Hello, My Dear Friends! If summarising Novalis’s career in Schmetterlinge was a daunting task, Grobschnitt’s 79:10 has proven to be a herculean one. Not only was Grobschnitt’s career longer and more varied with some arguably better results, but the depths…
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Even though Esoteric’s resplendent repackaging of retro progressive rock is occasionally prone to errors in artwork or sound quality, it must be said that they do a finer, more consistent job than anyone else in the market at bringing us…
View More Quintessence – Move into the Light: The Complete Island Recordings 1969-1971
As a follow up to his recent review of Novalis‘ Schmetterlinge box set, TPA’s Basil Francis took the opportunity to speak to Lutz Rahn and Hartwig Biereichel. Hello, Lutz Rahn and Hartwig Biereichel. It’s a privilege to be able to…
View More Lutz Rahn and Hartwig Biereichel – Novalis
Überblick When purchasing a career-spanning box set of a band that you’re not overly familiar with, you have to keep an open mind and expect the unexpected. For me with Schmetterlinge, the gargantuan 15CD/1DVD box set including every studio and…
View More Novalis – Schmetterlinge
You have to be brave and somewhat foolhardy as a band to try and penetrate the world of prog-metal, a genre that is oversaturated with Dream Theater soundalikes and where musical skill, above all else, is valued. It doesn’t pay…
View More Noēsis – The Current
Melbourne-based four-piece band Mildlife enter the scene with their debut album Phase, drawing on such diverse influences as jazz, disco and psychedelic rock to create a heady and truly intoxicating concoction. The opening track and lead single The Magnificent Moon…
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And now for something completely different… “Communiqué number one. Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France.” At first, it struck me as odd that a German band…
View More Flying Circus – Starlight Clearing / 25 Live
Black Severn, who appropriately hail from Bristol, invite you to hear their second opus, Wild Interior, which comes hot on the heels of their self-titled debut, released in March 2016. At 34 minutes in length, it feels more like an…
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Esoteric’s deluxe treatment of Anthony Phillips’ back catalogue continues with the not-so-highly sought after 1983 pop album Invisible Men, a collaboration between himself and long-time musical partner Richard Scott. The notes of this 2CD edition explain that it was a…
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This year marks a decade of Esoteric Recordings. Beginning by releasing solely progressive rock music, it’s safe to say the style of their releases has strayed from the original remit somewhat. Nevertheless, I’ll continue to chase their reissues, as what…
View More Unicorn – Too Many Crooks