Italian guitar virtuoso Matteo Mancuso surprised the (jazz) rock world in 2023 with his debut album The Journey. Known until then mainly for his YouTube presence and praise from guitar giants (Steve Vai, Al Di Meola and Tommy Emmanuel), he…
View More Matteo Mancuso – Route 96
Perfect Beasts are a kind of suburban supergroup I suppose. Based in Surrey, they comprise Steve Hales, the powerhouse drummer from Kepler Ten, Planet Rock DJ and bassist Darren Redick, guitar supremo Nick Andrew, and guitarist and vocalist John Mitchell.…
View More Perfect Beasts – Perfect Beasts
Three years ago, I was introduced to the Scottish heavy metal act Holocaust through their 6CD box set that compiled their complete early 80s recordings. With their debut EP and LP, they managed to make a splash in the new…
View More Holocaust – Dance Into The Void: Complete Recordings Vol.2 1989-2003
Possibly the last place you would look for authentic-sounding Americana music would be Norway. However, let me introduce you to The Violent Years, a band based in Mandal on the southern tip of Norway and their latest release, out now,…
View More The Violent Years – Blizzard / Sunshine
Blodwyn Pig formed way back in the late Sixties by guitarist and vocalist Mick Abrahams following his departure from Jethro Tull, shortly after the release of their 1968 debut album. Abrahams was uncomfortable with the musical direction Tull was heading…
View More Blodwyn Pig – The Recordings 1969-1974 (3CD Boxset)
The umbrella of progressive music expands far and wide, and there is certainly something for everyone underneath it. The variety of sound and style is almost endless and once in a while, you come across music that just shakes you…
View More Zeitgeber – Fellow Prisoners Of The Splendour And Travail Of The Earth – Part 2
Vox Occulta is a Latin phrase, meaning Hidden Voice. But when it comes to the work of Leprous frontman, and chief architect, Einar Solberg, his voice is very much at the forefront. Who can blame him? He has a truly…
View More Einar Solberg – Vox Occulta
Well, Franck Carducci and his band are certainly regulars of the gig circuit, and it’s unlikely that anyone reading this hasn’t seen them at least once. Albums though are a little less frequent, and we’ve been waiting since 2019 for…
View More Franck Carducci – Sheeple
The third offering from idiosyncratic Japanese proggers – after 2020’s Tsumibito No Kioku and 2021’s Sazaki Orite Hikari Overflow – is a 90-minute concept album containing all the elements we expect from a band of the Rising Sun: jaw-dropping technical…
View More Project Nayuta – Uniomisty
Italian band Karmamoi return with Eternal Mistake, their first fully original new album since 2021’s Orwellian Room 101. This is an exploration of love and reason, recounting the strange tale of love between a human and a humanoid. This album…
View More Karmamoi – Eternal Mistake