You probably wouldn’t have been expecting me to review Vector after my disparaging comments about 2016’s Affinity, and yet here I am. Just as I punish myself by watching the latest series of The Simpsons and The Walking Dead to…
View More Haken – Vector
It’s been five years since the Italian symphonic grind pop quartet (their words, not mine) The National Orchestra of the United Kingdom of Goats (UKoG for short) dazzled me with their stunning debut LP Vaaya and the Sea. In the…
View More The National Orchestra of the United Kingdom of Goats – Huntress
TPA’s Basil Francis recently put together a review of Grbschnitt’s mammoth 17-disc boxset 79:10 and got in touch with drummer Eroc to discuss the history of the band… I wanted to start by asking you, how would you describe Grobschnitt…
View More Eroc – Grobschnitt
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…
View More Grobschnitt – 79:10
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…
View More Mildlife – Phase
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