Progressive Rock

Mythopoeic Mind – Hatchling Review

Mythopoeic Mind – Hatchling Review

By Twelve on August 19, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 18 comments

“I love learning new words. Yesterday, Cherd made me aware of ebullient, and I’m still waiting for an opportunity to use pulchritudinous, which I learned from the review of the last Shape of Despair album (also waiting for a new Shape of Despair album), in casual conversation. Mythopoeic is another new word for my vocabulary, which is becoming increasingly pretentious at a frightening rate, and it’s also the main reason I selected Hatchling for review today. According to the notes that came with the album, this is the sophomore release from Norwegian prog-rockers Mythopoeic Mind, formerly the studio project of one Steinar Børve of Panzerpappa.” Words can hurt.

The Wring – Project Cipher Review

The Wring – Project Cipher Review

By sentynel on May 29, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 20 comments

“The promo’s promise of “Rush without the synths” is a pretty decent summary of what The Wring are going for here. The key elements are complex, layered, noodly guitar/bass lines and shifting time signatures. Prog’s regular downfall is letting the noodling get in the way of good songs, but The Wring keep things tight and let the songcraft lead.” Loose cipher.

Mythic Sunship – Wildfire Review

Mythic Sunship – Wildfire Review

By Carcharodon on April 6, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, 18 comments

“Given the heavily jazz-influenced psychedelic free-form rock on show from Mythic Sunship, that they borrow part of their moniker from Coltrane‘s 1971 Sun Ship. For me, there’s a fine line in avant-garde music—be that jazz, psychedelic rock or even the most progressive forms of black and death metal —between writing something progressive, challenging and interesting, and simply delivering what sounds like a noisy, unstructured jam session committed to record.” Spacey jam.

Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel – Polaris Review

Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel – Polaris Review

By Steel Druhm on April 2, 2021 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Stoner Rock, 21 comments

“Oddball French heavy rock outfit Los Disidentes Del Sucio Motel (LDDSM) is difficult to assign to a specific genre or style. Over their career they’ve been described as stoner, psychedelic and prog rock, and none of that is completely wrong. Nor does it give you the full story. Now they’re back after 4 years in limbo with fourth album Polaris, and they’re every bit as tough to pigeonhole as always. If I were to make a Hail Mary effort to describe their style, it would be alt-rock mixed with prog, post-rock, and post-metal, with grunge/stoner/desert elements lurking at the edges.” A multiverse of influences.

Blue Hour Ghosts – Due Review

Blue Hour Ghosts – Due Review

By sentynel on February 10, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 16 comments

“NASA once lost a perfectly good spacecraft due to a units error, which led to a miscalculated course and a fiery collision with the destination planet. The navigation team had raised concerns that it was off course before the actual crash, but no action was taken. Managers preferred to assume everything was fine until it was too late. Here on final approach hoping everything is fine is Italy’s Blue Hour Ghosts with their second album, Due.” Brace for impact.

Steven Wilson – The Future Bites Review

Steven Wilson – The Future Bites Review

By El Cuervo on February 8, 2021 in Reviews, Electronic, Progressive Rock, 134 comments

“Given that we’re no longer in the 1970s, for better and for worse, Steven Wilson is now the unwilling “King of Prog.” He’s the writer of what some consider modern classics; a remixologist extraordinaire; a sophisticated producer; a musical experimentalist; a successful imitator; and even a pop star. And yet it appears he’s still not the star he wants to be.” Once and future prog star.

Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe

Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe

By Dr. A.N. Grier on February 6, 2021 in Reviews, Progressive Rock, 39 comments

“Yet, Transatlantic is one of the more pretentious groups I’ve ever heard. When I first realized that the debut record, SMPTe, was the first letter of each member’s surname, I rolled my eyes so hard I fell off a bridge. Even so, this foursome knows how to play, and Portnoy has made himself a diverse drummer that can play many styles. So, when we got Transatlantic‘s The Absolute Universe, I had to partake. I mean, who else would be dumb enough to review a three-disc record?” A universe of material.