. The music is inventive and surprising, and if a comparison to another band is suggested during one piece, it won’t apply for long. There is more proggy organ, also a little classical piano that, in combination with the female vocals, might suggest Pittsburgh’s other prog band, Squonk Opera. There are more modern synth sounds as well, a convincing harp sample for instance. Pan is an excellent example of adhering to the original prog aesthetic (1970s prog) without sounding retro or nostalgic and without repeating what has already been done better. And there’s probably some object lesson here when a band whose origins trace to 1993 release their breakthrough album 17 years later. Read the reviews at Prog Archives.
District 97 - Hybrid Child ($13.99) This is the 2010 debut by a Chicago prog band whose female lead singer was an American Idol finalist (that’s probably the last time the words ‘American Idol’ appear on this site). They also feature a cellist from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The ‘hybrid’ in the title may refer to the fact that the core of the band had been an instrumental prog-metal band before adding vocals and moving in a more expansive, expressive direction. So District 97 play a lot of impressive, first-rate progressive rock, though they undermine it by switching to prog-metal mode every so often and the usual rat-a-tat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-a-tat riffing. It is not a blend of two styles; at any moment the music is pretty clearly one or the other. There is great sophistication to their progressive work, nearly reaching the majesty of Yes (a definite influence) at times, while our favorite vocal passages and vocal harmonies recall Barbara Gaskin. It will be interesting to see how this hybrid child matures. Read the Sea of Tranquility reviews.
David Minasian - Random Acts of Beauty ($13.99) David Minasian is a classically-trained keyboardist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who released his first album in 1984. His other career has been in film/video production, including production/direction duties on all the Camel Productions DVDs. Camel is a big influence on his 2010 CD Random Acts of Beauty (62-minutes), on which Andy Latimer guests. With an emphasis on lush keyboard orchestrations, soaring melodies and extended length compositions, the album is firmly rooted in the classically-influenced symphonic prog tradition. As David says: “Fans of classic seven Moody Blues, early to mid Genesis, Barclay James Harvest as a four-piece, melodic Pink Floyd, early King Crimson and of course Camel should find a lot to like with this album. There’s a definite emphasis on melody and dynamics, not to mention lots of Mellotron. In addition, the liberal use of harpsichord gives everything a bit of a medieval feel. And between the wonderful contributions of Andy Latimer and my 20-year-old son Justin, lovers of soaring guitar leads are going to have a field day with this album.” Read reviews here.
Salem Hill - Pennies in the Karma Jar ($11.99) 
Salem Hill - Not Everybody’s Gold ($11.99) Salem Hill must be counted among the top few American progressive bands now. Pennies in the Karma Jar (2010) is their eighth studio album and ninth overall. Read the review at ProgNaut.
Mimi’s Magic Moment (2005) contains just four epic tracks spanning 63-minutes that find Salem Hill once again exploring new ground. Rather than continuing in the direction of their previous album Be, Salem Hill have returned to the more symphonic and traditional progressive style of Not Everybody’s Gold, resulting in what is probably their best work. Their sound comes closest to Kansas, with guest David Ragsdale featuring prominently on violin, but Salem Hill by now have a recognizable style of their own. Other guests include Neal Morse and Fred Schendel (Glass Hammer).
Salem Hill emerged as a first-rate progressive rock band with the 70-minute Not Everybody’s Gold (2000), sporting influences of Kansas, Yes, and ELP, but not particularly derivative of anyone. On Be (2003), Salem Hill pushed their sound much closer to Echolyn and, to a lesser extent, Porcupine Tree or Product. It is their most “modern” sounding album, with a harder edge and more emphasis on guitar, but it still maintains continuity with their more symphonic past, a very impressive and ambitious 71-minute work.
Salem Hill’s first DVD Mystery Loves Company (NTSC, all-region) was recorded in October 2005 and features songs from the band’s entire 15-year history in 5.1 surround audio. Bonus features include Salem Hill’s four song acoustic set and an interview. New lower price.
Meridian Voice - Atypical Symmetry ($11.99)Atypical Symmetry (2010, digipack) is the debut CD for New York City’s Meridian Voice. The original lineup was formed in the late 1980s, took a hiatus after the mid-1990s, then reformed in 2005 with two new members including guitarist Randy McStine (Lo-Fi Resistance). This is instrumental symphonic fusion the way we like it, with loads of keyboards, structured compositions, informed by progressive rock. There are shades of Weather Report, Chick Corea, 1970s Jeff Beck, Bruford, Allan Holdsworth, and The Dixie Dregs, nostalgic perhaps but executed with a modern edge. The tunes are adventurous yet melodic, with lots of skillful playing, but this is in no way a shred album or pure self-indulgence. Our pick for best fusion album of 2010. Here is a 3-minute album sampler mp3.
Glass - Spectrum Principle ($15.99) 
“Glass, the Northwest U.S. progressive rock/symphonic rock trio, has been around since the very early 70s, the very heyday of progressive rock. In that time, we’ve seen the term ‘progressive’ applied to an awful lot of bands who do little more than parrot their favorite bands. Not Glass. They have had a distinct and identifiable sound all their own for more than 40 years. It’s difficult to put into words, but driving rhythms, anthemic grandeur and a vast array of moods and sounds all play a part. Multi-keyboardist and composer Greg Sherman writes some of the most beautiful yet surprising tonal progressions you’ll find anywhere. His brother Jeff Sherman on bass provides the rock bottom foundation and, on Spectrum Principle, also a welcome return of his classical guitar stylings. Rounding out the trio -- and the star of this new disc -- is drummer Jerry Cook, who produced and conceived this album as a coherent whole. Jerry’s always been the visionary in the group, with his huge drum kit and percussion array and even more grandiose ideas. On Spectrum Principle, the Sherman brothers gave him free rein to let his imagination run wild. The result is an album that moves seamlessly between progressive rock (featuring Mellotron, Hammond organ, electric piano, synthesizers and bass guitar) and out-of-this-world collages of tape loops, whale and dolphin sounds, percussion workouts and occasionally cryptic spoken passages by Jerry which puzzle as well as inspire the listener. Spectrum Principle pushes the envelope, sounding at once like both a logical continuation of Glass’s trademark sound and a radical new expansion of possibilities. It is an album that requires several listens to grasp, a journey with several views of the horizon. In a world where nothing much new has happened in music for decades, it is a reminder that ‘progressive rock’ should always progress.” [Robert Carlberg]
Illuminations is their 2005 studio album, 63 minutes of flowing keyboard instrumentals emphasizing organ, piano, and Mellotron (in that order). It’s definitely 1970s styled, but closer to the Canterbury style than to ELP. There is also a psychedelic or experimental element present in several tracks. Soloing is kept to a minimum and the instrumental arrangements, while not overtly complex, focus on a rich sound canvas. Hugh Hopper guests on the track Isle Of Dyslexia, while Gaia features Richard Sinclair and Phil Miller. This is the MALS edition, produced under license from Musea.
Live at Progman Cometh (2007) features live recordings from the first and second Progman Cometh festivals in Seattle in 2002 and 2003, plus a bonus track from Baja Prog 2002, 66-minutes total. Among the guests are Elton Dean on sax, Hugh Hopper on bass, Richard Sinclair (vocals), and Bill and Paul Kopecky on bass and snare drum, respectively. Read the Sea of Tranquility and DPRP reviews.
The Psychedelic Ensemble - The Art of Madness ($15.99) The Psychedelic Ensemble is an American artist who does not reveal his true identity, debuting with the The Art of Madness (2009, 54-minutes). The band name is a bit of a misnomer, as the music is prog and not psych. The dominant influence is DSotM-era Pink Floyd, though somewhat more introspective and brooding -- if you know the band Product, we’re reminded of their approach. But Pink Floyd is far from the only style here. There are instrumental passages that have nothing to do with Pink Floyd, fast-tempo and adventurous, while there is room for classical chamber music, prog-folk, ELP-style and more. There is great attention to detail, an uncommonly intricate sonic tapestry, all told quite an original and impressive work. Read reviews here. Note the CDs sold on the artist’s website are actually CD-Rs. We are selling the 2010 Musea edition, which is the only CD edition. The Musea CD edition of The Psychedelic Ensemble’s follow-up The Myth of Dying (which sounds incredible!) is supposed to be out sometime in 2011. (Using basic Internet tools, it’s easy to determine who is behind TPE, but you’ll have to figure it out yourselves. We can say that he is classically-schooled with a long composition resume, which explains the sophistication of his rock works.)
Phideaux - Snowtorch ($11.99) 
Phideaux - The Great Leap ($11.99) 
Phideaux - Ghost Story ($11.99)The Los Angeles band Phideaux is led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Phideaux Xavier. Their first album Fiendish (2004) is an intoxicating blend of progressive and psychedelic-folk, with an organic sound from an earlier era. Think of a more proggy/spacey Polyphonic Spree. Xavier’s lead vocals are supported by female backing vocals. In addition to Xavier’s guitar and keyboards, drummer Richard Hutchins is the other constant, while a large number of other musicians contribute vocals, bass, cello, Theremin, oboe, English horn, harpsichord and more. There are elements of The Moody Blues, early Floyd, David Bowie, trippy English folk, and baroque music (Amazing Blondel perhaps?).
Ghost Story (2004) makes it clear that Phideaux are not going to make the same album twice. The female vocals are absent here, the music is darker and rocks harder, with a bigger sound. There is still an Englishness to the more serene numbers, and they still have that mesmerizing psychedelic quality. The rockier numbers sometimes suggest a progressive version of David Bowie. An excellent album from a band that can’t be pigeonholed.
Chupacabras (2005) is a no-holds-barred, Mellotrons-and-all progressive album highlighted by the 21-minute title suite, a true prog rock epic. The effect is often that of David Bowie singing for Van der Graaf Generator with some Floydian spaciness and psychedelia added.
313 followed in 2006, with more immediate, shorter songs. Phideaux’s essential psychedelic progressive style is intact, in which songs can somehow be simultaneously haunting and playful. It’s amazing how this U.S. band can sound so (early 70s) British sometimes, but one can’t call this retro, as Phideaux include later styles in their very creative blend. This is the 2010 remastered version.
The Great Leap (2006) is more vocal-heavy and guitar-oriented, though there are about a dozen musicians involved and there are all manner of keyboards, Theremin, violin, cello, flute, recorder, brass, hammer dulcimer, sitar and more. Of the previous albums, it is closest to Ghost Story. It sounds like David Bowie’s version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and fans of Roger Waters will likely love this album.
The Great Leap is part of a conceptual trilogy, of which Doomsday Afternoon (2007) is part two and is Phideaux’s first masterpiece. As the band says, Doomsday Afternoon is the yin to The Great Leap’s yang. The Great Leap is an art-rock album, while Doomsday Afternoon is a 67-minute symphonic rock epic, essentially one long song cycle divided into two acts, and includes the instrumental sections missing from The Great Leap. The album features a small chamber orchestra drawn from members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Among the guests are Martin Orford (IQ), Matthew Parmenter (Discipline), and Matthew Kennedy (Eyestrings). The booklet is gorgeous too. Comparisons to earlier progressive rock bands are possible but seem unnecessary at this point. There aren’t many artists today who could make this album, and now the bar has been set very high.
As for Number Seven (2009, 63-minutes), Phideaux says: “This album is a continuation of the long form compositions found on Doomsday Afternoon and Chupacabras. It represents another foray into progressive rock, with perhaps a good dollop of chamber jazz and classic rock. For this release, we stayed completely in-house, inviting no outside musicians to contribute. We wanted to see what we could cook up with our live band. I think you will be surprised!” We dare say Number Seven is the best Phideaux yet. The sound is organic in the same way the classic early-1970s prog bands were. The keyboards are dominated by classically-influenced piano, there is a lot of acoustic guitar, and there is a folk influence throughout, though the music is never folk per se. Both male and female vocals convey this epic tale. When the lyrics switch briefly to Italian, you’ll think you’re listening to a classic Italian prog band. The music is about as original as one can be today and still remain true to the ideals of progressive rock, and there is a craftsmanship and maturity here that stand in stark contrast to all the half-metal, half-prog bands littering the landscape. All the Phideaux albums are distinct from each other, but the quality is consistent, and the musical ambition of this band is incredible. Now about the remastering, read this communiqué from Phideaux. Those who bought the first version will be able to upgrade for free by contacting the band. Read the reviews at ProgArchives.com of Number Seven, Doomsday Afternoon, The Great Leap, 313, Chupacabras, Ghost Story, and Fiendish.
Snowtorch is Phideaux’s 2011 studio CD, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve. Read the advance reviews at The Leviathan and Sideburns Movement.
Osiris - Tales of the Divers ($15.99) 
Osiris - Osiris ($14.99) Osiris is a progressive rock band from the tiny Arab emirate of Bahrain, though some of the musicians attended university in the U.S. Their music is closest to Camel, and they sing in English, though the music is heavily instrumental. They published two LPs in the 1980s: Osiris (1982) and Myths & Legends (1984), later issued on CD by Musea, with one bonus track on Myths & Legends. This mini-LP edition of Myths & Legends is the 2011 MALS edition, released under license from Musea; it comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve. Osiris’s third studio album Reflections was recorded between 1987-1989.
It was a long wait for Visions from the Past (2007). This is a concept album about an old man who rejects the modern Bahrain and mourns the loss of the innocent and simple ways of the past. This is Osiris’s most original album and probably their best, as Camel is now just one of several influences, and no one influence stands out. Most of the music has the refinement and tastefulness of 1970s progressive rock, and one song sports some strong early Marillion influence. What vocals there are are still in English, but here Osiris use some traditional Gulf Arabic poetry (English translations in the booklet) and occasional Arabic rhythms and traditional instruments to put their own stamp on things. The recording quality may be a notch below western pro standards; nevertheless this is brilliant melodic progressive rock vaguely in the Camel and Genesis vein.
Tales of the Divers (2010) was recorded live in 1985, but none of the material appears on any studio album. In fact, it is a complete concept album from the band’s heyday, and Visions from the Past is the sequel to this. The style of the two albums is similar, Camel-style prog with Arabic flavors that were not apparent on their first three albums. Osiris spent much effort remastering the live recording so that it sounds quite good. Read the reviews at Prog Archives for more details.
Aphrodite’s Child - It’s Five O’Clock ($16.99)These are the 2010 definitive editions on Esoteric. The Greek band Aphrodite’s Child was the first band of keyboard legend Vangelis, with Demis Roussos on bass & vocals and Lucas Sideras on drums. Roussos went on to become a well-known pop singer throughout Europe (and the most famous passenger on TWA Flight 847, hijacked by terrorists in 1985). End of the World (1968) and It’s Five O’Clock (1969) were Aphrodite’s Child’s first two albums and contain psychedelic pop with an experimental edge, spawning several international hits. (Their third and final album, the double-LP 666, is far more progressive and avant-garde.) The song It’s Five O’Clock (video here) is very close to Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. For more audio samples from these album, YouTube has audio and/or videos of Annabella and Marie Jolie, and you’ll find more nearby. Overall the albums are a mixed bag, some songs of interest to prog and psych fans, some others best forgotten. These Esoteric Recordings reissues have been remastered from the original tapes. Vangelis himself came on board and supervised the remastering. It’s Five O’Clock adds six bonus tracks from three singles including a rare Italian-only release, while End of the World includes both sides of Aphrodite’s Child’s first single as bonus tracks.
Visual Cliff - Collective Spirit ($7.99) Collective Spirit (2010, 31:26) is the fifth CD from American progressive hard rock band Visual Cliff, now a quintet with a new lineup including keyboardist Mike Florio (Vertical Alignment). The lyrics are Christian-oriented, however, five of the eight tracks are instrumentals and are where the band is at its most progressive, expanding into flowing, atmospheric, slightly fusion-y realms. The CD comes in a printed cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Soul Enema - Thin Ice Crawling ($14.99) This is the 2010 debut CD by an Israeli band who move back and forth between symphonic prog and prog-metal. The band is lead by keyboardist Constantin Glantz, so though there is frequent heavy guitar, the sound is very symphonic. They have a very good female lead singer. There is at times a somewhat theatrical delivery to the vocals that gives Soul Enema a unique identity, a slight rock opera feel. Mini-LP style sleeve, 67-minutes. Read the DPRP and Proggnosis reviews for a more in-depth description.
Victor Peraino’s Kingdom Come - No Man’s Land ($16.99) Victor Peraino was the American keyboard player for Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come. Following that band’s final album Journey, Peraino returned to the states and, with the assistance of numerous musicians on guitar, bass, drums, flute, and vocals, recorded the album No Man’s Land (1975). Details are sketchy, but according to legend, only 100 copies were pressed, making the LP a major rarity. A 1981 EP We’re Next was recorded containing four tracks including a new version of the big Arthur Brown hit Fire. Both the LP and the EP tracks appear on this 2010 CD on the Black Widow label. Peraino plays Hammond B3, VCS-3, ARP and Moog, but it’s his Mellotron that commands attention, not just strings and choir but also cellos and brass are all over this album.
However - Calling ($12.99) These two CDs were first released on the Kinesis label in 1994 and 1995 but had been out-of-print for several years. The band has now reissued them with additional mastering and expanded liner notes. They added one track to Calling but dropped the bonus track No Cows that appeared on the Kinesis edition of Sudden Dusk. However were a Washington DC area band that blended Happy the Man with Gentle Giant, Hatfield and the North, National Health, King Crimson, Henry Cow, and Frank Zappa. The musicianship and compositional skills on display here set a standard not many contemporary progressive rock bands reach. They are one of America’s best and most undeservedly unknown bands. See the However page in the Kinesis label section for much more information.
Edensong - Echoes of Edensong ($9.99) The Fruit Fallen, the 2008 debut by this U.S. band, has a surprisingly early-1970s British progressive sound. There are nods to Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, Jethro Tull and others, but overall the music is darker, more melancholy and pastoral. It goes without saying that Edensong’s songwriting is not on the level of those classic bands, but for those looking for long, dense tracks with that magical sound, or those missing Anglagard, this album will be most welcome. The keyboards generally stick to piano and organ, there is a lot of flute, some violin and cello. A small amount of metal lowers the tenor a bit and disrupts the early-70s illusion, but this is not prog-metal. 71-minutes, digipack. Read the Sea of Tranquility review.
Echoes of Edensong (2010) contains a mix of studio and live tracks. There are three live renditions of tracks from The Fruit Fallen, the studio version of Lorelai (previously released on The Haiti Projekt), a remastered version of a song originally intended for inclusion on The Fruit Fallen, and a new arrangement and recording of Beneath the Tide, a song that dates to 1999 and Edensong’s predecessor band Echoes of Eden. The CD comes in a printed cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Dave Kulju - Notes in the Margin ($8.99)Dave Kulju was the guitarist of the band Electrum. We wish he’d do a Guy Manning and use only his last name, as too many prog fans skip over anything released under an individual’s name. And Notes in the Margin is one of the best progressive rock CDs we’ve heard in 2010. Kulju handles most of the instruments here, with Frank Basile taking care of the drums throughout and Ian Cameron on electric and acoustic violin on one track. The album opens with a rousing space-prog instrumental that sounds like Rush covering an Ozric Tentacles piece, and this style does reappear later. But the centerpiece of the album is the half-hour suite A Poet’s Talespin, which features the beautiful vocals of Annie Oya. This is sophisticated symphonic prog featuring classically-influenced piano, contrasting subtle, refined passages with powerful riffs, surely Kulju’s finest composition. It’s as close to Squonk Opera as it is to Rush. There are guitarists who dabble with keyboards but are generally limited to playing pads behind their guitar work, because after all, holding down three keys isn’t all that difficult. But that isn’t the case here, as keyboards play an important role, and they sound like they’re played by a keyboardist. This is a mature progressive rock album incorporating classical and jazz influences, and it’s always satisfying to see a musician grow from a youngster who thought progressive rock is Rush and Dream Theater to the level Kulju is at now. The CD comes in a fold-open cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. Here are mp3s of A Poet’s Talespin Part ii: Soft Collisions, A Poet’s Talespin Part iii: The Bridge, and Know Again. Read the DPRP and Sea of Tranquility reviews. “Notes in the Margin is a labor of love that is surprisingly strong and bears repeated, joyous listening.” [Progression #60]
Abstract Expression (2007, digipack) is an instrumental progressive rock album, and if it was advertised as the third Electrum album, none would be the wiser. While Kulju plays electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, guitar synth, keyboards and programming, a number of talented guest musicians contribute drums, organ, theremin, and violin. Guitar has most of the lead work, but there are a lot of keyboards adding symphonic and spacey textures. In this way, the music is similar to Rush during their prime, though Rush is only one of several influences. This album is more imaginative than most guitarist’s CDs, more richly textured and symphonic. In fact, forget it’s a guitarist’s CD and just think of it as a very enjoyable instrumental progressive rock album. Here is an 5:20 mp3 sampler of the whole album. Read the DPRP and USA Progressive Music reviews.
Lisa LaRue Project 2K9 - World Class ($14.99) Keyboardist/composer Lisa LaRue is a Native American, Cherokee to be specific. On this 2009 CD, she assembled some notable talent, including John Payne (Asia, GPS) on vocals, Jo DeBoeck (Belgian band Beyond the Labyrinth) on vocals, Steve Adams (ARZ) on guitar, Chris Brown (Ghost Circus, Roswell Six) on bass, Svetlan Raket (Pär Lindh Project, Zello) on drums, plus numerous guests including David Mark Pearce of The Oliver Wakeman Band and Quebec’s Claire Vezina. The album is a mix of instrumentals and vocal songs. As is often the case, the vocal songs tend to sound more mainstream, while the instrumentals are full of proggy goodness. LaRue’s playing is not demonstrative like an Emerson or Wakeman but rather more sensitive and evocative. This is excellent melodic prog with an appropriate balance between keys and guitar (something many modern prog bands don’t achieve because keyboardists like LaRue are in short supply). Read the Sea of Tranquility, USA Progressive Music and DPRP reviews. Here are mp3’s of the tracks In Camera, Copper Edge, Kituwa, and Two A.M.
Syzygy - Realms of Eternity ($12.99) 
Cleveland, Ohio-based Witsend released their outstanding debut Cosmos and Chaos in 1993, one of the classiest American prog rock albums. This is the remastered second edition. These guys have chops on the same level as Spock’s Beard, but their mostly-instrumental music lacks the Beatles/pop influences of the Beard. Probably influenced most by Yes and ELP, maybe early Ambrosia, with a bit of Steve Hackett thrown in, this is nevertheless quite contemporary in sound and execution.
Syzygy is the same band after taking time out to raise families, and 2003’s The Allegory of Light vaulted them right back near the top of the American prog rock heap. This is complex, clever, heavily-instrumental prog rock played by top-notch musicians, mixing the old and the new. Influences and reference points include ELP, UK, Yes, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Transatlantic,... you get the picture. 63-minutes.
Realms of Eternity (2009) was originally going to be a double-CD but has been released as a no-filler 77-minute single CD. Syzygy have expanded to a quartet with the promotion of bassist & backing vocalist Al Rolik to full-time status, and brought in veteran session singer Mark Boals as guest lead vocalist, as there is a greater emphasis on lyrics on this album. The vocals, so often the shortcoming of indie prog bands, are completely professional, and yet instrumental content still dominates. There are loads of leave-you-speechless instrumental fireworks, but also acoustic, pastoral passages worthy of Tull and Genesis. Syzygy sound more British than ever (and to be quite frank, none of the current generation of British bands appear capable of a work like this). With excellent production, this is not only Syzygy’s best and most ambitious album, it’s vies with Phideaux’s Number Seven as the U.S. prog album of 2009, quite possibly prog album of 2009 period. It seems a crime that one can buy this much music of this caliber for so little money.
Lo-Fi Resistance - A Deep Breath ($13.99) Lo-Fi Resistance is the new project of guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Randy McStine, with Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard) playing drums on the vast majority of this 2010 debut CD; Nick also mixed the album and sings on one track. Guests include Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard) on bass, Dug Pinnick (King’s X) on vocals, Rob Weinberger on flute and sax, and Lloyd Landesman on synths and B3. McStine was a child prodigy guitarist and is still quite young, so perhaps the maturity of this work should be surprising. This is a superb album straddling progressive and modern melodic rock, with the guitar work always in service of the song. In terms of the prog/melodic rock balance if not the actual sound, this is comparable to most of the current British bands, including Marillion, It Bites, Frost, The Reasoning, and on and on. The style is definitely contemporary, with more than a little Porcupine Tree / Steven Wilson influence. But McStine adds a bit of Ozric Tentacles here, King Crimson and ELP there, plenty of lush, proggy stylings throughout. Great songwriting is in evidence, supported by stellar guitar work, layered sounds and harmony vocals. Beautiful digipack with 12-page booklet. If you prefer to stare at the album cover while listening to the album audio sampler, there’s YouTube. Read reviews at ProgNaut and Adequacy.net.
The second Lo-Fi Resistance album Chalk Lines is underway and will feature Gavin Harrison and John Giblin, among others. There is more info about it here.
Shadow Circus - Whispers and Screams ($10.99) Welcome to the Freakroom is the debut by a New York City band who go for a classic 1970s progressive rock sound (Yes, Rush, Kansas, Pink Floyd, Led Zep) with a somewhat more contemporary guitar style and energy. Vocalist David Bobick has a degree in musical theater and brings some of that feel to these songs. The first five tracks are more vocal-heavy, but the album culminates with the 12-minute Journey of Everyman suite, which is the progressive tour de force and is loaded with instrumental fireworks. There is something similar in Shadow Circus’s approach to that of Puppet Show, the way both bands have absorbed mostly British 70s progressive influences but add a contemporary energy and American flavor. Other modern reference points might be Transatlantic and The Tangent. This album was first released on CD by the band in February 2007, but this second edition on ProgRock Records has been remixed and is a significant sonic upgrade.
Whispers and Screams (2009, 61-minutes) is even better. It begins with the 33-minute Project Blue suite, a roller-coaster ride of classic rock and progressive rock influences, always keeping the listener guessing what comes next. There is a greater American flavor to parts of this CD. The best is saved for the last three tracks (two of which are long ones), which are full of classic symphonic prog with Yes and Kansas as likely influences, and a guest cellist making important contributions. The final track could almost be The Enid. Keyboards and guitar share the spotlight throughout the album, something that is becoming less and less common in what passes for progressive rock, as quality keyboardists seem to be an endangered species. Fortunately, Shadow Circus understand the importance of symphonic tone colors. Read the DPRP review.
Roswell Six - Terra Incognita: A Line in the Sand ($13.99) Roswell Six is not so much a band as a brand name. The first Roswell Six CD Beyond the Horizon (2009, 73-minutes) is largely the work of Erik Norlander, keyboardist of Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane, with a number of albums under his own name. Norlander wrote all the music for this project, which also features singers James LaBrie, Michael Sadler, John Payne and Lana Lane; bassist Kurt Barabas (Under the Sun, Amaran’s Plight), violinist David Ragsdale (ex-Kansas), guitarists Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery, Amaran’s Plight) and Chris Brown (Ghost Circus), and drummer Chris Quirarte (Prymary). Martin Orford (ex-IQ) adds flute, Mike Alvarez cello. Beyond the Horizon is in the Ayreon style of bombastic prog and metal, meant to accompany a fantasy novel by author Kevin J. Anderson, who co-wrote the lyrics. Click the first mp3 icon above for reviews.
The second Roswell Six CD A Line in the Sand (2010) has Henning Pauly (Frameshift, Chain, Shadows Mignon) at the helm. Vocals are by Steve Walsh (Kansas), Michael Sadler (ex-Saga), Sass Jordan (Album Rock’s Female Vocalist of the Year), Alex Froese (Frameshift), and Nick Storr (The Third Ending), with guest appearances by Charlie Dominici, Juan Roos, and Arjen A. Lucassen. As with the first CD, Anderson co-wrote all of the lyrics with his wife, bestselling author Rebecca Moesta, while two of the songs are co-written by Janis Ian.
Tempest - Another Dawn ($15.99) With their albums from 1996 on released on the Magna Carta label, most prog fans are familiar with Tempest, a folk-rock band led by Norwegian-American Lief Sorbye. They have similarities to Fairport Convention but are heavier, draw more on Celtic material, and benefit from better production courtesy of Robert Berry that gives them a bigger, proggier sound. Berry usually adds keyboards too. Tempest also come close to the folky side of Jethro Tull, though Tempest frequently arrange traditional songs, something Ian Anderson consciously avoided. The Los Angeles bagpipes/didgeridoo/drums band Wicked Tinkers guests on The Double-Cross (2006), leading to some rousing bagpipe rock. The CD includes a bonus video In the Studio With Tempest.
Another Dawn (2010) is their 12th studio album. Click the mp3 link above to read Lief’s song-by-song notes.
Maxwell’s Demon - Diablo ($12.99) Prometheus is the 2001 debut by a U.S. instrumental band going for the Änglagård sound and style and coming very close, adding a slightly more avant-garde flavor a la Univers Zero. The album plays as one long track. Diablo (2009) is the follow-up. While retaining the King Crimson (think Providence, but composed rather than improvised) and Änglagård appeal, Diablo is more challenging. Much of the album is very dissonant, with all the tritones the band can muster, consciously avoiding major thirds. Yet the album culminates in more tonal, less diabolical, nearly happy music, so with patience even Diablo resolves. As the band says: “This album was made by the band, for the band, and the few remaining fans of authentic progressive rock who want to be challenged and are willing to explore this difficult yet rewarding music over many undistracted listenings. You know who you are”.
Kinetic Element - Powered by Light ($11.99) Kinetic Element is a classic prog band out of Richmond, Virginia, let by keyboardist Mike Visaggio. Their debut Powered by Light (2009, 69-minutes) is pure 1970s-style symphonic prog that sits right alongside the work of Lift, Pentwater, Ethos, and various other American 70s prog bands, and is on the same level. Like those bands, Kinetic Element have absorbed the influences of Yes, Genesis, ELP, and other first-tier progressive bands. (Refugee is actually a better reference than ELP here.) Significantly, the music is composed by a keyboardist. Contrast that with the ‘modern prog’ bands who, if they have a skilled keyboardist at all, have often relegated him to playing pads if the guitarist has left any space in the music. Visaggio is not someone trying to recreate the sound of an era that predates him; he’s old enough that he was there when progressive rock first emerged. Read reviews here.
Starship Universe is Mike Visaggio’s 2006 solo CD, on which he has help from a drummer on three tracks. The style is largely the same, epic prog influenced by ELP, Yes, and Rick Wakeman. Read the review at Prognaut.
Zingale - The Bright Side ($12.99) Zingale are the most famous Israeli progressive rock band; their album Peace (recorded in 1975, released in 1977) is usually considered to be the best progressive rock album to have come out of that admittedly small scene. The Bright Side (57-minutes) is their 2009 comeback CD. Zingale now are founding members Ephraim Barak and Udi Tamir, both playing electric guitar, bass and keyboards as well as singing, with a new drummer. There was some Yes influence on Peace and there is even more on The Bright Side, but Zingale’s sound has changed, now more modern sounding, more reliant on synths, with a lot of sonic elements competing for space in the mix. Musically and spiritually though, Zingale still have their hearts in the 1970s. Lyrics in English. The CD comes in a lightweight mini-LP sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. In addition to the audio clips on the band’s MySpace page (mp3 icon above), here is an mp3 of the song Sooner or Later.
Vonassi - The Battle of Ego ($13.99) The Battle of Ego (2010, 57-minutes) is the debut CD for Vonassi, a young American band playing the typical modern style of prog, that is, guitar-oriented, lacking in classical influence, not a million miles away far from alternative, grunge, and metal. We probably have Porcupine Tree to thank for this. “Possibly the foremost characteristic is Vonassi’s efficient use of complexity in their compositions. Excepting the last song Coiled, all the songs time at less than five minutes, most around four. However, the textures Vonassi pump into those short periods is quite remarkable. While songs can alternate between heaviness (The Drudge) and melodic subtlety (Posing for the Cold), they are deep with impressive bass lines, eccentric rhythms, provocative drumming, and graceful, less ostentatious fret work. Many of these arrangements are made more clever and evocative from Vonassi’s use of ambient to progressive keyboard work... While progressive may be the overarching motif here, there is plenty of natural accessibility here, almost with an alternative rock feel... Overall, Vonassi’s The Battle of Ego is a singular and distinctive work demonstrating this trio’s immense talent and creativity for melodic progressive rock with an modern alt rock feel.” [DangerDog] Also read the Sea of Tranquility review.
Cirrus Bay - A Step Into Elsewhere ($11.99) Cirrus Bay is led by American multi-instrumentalist Bill Gillham. On Cirrus Bay’s 2008 debut The Slipping of a Day, Gillham is joined by a drummer/bassist, several singers (male and female), and two musicians providing tenor sax on two tracks. Gillham plays electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, bass, mandolin, recorder, and percussion. Our opinion of Cirrus Bay’s first album changed completely about a third of the way through its 77-minutes, and this is because the album was recorded in different sessions spanning a number of years. The first third of the CD contains a lot of pastoral, folky progressive, reflecting the fact that Cirrus Bay began as an acoustic duo. There are pitch problems with some of the vocals on the early tracks that are not present on the later tracks. The CD then transforms into much more powerful, more instrumental symphonic prog. Gillham’s biggest influences are Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Jade Warrior, and Bo Hansson. We can state this confidently because it says as much in the booklet. (Among younger bands, he mentions a fondness for Big Big Train, The Flower Kings, and The Watch.) There are tracks here that would have fit on Banks’ A Curious Feeling and have been the second-best track (after the song You, if you must know). Overall we’re reminded of Canadian Ken Baird. Read reviews here.
The second Cirrus Bay CD A Step Into Elsewhere (2009, 55-minutes) is the CD they really wanted to make, a significant improvement over Slipping... and a cohesive musical statement. It’s female vocals only on this one, from two singers, and the easiest way to describe the album is a blend of Genesis circa Wind and Wuthering and Renaissance. Renaissance because the vocals are in an Annie Haslam style, and there is that breezy folkiness blended with classical piano. Genesis because Gillham is a musician who gets what Tony Banks does. It isn’t about how fast one can play scales, it’s about the chord progressions. There is plenty of electric and acoustic guitar in addition to keyboards, so it sounds closer to Genesis than a Tony Banks solo album, and there are influences of other progressive artists as well. Instrumentally, the appeal of this album is similar to the Willowglass albums, on top of which you get the beautiful vocals. “Had Genesis replaced Peter Gabriel with Annie Haslam instead of Phil Collins in 1975, the band might have sounded something like this. Cirrus Bay... so closely echoes the crisp prog sound of Wind and Wuthering-era Genesis it could double as a tribute band... Most tracks feature lush keyboard swells, delicate guitar-and-flute passages, strong soprano vocal melodies, tricky meter changes and classically-inspired instrumental breaks that would give Tony Banks and Steve Hackett a run for their money.” [Progression]
IZZ - The Darkened Room ($11.99) 
IZZ - Ampersand ($11.99) 
Check our DVDs page for IZZ’s Live DVD. Sliver of a Sun (1999) is a great American progressive rock album. Imagine a heavier and more complex version of Ambrosia during their progressive phase (first two albums). IZZ combine that whimsy, playfulness, and constant invention with some serious chops, on a par with Echolyn and Spock’s Beard. IZZ have a keen melodic sense and are capable songwriters, yet their songs twist and turn in unexpected directions. Over the album’s 59 minutes, there is quite a bit of diversity. Elements of Yes and Genesis crop up without IZZ ever coming close to being copyists. Excellent vocals too. Fans of Spock’s Beard especially should jump on this. Note Sliver of a Sun is currently out-of-print, but hopefully a new edition will be available in the future.
IZZ show a lot of growth on I Move (2002). They still produce a lot of melodic Ameri-prog, the song-oriented material having moved closer to the Echolyn sound of this same timeframe, often with acoustic textures balancing the electric. But the playfulness of their debut has given way to a more serious and ambitious sound. While this 73-minute CD begins very song-oriented, that gives way to intense instrumentals and majestic symphonic rock workouts with superb playing all around. The final series of linked songs is particularly impressive and should erase any doubts that IZZ is one of the top progressive bands around.
The 56-minute Ampersand (2004) is somewhat of an interim album for IZZ, though it’s every bit as good as their others. As the band says: “The songs contained in this album span virtually IZZ’s entire career. A few have been with the band almost from the beginning, often in a dramatically different form. Others have been recorded during or between sessions from Sliver of a Sun, I Move and IZZ’s next studio album. In short, these songs have all shared the common bond of homelessness. With this release, they have now found their home.” Ampersand also includes the first live tracks from IZZ.
It’s hard to say enough good things about My River Flows (2005, 66-minutes). Each IZZ album has been more ambitious than the last. While some of this album overlaps with the current styles of Echolyn and Spock’s Beard, IZZ demonstrate that they are far more of a classic symphonic progressive band than either of the others is now. There are more elements of IZZ’s style that relate to Genesis and Yes, but as has been the case all along, IZZ don’t come close to being derivative. They now have two female vocalists in the band, though they don’t appear together on the same song until the incredible 22-minute Deafening Silence suite that concludes the album, where the harmonies are sometimes similar to The Northettes of Hatfield and the North. Should be on every Top Ten list for the year.
Live at NEARfest (2007, digipack) is IZZ’s first live CD, recorded June 2007 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracks are drawn from Sliver of a Sun, I Move, and My River Flows. This is IZZ’s seven-person lineup including Laura Meade and Anmarie Byrnes on vocals. Read the DPRP review.
The Darkened Room is their 2009 studio CD. IZZ have their own quite original style, and if anyone still wants to compare them to other contemporary bands, we’ll take IZZ. Instrumentally, IZZ have become so sophisticated that the more mainstream end of the prog fan base is in danger of not keeping up. Yet IZZ balance their challenging side with their strongly melodic side, so their music remains accessible. The piano work that is the foundation of many sections is particularly impressive, incorporating jazz and contemporary classical influences that elude most of their prog peers. Tracks can be previewed at CDBaby.
Laura Meade - same (CD-EP, $7.99) This is a 5 song, 15-minute CD-EP from singer/songwriter Laura Meade. Meade made her songwriting debut on IZZ’s Ampersand CD in 2004 and was featured prominently on their 2005 CD My River Flows. Meade multitracks her vocals and plays piano and is backed by IZZ’s Paul Bremner on electric guitar, Brian Coralian on drums, and John Galgano on bass & acoustic guitar. This is warm, beautiful, intelligent and sensitive female-vocal pop, with some progressive flavoring via the instrumentalists. It’s as good as anything in this genre on a major label, somewhat suggestive of recent Kate Bush, and you’ll be able to say you knew Laura Meade when she was just starting out.
Ajalon - This Good Place ($5.99) SALE! Seattle’s Ajalon was ‘discovered’ by Rick Wakeman, who released Ajalon’s first album on his own indie label. On the Threshold of Eternity (2005) is Ajalon’s second, and Rick contributes keyboard solos to two tracks, while Neal Morse contributes vocals to the title track and Phil Keaggy guests on another. If you’ve noticed what all these musicians have in common, then you may have guessed that Ajalon’s lyrics are Christian-oriented. Their music is very professional, most influenced by Yes but with an American style that also relates to Kansas, Ambrosia, and Glass Hammer, with tight harmony vocals. The shorter songs have elements of pop and AOR and are sometimes simply grand arrangements of acoustic folk ballads. The epic tracks are pure melodic progressive rock. The 16-minute title track especially will leave no doubt that this is a first-rate progressive rock band. This 69-minute CD contains a bonus track, a cover of The Moody Blues’ You and Me.
This Good Place (2009, 60-minutes) is their third, and a new high-water mark for the band. This is the classic American take on symphonic prog, executed with proficiency and class by seasoned musicians. Highlights include the instrumental Abstract Malady, on which Fred Schendel (Glass Hammer) guests, and the 19-minute Redemption.
Blackmore’s Night - Secret Voyage ($14.99) 
Blackmore’s Night - Shadow of the Moon ($13.99)For those few yet unaware, this is what guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore has been doing since 1997 and with great success. His wife Candice Night provides the beautiful vocals. Blackmore’s Night do a renaissance faire or medieval minstrel style of symphonic rock, electric but using early music instruments and a lot of other acoustic textures. There are influences of renaissance music, Celtic and East European folk. Blackmore himself concentrates more on acoustic guitar than electric, playing in the style of Gordon Giltrap. This is the most complex progressive music that Blackmore has ever played, and not at all what a Deep Purple or Rainbow fan would expect.
These are the 2010 reissues on the band’s own Minstrel Hall Music label of the first and third Blackmore’s Night CDs: Shadow of the Moon (1998, 65-minutes) and Fires at Midnight (2001, 68-minutes).
The Village Lanterne (2006, 71-minutes) is their fifth studio CD, with the biggest symphonic rock sound of their albums to that point. Secret Voyage (2008, digipack) contains 12 new tracks plus a bonus video. It is another fine album for Blackmore’s Night, with Blackmore dusting off his electric guitar on several tracks. Read the reviews at Prog Archives. Check our DVDs page for the Blackmore’s Night DVDs.
Planet P Project - Levittown: Go Out Dancing Part II ($13.99) 
Planet P Project - same ($13.99)Planet P Project is Tony Carey, one-time keyboardist for Rainbow, with help here and there from other musicians. While recording more commercial albums under his own name, he reserved the Planet P Project name for his progressive output, and his two Planet P Project albums in the 1980s resulted in some chart success. This CD edition of the self-titled 1983 Planet P Project debut includes four bonus tracks, alternate versions of album tracks. “Their eponymous 1983 debut was defined by the synthesizer-laden style of the day with a nod to the progressive rock of the prior decade.” [All Music Guide] Pink World (1984), the second, was originally a double-LP and was often compared to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. These are the Renaissance Records editions.
1931, released in 2005, is the first part of a planned trilogy entitled Go Out Dancing. While some of the recording for this album dates back as early as 1992, it is a product of the 2000s in terms of music technology. The subject matter of 1931 is the radical right, from the rise of Nazism to present conditions in the U.S. This is the ProgRock Records edition. Levittown (2008, 66-minutes) is Part 2, which uses post-WWII America as its departure point. These conceptual works will draw comparisons to Pink Floyd and Roger Waters’ work from The Wall on. They also exhibit a Peter Gabriel or Francis Dunnery flavor. Levittown in particular is an exceptional work that so far is getting overlooked -- try to locate a review of it on a prog rock review site.
The Tea Club - General Winter’s Secret Museum ($8.99) The Tea Club are a young band from New Jersey who play ‘modern’ progressive rock in the sense that, for the most part, they do it with only vocals, guitars, bass and drums, a la Oceansize and others. This naturally gives them a more alt-rock sound than a classic prog band. But they get a very full and varied sound that includes influences of King Crimson (all eras), Nektar, and Echolyn, full of the intricacies required of prog, unafraid to be delicate at times. The predominant mood is melancholy and slightly psychedelic. More keyboard pads could be added without rewriting the songs, but as it stands, this is a surprisingly good debut album, without any tracks we’d want to exclude for being non-prog. Here are lots of reviews.
The Source - Prickly Pear ($12.99)All Along This Land is the 2006 debut CD by a young Los Angeles prog band whose surprising sound is in many ways very early-1970s retro, with elements that include early Yes, The Beatles, a little Pink Floyd and dreamy psychedelia. But beyond that, they don’t sound much like anyone else today. Much of their sound derives from the low-distortion jazz and country tones favored by guitarist Harrison Leonard, similar to Peter Banks and Steve Howe. Vocalist, principal songwriter, and keyboardist Aaron Goldich favors grand piano, with some Hammond and analog synth sounds. There’s a good balance of vocal and instrumental passages, and like any good prog album, there’s a five-part suite. Charming, to say the least. Read the DPRP review.
All Along This Land was a good start, but Prickly Pear (2009) is a significantly proggier and more ambitious album, with three epic length compositions. The Source’s sound is still early-70s, with more Hammond and more electric guitar leads this time, everything taken up a couple notches. Amazing that this record has come out of Los Angeles in 2009. Here is an mp3 medley of excerpts from Prickly Pear. Read the DPRP review.
Orphan Project - Spooning Out the Sea ($12.99) Maryland-based Orphan Project debuted in 2003 with Orphan Found and followed with a four-song EP in 2008. Spooning Out the Sea (2009) is their second full-length album. Orphan Project clearly fall into the ‘modern prog’ camp, meaning their music is really a blend of prog rock, contemporary rock and metal, with the mix greatly favoring heavy guitar over keyboards (though Orphan Project do have a dedicated keyboardist). Their greatest strength is the passionate and powerful lead vocals of Shane Lankford, while they also have a very good melodic sense and solid musicianship. As Progression magazine (issue 57) says: “These 10 mid-length tracks mine hard-edged progressive/symphonic rock that stops just shy of metal, due in part to its predominantly upbeat, positive tone.” Well, they could have applied the brakes earlier, as each track has some metal riffs and the tone is not without gloom; this will undoubtedly find its way onto countless metal review sites. But Spooning Out the Sea is sure to impress those who worship at the altar of Riverside and other contemporary heavy prog bands.
Elf Project - Mirage ($12.99) Mirage (2009) is the third CD by a U.S. prog band from New York State who get high marks for keeping melody and songcraft to the fore and for not going down the same well-beaten prog paths. There are a variety of influences at work here. The more energetic numbers come first, often resembling Rush with more keyboards and a (multi-tracked) Moody Blues vocal style, while a Yes influence is more apparent on some tracks. The latter part of the disc is more peaceful and mystical, with more acoustic textures, including a cover of The Beatles’ Norwegian Wood and a traditional Irish instrumental. A late-1960s psychedelic vibe appears with the use of electric sitar within a song framework (as opposed to a rambling raga). But the album doesn’t sound retro, rather a creative modern work where different threads from earlier eras are woven into a compelling tapestry. Open your copies of Progression magazine Issue 55 to page 56 for a feature article on Elf Project, and read the reviews at Ytsejam.com and Sea of Tranquility for a better description than our lame tapestry metaphor.
Jolly - Forty-Six Minutes Twelve Seconds of Music ($13.99) Jolly is a New York City band who signed to the Swiss Galileo label for this, their 2009 debut CD. 46:12 (for short) shows a modern dark and melancholy prog band in the vein of Riverside and, to a lesser extent, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Oceansize, et al. Jolly have the expected guitar-centric sound, but they do have a keyboardist, and the beauty is in the details behind and surrounding the aggressive guitars: keyboards providing elegant soundscapes and haunting ambiences, the intriguing melodies, the richly textured sound; in short, all the elements that make the modern prog style appealing.
Rare Blend - Sessions ($11.99) 
Rare Blend is a band from Cleveland playing killer instrumental fusion, very rock-oriented and frequently spilling over into progressive rock territory. A good clue to their music is their list of influences, which includes Tribal Tech, Santana, Steely Dan, Yes and Genesis. Cinefusion (1995) and Infinity (2000) were first, followed by Evolution Theory (2002), featuring a guitars/keys/bass/drums lineup, fusing symphonic prog with jazz-rock.
Stops Along the Way (2006, 60-minutes) is generally comparable to Evolution Theory. There are three live-in-the-studio improvisations in which Rare Blend come across as a progressive jam band. There are two tracks with (female) vocals from Bobbi Holt. These vocals are of the soulful/bluesy variety, so these two tracks are probably not going to be the highlight for prog fans. Rare Blend keep the tracks on this CD at six minutes or under, so even the improvs are not long-winded or rambling, making for an entertaining disc that can hit a lot of styles in its 13 tracks.
Rare Blend’s fifth CD Sessions (2009) is a 14-track disc of live instrumental recordings from stage and studio. Unlike their previous CDs, Sessions highlights Rare Blend’s ‘one takes’ and ‘in the moment’ jam-fusion instrumentals. It features new songs and improvisations from shows in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore, and studio improvs recorded at Odyssey Studios in Cleveland. Also included are selections from a taping for the Crooked River Groove television program as well as performances during their 2008 Bridging the Gap music/film series against the backdrop of such classic films as Phantom of the Opera and Metropolis. “Sessions varies from tasty fusion to spacey improv and occasional symphonic prog flourishes... While Samalot’s guitar shows occasional bite, these tracks exhibit the band’s knack for agreeable pacing and smart use of breathing space. In competently mining the heady realms of Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, etc., Rare Blend joins exclusive company.” [Progression] Also read the ProgNaut review.
Hour of the Shipwreck - The Hour is Upon Us ($10.99) The 2008 debut by this Los Angeles band is dark progressive rock with the modern aesthetic of grandiose melancholy, deeply mystic, frequently beautiful, and not quite like anything else. It touches upon the styles of Anekdoten and Radiohead, with fuzzy-around-the-edges vocals lending a surreal quality. There are many refined and delicate elements in these dense and unpredictable arrangements, revealing more detail upon each listen. In addition to the expected instrumentation, there is a large choir, 12-string guitar, pump organ, cello, French horn, glockenspiel, and more. With music this inventive, it’s essential to listen to the clips on the band’s MySpace page (mp3 icon above) and read the review excerpts there. Read the review at Ytsejam.com.
Aethellis - Aethellis remastered ($8.99) Aethellis is a Baltimore-area progressive rock band, but this CD was recorded solo circa 2003 by bandleader Ellsworth Hall, the band assembled later for touring. This is the 2008 remastered edition. This sounds like the album Tony Banks should have made after A Curious Feeling. In fact a lot of this would fit well on Genesis’ 1980s albums as proggier pieces. The Aethellis album is keyboard-dominated (though there is electric guitar), and there is some Banksian playing and chord progressions, but like Banks’ albums, the emphasis is more on songwriting. And Hall is a quality singer. Whereas Banks headed off in a pure pop direction, Aethellis maintains a good balance between pop songwriting and progressive rock. All but one track exceeds seven minutes, and the nearly 12-minute Final Affinity is darker and requires no qualifiers; it’s just prog rock. Oh, and the chorus of Saint Augustus is a mind worm. The CD comes in a cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. Read reviews here.
Ancient Vision - Lost at Sea ($15.99) The American band Ancient Vision released two Jethro Tull-influenced CDs in the early 1990s. After 15 years, the band resurfaced with the original lineup and a new CD Lost at Sea (2008). This work is much more eclectic and diverse. The Tull influence can still be heard at times, but there are also similarities to Camel, Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator, and Kansas. All of these are just approximations though. While the music remains faithful to the 1970s progressive rock aesthetic, it is not a retro album. The use of plucked sounds, Celtic folk, and ethereal female voice may suggest Clannad; in any event, such touches take the music into more original territory. This is Ancient Vision’s best and most mature album.
Product - Earth ($9.99) 
Product is primarily the work of Arman Christoff Boyles (vocals, guitar, keys), with help from Scott Rader (drums, bass) and guests. Their first CD On Water (2000) tells a surreal story from the viewpoint of a drowning young sailor, set against the backdrop of the American Revolution. The level of originality is high; the closest comparisons are Porcupine Tree, No-Man, and Hogarth-era Marillion, specifically their moodier tracks. Vocally, Boyles has a deep voice with some suggestions of Peter Gabriel and some of Steve Hogarth’s style. Songs usually start off in acoustic singer-songwriter mode, with dry, close-miked vocals, then blossom into lush, majestic progressive rock. A wealth of subtle production effects warrants repeated listens. There’s a Ring of Myth connection, as Danny Flores contributes bass, classical guitar, and mandolin, and Scott Rader is currently the Ring of Myth drummer. One customer described this as “brilliant... the album Porcupine Tree hasn’t made yet”.
Product’s 2003 second CD Aire is currently out-of-print, but the band has plans to reissue it. Their third CD The Fire (2005, 63-minutes), released by the British Cyclops label, is based on the life of Nero and restores some of the fire that was missing from Aire. This album sounds like a meeting of Hogarth-era Marillion and Pink Floyd with touches of King Crimson, generally quite dark and moody as always. Product complete their water/air/fire/earth tetralogy in grand style with Earth (2008, 67-minutes), their most fully-realized work. Earth is based on the life of Nikola Tesla and reflects on our relationship with technology. Read the DPRP review.
Jack Foster III - JazzRaptor’s Secret ($4.99) 
Jack Foster III - Evolution of JazzRaptor ($13.99) Jack Foster III’s third CD Tame Until Hungry (2007, digipack) is billed as “Jack Foster III with Trent Gardner and Robert Berry”. Trent Gardner is of course Magellan’s mastermind, and Robert Berry should be well-known from his stint with Emerson and Palmer in the short-lived 3, his solo albums, and working with most of the acts on the Magna Carta label during the 1990s. These three musicians are of like mind, and although Foster is firmly in control here, the result will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Magellan and Robert Berry, and probably Spock’s Beard as well. Tame Until Hungry also suggests a John Wetton who had been born later; Foster’s music is more contemporary and higher energy than Wetton’s, with far fewer ballads. There is a serious singing and songwriting talent at work here, and fortunately for us, Foster frames his songs in adventurous arrangements. There is a strong pop/rock sensibility, surrounded by plenty of symphonic prog elements. 61-minutes. Read the DPRP and Prognaut reviews.
Gardner also produced, arranged, and played on (keys, vocals, percussion) all of Foster’s first album Evolution of JazzRaptor (2004). It was recorded at Robert Berry’s studio, and Berry plays on almost every track (bass, drums, guitar). Ignore the word “jazz” in the title. It’s a very good album that covers a lot of territory and integrates it all into a proggy whole. As with Tame..., Spock’s Beard fans as well as Magellan fans will probably enjoy this album a lot. This is the Musea edition.
On Raptorgnosis (2005, 62-minutes), Foster again gets a lot of help from Trent Gardner and Robert Berry. This one is less progressive, coming closest to 1990s Rush, with a bit of early Chicago here, a bit of Queen there, that sort of thing. As you’d expect from these guys, it’s very professional and competent, but more of an energetic AOR album than a symphonic progressive one.
Jack Foster III’s 2008 CD JazzRaptor’s Secret again features Robert Berry on every track and Trent Gardner on all but two tracks. This one is as good as contemporary American-style progressive rock gets. Think of Echolyn with some latter-day Yes stirred in and you’ll be very close. Many prog fans will pass on albums that are under an individual’s name while snapping up albums by, say, Magellan, though Magellan is no more and no less a band than Jack Foster III is. And this album sounds every bit as much like a band as Echolyn does. So at this stage, prog fans ignore Jack Foster III at their own peril. What else can we say, JazzRaptor’s Secret is really, really good!
John Orr Franklin - Transformation ($11.99) Transformation (2009, digipack) is the second CD for guitarist/singer/songwriter John Orr Franklin from Austin, Texas. Franklin also adds keyboards and bass and is assisted by other musicians on bass, drums, and backing vocals. His guitar style is close to David Gilmour’s, and Transformation is a melodic progressive rock album that may remind listeners of Gilmour’s solo albums at times, with a predominance of songs rather than instrumentals, the work of a guitarist more interested in establishing himself as a songwriter. The Gilmour style is blended with something resembling The Alan Parsons Project or Duncan Browne, that end-of-the-1970s aesthetic (though there are modern elements), rhythmically straightforward but with world class songwriting. Many of the songs here have exceptional choruses, and the two instrumentals are gorgeous, concise symphonic rock pieces. The production is excellent. There are prog fans who won’t give consideration to a CD under an individual’s name unless the individual is from a well-known band, regardless of how an album was actually recorded; in this case it’s their loss.
Celestial O’euvre - This Mortal Coil ($11.99) From the New York City area, Celestial O’euvre’s name may not roll off the tongue, but they are a progressive rock band and are not trying to hide it. Taking cues from Yes, ELP, and other 1970s bands, their sound is huge and full of pomp, sometimes with an AOR flavor, but don’t worry, this isn’t Styx. The lead guitarist of the band is Joe Nardulli, who has a CD under his own name and one by his own band Ad Astra. Singer Joe Acaba reminds us of the singer for Isopoda, though we’re pretty sure Acaba has never fronted a Belgian progressive rock band. Keyboardist Jose Damien and drummer Hector Lopez are also superb musicians. The core members of Celestial O’euvre have been writing and playing progressive rock since the mid-1970s, and the band’s aesthetic is of that era, full of Yes-like positivity.
Second Chance (2005) is their debut, released by the band. It caught the attention of Montreal’s Unicorn Digital label, who released the band’s second CD This Mortal Coil (2009). Sadly, Jose Damien passed away in 2007, which would explain the title of the second album. But as the band had been working on the second album for some time, Damien still plays all the keyboards and bass and has several writing credits.
Deluge Grander - The Form of the Good ($12.99) 
Deluge Grander sprung from the ashes of Baltimore progressive band Cerebus Effect. It was the addition of keyboardist Dan Britton that made the final Cerebus Effect CD their most symphonic, and on their 2006 debut August in the Urals, Deluge Grander continue in that same direction, more symphonic and, well, grander. Britton is the primary composer here, and he is a tremendous keyboardist. The pieces vary from long to really long, so that only five tracks comprise the 71-minute CD. No one will be able to digest this music in one go. It is complex symphonic prog in a 1970s style, with some vocals but no attempts at songs per se, as instrumental content clearly dominates. The 27-minute first track is the closest to Cerebus Effect, the most angular and dissonant of the pieces, though the dissonance is used more for contrast than as the sole style. The other tracks are more melodic and symphonic. There are many possible reference points, including King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Fireballet, Genesis, and Yes, but the music rarely suggests any other band for long. There are times when Britton’s piano playing suggests John Tout and Renaissance, times when his organ playing suggests Rick Wakeman, and lots of times when he uses Mellotron strings. This album has turned a lot of heads among the fan base for classic progressive rock.
Birds and Buildings is Dan Britton’s other band and is fairly similar. The two bands also share a bass player. Bantam to Behemoth (2008, 69-minutes) has some vocals by Britton and a female singer on one track, but they are so buried in the mix that this still feels like an instrumental CD. The major difference between this and Deluge Grander is the presence of a woodwinds (sax, flute, clarinet) player in the band. The flute tends to be used in the gentler, pastoral passages, while the sax is used in the more energetic passages. The sax style is similar to David Jackson or Mel Collins, ranging from melodic to frenzied. The presence of sax leads to comparisons with King Crimson, Van der Graaf Generator, and Gong, and there is more of a Canterbury influence here than in Deluge Grander. There are still gobs of Mellotron strings and choir, and highly-skilled ensemble playing. The production is a little bass-shy, but overall this is a tremendous CD in the tradition of the complex side of British symphonic progressive.
The Birds and Buildings CD was recorded between the two Deluge Grander CDs, and the second Deluge Grander CD The Form of the Good (2009) seems to have more in common with Bantam to Behemoth than August in the Urals, perhaps not surprising given that B&B’s woodwind player guests here. The Form of the Good is entirely instrumental and has more of the sonic maelstrom approach of the French band Clearlight. Here the core quartet of keys/guitar/bass/drums in augmented by a large number of guests contributing clarinet, flute, sax, violin, cello, trumpet, trombone, and oboe. Clearlight had Didier Malherbe’s woodwinds and either David Cross’s or Didier Lockwood’s violin, so Deluge Grander usually have a sonic counterpart to those in the mix here. As with B&B, this is blended with a more symphonic style highlighted by Mellotron.
The Fractured Dimension - Towards the Mysterium ($9.99) Toward the Mysterium (2008, 60-minutes) is the debut by an American band of musical mad scientists, playing intricate instrumental progressive rock and symphonic fusion on the avant-garde side. The musicianship is high caliber, with synths and piano to the fore, giving the band a symphonic sound. It’s not only the playing that is dazzling in its complexity, but the compositions themselves, which are highly structured and influenced by contemporary classical. As the band describe themselves: “not technical for the sake of being technical, but extremely musical for the sake of transcending normality”. Frank Zappa would be impressed. Note there may have once been a CD-R version of this, but this is a replicated CD. Read the Proggnosis review.
The Other Side - A Higher Vantage Point ($11.99) The Other Side are a Colorado instrumental progressive trio led by composer/keyboardist/saxophonist Alan Mallery, who is also a member of the fusion band Zed. The other members of The Other Side play bass and drums, so this is classic keyboard progressive rock. The first song blends Egg and Happy the Man. The second song is Genesis style, joyous and bombastic. Later tracks introduce an American fusion-tinged style, a little ELP, a little heaviness, and so it goes. The final track is dedicated to Peter Bardens and has a strong Camel feel. The Genesis symphonic style is probably the strongest of the various influences. Mallery uses piano, organ and Mellotron, but doesn’t restrict himself to retro sounds -- the variety of keyboard sounds is one of the album’s strong points. The sax is used sparingly but is always played melodically. Certainly a contender for best keyboard prog album of 2008.
Zed - You Are Here ($11.99) The Colorado-based fusion quartet Zed includes guitarist Scott Cleland, also a member of prog band Singularity, saxophonist/keyboardist Alan Mallery, also a member of The Other Side, bassist Jeff Smith and drummer Ian Keldin. You Are Here (2008) is Zed’s debut, on which they play Weather Report-style fusion. Lightweight digipack, counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
3RDegree - Narrow-Caster ($11.99) 
Narrow-Caster is the 2008 CD from New Jersey progressive rock band 3RDegree, whose first CD was 1996’s Human Interest Story CD, following a 1993 cassette-only release. 3RDegree disbanded in 1997 but reformed more recently, finding their new singer and playing their first live shows in over ten years at the NJ Proghouse in 2007. The DVD+2CD The Reunion Concerts (counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping) contains their traditional electric show plus an unplugged show. The show was recorded in 1080i HD (downres’d for the DVD) and 24-bit audio (downres’d for the CDs), 16:9 widescreen. These are recordable CDs and DVDs housed in an Amaray case. The DVD is NTSC, all-region and includes some behind-the-scenes and interview footage.
Narrow-Caster is a contemporary-sounding prog rock record, with some similarities to Echolyn or Izz. While lead singer George Dobbs has a voice that reminds us of Dave Lawson of Greenslade (though Dobbs is a better singer), 3RDegree’s greatest strength may be their Yes-like harmony vocals. The result is sometimes similar to the band Ring of Myth -- 3RDegree use more keyboards and are more melodic but lack the Howe-like guitar. Narrow-Caster comes in a lightweight “Eco-Wallet” and counts as only one-half CD for shipping. Read reviews at DPRP, Sea of Tranquility, The Prog Files, USA Progressive Music, and Rock Report. Human Interest Story (72-minutes) is also an excellent album of Ameri-prog, sounding like a cross between Rush and Echolyn.
Electric Forgiveness - Echoes & Booms ($12.99) While recording keyboard tracks for the band Third of Never, The Who keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick began a collaboration with Third of Never guitarist Jon Dawson. They brought in Jeremy Morris of Pilgrim’s Journey and Celestial City fame to play guitar on many of the tracks of this 2008 CD. The resulting material is nothing like Third of Never or The Who. What it is like is Porcupine Tree’s Voyage 34, flowing spacey instrumental tracks where progressive rock meets electronica, with similar found vocals from an old record about LSD or something. Call it Voyage 34A, another great trip. The song titles also provide clues to their inspirations, e.g., Tangerine Dreams, Gilmour Was Pink, Eno the Disco, Valentine from a Porcupine, Syd Barrett Blues, Dark Side of the Sun, and an alternate mix of the last song referred to as the “Looking for Hackett mix”. 77-minutes.
Third of Never - Moodring ($9.99) This is a short CD at 31:37, hence the low price. The first three tracks (12-minutes) of the CD are why this is here. John “Rabbit” Bundrick, keyboardist of The Who, plays on seven tracks on this CD, but his presence is felt most strongly on the first three. He plays Mellotron on the first track Mystic Slide, which is a Mellotron wet dream and will startle those old enough to remember the days of bands such as Spring and Fantasy. It sounds like something from 1970, from the period when psychedelic pop was becoming progressive rock. Slathered with powerful Mellotron strings, it is a style you probably thought you’d heard the last of. The next two tracks Bag of Boxes and DJ are almost as good. The rest of the CD is power pop, a modern, high-energy take on The Beatles, The Kinks, and The Who. If only the whole CD had stayed in the British proto-prog style, we’d be talking retro masterpiece. If you have an affinity for the power pop style too, then this is a no-brainer.
Hermetic Science - These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruins ($15.99) Ed Macan is the author of Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture, the definitive scholarly tome on progressive rock, and Endless Enigma: A Musical Biography of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He also has his band Hermetic Science, who released their first three CDs between 1997-2001. Macan’s biggest influence seems to be Keith Emerson, especially harmonically.
These Fragments... is the 2008 Hermetic Science CD, their first for Musea, and their first studio album since En Route in 2001. Paul Whitehead provided the cover art. Here Macan divides his time between piano, Hammond, mallet percussion, and synths, with Jason Hoopes on bass and six-string guitars and Angelique Curry on drums. The music is sophisticated classical rock, with ELP still the closest reference. The difference is in the execution and feel. ELP sound like a rock band when they play classical-rock, whereas Hermetic Science perform it more in the manner of classical music, with a feel closer to that of a chamber ensemble.
Emily Bezar - Exchange ($9.99) 
Emily Bezar’s music is breathtaking, magical, and defies categorization. As Exposé magazine said, “Bezar is a genre unto herself”. Emily is a northern Californian who spent time living in Europe. It’s impossible not to think of Kate Bush when hearing Emily sing. She is a classically-trained pianist, and her virtuoso piano playing is at the center of her music along with her incredible voice, which has similarities to Kate’s but is more operatic. While Emily’s music flirts with pop, it is much more progressive and less pop-oriented than Kate’s. But each of her albums is distinct, making it difficult to generalize about them. Her 1993 debut Grandmother’s Tea Leaves (out-of-print) was her most intimate and, at times, experimental, but the style established here is at the core of all her following albums. Emily formed a band (adding guitar/bass/drums) to record Moon in Grenadine (1996) and Four Walls Bending (1999). Her bandmates are also stellar players. Of her first four albums, Four Walls Bending is the most (progressive) rock-oriented.
Angels’ Abacus (2004) is a long one at 73-minutes. Here she uses a varying lineup of musicians rather than the fixed band of the previous two albums, and there are more electronic textures. While it isn’t as rock-oriented as the previous album, Angels’ Abacus is more sophisticated and ambitious. As Emily describes it, “This is music as architecture, as crystalline objects in time, with no agenda but its own sensual and complex beauty.” Is it progressive rock? To our way of thinking it is, but every genre from fusion to cabaret to rock will undoubtedly want to claim Emily as their own. The production and recording quality are exceptional, and this CD as well as Four Walls Bending are HDCD-encoded.
Patience pays off, as Emily’s 2008 album Exchange (72-minutes) is stunning, merging all aspects of her previous work into her most progressive album and perhaps the most live-sounding. On this CD, Emily again has a more than capable band with her, including saxes, trumpet, trombone, violin and cello in addition to guitar, bass and drums. There is a lot of jazz influence in the sophisticated harmonic vocabulary, but the result is closer to Hatfield and the North than jazz per se. Emotionally these songs have a depth and intimacy that reminds one of Peter Gabriel, but with feminine rather than masculine energy. Kate Bush is the better pop songstress, but Emily’s work is musically more intricate and challenging. Forget about pretenders like Tori Amos – that is pop, this is art.
Rich Casey - Shadowblack ($11.99) 
Boston’s (the city, not the band) Rich Casey has quietly been producing some stellar keyboard-dominated symphonic prog CDs, and making steady progress with each release. No Way Out, Casey’s 2006 debut, divides its time between progressive rock and symphonic/melodic/rhythmic synth music. Apart from a drummer who plays on three tracks, a female singer on one track and a soprano sax player on another, this is Casey’s show. While it’s a keyboard-dominated album, Casey also plays electric guitar on nearly half the tracks. His primary influence is Tony Banks, and even the synth music tracks often sound like Tony Banks doing solo synth music. 69-minutes.
House of Cards (2007, 59-minutes) is a keyboard-centric progressive rock album and is more band-oriented than his first CD. Casey still handles keys and electric guitar but has brought in a drummer on seven of the tracks, a female singer on five tracks, a male singer on one, and a guest guitarist. 1970s Genesis/Tony Banks remains the dominant influence, while a few tracks have more of a Goblin or Il Balletto di Bronzo feel.
Shadowblack (2008, digipack) is Casey’s best to date. There are two tracks with vocals by Gabrielle Agachiko; the rest is instrumental. His other guests are Walter Stickle (guitar solos, sax solo) and Tony Caliendo (drums) from Pink Floyd tribute band Pink Voyd. The aforementioned influences are also present on this album, along with one excellent Tangerine Dream-ish track. Some beautiful Mellotron strings and choir on this one. “Dark, atmospheric explorations is the name of the game here. Symphonic layers with a focus on mood exploration in mostly slow-paced compositions is the main feature throughout, more often than not setting up multiple layered pompous sonic tapestries with one dominant and one or two additional underscoring melodic layers. Bass and drums provide rhythms, acoustic and electric guitars are added sparingly; the latter mostly in the form of atmospheric guitar soloing. Nothing really complex on this production, but fans of symphonic rock inspired by Genesis of old, and in particular those enjoying music in this style at its most lush and mellow, may find this one intriguing, especially if dark, melancholic moods are of general interest.” [Prog Archives]
Rubber Universe - Parliament of Fooles ($11.99) Rubber Universe is a band from the American Midwest that grew out of an Alan Parsons Project tribute band called Projectronics, as unlikely as the existence of an APP tribute band may seem. The band consists of eight musicians (three female) plus guests, with both male and female vocals. Their debut album Parliament of Fooles (2008) features contributions from APP members Ian Bairnson, Godfrey Townsend, and Eric Woolfson. The music is unique amongst current progressive rock bands, most similar to APP’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination, impressionistic and European-sounding, often with a Floydian spaciness and pacing and sometimes similar to the more peaceful Eloy tracks. The production is excellent. As the band says, Parliament of Fooles is a concept album about dreams from cultural, psychological, and historical perspectives, and includes ideas and narrative text from Edgar Allan Poe, Geoffrey Chaucer, Freud, and Dante, among many others.
Pravda - Walking Through Walls ($8.99) Pravda are an American progressive band from Boise, Idaho whose two CDs are quite different from each other. Their 2003 debut The Echoing Sounds has vocals on the majority of tracks. There is a mix of symphonic prog and classic rock here, but the instrumental content is stronger than the vocals; the vocals just seem to be holding the music back. Which may be why Pravda abandoned vocals entirely on their 2006 second CD Walking Through Walls. Here they are more focused and aggressive, with guitar playing a larger role, while the rough production edges of their debut have been smoothed out. They are also heavier here, inviting comparisons to Liquid Tension Experiment or Djam Karet. There is little improvisation or jamming though, as everything sounds structured. One could also mention Rush, Umphrey’s McGee, and Dream Theater. There may actually be more symphonic keyboards on The Echoing Sounds, though unevenly distributed, but Walking Through Walls is the better progressive rock album.
Charles Brown - Journey in a New Land (CD-R, $9.99) Denver Guitarist Charles Brown plays instrumental symphonic progressive that combines hard rock riffs (think Ritchie Blackmore) with soaring guitar synth melodies and lush, acoustic and classical guitar textures and interludes. Few guitarists make progressive rock as lushly orchestrated and epic as this, as the synths and guitar are actually of equal weight here, and it even gets bombastic (just the way prog fans love it!). Brown has seven albums to his credit; Journey in a New Land is from 2007 and Thru the Flames is from 2003. Start with Journey in a New Land. Note these are CD-Rs with inkjet-printed booklets/inlays. Here are reviews of Journey in a New Land and Thru the Flames from an English-language Polish review site.
Ad Astra - Ad Astra ($12.99) New York-based guitarist Joe Nardulli’s debut CD (see below) inspired and intrigued a bunch of local progressive rock musos. After jamming with a few, Joe finally found the right keyboardist, bassist and drummer for his live band who have now become Ad Astra. Their 2008 debut CD takes the style of Nardulli’s solo album to another level, with the compositional contributions of the other musicians and a full band recording. This is top-notch guitar-led symphonic prog with touches of fusion, featuring a fluid, thematic playing style and soaring, uplifting melodies. Nardulli is also guitarist in the prog rock band Celestial O’euvre, whose second CD is due soon.
Joe Nardulli - same ($11.99) Now when you read that this is a guitarist’s solo CD, a large percentage of you are going to yawn. We made that mistake too. Joe Nardulli’s 2003 debut CD is in a class with Steve Morse. Nardulli doesn’t attempt the stylistic diversity of a typical Morse CD, but that works to the prog fan’s advantage, as this album is nothing but the good stuff. Nardulli has the skill, tone, and melodic sensibility of an Eric Johnson, and while he has soloing skills on a par with the usual cast of guitar gods, Nardulli doesn’t just blast away over a few chords in 4/4 time. The odd and shifting time signatures and the chord progressions make this so much more engaging, and that he can keep the energy level so high and still leave you wanting more is a feat in itself. Soaring melodies and exceptional compositions and arrangements set this apart from most guitarists’ CDs.
Static - Patterns ($11.99) Static are a New York City band based around drummer David Penna and guitarist Mike Fortin, with other musicians lending a hand on bass and keys. Penna is also the drummer in Ad Astra. In Static’s own words, they play “heavy instrumental progressive rock fusion”. Keyboards play only a minor role; this is a guitar-god album in which the drummer gets equal billing. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know, this DPRP review will.
Spirits Burning & Bridget Wishart - Earth Born ($17.99) Spirits Burning are an ad hoc space rock collective led by keyboardist Don Falcone, a member of Trap and Spaceship Eyes. On Reflections in a Radio Shower (2001, 72-minutes), other participants include guitarist-singer Daevid Allen (Gong), drummer Paul Williams (Quarkspace), Karen Anderson (Spaceship Eyes), and Kurt Gerwers (The Moor). Many other guests contribute to this adventurous space rock extravaganza, revisiting the influences of its participants. The miracles of technology allow the participation of the late Robert Calvert (Hawkwind).
The fifth Spirits Burning album Earth Born (2008) features Bridget Wishart, best known as the only female singer for Hawkwind. She was part of that crew from 1989-1991, appearing on four albums and one DVD. Earth Born involved 29 musicians including Simon House, Daevid Allen, Richard Wileman (Karda Estra), Cyndee Lee Rule, members of Cartoon, Jefferson Starship and more. Click the mp3 icon next to this title to go to a website dedicated to this album, where in addition to audio samples there are reviews and all the info you need.
Terramara - Dust & Fiction ($11.99) Minneapolis-based Terramara are a progressive pop band that, on their second album Four Blocks to Hennepin (2005), sounded like the second coming of Steely Dan blended with Sting. Terramara returned in 2008 with Dust & Fiction (digipack), which shifts away from the Steely Dan style and toward XTC. At times Terramara could be the American equivalent to older English progressive pop bands such as Stackridge, 10cc, or City Boy, with their quirky art-pop of Beatles lineage. With Terramara, the progressive aspect comes from the keyboard-centric arrangements, the clever harmonic twists and turns, lush harmonies and layered sound. Simultaneously intelligent and incredibly catchy, they might just single-handedly save pop music.
Never Wasn’t - same ($12.99) Never Wasn’t is a U.S. symphonic prog band made up of seasoned musicians, debuting in 2008 with this self-titled 67-minute CD. Their primary influence is Yes, to which they add some AOR flavoring as American prog bands have usually been inclined to do. Guitarist Mike Matier was formerly in Ten Jinn. Singer Ronny Lapine has a powerful voice which is more typical of rock singers of eras past, and he is a huge Yes and Jon Anderson fan. The best tracks here are the most Yes-like, along with the more Tull-ish Leprechaun. Overall an excellent progressive rock CD oriented toward the late 1970s into the early 1980s, and further evidence that Yes had the greatest impact in the U.S. of any progressive rock band. (ELP was close, but Genesis received no substantial airplay in the U.S. until Follow You Follow Me, at which point it was too late.)
Invisigoth - Narcotica ($13.99) Narcotica (2008, 70-minutes), the second album from this New York State duo, is a big step forward from their debut. There is only a little metal here and the music, while dark, is not relentlessly so. It’s an impressive symphonic prog album with somewhat of a psychedelic rock opera feel. There is a wealth of detail in the music, layer upon layer it. The lack of a human drummer sometimes holds the music back just a little, but also gives it a modern feel, and this is definitely a modern progressive record. Magellan having an hallucination may be the best reference.
Magellan - Innocent God ($15.99) 
Symphony for a Misanthrope (2005) is the sixth CD for Magellan. By now most prog fans should know what to expect, a heavy symphonic rock along the lines of a heavier and more bombastic Kansas. So perhaps not surprisingly, Steve Walsh guests on keys. The ubiquitous Robert Berry also puts in a guest appearance. When Magellan first began, a valid criticism was that you could break up their long tracks into small sections, rearrange them in any order, and it would make no difference. By now their writing skills have improved and their compositions flow more logically, including the epic piece on ...Misanthrope, the 18-minute Cranium Reef Suite. This is the special edition of Magellan’s previous CD Impossible Figures (2003), which comes in the hardcover digibook format and includes the bonus track Hallucination. Sure it gets overblown at times, but it wouldn’t be Magellan if it didn’t.
On Innocent God (2007), Trent and Wayne Gardner are joined by Robert Berry throughout. Trent states that Innocent God is a transitional album and that Magellan is in the process of moving out of traditional 1970s-style progressive rock. But have no fear; this is still very obviously a symphonic prog album. The only thing they’ve done is keep the song lengths under 10 minutes and moderate the heavy, overblown style of their past. It works, as Magellan’s ideas were sometimes overstretched on their longer tracks, and now the song ideas are better developed. This is the Musea label edition.
Jordan Rudess - The Road Home ($15.99) On this 2007 CD, Jordan Rudess pays tribute to progressive rock itself with his full-length renditions of Dance on a Volcano (Genesis), Sound Chaser (Yes), Just the Same (Gentle Giant), Tarkus (ELP); a piano medley with bits of Soon, Supper’s Ready, I Talk to the Wind, And You and I (you know damn well which bands wrote these); and one original composition. Guests include Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), Neal Morse, Rod Morgenstein (Dixie Dregs), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles), and more. Digipack.
Little Atlas - Hollow ($12.99) 
Little Atlas is a Miami-based progressive rock band whose lineage is certainly Genesis, Yes, or Kansas, but they are not retro. Their songs seemingly are built up around a core of piano and voice, giving the music that organic, natural sound of the 1970s prog bands. Songcraft is one of Little Atlas’s strong points. Surface Serene (2003) is an engaging musical journey that harkens back to those classic progressive songs, but with lots of new twists and energy. Wanderlust (2005) represents a more adventurous and mature work than Surface Serene, which was already quite a good prog rock CD. All the songs on Wanderlust were fully co-written by the four band members, the compositions filled with vocal-driven melodic passages punctuated by thrilling instrumental flights. Little Atlas is a working, live band, so the songs feel like they were fleshed out by playing them live before entering the studio and enhancing them with studio wizardry. If Surface Serene led some to dub Little Atlas as “Spock’s Beard Jr.”, then Wanderlust may reverse that relationship – we would take Wanderlust over Octane. Frogg Cafe’s Bill Ayasse contributes violin to the final track. As a bonus, the CD contains a multi-camera live video of the band performing one song, playable on a computer.
Hollow (2007) is Little Atlas’s masterpiece, at least until their next CD. Their sound has evolved significantly, and the production quality has improved with each CD. While the music still resembles Spock’s Beard or Echolyn at times, here it is more intense and moody. And yet the dark passages are in perfect balance with the uplifting passages, and the contemporary prog style is balanced by classic prog stylings and vintage keyboard sounds. An exceptional record.
Spiraling - Time Travel Made Easy ($11.99) + free CD-EP Spiraling is the band of keyboardist/singer Tom Brislin, who has played with both Yes and Camel and is a contributing editor at Keyboard magazine. Brislin is a tremendous keyboardist and apparently a very quick study. We haven’t actually listened to Spiraling’s previous CDs, because all indications are that they are primarily indie pop. But Time Travel Made Easy (2008) can easily be called modern progressive (you were expecting Yes or Camel?) with strong pop songwriting. Keyboards have the central role and are responsible for nearly all the proggy elements, while the guitar is usually in the modern rock style. Many of the tracks are not far from The Pineapple Thief, Porcupine Tree, and their ilk. This is catchy stuff with enough going on musically to satisfy the progressive rock fan. Digipack (soft hub, no plastic tray). While supplies last, we are including Spiraling’s 2004 four-song CD-EP Challenging Stage at no extra charge.
Ghost Circus - Across the Line ($13.99) Ghost Circus is a collaboration between Dutch musician Ronald Wahle (guitars, keys, drums) and American Chris Brown (vocals, guitars, bass, keys). Cycles (2006, 56-minutes) is an intelligent and impressive debut with a full-band sound. It is melodic modern progressive rock with touches of prog-metal and sophisticated pop/alternative. Brown has a slightly gruff voice that is very much in-vogue, while the instrumental passages are unmistakably symphonic progressive. If you crossed Marillion’s Marbles with the Polish band Riverside, you’d probably end up pretty close to Ghost Circus.
Across the Line (2008, 70-minutes) is their more fully-realized follow-up, a concept album “following one man’s path from death to the hereafter”. Wahle and Brown again prove that distance is no impediment to producing an album that sounds the same as a full band. Aside from a little metal, this is creative symphonic prog with a contemporary edge and a melodic sense that is not so common these days. They use modern music technology to full advantage. (Anyone who thinks that means cut-and-paste, loop-based music is not keeping up.) The ten-minute title track that concludes the album may be the highlight, as it builds to a Mellotron-and-all climax.
Discipline - To Shatter All Accord ($12.99) 
Discipline - Push & Profit ($12.99) 
Discipline have rightly been hailed as the American Van der Graaf Generator. Unfolded Like Staircase (1997, 65-minutes) is the second and superior of the first two Discipline studio CDs, boasting three nearly 15-minute songs including the brilliant Canto IV (Limbo) as well as the 22-minute epic Into the Dream. Majestic and dramatic, it varies from soft and brooding to confident and aggressive, a classic of 1990s progressive rock. This is the new 2011 digipack edition (same data, different packaging).
While Unfolded Like Staircase is their (first) masterpiece, Push & Profit (1993) is no slouch. In addition to the nascent Hammill/Van der Graaf influence, there are elements of Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Caravan. Discipline manage to sound British without it sounding like an affectation and without cloning anyone’s style.
Live Days (2010) is a superb double live set. The Cyclops label went through Discipline’s collection of live concerts to choose the best performances, which include all their classics along with rare versions and tracks never recorded in the studio (at least to that point). All are taken from top quality recordings and mastered for excellent sound quality. Highlights include Mickey Mouse Man, which was regularly played live but never recorded in the studio; the nearly 20-minute Before the Storm; Circuitry, another lost track; the epic Canto IV; the unreleased Homegrown; a rarely-played live version of Systems; the unreleased Wrists, which shows Discipline did listen to early Genesis; the tour de force Into the Dream; another unreleased track Diminished and several more, over 150 minutes total. The detailed booklet contains many unreleased photos. For those not familiar with Discipline, you couldn’t ask for a better introduction.
To Shatter All Accord (digipack) is Discipline’s 2011 studio CD, featuring the same lineup that recorded Unfolded Like Staircase. Just five tracks span 57-minutes. “For a band to return after 10+ years with an effort this strong is a rarity. To find a band firing on all cylinders, almost like they never broke up, is nothing short of amazing. To Shatter All Accord not only matches the band’s previous effort, but with Parmenter’s engineering skills improving substantially since Horror Express in 2008, this may be Discipline’s greatest statement yet.” [Examiner.com] Check our DVDs page for Discipline’s Live 1995 DVD.
Matthew Parmenter is known for his narrative songwriting and costumed performances as leader and front-man of Discipline, earning him the title of the American Peter Hammill. The first album under his own name, Astray (2004, 68-minutes) is decidedly psychedelic in atmosphere and striking in its early 1970s British vibe. Parmenter’s voice is smoother than Hammill’s, and Astray is much more of a progressive rock album than nearly any Hammill solo album. Parmenter was the main creative force in Discipline and came to dominate the band more and more, so in all important respects, this is the third Discipline studio album. Parmenter shows he is quite capable of handling the guitar and drums in addition to all the instruments he covered in Discipline. Discipline bassist Mathew Kennedy appears throughout the CD, the sole guest musician. Parmenter is modestly credited with “vocals, et cetera”, which includes piano, guitar, drums, saxophone, violin, organ, synthesizers, marimba, Theremin, and Mellotron. While Van der Graaf is the dominant influence, especially on the magnificent 21-minute finale Modern Times, there is also a substantial Pink Floyd influence as well as King Crimson circa 1973.
Parmenter handles everything on Horror Express (2008, 63-minutes): keyboards, violin, cello, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, and of course vocals. The result is again very much like a full band and more suggestive of Peter Hammill than ever before. But while voice and piano are often at the core of the songs -- Parmenter plays an 1880 Steinway piano throughout -- this is like a Peter Hammill solo album with all Van der Graaf Generator musicians playing on it. As with Astray, Horror Express is much more of a progressive rock album, much more orchestrated than most Hammill albums. A world-class work. There are in-depth reviews at Progscape.com and DPRP.
Acuity - Skyward ($12.99)Skyward is the 2004 debut for this American band or project out of Michigan, and it is a terrific one, with an aesthetic similar to Discipline and Eyestrings. Acuity is well aware of those other Michigan bands, seeing as how Matthew Parmenter guests on violin on one track. After a somewhat out-of-place first track of heavy and fast guitar rock, this settles into magical 1970s-style progressive rock with complex, long tracks full of atmosphere. Mellotron is key to the album’s feel, and other vintage-sounding synths are also employed. Like Discipline, the style comes closest to Van der Graaf Generator, but there is also some Genesis, Rush, and Led Zeppelin in there. The lyrics are in the verbose Peter Hammill vein, and the vocal style fits well with the music. 68-minutes.
Ryan Parmenter - The Noble Knave ($12.99) Ryan Parmenter is the leader of the band Eyestrings. One can hear songwriting chops and a melodic sense underlying Eyestrings’ dark, brooding progressive rock that is absent in many prog bands, and on The Noble Knave (2007), Parmenter makes that songwriting ability abundantly clear. The Noble Knave is a wonderful progressive pop album, a collection of songs written by Parmenter over the past ten years. There is a strong Beatles influence, songs reminiscent of City Boy, some Beach Boys-level vocal harmonies, and much more. It is lively, fun, and very English. How a guy from Michigan can make such English-sounding music is a mystery. It’s all very clever and carried off with an obvious progressive sensibility, and the album is not as self-consciously retro nor as derivative as some other modern attempts at bringing the spirit of The Beatles forward. This is a must for fans of Fritz Doddy’s The Feeling of Far album, which is quite similar.
Eyestrings - Burdened Hands ($9.99) SALE!Burdened Hands is the 2004 debut by a Michigan-based four-man band led by vocalist/keyboardist/composer Ryan Parmenter. If that last name looks familiar, Ryan is the nephew of Matthew Parmenter, and Eyestrings’ bassist and drummer have both been members of Discipline. This is a reasonably astounding debut, as the band has taken influences from the Beatles to the prog rock giants (Genesis, King Crimson, Yes) through to Tears for Fears and Radiohead and made it all their own. There is a great deal of variety here, yet the band pulls off the difficult trick of making it all sound cohesive. And it is all prog. Probably the closest reference is Echolyn with a little Discipline blended in (and more explicit Genesis references), especially in the way the band can be simultaneously retro and modern, and in the level of chops on display. 66-minutes.
Holding Pattern - Breaking the Silence ($12.99) One of America’s great symphonic prog bands Holding Pattern has reunited with original members Tony Spada (guitars), Tony Castellano (bass, keys), and Mark Tannenbaum (keys), plus drummer Rob Gottfried, who played on Spada’s The Human Element. Original drummer Robert Hutchinson appears on the bonus live version of Honor Before Glory from the first Holding Pattern album, this version recorded live in Japan in 2005. Breaking the Silence (2007) is a more symphonic development of the style of The Human Element. It is instrumental and sounds like the Dixie Dregs at their most symphonic, and every bit as good. Some influences of 70s King Crimson and Happy the Man are also present. Essential instrumental progressive rock. Paul Whitehead provided the cover art.
Holding Pattern’s four-song, 29-minute debut album was originally released on vinyl in 1981, back when you could get away with calling that a full-length album. This is a classic instrumental symphonic prog album. The first two tracks are heavily influenced by Genesis (Mellotron and all), the third by Camel, and the fourth by Happy the Man. More great music in a half hour here than on most of today’s 70-minute CDs.
Tony Spada - Balance of Power ($9.99) American guitarist Tony Spada is known to prog fans for his band Holding Pattern but also for his 1993 album Balance of Power. The first edition of Balance of Power was on the Art Sublime label but had been out-of-print for a long time. This 2007 edition on the Cypher Arts label comes in a wide-format, fold-open cardboard sleeve. The album is instrumental except for one vocal track. Spada is backed here by most of the members of the final incarnation of Holding Pattern, most notably bassist/keyboardist Tony Castellano. It is an excellent album of guitar-oriented progressive rock, with nods to Steve Hackett and Steve Morse.
Spada returned in 2005 with The Human Element, which features Tony on guitars and guitar synth, ace session man Rob Gottfried on drums, and Tony Castellano on bass and keys. This could pass for a prime period Dixie Dregs album. The violin and bluegrass are absent, but otherwise Spada covers every style you’d find on a Dregs album and a bit more. Spada has played quite a few shows with Steve Morse, and includes one Morse composition on this album.
Tony Castellano - The Red Hour ($10.99)Tony Castellano is known for playing bass and keys in Holding Pattern, and his earlier CD-EP Fun Size received a little attention, but the 70-minute follow-up The Red Hour (recorded 1997-1999) seems to have fallen between the cracks. It’s criminal negligence, because this is a fantastic progressive rock CD, actually closer to the original Holding Pattern style than the current Holding Pattern. For the most part, it is very Genesis-influenced, but not a sonic clone as with The Watch; The Red Hour shows a distinct personality and more charm. Some of it reminds us of Stefan Zauner, a reference that is sure to help two or three of you. Castellano sings and plays everything including drums, with help from another drummer on several tracks and many different guitarists contributing guitar solos, including Tony Spada. It is indistinguishable from a full band. Here are excerpts from the tracks Recurrence, Cyclops, and The Big Bang in Windows Media Audio format.
Carlton Walker - Avery: A Rock Opera ($12.99) Yup, it’s a rock opera. Avery is the 2007 creation of Carlton Walker from Tennessee, who assembled a full band to realize this 74-minute CD, the instrumentation including keyboards, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, drums, flute, violin, viola, cello and mandolin. Walker lists his influences succinctly as Peter Gabriel, Genesis, and The Who, and given that Walker’s singing voice is fairly Gabriel-esque, it’s easy to feel the Gabriel/Genesis influence. But Avery is executed differently, with the strings and other acoustic instruments having a big impact on the sound and style, perhaps Genesis in an alternate (less British, for one) reality. As Walker puts it, “Take one disc from Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and one disc from The Who’s Quadrophenia and shuffle them. I wore out several copies of both those albums and they’re still rotating in my brain.” No one is suggesting that Avery is the equal of those albums, but you get the idea. The Who influence manifests on a couple tracks where you can hear those characteristic power chords. The Avery story is a self-referential one, about a guy who writes a rock opera (based on the medieval morality play Everyman).
Metaphor - The Sparrow ($12.99) out-of-stock Maybe all you need to know about this San Francisco-area band is that Metaphor spent two years as a classic-era Genesis tribute band. Their second CD Entertaining Thanatos (2004, 57-minutes) is a finely-crafted 1970s-style symphonic prog album with Genesis as the primary influence, replete with vintage keyboards (including Mellotron) and long dramatic tracks. Relative to their debut, the music incorporates a wider range of proggy influences (Gentle Giant, for one), expanding beyond the Genesis base. Fans of the Ad Infinitum CD especially should take note.
Metaphor’s 2007 third CD The Sparrow is a 71-minute rock opera about the first Jesuit mission to another planet, based on the best-selling novel by Mary Doria Russell and with the author’s cooperation. The music continues within the territory mapped out by the previous two CDs, with an even stronger individual identity emerging. Note the mp3 icon next to this title above links directly to a single mp3 containing several short clips from different songs on The Sparrow CD. More mp3 samples can be found at CDBaby.
Resistor - Rise ($11.99) Resistor is the electric band formed by Steve Unruh; the self-titled CD is their 2008 debut. Steve calls Resistor his “high-energy rock/prog/jam band”, and it’s where much of his musical energy has been going lately. Resistor is a quartet of two guitarists, bass and drums. Unruh sings lead and also adds flute and violin. Not surprisingly, the tracks with flute or violin are the most progressive, the flute tracks sounding like Jethro Tull with louder guitar (one such track is named Jethro Fran). Otherwise the first CD is guitar and more guitar, often with a grungy sound, though some tracks use cleaner jazz tones. If you’ve heard Steve Unruh’s solo albums, then some of the Resistor style will sound familiar. Some of it has a Rush La Villa Strangiato thing going on. Read the DPRP review.
Rise (2010), the second Resistor CD, is markedly proggier and for many will be their favorite of Steve Unruh’s now large catalog. Here is a full-length mp3 of the 16-minute song Mimosa. You might think that’s giving away a large part of the CD (albeit in lo-fi), but Rise runs 79-minutes, and Mimosa is not the longest track by a wide margin! That distinction belongs to the 10-part, 39:22 The Land of No Groove. Busy customers who can’t take time to listen for themselves always want the music summed up in a few words, so how about this: a merger of Umphrey’s McGee, Jethro Tull, Rush, and Nektar (specifically their jamming Sounds Like This style), with Ric Sanders guesting (had to get the fiddle in there somehow). Read the DPRP review.
Steve Unruh - Challenging Gravity ($11.99) out-of-stock 
Steve Unruh - Out of the Ashes ($11.99) 
Steve Unruh - The Beginning of a New Day ($10.99) 
These are progressive folk-rock albums from multi-instrumentalist/singer Steve Unruh. We don’t use the term progressive here lightly. The rock passages are high energy, and Unruh favors epic length tracks. Believe? (1997), his first, consists of two continuous suites, while most of the other albums are full of very long tracks. Unruh’s music is highly orchestrated and full of changes, and he’ll readily admit to being a major Yes and Dream Theater fan. While Unruh’s main instruments are acoustic guitar and drums, he also adds bass, violin, mandolin, flute, and percussion. His lyrics are insightful, intelligent, and entertaining. The dynamic range on these albums approaches that of classical music, a refreshing change from today’s overcompressed pop and rock music. There are few artists working in this style; we’d mention Guy Manning, Kevin Gilbert, and perhaps Neal Morse as reference points.
Prog fans should especially be drawn to Two Little Awakenings (TLA), sonically the densest of his albums, some of the pieces recorded on 48 tracks. Two Little Awakenings was originally released in 2001 as a handmade double CD-R. In 2005, Unruh edited TLA down to a single CD, remixed and remastered it using technology and experience he lacked in 2001, and had it properly manufactured. So consider this the “TLA official edition”. The tracks that Unruh has left off were the assorted short songs and the lengthy improvisations, yielding a much more cohesive album containing some of Unruh’s best work.
Invisible Symphony (2002) is a slight departure from the others in that it is instrumental and less aggressive. Here Unruh emphasizes his “secondary” instruments more, especially the violin. It’s his warmest album, blending American folk melodies (themselves descended from Scottish and Irish folk music) with his progressive approach. This is the 2009 remastered and expanded edition, which adds four tracks.
Out of the Ashes (2004) is simultaneously Unruh’s most rock-oriented and most personal disc to date, very fiery, with a more aggressive tone than the others. We’re again reminded of Guy Manning, though Out of the Ashes is more guitar-oriented. Here Unruh focuses on acoustic, electric, classical, and electric classical guitars, electric bass and drum kit, with flute and violin in secondary roles, and just a bit of synth and electronic percussion. And vocals of course. With the guitar orientation, some of this crosses over into modern rock territory, except that they don’t allow 40-minute suites there, and Out of the Ashes is just too challenging and progressive. This is the 2009 remastered edition, which adds a 6:21 bonus track.
Unruh’s describes Song to the Sky (2005, 62-minutes) stylistically as a cross between The Beginning of a New Day (1998) and Invisible Symphony. Aside from electric bass, the textures here are all acoustic. The album is less angry and more reflective than Out of the Ashes, and Unruh’s production skills are at their peak. Read ProgressiveWorld.net reviews of Song to the Sky, Out of the Ashes, Invisible Symphony, Two Little Awakenings, and The Beginning of a New Day.
The Great Divide (2007, 59-minutes) is now our favorite of Unruh’s albums, solidly progressive and yet, acoustic! This album may change your perception of what acoustic music can be. There are bass and drums, the music is complex and powerful, even heavy at times. Call it heavy wood. Unruh plays everything with consummate skill: steel and nylon-string acoustic guitar, violin, drum kit, 4 and 5-string bass, flutes, mandolin and percussion, but this in no way sounds like a solo project. At times, this album suggests an American equivalent of Jethro Tull (maybe it was the flute that made this apparent), substituting Americana for Tull’s Englishness and whimsy. The centerpiece of the album is the 36-minute title suite. As Unruh says in the liner notes: “I love odd time signatures, uncommon scales and harmonies, and ambitious subject material. I tried to make The Great Divide an album that people like me would love.” There’s an entire free, downloadable sampler CD here which includes one track from The Great Divide.
Challenging Gravity (2010, 51-minutes) continues the style of The Great Divide in a more song-oriented direction (no 36-minute suites), though there are still only two tracks under 5:30. The electric bass gets a waiver, otherwise it’s all acoustic: vocals, acoustic guitars, violin, flute, and drum kit. It is again acoustic progressive rock with strong singer-songwriter and American folk aspects, and weighty lyrics. The album has Unruh’s trademark dynamics shifts and odd time signatures, the sound so big during the high-energy passages that it’s easy to forget you’re listening to acoustic instruments. Here is a 3:28 mp3 album sampler.
Derek Sherinian - Molecular Heinosity ($15.99) 
Whether with his band Planet X or under his own name, ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian makes some of the best heavy instrumental keyboard rock and fusion you’ll hear, with virtuosos on each instrument. As always, Sherinian recruited a number of name musicians for his sixth album Molecular Heinosity (2009, digipack), namely Virgil Donati (Planet X), Tony Franklin (Whitesnake), Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Billy Idol), Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society), and some new talent. Black Utopia (2003, digipack) features Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Al DiMeola, Jerry Goodman, Tony Franklin, Simon Phillips, and Billy Sheehan.
On Universe (2000), the Planet X lineup is Sherinian on keyboards, Tony MacAlpine on guitars, and Virgil Donati on drums. This sometimes sounds like a heavier UK (without any songs to speak of), sometimes like a much heavier Allan Holdsworth.
Spock’s Beard - Live DVD ($17.99) out-of-stockSpock’s Beard - Live 2CD ($16.99) |            |
Neal Morse - Testimony Two (2CD, $17.99) 
Neal Morse - ? ($15.99)
After leaving Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse established a solo career with Christian-themed albums. While he has a large discography, his progressive rock albums for the most part are Testimony 2 (2011), Lifeline (2008), Sola Scriptura (2007), ? (2005), One (2004), and Testimony (2003). This special edition of One comes in a slipcase and adds a 39-minute second disc containing three more songs from the same sessions, one alternate version, and four new covers of songs by The Who, George Harrison, and others. Prog Archives is a good resource for reviews of these CDs.
“Nearly a decade earlier, Neal Morse released his landmark autobiographical progressive rock epic, Testimony. In 2011 he returned with an extraordinary cast of musicians to tell the rest of the story in Testimony 2. And he saved the best for last. On this sequel, he dives deeper into unchartered musical and lyrical territory. Incorporating legendary drummer Mike Portnoy and brilliant bassist Randy George, this breathtaking album is a prog epic with breadth that dazzles and melodies that reach into the soul.” The first disc is autobiographical and picks up where the first Testimony left off, in the mid-1990s when Spock’s Beard begin to experience unexpected success. Neal sings about their glory days in Time Changer, with the original band members joining in for a vocal extravaganza in their classic style. The second disc includes a 25-minute prog rock epic featuring Steve Morse! Check our DVDs page for the Neal Morse DVDs.
Iona - The Circling Hour ($15.99) |         |
Dave Bainbridge - Veil of Gossamer ($15.99) Dave Bainbridge is the main creative force in the band Iona. Iona as a band had been in a period of inactivity for a few years, allowing its members to work on solo projects. Bainbridge’s Veil of Gossamer (2004, 64-minutes) is stunning, as good as any prior Iona release and better in some respects. While Iona singer Joanne Hogg sings on every track except for the instrumentals, Bainbridge also employs two more incredible female voices: Rachel Jones (Karnataka) and Scottish singer Mae McKenna (at least three albums of her own). Jones and McKenna are used extensively; usually all three vocalists are present on the same track, with McKenna handling the Scottish Gaelic vocals. Also playing on most tracks are Iona bandmates Troy Donockley and Frank van Essen, as well as Tim Harries, Nick Beggs, and others. The album strikes the perfect balance between vocals and instrumental work, ranging from soaring progressive rock to orchestral splendor to that plaintive, yearning beauty that characterizes the best Celtic music.
Troy Donockley & Dave Bainbridge - When Worlds Collide ($17.99) Troy Donockley and Dave Bainbridge are members of the band Iona (at the time of this CD anyway). When Worlds Collide (2005, 59-minutes) features five tracks recorded live in November 2003 plus five newly-recorded studio tracks, a mix of traditional tunes and new versions of tracks from Iona’s and Troy’s albums. It isn’t all relaxing music, as some of the playing is spirited and some of the tunes reach majestic heights. The duo plays acoustic guitars, electric guitars, E Bow, keyboards, percussion, Uilleann pipes and low whistle, and Troy sings on many of the tracks. It’s a mix of traditional folk and progressive rock, but the way these guys arrange trad folk is unlike anyone else. What may surprise some is how good a singer Troy is, and how good an instrumentalist Dave is. We knew he could play guitar, but his piano playing on the track Unconscious is stunning. Too much talent in these two guys.
Troy Donockley - The Madness of Crowds ($15.99) 
Troy Donockley may be best known to progressive rock fans for his time in Iona, though he is also in Maddy Prior’s trio, has played on albums by Mostly Autumn, Magenta, Mermaid Kiss, The Enid, Alan Stivell, Maire Brennan, Karnataka, Jennifer Cutting, and many others, toured with Midge Ure,... the list goes on. He is a multi-instrumentalist capable of playing just about anything stringed or blown, but his main instruments are Uillean pipes and low whistle; he also sings quite respectably.
This is the 2006 remastered edition of Troy’s first solo album The Unseen Stream (1998). A large number of musicians assist, among them Terl Bryant (percussion), Joanne Hogg (voice), Tim Harries (bass), and The Emperor String Quartet. The music is instrumental with occasional wordless vocals, propelled by percussion rather than a rock drum kit but showing a rock pedigree. This is gorgeous stuff that should be used in films. Not to imply that this is background music that doesn’t stand on its own -- far from it -- but it is so evocative and cinematic.
The Pursuit of Illusion (2003) is his second solo album. The album’s guest performers include Peter Knight (violin, from Steeleye Span), The Emperor String Quartet, The York Cantores Choir, Iona friends Joanne Hogg (vocals), Terl Bryant (drums & percussion), and Nick Beggs (Chapman Stick), plus several others. It’s a gorgeous album and a mammoth production, very orchestral, atmospheric, and evocative, with Anglo-Celtic flavoring throughout. At its most atmospheric, it is reminiscent of some of Danny Elfman’s scores. Troy has been influenced as much by classical music as by rock and traditional folk, especially by English composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams. In fact, Troy has a piece on a various artists orchestral music CD entitled Celtic Classics and has the distinction of being the only composer on it not dead.
Troy’s third solo CD The Madness of Crowds (2009) comes in a fat digipack plus slipcase, but it folds out into an 18-panel piece of art that must have cost a fortune to manufacture. The cast includes Joanne Hogg (Iona), Nick Holland (Maddy Prior’s band), Brad Lang, Frank van Essen (Iona), Rosie Biss, Barbara Dickson, Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn), as well as a quintet of harp, oboe, clarinet, flute, and bassoon. This is again cinematic Celtic progressive rock: atmospheric, majestic, sublime, and nearly unique. In some ways, this is an extension of what Clannad had begun circa 1983, taken into more classical and progressive realms. “If any modern music can shake off the ravages of fashion and hark back to a time when music was created and listened to as Art rather than as commodity and accessory, then by definition this does precisely that... the essence of that ‘lost world’.” Read reviews here.
King Crimson - Earthbound: 30th Anniversary Ed. ($13.99) |         |
Robert Fripp - Exposure limited edition (2CD, $17.99)Robert Fripp’s solo debut Exposure was originally released in 1979, following work Fripp had done on Peter Gabriel’s second album and Daryl Hall’s Sacred Songs. Gabriel and Hall both appear on Exposure, along with Phil Collins, Peter Hammill, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Brian Eno, and others. This new 2CD edition includes the original 1979 version of Exposure on disc one and the 1983 remix of Exposure on disc two. Disc two also contains five alternate mix bonus tracks, three of which have previously unreleased Daryl Hall vocal tracks. Everything has been remastered from the original master tapes by Simon Heyworth with Fripp’s approval. This is the limited edition gatefold mini-LP version with 24-page oversize booklet.
Giles, Giles & Fripp - The Cheerful Insanity of ($17.99)This 1968 album is where it all began for King Crimson. Robert Fripp and Mike Giles went on to form King Crimson the next year, and Peter Giles resurfaced there later. This album is a brilliant example of late 60s psychedelic pop and proto-prog, sometimes recalling Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd or The Moody Blues, but with its own style and a very English sense of humor. Fripp’s guitar work is already in top form. This is the remastered reissue on Eclectic Discs (who became Esoteric). It sounds great and adds six bonus tracks to take the total time up to 59-minutes, with an enhanced booklet including extensive liner notes. Out-of-print, last copies.
Porcupine Tree - The Incident (2CD, $15.99) |                      |
Nosound - The Northern Religion of Things ($14.99) 
Nosound - Sol29 (CD+DVD, $12.99) Nosound is a Roman ambient/prog band headed by Giancarlo Erra. He and his bandmates were once a Porcupine Tree cover band, so it’s not surprising Nosound have ended up on the same label as Porcupine Tree and No-Man. Also, the resemblance of Nosound to No-Man is not simply alphabetical. Nosound is very much in the style of No-Man, softer Pink Floyd and early Porcupine Tree but even more melancholy, if that’s possible. Erra sings in English, sometimes in a voice that sounds disconnected from reality. Mellotron strings and choir add a unique touch to this style: languid, richly-textured, intimate, relaxing and beautiful in that melancholy way.
In 2010, the Kscope label reissued Nosound’s 2005 debut Sol29 in this CD+DVD set packaged in a super jewel box + slipcase. The CD contains the remastered version of Sol29 plus three bonus tracks (also remastered), 78-minutes total. The DVD contains the original 2005 mixes of Sol29 plus four videos. One is a new 10-minute video, the others are the three ambient/experimental audio/video tracks included on The World Is Outside DVD. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping. Note we have not confirmed whether the DVD is NTSC or PAL.
Lightdark (2008) is NoSound’s second album, more of a band project whereas Sol29 was mostly the work of Erra. Tim Bowness sings on one song, and a cellist plays on three tracks, a nice addition to the sound palette. This double-CD digipack edition adds four more tracks totaling 27:20 and a 4:48 video for the title track. Read lots of reviews at Prog Archives. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
A Sense of Loss (2009) is Nosound’s third album. This 2-disc digipack includes a DVD-Video (PAL, all-region) containing the 5.1 surround mixes in both Dolby Digital and DTS, plus the PCM 24-bit/48kHz stereo mixes, video footage and a photo gallery. Counts as 1.5 CDs for shipping.
The Northern Religion of Things (2011) was recorded during the rehearsal process for a special one-off ‘Nosound solo’ gig that Giancarlo Erra performed in London in August 2010. For this intimate concert, Erra had to create new arrangements for all the tracks along with a new live setup that allowed him to play keyboards and/or acoustic guitar while singing, as well as recreating all the original sounds and effects from the albums. No backing tracks were used, only loops/tapes and live-played instruments. He was so pleased with the results that the rehearsals were recorded; the best takes of the best songs are presented here. The tracks were recorded straight from stereo outputs with no overdubs or edits, resulting in unique and personal interpretations of tracks from throughout the Nosound catalog.
Glass Hammer - Cor Cordium ($12.99) |             |
IQ - The Wake Live at De Boerderij CD+DVD ($19.99)Along with Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws, IQ’s The Wake (1985) is the best album to come out of the 1980s progressive revival in the UK. The 2010 25th Anniversary boxset includes three CDs and a DVD (PAL, all-region, 4:3). The first CD contains the 2010 remaster of The Wake. The second and third CDs are chock full of bonus tracks, including demo versions, outtakes, rough and alternate mixes, a BBC Friday Rock Show session, and a live track. The DVD contains a 47-minutes live show from 1984, the oldest existing footage of IQ; album commentary from Paul Cook, Peter Nicholls and Mike Holmes recorded in April 2010; multitrack files for Corners for remixers; and another 2.5 hours worth of mp3 files of writing sessions, unused ideas, demos, and contemporary interviews. The 60-page full-color booklet features an in-depth account of the making of the album, illustrated with rare photographs and contributions from all band members. There is also a double-sided poster featuring the album artwork and memorabilia. Counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
IQ’s 2010 tour included the performance of the entire The Wake album. The Wake Live at De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Holland, June 19 2010 was recorded at one of the highlight concerts of that tour. Even by the high standards IQ have set over the last years, this visualization of The Wake was unique. The show in Holland was filmed and recorded by the same crew that shot the highly-acclaimed bonus live DVD packaged with IQ’s last studio album Frequency. Both the CD and DVD in this set contain the entire The Wake live, while the DVD (PAL, all-region, 4:3) also contains the encores Infernal Chorus, The Darkest Hour, and Failsafe, plus a photo gallery featuring a 2010 remix of Corners.
IQ - Frequency ($13.99) 
IQ - The Lost Attic ($14.99)
IQ - Forever Live (2CD, $17.99)
IQ - Are You Sitting Comfortably? ($13.99)
IQ - The Wake (2006 edition) ($14.99)Click here for IQ’s DVDs. Always our favorite of the second-generation prog bands, IQ stayed the progressive course when Marillion somewhat abandoned it. When the spirit of Genesis left its first host, it may have ended up in IQ. Frequency is IQ’s well-regarded 2009 album. This is the CD-only edition; the special edition with the DVD has not been available in North America since SPV filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
Dark Matter (2004) is one of IQ’s strongest albums. It consists of just five tracks spanning 52 minutes, including the epic Harvest of Souls (24:29). Notably, Martin Orford uses more vintage keyboard sounds than ever. The Seventh House is IQ’s 2001 CD, a solid album but lacking the spark of their best work.
Subterranea (1997) is a 2CD concept album and a milestone for IQ. Much more so than their other albums, this one may require several listens before it clicks into place and its brilliance become apparent. Subterranea: The Concert contains a complete live performance of Subterranea, recorded at the same 1999 concert in The Netherlands as IQ’s DVD of the same name.
Ever was the 1993 album that saw singer Peter Nicholls return to the fold and the consensus is that this is one of IQ’s top three albums. The double-CD Forever Live (priced as a single CD) is a recording of the 1993 showcase concert IQ performed to coincide with the release of Ever.
Nomzamo (1987) and Are You Sitting Comfortably? (1989) were the two albums IQ recorded with Paul Menel as the singer. Partly due to Menel’s voice and partly due to external factors, the two albums with Menel are more pop-oriented than the rest, but there are still many excellent songs here. This edition of Are You Sitting Comfortably? contains a bonus track, a live version of Nothing At All, while Nomzamo includes three bonus tracks: the studio track Colourflow, a piano & vocal version of the album track No Love Lost, and a live rendition of Common Ground. J’ai Pollette D’arnu was originally released on LP in 1991, a collection of rare non-LP studio tracks as well as live tracks.
The single CD version of The Wake (1985) above is the 2006 edition on InsideOut with three bonus tracks: Dans Le Parc De Château Noir, The Thousand Days (demo), and The Magic Roundabout (demo).
This CD reissue of IQ’s magnificent debut LP Tales from the Lush Attic (1983) includes the bonus track Just Changing Hands. Living Proof is a live album recorded in 1985, featuring nearly all of The Wake plus Awake and Nervous from Tales..., It All Stops Here from Seven Stories into Eight, and the non-LP track Just Changing Hands.
The Lost Attic is subtitled A Collection of Rarities (1983-1999). This 77-minute CD is a collection of songs left off of earlier albums, plus a few songs from radio sessions that are of high quality. Like Genesis, IQ sometimes left songs off albums that were better than what went on the albums (and better than what some bands ever recorded). Some of these songs present a side of IQ not heard on their regular albums. For the IQ fan, this album is essential; for everyone else, still a quality prog album.
Martin Orford - The Old Road ($15.99) out-of-stock Martin Orford was of course IQ’s keyboardist but left the band in 2007 and has retired from music. He was also a major component of Jadis and John Wetton’s band for a long stretch. His first solo album Classical Music and Popular Songs is from 2000 and features Gary Chandler (Jadis), Steve Christey (Jadis), David Kilminster (John Wetton band) and all of IQ including Peter Nicholls, who sings lead on one song. John Wetton sings lead on another. About equally split between vocal songs and instrumentals, it’s a hugely enjoyable album that shows that Orford may be cut from the same cloth as Tony Banks.
The Old Road (2008, 58-minutes) is even more of a band album than Orford’s debut, an all-star band that is, as the participating musicians include Gary Chandler (Jadis), Nick D’Virgilio and Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard), Andy Edwards and Mike Holmes (IQ), John Mitchell (It Bites, Kino, Frost, Arena), Steve Thorne, John Wetton, Dave Oberlé (Gryphon) and more. Most of the songs have vocals. As Martin says in the liner notes: “...you’ll hear a lot of the trademarks of the golden era of prog rock, but this CD is not about pushing back the boundaries of music, quite the opposite in fact... This is all about doing things the old way: songs with tunes you can whistle being played by incredible musicians at the very top of their game, a simple formula that never fails.” As Martin was a principal writer in IQ and made important contributions to the other bands he was in, one can easily hear IQ, Jadis and John Wetton in The Old Road. IQ’s strength is the balance between light and dark moods, but The Old Road has little if any darkness, so one of IQ’s other writers must be responsible for the pensive stuff. The Old Road is all class and quality. Read the DPRP review.
Echolyn - The End Is Beautiful ($13.99) out-of-stock |       |
Brett Kull - The Last of the Curlews ($13.99) Brett Kull is Echolyn’s guitarist/vocalist, not to mention a member of Grey Eye Glances. He has continually honed his songwriting, production, and engineering skills, all of which are on display on his solo albums. These are songwriter’s albums, more personal and intimate than Echolyn but sharing a similar character. Orange-ish Blue (2002) was first, on which Kull had help from Echolyn’s Chris Buzby and Paul Ramsey, among others. It starts out very Beatles-influenced, then gets more modern and progressive, though the spirit of The Beatles is usually lurking nearby. Overall a very nice CD, sort of a folksier, friendlier Echolyn and perhaps an album to listen to right after Mei to balance things out.
The Last of the Curlews (2008, digipack) is Kull’s second solo CD, the result of three years of writing. Kull plays all the instruments except drum kit, which is handled by Paul Ramsey. There is more acoustic guitar than electric, and plenty of keyboards. There are also several guest vocalists. These 12 songs feature beautiful arrangements, understated musicianship, and powerful lyrics. The mood is generally languid, and the Beatles influence can usually be heard, though of course the execution is contemporary. Kull is clearly a very creative musician.
Land of Chocolate - Regaining the Feel ($12.99) Land of Chocolate is the youngest member of the growing Echolyn family tree, lead by keyboardist/singer Jonn Buzby, ex-Finneus Gauge and brother of Chris Buzby of Echolyn. Not surprisingly, Land of Chocolate has elements of both Echolyn and Finneus Gauge. While they don’t have the jazz aspects of Finneus Gauge, they apply the same intricacy, dexterity, and generally busy arrangements to more purely rock-based music. While Jonn’s lead vocals bear a slight resemblance to Gary Chandler of Jadis, the frequent harmony vocals owe a clear debt to Echolyn.
Regaining the Feel (2004) is Land of Chocolate’s second CD, with three new musicians joining Buzby, including guitarist John Covach. The music still seems to occupy a middle ground between Echolyn and Finneus Gauge, with a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary and no shortage of chord changes. Buzby does a good job fitting vocal lines over the complex chord progressions, and the band introduces more subtlety and atmosphere into the busy arrangements.
Finneus Gauge - One Inch of the Fall ($14.99) This is the second of two albums from Echolyn keyboardist Chris Buzby’s band that existed during Echolyn’s hiatus. This is a complex blend of fusion and progressive rock, with female lead vocals and the Holdsworth-like guitar of Scott McGill. This has hints of the first Bruford album. You will not want for chord changes!
Rocket Scientists - Looking Backward (4CD+DVD, $49.99)The American prog band Rocket Scientists, led by keyboardist Erik Norlander, debuted in 1993 with the CD Earthbound, and first gained international recognition with their 1995 CD Brutal Architecture, which was released on the Kinesis label. After a live CD, the heavier Oblivion Days appeared in 1999, but all three of these studio CDs had gone out-of-print. The beautiful Looking Backward boxset (2008) remedies this in a big way. It contains 2007 remastered editions of Earthbound, Brutal Architecture, and Oblivion Days. Oblivion Days contains both the Japanese edition bonus track and the two European edition bonus tracks. Brutal Architecture contains the Japanese edition bonus track, and Earthbound contains one previously-unreleased bonus track.
(And like a late-night TV commercial for a kitchen gadget...) But wait, there’s more! There is a fourth CD entitled The 2007 Sessions (76-minutes), which contains new recordings of classic Rocket Scientists songs reinterpreted by the band live in the studio in 2007, including some unreleased material. Now how much would you pay for this set? Before you answer, the set also includes the Looking Backward DVD (NTSC, all-region). The main feature is video of the 2007 sessions (102-minutes). There is also a 25-minute featurette An Afternoon with Emmett Chapman, and 21-minutes of A Brief History of Rocket Science, which includes studio footage from 1993-2007. The main feature was recorded by an HD video crew, though of course it has been down-res’d for the DVD. The DVD includes 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround audio. All of the original artwork is included in the package as part of an enormous 64-page full-color 5x7" booklet. Counts as 3 CDs for shipping. For more information on the first three Rocket Scientists CDs, visit the dedicated Rocket Scientists section of our website, where you’ll also find Rocket Scientists’ 2006 double-CD Revolution Road.
Erik Norlander - Hommage Symphonique ($13.99) |       |
Don Schiff - Peering Over Clouds ($13.99) Don Schiff is probably best known as the NS/Stick player for Rocket Scientists and Lana Lane, though his résumé is rather more extensive than that. (He actually played with Elvis.) On the 71-minute Peering Over Clouds (2005), Schiff may shatter your conception of what the NS/Stick is capable of, in the right hands that is. Joined throughout the album by drummer/percussionist Greg Ellis, Schiff is an orchestra here – he’s mastered the variety of techniques that can be played on the NS/Stick and multitracks them so the sound is that of a full band. To quote Emmett Chapman from the liner notes: “Clouds is a roller-coaster ride through blazing two-handed lead solos, cracking bass lines that ‘speak out’, intricate patterns of clean string accompaniment, and brilliant slide guitar styled highlights.” This is no instrument demo though. Schiff is an accomplished composer, and this stands alone as a superb instrumental progressive rock album, one that would be called guitar-oriented except that there is no guitar per se. Rocket Scientists fans will find much that is familiar here, as Schiff is responsible for much of the rhythmic feel of that band.
Lana Lane - Red Planet Boulevard ($13.99) 
Lana Lane - Lady Macbeth ($13.99)
Lana Lane - Covers Collection ($13.99)
Lana Lane - Secrets of Astrology ($13.99) 
Lana Lane - Love Is an Illusion special edition (2CD, $14.99)We’re stocking the Lana Lane CDs because of Lana’s close association with Rocket Scientists and Erik Norlander. If we had to give a one sentence description of her many CDs, we’d say the energetic numbers tend to sound like a more progressive Heart, while the ballads have other influences, including The Beatles or Alan Parsons. Lana Lane’s 10th Anniversary Concert DVD (2006) contains the full concert from her final show in Tokyo on the Lana Lane 10th Anniversary Tour. Recorded on June 30, 2005, the 2-hour DVD (NTSC, all regions) contains all 19 songs from the concert along with a video tour diary containing candid behind-the-scenes footage of the entire tour from Europe to the USA to Japan. Both stereo and DTS 5.1 surround audio are offered. The package also includes a 78:54 audio CD that contains 17 of the 19 songs from the concert.
Red Planet Boulevard is Lana Lane’s 2007 studio album. Click the mp3 icon next to this title above not only for audio samples but for the full press release, which will explain all.
Gemini (2006) is an album of cover tunes, impeccably played and recorded. It contains classic rock covers from the late 1960s and the 1970s, sung by Lana Lane with Norlander on keys, Vinny Appice on drums, George Lynch on guitars, Mark McCrite on guitars and harmony vocals, and Kelly Keeling on vocals. Click on the mp3 icon next to this title above to see the track list and more info.
Lady Macbeth (2005) as usual features Erik Norlander, the other Rocket Scientists and Neil Citron, plus the Dutch musicians from Lana’s European touring band and the bassist from Pain of Salvation, not to mention Kelly Keeling (the singer from some of Norlander’s albums) on harmony vocals. Expect another heavy symphonic AOR album. This USA edition is identical to the Japanese and European editions and includes a bonus Quicktime video of one song.
Return to Japan is an over 2-hour double-CD that chronicles the vocalist’s last four Japanese tours from 1998-2002. Disc One contains full-band performances, while Disc Two contains acoustic duo performances of Lana Lane and Erik Norlander from 1998-2002 along with remastered full-band versions of Lana’s renditions of the classics In the Court of the Crimson King and Long Live Rock ’n’ Roll. Return to Japan includes a full-color 20-page booklet with extensive liner notes by producer Erik Norlander and live photos from the Japanese tours.
Winter Sessions is a 2003 release including eleven new recordings of both originals and select covers set in a moody and atmospheric style, with lush arrangements featuring both acoustic and electric instruments. Contributing musicians include drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, ELO, etc.), guitarists Neil Citron, Mark McCrite (Rocket Scientists), and Peer Verschuren (Erik Norlander’s Music Machine), Don Schiff on NS/Stick, David Schiff on flute/oboe/sax, and of course keyboardist extraordinaire Erik Norlander.
Covers Collection contains 11 recordings of classic hard rock and progressive rock songs spanning the 1970s through the 1990s, as always produced by keyboard and studio wiz Erik Norlander. Guest musicians include drummers Greg Bissonette, Nick D’Virgilio, and Ed Warby, guitarists Mark McCrite, Arjen Lucassen, Neil Citron, and Gabriel Moses, and fretless bass icon Tony Franklin. Highlights include Kansas’ The Wall, Led Zep’s Kashmir, Argent’s Hold Your Head Up, and Uriah Heep’s Weep in Silence (co-written by John Wetton). Secrets of Astrology (2000) runs over 73 minutes and features Ayreon guitarist Arjen Anthony Lucassen and drummer Ed Warby on every track. Erik Norlander continues to handle keys and much of the writing. This is the new U.S. edition.
Love Is an Illusion special edition reissues both the 1998 remixed version plus the original 1995 version of Lana’s first album on a 2CD set, with three bonus tracks added. Ballad Collection special edition is a 2CD containing 24 songs. One disc comprises the 1998 Ballad Collection CD, a collection of Lana’s ballads including two Rocket Scientists tracks, but they were rerecorded, the new arrangements generally more progressive than the originals. A cover of Marillion’s Seasons End is added as a bonus. The other disc was recorded in 2000 and includes many covers of songs both well-known and obscure.
Curious Goods special edition is a 2CD reissue of Lana’s second album, originally released in 1996 in Japan only. The first disc contains the new 2002 enhanced version, while the second disc contains the original 1996 version. Lana re-recorded all of her vocals on the album in early 2002, and Erik Norlander undertook an extensive remix and remastering of the entire record. A bonus track is included, the James Bond theme You Only Live Twice, recorded with Vinny Appice, Don Schiff and Mark McCrite during the Project Shangri-La sessions.
The rest of the Lana Lane CDs are Japanese editions. Project Shangri-la continues her by now well-established style of progressive-tinged AOR/pomp-rock, featuring Erik Norlander, Mark McCrite, and Don Schiff from Rocket Scientists. This Japanese edition includes a bonus track written by John Wetton specifically for this album. The Best of Lana Lane CD runs 73 minutes and contains a 9-minute live version of King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King performed with Rocket Scientists.
The Think Tank Media Sampler Vol. 1 CD (1999) contains 11 tracks spanning 74-minutes from Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane, Erik Norlander, and Neil Citron. This is a fully-packaged jewel box CD.
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