Back in 2019, before the world went all mental and live music disappeared, I was lucky enough to see Japanese band Kōenjihyakkei perform a magnificent set at the Lexington in London. Suffice to say, it was one of the most…
View More Kōenjihyakkei – Nivraym Revisited [Remastered & Expanded]Category: Album Reviews
The Bob Lazar Story – The Bob Lazarus Chronicles, Pt.1 : Foodstool Resurrection
The Bob Lazar Story is Matt Deacon. You may remember him from such albums (and reviews) as Ghost of Foodstool (2014, reviewed by Jez Rowden), Self-Loathing Joe EP (2015, reviewed by Jez Rowden), Baritonia (2017, reviewed by Jez Rowden [I’m…
View More The Bob Lazar Story – The Bob Lazarus Chronicles, Pt.1 : Foodstool ResurrectionAngel – Once Upon A Time
The first, self-titled Angel album, released in 1975, introduced a band that straddled the worlds of prog and glam, leaning heavily on the former musically and the latter in sartorial style. The first two albums (which were produced by Derek…
View More Angel – Once Upon A TimeAisles – Beyond Drama
Beyond Drama is the fifth album by Chilean band Aisles, and comes after a seven-year hiatus following 2016’s acclaimed concept album Hawaii. Aisles have been tagged very much in the melodic neo-prog genre and the development from their first album…
View More Aisles – Beyond DramaThe Wring – Spectra
Spectra is the third offering from guitarist and songwriter Don Dewulf, and it very much continues to be based on the template established on the first two releases. This means a welter of metallic riffs, some odd time signatures and…
View More The Wring – SpectraPolyphia – Remember That You Will Die
Polyphia? Yes? No? Well, some years back now it was suggested I take a listen to Polyphia’s Muse album. Memories of the album – impressive guitar work all wrapped up in a tried and trusted tech-metal formula. Move forward to…
View More Polyphia – Remember That You Will DieBlues Image – Next Voyage
One of the very first singles I bought as a music-obsessed child was Blues Image’s Ride Captain Ride in 1970. The song was all over the radio at the time and, as one of the first popular songs to feature…
View More Blues Image – Next VoyageCollage – Over and Out
Twenty-seven years after their 1995 album, Safe, Poland’s widely revered – even iconic – band Collage return with a fifth new studio album, Over and Out. The engine room of the band remains the same – Krzysztof Palczewski on synthesisers,…
View More Collage – Over and OutTen – Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes is the second of a brace of albums written and recorded by Ten during the Covid-19 pandemic. The first of this brace was Here Be Monsters which was released at the start of 2022. Wisely,…
View More Ten – Something Wicked This Way ComesBarend Tromp – Juvenile Fish Tales
Juvenile Fish Tales is the latest album from Barend Tromp, an envelope-pushing guitarist, bass guitarist and sitar player from the Netherlands. It’s an instrumental album inspired by a book he received as a child which explored the undersea world and…
View More Barend Tromp – Juvenile Fish Tales