ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 13 – Prog Sphere Promotions Pt. 2

Hello everybody and welcome to the second season of ProgSphere’s AwesomeCasts series. Although it was previously announced that the opening podcast in a new year will be actually an interview with Greek modern psychedelic rockers Sleepin Pillow, due to their busy schedule, I decided to come up with an AwesomeCast, highlighting the bands off the Prog Sphere Promotions roster.

There are 10 new bands, each presented with two tracks (for tracklist, check below) taken from our ever growing roster.

My choice, for opening this AwesomeCast fell upon the band hailing from Fleetwood in Lancashire, UK. The band in question is Earthling Society, presented here with two songs from their latest album called Stations of the Ghost. The band’s influential field is pretty wide as you can hear variety influences ranging from 70’s space rock, Krautrock, folk rock and of course progressive. I am sure you’ll notice it during listening the tracks.

John Duva, with their style of performing garage rock flirting with punk, is a new band coming from Sweden, which self-titled debut album is due on February 15^th on Transubstans Records.

Unified Past hails from Syracuse, NY and they are completely into progressive/art tock a la Rush. Focused on melody, this trio signed by great Melodic Revolution Records are ready to deliver much more on their upcoming release.

Probably the most interesting acts at the moment coming from Nuremberg, Germany is Effloresce, fronted by charismatic vocalist Nicki Weber. The band’s debut album called Coma Ghosts, mixed and mastered by legendary Dan Swanö, is set to be released on February 10th via newly formed (Michael Schetter’s of Relocator) label – Generation Prog Records. In this podcast, we have a premiere of a new song called Swimming Through Deserts, which is second song off the album to be streamed somewhere. The first one is Spectre Pt. I: Zorya’s Dawn.

Great 70’s Swedish progressive rock Trettioåriga Kriget (eng. 30 Year War) released a new album in 2011 called Efter Efter and here they are featured with two songs off that release. This band served as inspiration to many bands, most notable to Opeth, Anekdoten and Änglagård.

Trigon comes from Karlsruhe in Germany and are one of my most recent discoveries. The sense for improvisation within a time frame makes this band admirable. Their latest release 2011 shows that the band deserves much more and the term „underrated“ cannot be accepted.

Reason, with their variant of progressive/heavy metal released The Darkest Star on Alienation Records last December. The album splutters of of catchy songs, very melodic and memorable riffs. If you are hungry for true heavy metal combined with progressiveness, give Reason a chance, you won’t regret.

Estonian X-Panda is certainly one of the bands which debut Flight of Fancy could be described as a savior of the genre in 2011. These guys serve progressive metal with fusion leanings and they do it like real pros. Wonderful album!

Pittsburgh’s Radio for the Daydreamers came up with second part in their trptych Praying for the Be(a)st. Avant-garde jazz, ambient, atmospheric, alternative – these are some of the keywords adorning them.

And finally, one of the most anticipated releases and certainly an album which will hit the tops on many charts in 2012 is Gamma Knife by New York’s avant-garde elite Kayo Dot. What was announced with last year’s Stained Glass, on Gamma Knife is brought to perfection.

I may say that this podcast is personally my favorite, just because it was great choosing the tracks and making them as an entity. The tracks here, you will agree, come up as a good showcase of what all these bands are about. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

01. EARTHLING SOCIETY – Dark Horizons (taken from “Stations of the Ghost”)
02. EARTHLING SOCIETY – Night of the Scarecrow (taken from “Stations of the Ghost”)
03. JOHN DUVA – The Wind (taken from “John Duva”)
04. JOHN DUVA - Vi Drar Vårt Strå (taken from “John Duva”)
05. UNIFIED PAST – Exploratory Observations (taken from “Observations”)
06. UNIFIED PAST – Mesmerized (taken from “Observations”)
07. EFFLORESCE – Spectre Pt. I: Zorya’s Dawn (taken from “Coma Ghosts”)
08. EFFLORESCE – Swimming Through Deserts (taken from “Coma Ghosts”)
09. TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET – The Child (taken from “Efter Efter”)
10. TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET – Glorious War (taken from “Efter Efter”)
11. TRIGON – Peitscht das Kamel (taken from “2011″)
12. TRIGON – Space Chick Strikes Back (taken from “Emergent”)
13. REASON – Another World (taken from “The Darkest Star”)
14. REASON – The Darkest Star (taken from “The Darkest Star”)
15. X-PANDA – Dickybirds (taken from “Flight of Fancy”)
16. X-PANDA – Journey of a Dream (taken from “Flight of Fancy”)
17. RADIO FOR THE DAYDREAMERS – Bloodlights (Oh I Sleep) (taken from “Praying for the Be(a)st”)
18. RADIO FOR THE DAYDREAMERS – No One Ever Comes Here, But Me (taken from “Praying for the Be(a)st”)
19. KAYO DOT – Rite of Goetic Evocation (taken from “Gamma Knife”)
20. KAYO DOT – Gamma Knife (taken from “Gamma Knife”)

Download:

http://www.archive.org/details/ProgSphere_sAwesomeCast_13-ProgSpherePromotionsPt.2

ProgSphere’s Progstravaganza Compilation of Awesomeness – Part 8

The time has come for the new part in the Progstravaganza compilation series. This is the eighth piece Prog Sphere has released so far and the second compilation in which we’ve highlighted the bands coming from the Prog Sphere Promotions roster.

Choosing December 30th for its “release date“ is not an accident. It was our intention to close this very successful year in a good way, giving you something to make you hopeful for an even better 2012.

This Progstravaganza is comprised of 10 “new“ bands (new since the last time), each presented with two songs and in our opinion there is a great mixture of plenty of genres ranging from experimental sound of Radio for the Daydreamers, psychedelic rock with traditional Eastern motifs performed by Greek Sleepin Pillow up to stoner rock of Ponamero Sundown and many many more in between. We are sure you will enjoy this one.

As for the coming year, we have many plans to become better and progress further, and you will be the first who will know about it. Until then, we wish you  good health and a lot of good music in 2012.

Tracklist:

01. SERIOUS BEAK – Han (taken from Huxwhukw)
02. TRUTHSEEKER – Storm (taken from Weightless at Dawn)
03. X-PANDA – Flight of Fancy (taken from Flight of Fancy)
04. PONAMERO SUNDOWN – Evil Wand (taken from Rodeo Electrica)
05. EFFLORESCE – Birds of Prey (taken from Shades of Fate)
06. HOTEL WRECKING CITY TRADERS – Coventina’s Cascade (taken from Hotel Wrecking City Traders)
07. ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE – Red Earth Calling (taken from Entering Into the Space Country)
08. SLEEPIN PILLOW – Amplifier in My Heart (taken from Apples on an Orange Tree)
09. REASON – Life to a Flame (taken from The Darkest Star)
10. RADIO FOR THE DAYDREAMERS – Neither of Us Will Live On (taken from Praying for the Be(a)st)
11. SERIOUS BEAK – Tui / Tuo (taken from Huxwhukw)
12. TRUTHSEEKER – Through the Waves (taken from Weightless at Dawn)
13. X-PANDA – Crystal Gazing (taken from Flight of Fancy)
14. PONAMERO SUNDOWN – Sinners Breed (taken from Rodeo Electrica)
15. EFFLORESCE – Sunset in the Snowdome (taken from Shades of Fate)
16. HOTEL WRECKING CITY TRADERS – Traverse of the Oxen (taken from Hotel Wrecking City Traders)
17. ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE – Who Tripped on the C(h)ord? (taken from Dead Man in Space)
18. SLEEPIN PILLOW – An Idiot’s Point of View (taken from Superman’s Blues)
19. REASON – The Darkest Star (taken from The Darkest Star)
20. RADIO FOR THE DAYDREAMERS – When You Die (taken from Praying for the Be(a)st)

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 12 – 2011 Year in Review: xCeptional

The final podcast in ProgSphere’s December series of AwesomeCasts has arrived and by this we round the story of the best 100 albums released in 2011. This episode is called xCeptional, meaning that this podcast doesn’t cover any particular genre subcategory. I covered everything from metal to psychedelic rock to progressive to fusion jazz and electronic, making this AwesomeCast being the most eclectic.

The complete tracklist is below and I won’t spend the words and waste your time who did what, the choice has been made and all you have to do is to enjoy or complain about it. Concerning Prog Sphere, the only thing that remains is the 8th edition of Progstravaganza series of compilation, which comes tomorrow and that would be all from us (me in particular) in more than successful 2011.

I will keep on doing AwesomeCasts in 2012 as well, and what I have planned for the first podcast in the year of the apocalypse is selecting 60’s/70’s obscure various rock/pop bands, ripping some of the vinyls from my home collection. Hope you like the idea.

Thanks to everybody out there who listened our podcasts, downloaded our compilations, read our interviews or reviews or specials, or even stubled upon our website from any reasons in 2011 – we wish you very happy new year and many yet to come.

See you in 2012!

Tracklist:

01. Bob Wayne – Road Bound (taken from Outlaw Carnie)
02. Jeremy Irons & Ratgang Malibus – Bloom (taken from Bloom)
03. Serious Beak – Han (taken from Huxwhukw)
04. Hexvessel - The Death Knell Tolls (taken from Dawnbearer)
05. Marbin - Burning Match (taken from Breaking the Cycle)
06. Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street (taken from 17th Street)
07. Six Organs of Admittance – Above a Desert I’ve Ever Seen (taken from Asleep on the Floodplain)
08. Devin Townsend Project – Heart Baby (taken from Ghost)
09. Russian Circles – 309 (taken from Empros)
10. DeWolff - Everything Everywhere (taken from Orchards/Lupine)
11. Demonic Death Judge – The Descent (taken from The Descent)
12. Graveyard - Hisingen Blues (taken from Hisingen Blues)
13. Pater Nembrot – H.A.A.R.P. (taken from Sequoia Seeds)
14. Pain of Salvation – The Deeper Cut (taken from Road Salt 2)
15. Mastodon - Dry Bone Valley (taken from The Hunter)
16. Textures - Singularity (taken from Dualism)
17. The Sade – Deaf Love (taken from Damned Love)
18. Zombi - Shrunken Heads (taken from Escape Velocity)
19. Von Hertzen Brothers – Voices in our Heads (taken from Stars Aligned)
20. Pain - Crawling Thru Bitterness (taken from You Only Live Twice)

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 11 – 2011 Year in Review: Psyched Out, Thru Space

The time has come for another one of the series of ProgSphere’s December AwesomeCasts. This time we give you another 20 bands, all from the genre of psychedelic/space rock. The songs included are all part of albums that delivered something new and different in the understanding of these great genres in 2011.

After 2010’s debut, My Brother the Wind recorded another gem of psychedelic music, but they do not try to alter their efforts to deepen their sound towards a more progressive pattern. Causa Sui and Øresund Space Collective came up with two and three albums, respectively and it was really hard to pick up a single piece for this podcast. Temple of the Smoke, The Re-Stoned , The :Egocentrics, led by Croatian Seven That Spells showed that psychedelic rock mixed with a variety of other elements (especially Temple of the Smoke) is not a long-forgotten term in Eastern Europe. A real refreshment comes into the shape of Bordeaux’s Mars Red Sky, whose juxtaposition of psychedelia and stoner made a real boom on the scene.

Anyway, I am sure the choice made here is good and that everyone might find something interesting for their own pleasure. So don’t hesitate to hit play on the player above. Next episode of the ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast comes on 29th December and is titled “xCeptional“. Stay tuned!

Tracklist:

01. The Psychic Paramount – RW (taken from II)
02. My Brother the Wind – Fire! Fire!! (taken from I Wash My Soul in the Stream of Infinity)
03. Tia Carrera – Sand, Stone and Pearl (taken from Cosmic Priestess)
04. Grails – Future Primitive (taken from Deep Politics)
05. Sungrazer – Mirador (taken from Mirador)
06. Monkey3 – Through the Desert (taken from Beyond the Black Sky)
07. White Hills – No Other Way (taken from H-p1)
08. Lunar Dunes – Eastern Promise (taken from Galaxsea)
09. Mars Red Sky – Way to Rome (taken from Mars Red Sky)
10. Seven That Spells – AUM (taken from The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock: AUM)
11. Karma to Burn – Forty Eight (taken from V)
12. Temple of the Smoke – Autumn World (taken from …Against Human Race)
13. Across Tundras – Shunka Sapa (taken from Sage)
14. The :Egocentrics – Off the Center (taken from Center of the Cyclone)
15. Tephra – City Immersed in Dust (taken from Tempel)
16. The Cosmic Dead – Infinite Death of The Godhead (taken from Cozmic Tape I)
17. The Re-Stoned – Analog (taken from Analog)
18. Samsara Blues Experiment – Hangin’ on the Wire (taken from Revelation & Mystery)
19. Causa Sui – Pewt’r Wozniacki (taken from Pewt’r Sessions I)
20. Øresund Space Collective – Space Jazz 2.2 (taken from Dead Man in Space)

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 10 – 2011 Year in Review: The Darkest Side of Prog

That’s right, folks! This part of the ProgSphere’s December series of podcasts is showcasing 20 songs from 20 albums which set the pace to exploring the term progressive beyond its extremes. These 20 bands in 2011 showed that progressive is not all about being virtuosic wanker while playing an instrument or about time signatures, but showing that these subgenres are way far from being gibberish. That’s why they made it to the list. And that’s why we decided to have this categorization, after all.

There is not to be confused that we made a mistake by putting Blut Aus Nord twice on this podcast, it’s their “fault” as they released two albums (actually 3, if we count the re-release of cult The Mystical Beast of Rebellion) this year so far (with an exception that I didn’t listen to the last part of trilogy yet), which are diametrically different and differences are what’s counting.

All of these bands/albums bring something good, but first of all I have to praise the absolute revelations for me and these are Ash Borer, Disma, Forgotten Tomb, Indian and Morne. Primordial came up with great album, but that was expected. However, the complete tracklist is below, so give a listen to this one.

As previously said, the next AwesomeCast is coming on December 22^nd which is one week from now and will be completely in psychedelic-riff-jam-space rock.

Until next time…

Tracklist:

01. Ulcerate – Omens
02. Blut Aus Nord – Epitome II
03. Wolves in the Throne Room – Astral Blood
04. Loss – Cut Up, Depressed and Alone
05. Indian – Guiltless
06. Disma – Lost in the Burial Fog
07. Anaal Nathrakh – Drug-Fucking Abomination
08. Decapitated – United
09. Ash Borer – In the Midst of Life, We Are in Death
10. Primordial – Bloodied Yet Unbowed
11. Oranssi Pazuzu –  Kaaos Hallitsee
12. Krallice – Litany of Regrets
13. Aosoth – III
14. Fen – Of Wilderness and Ruin
15. Altar of Plagues – All Life Converges to Some Center
16. Morne – Nothing to Remain
17. Forgotten Tomb – Shutter
18. Obscura – Celestial Spheres
19. Nader Sadek – Of this Flesh
20.  Blut Aus Nord – Epitome VII

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 09 – 2011 Year in Review – Doomed, Stoned & Twisted

The second podcast in our series of AwesomeCasts which highlight the best records released in 2011 is named “Doomed, Stoned & Twisted”. As you might guess, this one deals with doom and stoner music. Twisted comes as a “label” which dwells between these two familiar (but not identical) subgenres.

So what you get here is another 20 bands with 20 songs taken from 20 albums I consider among the best releases of the year. That being said, you’ll find a few choices you might really trust such as YOB, Premonition 13 (featuring Scott Wino), Crowbar, Black Pyramid and Weedeater wrapped up with newcomers Dark Castle, Skraeckoedlan + many more.

In case you missed to know about the ProgSphere’s December series of podcasts, here is the full schedule:

December 1^st – “All About Prog”
December 8^th – “Doomed, Stoned & Twisted”
December 15^th – “The Darkest Side of Prog”
December 22^nd – “Psyched Out, Through Space”
December 29^th – “xCeptional”

As it’s shown above, the main theme of the next AwesomeCast will be dealing with the bands which explore the term progressive beyond the limits of extreme and dark.

Until the next week, enjoy while being doomed, stoned & twisted!

Tracklist:

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast: Episode 08 – 2011 Year in Review – All About Prog

I know that I’ve become a bit boring by repeating how this year is one of the best in recent years when it comes to music, but I swear I have really strong evidence for my claim. To do so, I’ve come up with 100 albums, divided into 5 categories where each of the categories is backed up by an AwesomeCast. You get a special article together with a podcast with this one. Could you ask for more?

The honor of opening this series of podcasts is given to “All About Prog” – where the emphasis is progressive rock and metal albums which received very good reviews, but above all, the albums we liked. Thus, in this one you’ll find a mix ranging from prog fusion Accordo dei Contrari and Planeta Imaginario to “classic” stuff from Beardfish, Opeth, The Tangent and all that spiced with the excellence of Steve Wilson, Arch & Matheos, Haken, and more. The complete tracklist is below, as always.

The plan is to publish one podcast per a week, terminating with the last week in December, meaning that the dates are following:

December 1^st – “All About Prog”
December 8^th – “Doomed, stoned & twisted”
December 15^th – “The Darkest Side of Prog”
December 22^nd – “Psyched out, thru space”
December 29^th – “xCeptional”

Additionally, at some point we will release the 8^th Progstravaganza compilation, but you will be informed about it when the time is right. To make a long story short, stream this podcast and enjoy the journey. There will be more!

Tracklist:

01. Leprous - Bilateral (taken from Bilateral, InsideOut Music)
02. Gevende - Vigeland (taken from Sen Balık Değilsinki, Baykuş Music)
03. Opeth – Haxprocess (taken from Heritage, Roadrunner Records)
04. Steven Wilson – Remainder the Black Dog (taken from Grace for Drowning, Kscope)
05. Beardfish - Without Saying Anything (feat. Ventriloquist) (taken from Mammoth, InsideOut Music)
06. Herd of Instinct – Road to Asheville (taken from Herd of Instinct, Firepool Records)
07. Neal Morse – Crossing Over – Mercy Street Revisited (taken from Testimony 2, InsideOut Music)
08. Haken - Nocturnal Conspiracy (taken from Visions, Sensory)
09. Gösta Berlings Saga – Island (taken from Glue Works, Cuneiform Records)
10. X-Panda - Black (taken from Flight of Fancy, Nailboard Records)
11. Red Snapper – In Your Backs (taken from Key, V2 Records)
12. Accordo dei Contrari – Arabesque (taken from Kublai)
13. Myrath - Braving the Seas (taken from Tales of the Sands, Nightmare Records)
14. White Willow - Red Leaves (taken from Terminal Twilight, The Laser’s Edge Music)
15. Mars Hollow – Walk Alone (taken from World in Front of Me, 10T Records)
16. Anima Morte – Contamination (taken from The Nightmare Becomes Reality, Transubstans Records)
17. Steve Hackett – Turn This Island Earth (taken from Beyond the Shrouded Horizon, InsideOut Music)
18. Arch/Matheos – On the Fence (taken from Sympathetic Resonance, Metal Blade Records)
19. Planeta Imaginario – The Sea…and Later the Sun…and the Reflection (taken from Optical Delusions, Cuneiform Records)
20. The Tangent – The Wiki Man (taken from COMM, InsideOut Music)

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast – Episode 07: Prog Sphere Promotions 1/2

The new episode of ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast showcases 10 bands (each presented with 2 tracks) from the Prog Sphere Promotions roster. Just to give you a brief clue – Prog Sphere Promotions is a boutique agency providing bands representation and public relations in the music industry, with a tendency of supporting up-and-coming bands from all around the world. Our primary goal is to enable these bands to be heard, as we think they really deserve attention of radio&tv stations, internet&printed magazines, web portals, and of course the fans of progressive music.

Not all bands off the roster are included on this podcast, that’s why you have “1/2″ in the title of this one. Comparing to all other AwesomeCasts we did so far, this one comes without any chatting, as there are only songs, songs and songs. Look below for the tracklist and hit the play button on that player showed somewhere around. Feel free to drop a comment in the comment box below this text if you feel that you have something to say about the music. Until the next time, enjoy!

To be continued…

Tracklist:

01. Sleepin Pillow – An Idiot’s Point of View (taken from Superman’s Blues, 2010)
02. Bruno Pitch – Karachi (taken from Crystal Garden, 2010)
03. Daymoon – First Rain (taken from All Tomorrows, 2011)
04. Øresund Space Collective – Space Jazz Jam 2.2 (taken from Dead Man in Space, 2011)
05. Consecration – Somna (taken from .avi, 2010)
06. Mars Red Sky – Strong Reflection (taken from Mars Red Sky, 2011)
07. Johnny Engstrom Band – Endlessly (taken from Magnetic Force, 2011)
08. Seven That Spells – Let’s Go to San Francisco (taken from Acid Taking and Sweet Love Making, 2011)
09. Draconic – The Imbecile (taken from The Wrong Side of the Aperture, 2009)
10. Concrete Sun – D.A.N.U.B.E. (taken from Sky is High, 2011)
11. Concrete Sun – Sky is High (taken from Sky is High, 2011)
12. Draconic – Hospitals (taken from Hospitals, 2011)
13. Seven That Spells – Easy Drugs & Hard Women (taken from Acid Taking and Sweet Love Making, 2011)
14. Johnny Engstrom Band – Wounded (taken from Magnetic Force, 2011)
15. Mars Red Sky – Way to Rome (taken from Mars Red Sky, 2011)
16. Consecration – Idiot Glee (taken from .avi, 2010)
17. Øresund Space Collective – Red Earth Calling (taken from Entering Into the Space Country, 2011)
18. Daymoon – News from the Outside (taken from All Tomorrows, 2011)
19. Bruno Pitch – Neverlove (taken from Crystal Garden, 2010)
20. Sleepin Pillow – The Black Sea (taken from Apples on an Orange Tree, 2008)

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast – Episode 06: Daymoon

Hello, friends! There is the brand new episode of ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast called… Daymoon. That’s because my guest was Mr. Fred Lessing of German/Portuguese “regressive” rock ensemble of, well… Daymoon. Yes, you read it well, regressive rock. If you wonder what the hell is regressive rock, keep your ears peeled and listen to this 67 minutes long podcast, where besides talking Fred and I play some fine music. The full tracklist is below, in case you are interested to know songs Fred chose exclusively for the show.

Other than that, we talked about some other bands, so don’t be strict with us for what’s been said.

You can read an interview I did with Fred some time there HERE, or read the review for All Tomorrows here. Also, at the moment we are hosting Regressive Rock 3-day party, meaning that you can listen to All Tomorrows in its entirety and tell us what you think about the album.

If you like the music, visit the band’s Bandcamp profile and buy the album for measly €1. In that way you will support Daymoon in their mission to have the album pressed on CD. Thank you very much for listening and your support. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

01. Daymoon – Marrakech
02. Daymoon – The Sum
03. Klaatu – The Loneliest Creature in the Universe
04. Johann Sebastian Bach – Goldberg Variations No. 29
05. Transatlantic – The Whirlwind
06. Daymoon – Arklow

Download / stream:

@ Archive.org
@ Ourmedia.org

A Progstravaganza Special: The New Generation of Prog

This is not something you are accustomed to, I guess. In such a short time you get two compilations, but we do have really good reasons to do it.

Namely, this September will (should) be a promising month for progressive metal. First of all, we have some new albums announced which majority of fans waits impatiently (you know about which albums I am talking, right?). But that’s not all.

Nürnberg, Germany. Located on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, 170 km north of Munich, this city will be host of the first Generation Prog Festival and a place where the fans of progressive rock and metal should flock at the beginning of the fall.

Having Andromeda headlining the festival, with popular new bands like Haken and Subsignal, fusiony instrumentalists Exivious and Relocator and local talent Effloresce, Theory of Elements and Ocean Spout on the bill, this brand-new festival showcases the new generation of prog – hence the title of this compilation.

This sampler is brought to you by Michael Schetter, the man in the charge behind the festival, the bassist of Relocator and the ProgSphere’s contributor, who already wrote a lengthy introduction in the sampler’s booklet, designed by the Effloresce’s Nicki Weber and Dave Mola.

To make a long story short, check below for the download link and meet the quality which will be served on September 23rd/24th. Should I tell you to be there?

Tracklist

1. Haken – The Point Of No Return (11:26) – taken from Aquarius (Sensory Records, 2010)
2. Relocator – Aavishkar (10:30) – taken from Relocator (2010)
3. Effloresce – Sunset in the Snowdome (8:26) – taken from Shades of Fate (2009)
4. Exivious – Waves Of Thought (6:24) – taken from Exivious (2009)
5. Theory of Elements – In the End (6:39) – taken from Faces (2007)
6. To-Mera – Earthbound [bonus track] (7:28) – taken from Earthbound (2009)
7. Andromeda – Veil of Illumination (17:25) – taken from The Immunity Zone (Nightmare Records, 2008)

Total playing time: 68:18

Notes on “The New Generation of Prog” compilation

I’ve been listening to these sampler non-stop since I got it from Michael few days ago, just because it’s a damn good bunch of tracks which reflects that progressive music is still alive and beating strongly. Thus I couldn’t resist not to say a few words about the tracks we have presented here.

Systematically, Haken’s track is by default the natural opener and for that choosing this one to kick off the sampler is a smart move. Grandiose in every possible segment, being epic and developing all the way from beginning by its end, it’s a good representative of how progressive rock sounds in the 21st century.

Fusion metal is pretty new subgenre in a vast progressive field and if there are two bands at the moment which hold the primacy in the moment, then certainly these are Exivious and Relocator. Although structurally different this package will be a real delicacy for all gourmets. Effloresce and Theory of Elements with their understanding of progressive metal make it clear that there is brand new potential out there with tendency to progress further, and their two tracks show such indicatons. Speaking of To-Mera, they were announced to play the festival, but the decision was made to withdraw. Anyhow, including them on this sampler is a nice way to pay the tribute to one of the modern bringers of prog.

And finally we come to the centerpiece of this sampler, as well the headliner of the Generation Prog 2011 festival – the Swedish progressive metal heroes Andromeda. Including this monstrous slab of high prolific prog metal is, to put it simply, the best thing ever. Discussing the tracklist of the compilation with Michael, we agreed on that this song is among best prog metal pieces of the new millennium. ’nuff said. I’m blown away!

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