InsideOut

Pure Reason Revolution – Eupnea Review

Pure Reason Revolution – Eupnea Review

“This week my good friend TheKenWord got his hands on a pretty sweet doom album from Loviatar. When I saw the score assigned, and went back and listened to Lightless, I was kind of upset with myself for not grabbing it when I had the chance. But then I remembered why I left it alone: Eupnea, the first album from Pure Reason Revolution in ten years. When people talk about PRR’s first three albums (all released between 2006-2010), comparisons to Pink Floyd, Muse, and Tool are often mentioned.” Better than PBR.

Psychotic Waltz – The God-Shaped Void Review

Psychotic Waltz – The God-Shaped Void Review

“The nostalgia circuit has been around forever, and while it’s fun (sometimes) to see old bands play their decades-old hits in casinos, it’s even more fun when formerly awesome bands reunite and put out new GOOD music. Case in point: Satan, with a 26-year gap between releases – and with a trio of excellent new albums to boot. Psychotic Waltz tried their best to match that, going 24 years between releases here, but with an asterisk: The God-Shaped Void is their first album in 26 years with the original lineup. Take that, Satan!” Not the last Waltz after all.

Sons of Apollo – MMXX Review

Sons of Apollo – MMXX Review

“Super groups. We’ve railed against them since the start of AMG International Universal, Ltd. For every all star collaboration that does something worthwhile, there are countless others that simply don’t work, regardless of the pedigrees the members bring to the table. A common dilemma such projects face is too much musical ability and not enough songcraft acumen. And that brings us to Sons of Apollo.” Noodle boarding.

Ray Alder – What the Water Wants Review

Ray Alder – What the Water Wants Review

“Ray Alder has accumulated some major prog bona vides during his time on the music scene. Replacing the mighty John Arch in Fates Warning way back in 1988, Alder became one of the major faces of American prog-metal. His sojourn with prog super group Redemption only reinforced his place in the genre pecking order. After 30 years in the game, 2019 sees the man release his first solo album.” Water bending.

Nad Sylvan – The Regal Bastard Review

Nad Sylvan – The Regal Bastard Review

“Having ensnared my heart in 2015 (Courting the Widow) and delivered a solid follow-up in 2017 (The Bride Said No), Nad Sylvan and his merry band of prog musicians have returned in 2019 to conclude the so-called ‘Vampire Trilogy’ of linked albums. The Regal Bastard spins a typically perverse tale and represents a not insignificant musical step forwards from Bride. Widow is one of the best progressive rock releases in the past 5 years while Bride was somewhat less ostentatious and stuck with me far less. Bastard draws from both of these experiences in forging a surprisingly fresh release in what can be a particularly stuffy genre. Prog nerds, read on.” Triple the Nads.

Pattern-Seeking Animals – Pattern-Seeking Animals Review

Pattern-Seeking Animals – Pattern-Seeking Animals Review

“While everyone knows that many of the other writers here, including AMG Himself, are big prog heads, ol’ Grier is not. Sure, I’m a fan of prog rock pioneers like Pink Floyd and, a decade back, found a soft spot for bands like Dream Theater, but prog rock/metal ain’t my thing. Unless, oddly enough, you are talking about Spock’s Beard.” Bearded animals.

Devin Townsend – Empath Review

Devin Townsend – Empath Review

“I have been a fan of Devin Townsend for well over a decade now. I’ve been with him through half his career, including his entire Devin Townsend Project phase. But his most recent output started to feel a little stale. It was like he had painted himself in a corner and was finding it difficult breaking out of a rut formed from Epicloud’s echoes. Ziltoid 2 was overwrought, more of a comedic radio drama than a music album, and its companion piece Sky Blue had no staying power for me. Transcendence fared only marginally better. So when Devin announced he was laying the Project brand to rest, it made me hopeful. Could Empath, the first album since Ziltoid under his own name, be Devin’s new metamorphosis?” The Devin you know.

The Mute Gods – Atheists & Believers Review

The Mute Gods – Atheists & Believers Review

“With some exceptions, in a rule-of-thumb sort of way, the ‘technical’ modifier means ‘this was harder to play’ while ‘progressive’ means ‘this was harder to write.’ As such, experience is highly valued among progressive musicians especially, and progressive supergroups seem more common than other genres. The Mute Gods is another one of those, consisting of Steven Wilson’s bassist Nick Beggs and drummer Marco Minnemann, who also performs guitars here, and keyboard player Roger King who played with Nick and Steve Hackett of Genesis fame.” Great expectations.

Haken – Vector Review

Haken – Vector Review

“My introduction to the band was on The Mountain, which found the band dropping incredible songs with deeply creative compositions and amazing performances. But The Mountain‘s follow-up—Affinity—has never really established itself in my listening rotation. Unfortunately, while Affinity was full of ideas I loved and things I appreciated intellectually, it was like the girl who’s “perfect” for you but that you can’t get into. So I’ll admit mild consternation when Vector arrived. I wondered if Vector would continue in Affinity’s footsteps or if Haken had stayed on the move.” Moving and remaking.

Riverside – Wasteland Review

Riverside – Wasteland Review

“I did not know what to expect when I started listening to Riverside’s new album Wasteland. In a way, I was surprised that it was written and released. After Piotr Grudziński’s sudden and untimely death in 2016 the band was effusive in their love for him and open about what a deeply personal loss they had suffered. The three remaining members elected to release a compilation of instrumental material featuring Piotr’s work and songwriting in 2016 entitled Eye of the Soundscape. This was followed by a live album called Lost ‘n’ Found on Bandcamp independently which featured Piotr in a show on the 18th of October, 2015 in the Netherlands. And then, apparently, Riverside began writing new music.” From loss, creation.