As the core of The Samurai of Prog and innumerable offshoots, Marco Bernard (bass) and Kimmo Pörsti (drums) are responsible for an incredible amount of music. Much of the music has been unavailable as the years pass, hence the Omnibus…
View More The Samurai Of Prog – Omnibus 4: The Bernard & Pörsti Sessions
Ever since the Beatles announced “I want to hold your hand”, power pop has had a significant grip on popular music. That influence has waxed and waned throughout the years, but never has it disappeared. The branding may have changed…
View More Various Artists – I Wanna Be A Teen Again: American Power Pop 1980 – 1989
International progsters The Samurai Of Prog are a busy bunch. In addition to the TSOP concern, there are any number of offshoots featuring drummer Kimmo Pörsti and/or bassist Marco Bernard. One of those extracurricular bands is The Guildmaster, featuring the…
View More The Guildmaster – Gathering Of Souls
Of all Jimi Hendrix’s spiritual children, Robin Trower is one of the best. Who would have guessed that the guy so underutilized in Procol Harum would blossom into a guitar god who was so much more than imitative of his…
View More Robin Trower – For Earth Below (50th Anniversary Edition)
In the States, there was only ever one After The Fire album and one monster hit single, the ubiquitous Der Kommissar. So, when the opportunity to explore six discs worth of hitherto unknown music presented itself, I jumped. Not only…
View More After The Fire – Bright Lights 1974-1983 (6CD Boxset)
Cosmograf’s newest release, The Orphan Epoch, is a departure from past efforts. Rather than the usual concept album, the songs are loosely connected by themes of nonconformity and choosing to find one’s own path in life. Says mastermind Robin Armstrong,…
View More Cosmograf – The Orphan Epoch
When Magic Pie made their American debut at ROSfest on 30th April 2006, they led off with the epic Change from their first album, Motions Of Desire. Their reasoning, as they later explained, was that they were fearful that the…
View More Magic Pie – Maestro
You have to hand it to the folks at Cherry Red. No matter the genre, when they do a compilation, you can always expect the unexpected. Electric Junk – Deutsche Rock, Psych And Kosmiche 1970-78 is a journey (literally, as…
View More Various Artists – Electric Junk: Deutsche Rock, Psych & Kosmiche 1970-78 (4CD Boxset)
Twenty-two studio albums into their career, Glass Hammer still have the capacity to surprise. While there have been thematic groupings of albums (think Tolkien, Skallagrim, or the Jon Davison years), Glass Hammer have managed to evade being pigeon-holed into a…
View More Glass Hammer – Rogue
Every once in a while, a song or an artist comes along to capture your fancy in an unexpected way. Such is the case with Brendan Perkins’ latest offering, Stories From The Old Church Lane. Perkins was totally unknown to…
View More Brendan Perkins – Stories From The Old Church Lane